From: siwata@mercury.sfsu.edu (SHOJI IWATA) Newsgroups: alt.games.video.sony-playstation,alt.games.video.import.japanese,rec.games.video.sony Subject: ** ARC THE LAD: Guide Ver 1.32 ** Date: 21 Mar 1996 09:42:13 GMT Organization: San Francisco State University Summary: Keywords: ======================================================================== SYSTEM: Sony PS-X Playstation (Japan) TITLE: Arc the Lad TYPE: Role Playing DEVELOPER: G-Craft Software PRICE: 5,800 yen AVAILABILITY: -Now- FEATURES: Voice Actors, London Philharmonic Orchestra, A+ Graphics, etc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SUBJECT: Arc the Lad Walk-Through Guide VERSION: 1.32 EDITOR's NOTE: Here is version 1.32 of the Walk-Through for Arc the Lad. As this guide will be revised & edited accordingly, updated versions will be posted with more translations & tips/tricks. If there are any errors or suggestions, please let me know, as I will try to update the guides accordingly. Thankx. ======================================================================== [THE INTRODUCTORY SEQUENCE] - WINTER SCENE - o As the introduction sequence begins to unfold, you will first see a wintery scene with Kukuru, the young & only daughter of the Whito family, whose destiny was laid forth as the guardian of the mystic spirit shrine of the mountain of Toville, and one of the village leaders. Kukuru, at this point, faces a certain dilemma in which she must marry the prince of Palencia, a dilemma she feels she should have no obligation to follow through with. Thus, the village leader has given her the prerogative (option) to her own will, only if she goes to the mystic spirit shrine of the Toville mountain & release the ancient fire. Without question, she does so, not even realizing the consequences of what she is about to do. When she does blow out the ancient fire, a demonic voice speaks out, cursing the 3000 years it has been enslaved within the depths of the ancient fire. Perplexed (stunned) at what has happened, Kukuru returns to the village leader, who is plotting in something beyond the realization of Kukuru. Kukuru questions the village leader of what she heard, only to find ridicule by the skepticism of the plotting village leader. So, this wintery scene ends as the village leader secretively revealing his greedy plot in gaining his reward for following the orders of the evil Lord Andel. - ARC's HOUSE - o At this point of the intro sequence, Arc is seen, seemingly grieving over the long absence of his father. He attempts to open the chest that contains his father's armor & sword, only to find it locked. As his mother, Polta, comes in the scene, Arc questions her of the true nature for his father's absence. Though she only would speak of his father's death as a result of monsters within the mountains, Arc, with denial, increasingly becomes determined to find the true nature of his father's absence, believing that his father was too skilled & strong to perish under the hands of a mere monster. Seeing the strong nature & determination in Arc, she gives in & opens the chest, and leaves the room. His mother, in the other room, recalls of what Arc's father said 10 years ago, and thus, a flashback scenery is shown. In the flashback sequence, Arc is 5 years old and is seen sleeping in his bed. His father explains to Polta of his destiny to fight the monsters for the sake of his world and his only son, Arc. Polta, reluctant of listening to his reasonings, pleads for him to stay, only to find her husband's determination perpetual (unchanging) to her appeal. He leaves, asking for her to take good care of Arc, and notes that Arc will 10 years from now, embark on the same journey, as it was his destiny to do so. As the flashback ends, the player (you) will now begin your game.... ===================================================================== 1. [ARC'S HOUSE] o Now that the chest is open, you now have access to the sword & armor. o Before you leave the room, make sure to look for hidden items. There is a medicine (HP revive) in one of the pots on the left side of the room. o Talk to your mother in the other room. As all mothers are, she will be concerned & will make sure you are well prepared before you go outside. She will give you... - Kaisarg Robe (Raises throwing level +1) - Cure Potion (HP revive) - Poison Repellant - Life Potion (Revive a dead member) o Make sure to look for hidden items. There is a rock hidden in the upper right corner of the room. You can use it to throw it against enemies. Make sure to have your Kaisarg Robe equipped before you throw it. It will raise the amount of damage you inflict upon your enemies. o Leave the house. You will then head towards the mountains. 