Arc the Lad 1 gives you a good feel for the series. It’s not overly long, it can be finished in less than 10 hours, but it’s a nice introduction to Arc’s world and the series’ battle system. The storyline follows Arc as he sets out to challenge the mountain that killed his father 10 years before. It’s not a very complex storyline, but for the purpose of introducing the characters it serves its purpose. The graphics are quite nice for a sprite based game, and the soundtrack is competently orchestrated. I say competently because it’s nothing spectacular, but good enough for this adventure. (The music gets better with each game) If there is a downside to the game, it’s that Arc 1 is extremely linear. You’re dragged around from battle map to battle map with very little room for variety, and the rare town “exploration” segments seem a little pointless. Sure you can fight on any battle map at any time you want, building up your characters to be virtual gods, but that doesn’t excuse the lack of any real variety within the game. The saving graces of Arc 1 are its likeable cast of characters and enjoyable battle system.

When engaging in battle, you control one character at a time. When your character’s turn comes up, a grid comes up showing you where you can move. You’re then free to move your character around with the digital or analog pad, and (obviously) want to get beside an enemy for an attack. As you level up your characters, they all gain magical abilities specific to them. For example, Tosh has a nice array of offensive sword techniques, and Arc can conjure up some devastating fire spells. Triangle ends your turn, X attacks, square brings up the items menu, and circle opens up your character’s ability ring. It’s typical strategy RPG stuff, but Arc’s easy to use interface is what makes it so endearing and even enjoyable for those who found a game like Final Fantasy Tactics a bit too difficult.

Once Arc 1 is polished off, it’s time to move on to the much-improved Arc 2. There is just such a difference between these 2 games, and you see it right from the get-go. Following the adventures of Elc, who is searching for his past, this chapter is truly the star of the Collection. There is now a Chrono Cross-esque overworld to traverse, you can catch monsters ala Pokemon, there are towns with shops, inns and houses, and the game is at least three times as long as Arc 1. In essence Arc 2 is still linear, but due to the innovative Hunters’ Guild, it gives the player a lot of flexibility in how they want to progress through the storyline. Basically, you take on “jobs” as a Hunter by going to a Hunters’ Guild, and gain merit points by completing various jobs. These may include flushing out a sewer full of monsters, or protecting a jewelry store from being robbed in the middle of the night. You can also capture “wanted” monsters for some extra cash. The battle system is basically the same as it was in the first game, but the interface looks a lot cleaner and the game is visually more appealing in general. I liked the cast of characters in Arc 2 a lot more than those in the first game; they just seem to have more personality. The story is also a lot darker than it is in Arc 1, and has some pretty angst and melancholy ridden overtones. Oh, and for the record, Shu is one of the most ass-kicking ninja characters ever in a videogame.

If you finish Arc 2 and find yourself not wanting the adventure to end, it doesn’t really have to: just pop Arc Arena into your PSX. It’s basically an add-on disc that lets you pit your captured monsters from Arc 2 against a friend. It’s a nice little package if you’re feeling competitive, but if you’re more of a one player gamer, then Arc 2 on its own will keep you busy for weeks.

When you think the Collection can’t get any bigger, you start playing Arc the Lad 3; arguably the best looking game of the series, as well as the longest. Dropping sprites in favour of polygonal environments, the game looks like a mix of Xenogears, Suikoden, and Breath of Fire IV. It’s very high on production values, with FMV quality that’s somewhere between Final Fantasy VII and VIII, and an absolutely wonderful soundtrack. (My favourite of the 3 games) Looking at Arc 2 and Arc 3 is like the difference between night and day.

In the end, Arc 3 feels like an updated version of Arc 2, which isn’t a bad thing at all. The game follows my personal favourite lead character of the series, Alec, as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery. When he was a child, his town was burned down in flames by what has become known as “The Great Disaster”, and a Hunter (ass-kicking mercenaries of peace and justice) rescued Alec, giving him a pretty impressive sword. Ever since that day, Alec’s life goal has been to become a Hunter and to find out where he came from. He shares many parallels with Lunar’s Alex, although Alec is more in control of his emotions and actions; he’s your typical cool-headed, but ambitious hero. As you can probably guess, Alec does become a Hunter and the Hunters’ Guild from Arc the Lad 2 makes a return. However, the jobs in Arc 3 have more variety than those in Arc 2. For one, you won’t always be fighting monsters; sometimes you’ll have to complete puzzles. Just like Arc 2, it’s possible to fail at a job, which earns you a smaller reward. All of this, in addition to various other abilities such as synthesizing weapons and items, make Arc 3 a completist junkie’s dream come true.

Those who have been following WD for the past few years have become familiar with the company’s pop-culture reference filled translations. Well, if you’re expecting goofiness that’s up to the level of the past two Lunar games, you’re out of luck. This is actually a pretty serious localization, and jokes are few and far between. Yes, there is the occasional crack but the characters are, for the most part, serious. Whether you consider this to be a good thing or a bad thing is completely up to you, but I can assure you that the translation quality is still nothing but the best the industry has to offer. The characters are still totally likeable and memorable.

It’s difficult to talk about all the various things that are possible to do in Arc 2 and 3, but I can assure you that RPG fans will love every minute of it. There is just a ton of varied gameplay packed into these games, and they’ll keep you playing your PSX for months to come. Try not to get turned off by the above-average Arc the Lad 1, as you’ll thank yourself for playing through it and getting to Arc 2 and 3. You can even convert your save file from Arc 1 to Arc 2, and from Arc 2 to Arc 3 to open up some neat extras.

Speaking of extras, it would be impossible to write a review for this Collection without talking about the packaging. In addition to 5 game discs, WD has packed in a very stylish “Making Of” cd. It’s actually the best Making Of disc the company has ever produced, since you’re able to choose what “chapter” you wish to view on it, and can choose to view the outtakes at will. The package also includes a very helpful and informative hardcover (151 page) manual, and an Omake box. In the Omake box you get four analog thumb covers, a handy memory card holder, and some nice character standees. (Lunar 2 owners should be familiar with this) Those who pre-ordered the package also get a surprisingly high-quality clip watch, which features some random character art on the face of the watch and comes in a nice metal case. It’s great to see that Japan isn’t the only place where a gamer can get so much in addition to the actual game.

So you’ve got one decent game, two great games, a bonus add-on disc, a Making Of cd, and a bunch of fan service to top it all off. What more could you possibly want in an anthology? Arc the Lad may have taken years to finally be released in North America, but the wait was well worth it. There is just so much to these games that it would be practically impossible to talk about in a single review. I highly recommend this Collection to anyone who has ever enjoyed a good strategy RPG. Even if you’ve never played a strategy RPG in your life, Arc the Lad is the perfect starting point: it’s not overly difficult, it features an easy-to-use battle interface, and the variety of gameplay increases with each chapter in the series. Arc the Lad Collection is a case of the whole being far greater than the sum of its parts. Check it out and extend the life of your Playstation for a little longer.