2. [THE MYSTIC MOUNTAIN & THE FIRE SHRINE] o Back at the wintery mountain scene, you will see Kukuru and hear a demonic wail (scream) in the background. Arc will meet Kukuru for the first time, and Arc will insist, with strong determination, on going to the mystic shrine to light the fire, in hopes of finding out anything that might lead to the whereabouts of his father. Arc takes the light and heads towards the depths of the mountain. When Arc encounters the Demon, it questions him if he is the one that released the fire. Assuming he was, the demon attacks Arc, leaving him to die in the cold. A light shines on him, and he is revived by the guardian spirit of the mountains. It speaks to him of his true destiny and enhances his fighting will/power to battle the monsters. o After that sequence, you will begin your first battle against 6 green slimes. They should be of no difficulty, as they only have 3 Hps each. But note that they can replicate themselves at will to create more slimes. o Another sequence will thereafter follow, as Arc lights the fire of the shrine. Once he reaches his house, he is summoned by the king of Palencia. Another scene with Kukuru & Arc will follow, and his destined journey begins... 3. [THE CASTLE OF PALENCIA] o As Arc reaches the castle, the little sequence with the Palencia army & Poco is shown. In the castle, Arc is greeted -- but with skepticism due to his youthful appearance -- by the King, whose interest lies in Arc's newfound "power" that was bestowed upon him by the mountain spirit guardian. Lord Andel, the king's most "trusted" advisor, suggests that Arc should prove his worth by fighting the monsters in Colbo. Arc accepts. o Head towards the Colbo fields, the middle area. There, you will meet Poco, who will be the first to join your group. Fight the enemies. (Colbo Enemies: Zombies, spirits, green slime, fireballs) o Return to Palencia to see the king again. When you see the king, you will encounter even more skepticism than before. Then a guard will come in to inform the king of the monsters invading the castle. Arc will take this chance to prove to the king and subjects of his worth. o At the bridge, Kukuru will be surrounded by monsters. Kukuru will now be a member of your cast. Battle the monsters. (Palencia Bridge Enemies: green slime, spirits, evil monk, priest) o Back at the King's throne room, the king gives his full pardon for his skepticism & doubt of Arc's worth. The scene will follow with the myth of the ancient treasure of light & darkness -- a relic that is foretold to hold the destiny of the world & its fate. The king then speaks of his brother's absence after an incident in the Toyoke woods. The king then asks Arc to find out the truth behind the incident & go to the Toyoke woods. Another scene will follow, with Lord Andel reporting of Arc to an evil source in a mirror. o Now head towards the Sumaria Airbase where you must travel to Millmana. 4. [MILLMANA] o On arriving at the Millmana airbase, commander Yagun's right-hand-man will be expecting you, as he will take you to Yagun. On meeting him, he will greet you with extreme ridicule/mockery of Arc's age & appearance. He will even suggest that Arc is too weak & young to venture into the Toyoke woods. Eventually it will come to the point where Arc will, again, have to prove his worth & skills by battling monsters in the woodlands. o Battle enemies at the woods (3 sections) (Millmana Enemies: Skeletons warriors, priests, monks, spririts, poison plants, evil knights) o After defeating the enemies in all three sections, it will prove Arc's worth/skills -- which evidently Yagun believes to be a threat to his hidden plans/eugenda & thus, sends his monsters to kill Arc & his friends. o Another battle will take place, as Arc travels through the Toyoke woods. (Toyoke Enemies: Ninja warriors, spirits, giant insects, poison plants) o After reaching to the mystic tree of Toyoke, Arc will be visited by the spirit guardian. She will speak of Arc's father & his journey through the woods 20 years ago, and about Arc's destined fate to save the world. o Your task in Millmana is done. Though, it is advisable to battle more enemies to gain levels & strength. o Head back to Sumaria (Palencia castle) 5. [SUMARIA - Palencia Castle - ] o When you reach Sumaria, you will notice that there are more battle areas to explore. Though they are battle areas, they contain secondary level enemies. They have more offensive & defensive tactics, so it is advisable to come back to these areas after your characters are at stable levels. o Before you enter the Palencia castle, you will see Tosh being taken in by the Palencia guards to the dungeon. As Arc & his party reports of his recent expedition to Lord Andel, Kukuru becomes increasingly suspicous of the true nature for Tosh's capure. Another scene with Tosh & the guards will follow, in which you will find out that Tosh willingly let himself be captured in exchange for the sparing of his father & brother's lives. But, it seems that the Palencia guards betrayed him & not only killed both his father & brother, but also set forth a death sentence for Tosh as well. Out of rage, Tosh escapes from cell & plans for his revenge. The blue guards will transform themselves into monsters and thus, a battle will follow. (Palencia Dungeon Enemies: Ninja Warriors, drunken trolls, zombies) o After speaking to the king, head towards Arc's house. There, Arc will find his house in ruins & his mother missing. A postal messenger will drop off a letter from Arc's father. o Head towards the peak of the mountains, where the ancient circle of rocks lie. There you will fight the evil spirit of the underworld. Take heed, for he will cast "Sleep" on your characters a lot, & if you're too close, he will inflict quite some damage. o After defeating the spirit demon, Gogen, the old sorcerer, will join your group. In the scene, he will speak of the 5 mystic orbs (fire, wind, light, earth, water) that you will need in the course of your journeys. (Note: Before this scene ends, Gogen finds & picks up a 'Romancing Stone'. These are special hidden items that supposedly give your characters special powers. There are four of them, so if you find them all, something might happen...) o Head back to the Palencia castle again & report about the 5 orbs to the king. He will give you some nifty items. o Before you go to the airbase, visit Arc's house again. There is a hidden item in Arc's house. Look around and you will eventually find the second 'Romancing Stone'! o At the airbase, Tosh - after encountering the spirit who advises him to join Arc - will join Arc. o Head to Araratos. (NOTE: From this point on, Arc's main goal is to obtain all 5 orbs. Search for them in the 5 different continents...) 6. [ ARARATOS ] o On arriving at Araratos, you will be first greeted by Chongara. He has something he wants to show you. Follow him. o In the scene at Chongara's little shop, he will tell you everything from mankind's history beginning in Araratos, to what Arc will need in the course of his journey. But he will first ask Arc to obtain a certain ancient artifact (a pot) from the 5th level below of the dungeons, located near the shop. o Head towards the dungeon & obtain the pot. It is located on the 5th floor. Note that the enemies past the 6th floor are of high level status, meaning that if you get too caught up in trying to defeat the enemies, you might just find yourself unable to get out... Also note: There are 50 Levels, all full of enemies ranging from low level trolls to insanely-difficult demon dragons. (Dungeon enemies: Low-level samurai, evil priests, monks, spririts) o Once having obtained the pot, head back to the shop. After the flashback scene with Chongara, he will temporarily join your party. 7. [ THE UNDERWORLD ] o You will notice that another area will now be available to explore. It is one of the underworlds to which you will obtain one of the 5 orbs. (Underworld Enemies: Rock monster, vampire bats, robot.) o You task here is done. Head back to the airbase to search for the second orb in the continent of Gracina. But just as you are about to leave, Chongara will run in & join your party. It seems that he has had a change of heart... 8. [ GRACINA ] o In arriving at Gracina, you must head to the temple. There will be a scene where the temply head priest orders Iga to keep Arc & his party out of the temple. Arc will eventually challenge Iga in order to get in the temple. Fight Iga. o Though without any weapon or items, Iga can prove to be quite a formidable enemy. Try not to use magic on him, as you may find that most of your magic will not work well against him. Use the hit-and-run tactic. And try not to throw bomb on him---he will simply catch them and may possibly throw them back. o After defeating Iga, he will keep his promise & let Arc meet the temple priest. When taken to the priest, Kukuru seems right through the true form of priest, revealing a hideous monster. A battle against the monster & his army will follow. (Temply Enemies: teleporting monsters, boss (priest) o Head to the mountains, where the second orb lies. A battle will follow. (Temple Mountain Enemies: Blue Slime, Winter Big Foots, monks) o Having obtained the second orb, head back to the temple, where Iga will finally join your party. Now, on to search for the third orb... o But before leaving Gracina, you have an option of training & building your skills/levels at the temple. Go there and answer "yes" to his first question. You will first face 20 green slimes. The fighting order will successively go in this order: 1st Stage: 20 Green Slimes 2nd Stage: 20 Fireballs 3rd Stage: 20 Drunken trolls 4th Stage: 20 Bats 5th Stage: 20 Blue Slimes 6th Stage: 20 Hemogees 7th Stage: 20 Vampire Bats 8th Stage: 20 2nd Level fireballs 9th Stage: 20 2nd Level Drunken trolls 10th Stage: 20 red slimes After the ten & last stage of training, the temple priest will give you a special artifact... o Also note that the priest will give you the option of gaining a special relic if you answer all his questions correctly. To do this, answer "No" to his first question. Then Answer "Yes" to his second, thus starting your test of wits. (Here Are The Answers: Question #1: 3rd Answer (7 people) Question #2: Gogen Question #3: 4th Answer Question #4: 2nd Answer Question #5: 3rd Answer Question #6: 2nd Answer Question #7: 4th Answer Question #8: 2nd Answer Question #9: 4th Answer o Head to Needle. There, lies the third orb. 9. [ NEEDLE ] o Upon reaching at the continent of Needle, head towards the fighting arena. There, it seems that you need to fight & win in the tournament to win the grand prize -- the orb of wind. The announcer is Rocktle -- he will be announcing the matches & rules. o In the tournament, you will be fighting 6 challengers. Depending on the skill level your characters are at, it will most likely be a breeze. You will select one of your 7 characters to fight in the tournament. Note that if you change characters anytime during the tournament, you will have to start over. o After winning the tournament, Rocktle, the announcer, will give you your prize -- the third orb. A scene will follow. In the scene, the announcer will cinically congradulate you for your efforts, but he persists in not letting you leave....at least not alive. It seems that he was part of the evil dominion, & thus sent to rid of Arc & his party. He will transform and a battle will take place. (Needle Enemies: Evil monks, Arc Demon (Rocktle)) o After defeating Rocktle & his band of evil monks, Gogen will accidently drop the orb, releasing the wind spirit inside. It will give you the true orb. Now for the fourth orb... o BUT....before you go to the airbase, check out the arena again. Talk to the other announcer 10 times. He just might give you something... o Your task here is done. Head to the airbase for the continent of Aribasha. There, the fourth orb awaits. 10. [ARIBASHA] o Upon arriving in Aribasha, you will be greeted by the village leader of Aribasha. As he takes you a scenic view of the village, a light flashes & before you know it, Aribasha is in flames. You encounter the demons responsible, and thus a battle... (Aribasha Desert Enemies: Desert Poison Plants, Red skeletons, blue arch-demon) o As one of the old leaders of Aribasha breathes his last words, he gives Arc a relic. He asks of you to protect the temple of the water goddess. As you head to the desert temple, you see a band of armies combing the desert area. Kasadooru, the leader of the army, will have his army attack you. Yet another battle... (Desert temple enemies: Desert insects, giant moth) o Continue to head north. There are more battles to be fought. (Temple enemies: vampire bats, level 2 priests, level 2 monks, 1 robot (Kasadooru)) o After defeating Kasadooru & his army, the path will lead to the mystic water godess' shrine. Go in & get the fourth orb. The goddess will also give Chongara a new monster to summon. He is Raigin. -Also refer to the Tips & Tricks Section- o Though your task in Aribasha is technically done, there will be two more desert areas for you to battle. For the sake of gaining more levels, it is advisable to explore & battle the enemies there before heading back to the airbase. o At the airbase, your final orb is located back in Sumaria. But, I STRONGLY advise you to explore the regions you have yet to explore, in order to gain more levels. - The 50 Dungeons in Araratos & get the secret character - The 10 training levels at the temple of Gracina. - pick up a monster at Chongara's shop - enter other tournaments to win prizes at Needle 11. [BACK IN SUMARIA] o Back in Sumaria, go to Arc's house (or what's left of it). Arc's father will have left a letter for you. It states that the final orb will be in the depths of the Palencia castle. o Head to the castle, where a scene will take place. After finding out the secrets of Andel & the experiments done on the fire spirit, a battle will take place. (Palencia enemies: priests, red slimes, blue dragon) o Just as you defeat the enemies & gain the final orb, the evil scientist, with his last bit of energy, pulls the self-destruct lever, leaving the Palencia castle on the verge of destruction & everyone in it. o As everyone struggles to leave the castle, monsters will try to slow you down. Arc & Kukuru will battle the monsters. (Palencia enemies: blue skeletons, level 2 fires, grim reaper) o As Arc & Kukuru escape through the elevator, two flying dragons will try to stop you. (Palencia enemies: blue dragons) o A final scene with the destruction of the Palencia castle will be shown. Towards the end of the scene, Lord Andel will dicreed himself as the new emperor & frame Arc and his party as the ones responsible for the destruction of Palencia and the king. o With the final battle coming forth, you will have the option of either re-exploring the battle areas to gain more levels, or to re-enter Sumaria (disguised) and battle the final bosses of the game. 12. [RE-ENTERING SUMARIA] o When re-entering Sumaria, you will be disguised as a group of royalty, seeking Andel's help. Once in Sumaria, head to Toville (Arc's House). There, Arc must blow off the ancient fire & battle the enemies. (Toville Mountain enemies: level 3 monks, level 3 priests, level 3 knights, flying insects) o Once completed, you must head to the upper little region of the mountain, where the mystic chest lies. There, a battle with 10 red/green demons will take place. It will not be an easy battle. (Toville Upper Region enemies: green demons, red demons) o The final battle sequence of the game will follow. At the waterfall, you will be given an option, asking whether or not you want to proceed. o Assuming that you answered 'yes', you will use the five orbs to reveal the secret entrance of the mystic treasure. Upon reaching the mystic treasure, it will tell you that in order to obtain the treasure, you must fight your 'true oneself'. Thus, the final boss(es) -- the evil reflections of your characters. (Final Bosses: Arc, Tosh, Kukuru, Poco, Gogen, Chongara, Iga) o In the final sequence of the game & having defeated your evil reflections, all five of the gods will speak to you, telling Arc of his true destiny. As they leave, Arc & Kukuru will be given special powers, accordingly to their destined fate. Once leaving the cavern, Andel & his army will be waiting for you, in anticipation of stealing the mystic treasure from you. Oddly enough, Arc will choose not to battle them, assuming he was outnumbered. In the course of events to follow, Andel will gain the treasure, Arc has yet to find his father (at least, not for now) and Kukuru & Arc will be separated (for now), as it was said by the gods. As the final scene unfolds, Kukuru is seen looking over the horizon & Arc's ship will pass by her. ------------------------------------------------------------------- [ EDITOR's RATINGS ] o Graphics (*****) o Sound (*****) o Story (**** ) o Originality (*** ) o Length (* ) o Overall (**** ) EDITOR'S SPECULATION: G-Craft has indefinately created a RPG with great potential. Brilliant graphics, immersive sounds, FANTASTIC voice-sampling, an intuitive storyline, and smooth animation. The only & greatest flaw of the game was quite obviously the length of the game, as it can also be seen by the short length of this guide. The first time through, the game lasted a mere 8 hours. The second time through, less than 5 hours -- and note that these times include going through the full 50 dungeon levels of the game. As any RPG fanatic would know, a true RPG would have to last at least 50 or so hours, and its greatest emphasis should be based on the length & creativity/originality of the storyline. ARC THE LAD definately has the potential to be up in ranks with the Final Fantasy Series or Shining Force series, so hopefully, in the upcoming Arc the Lad 2, G-Craft will extend it further (say 50 hours worth more?). A new and original battle engine/format wouldn't hurt either... =================================================================== [CAST OF CHARACTES] [SPELLS] ------------------------------------------------------------------- Arc - Burn Ground (volcanic eruption on enemies) - Total Healing (replenishes HP's) - Gail Flash (mystic forces flashes on enemies) - Slow Enemy (decreases dexterity of enemies) - Meteor Fall (huge meteor clashes on enemies) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Kukuru - Cure (replenishes HP's) - Depoison (cures poison status) - Silent (disables enemy's magic use) - Refresh (cures status) - Ten No Sabaki (hail of explosions) - Resurrection (revives dead members) - Divide (steals HP's from enemies) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Poco - Ikusa No Kodaiko (raises attack levels on members) - Arajishi Daiko (laser attack on enemies) - Hero Hero Rappa (huge stone notes drop on enemies) - Ieyashi No Tategoto (replenishes member's HP) - Noroma No Bass (decreases enemy's dexterity) - Idaten No Okarina (raises member's dexterity) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Tosh - Oukarai Bakuzan (three deadly slashes to enemy) - Juubakuken (paralyzes enemy) - Shinkuuzan (Illusion attack for enemy at 2 squares away from Tosh) - Koenzan (Shadow attack to inflict deadly) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Gogen - Explosion (massive explosion against enemies) - Dream Knock (casts "sleep" on enemies) - Diamond Dust (hails of ice thrashes on enemies) - Wind Slasher (cyclones thrash against enemies) - Heat Wall (creates a fire barrier against enemies) - look in tips section - Thunder Storm (summons lightning bolts) - Teleport (teleports) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Iga - Shingan Hoo (casts "rock" on enemies") - look in tips section - Taimakoodan (releases lasers against enemise) - Senbuugekishuu (releases a flaming kick to hit all enemies around him) - Ryuusenbaku (summons winds to lift enemies and thrashes them on ground) - Kishin Ryuueiha (throws ground lightning bolt) - Metsushuu Reppa (energy wave attack) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Chongara - Keraku (three elves who heal members) - Monfree (creates tiles for passage) * Look in - Fuugin (wind demon) tips section - Raigin (thunder demon) - Hemogee (transforms enemies into trolls) - Odon (morphs into enemy) =================================================================== [TIPS & TRICKS] ------------------------------------------------------------------- *) -Iga's Rock Spell o Once the "Shingan Hoo" spell (rock spell) is casted on enemies, the "Taimakoodan" spell (laser spell) is enabled/accessable. The laser will attack all the enemies under the rock spell. Note that the Taimakoodan spell is not usable independantly. *) -Chongara's Monsters & the 1100+ HP Damage Attack o Chongara's abilities are of a unique one. He summons enemies of all genera at his will. Though his monsters may not seem as useful at first, his two monsters "Raigin" & "Fuugin" can be quite a deadly combination when used accordingly. o Though it takes some time to summon both Raigin & Fuugin, once they are out, place them around an enemy, preferably a strong one. But note that they must be in a VERTICLE FORMATION, in order for the attack to work. ----------- EXAMPLE: | Raigin | ----------- ** ENEMY ** ----------- | Fuugin | ----------- Once they are in a verticle formation, a spell will now be accessable, which can inflict more than 1100 HP damage! Death is inevitable. o Chongara also has a secret character that he can summon at only certain times. To access her, you must fight your way through all 50 dungeon levels at Alalatos, and eventually fight her. If you do manage to defeat her (good luck -- you'll need it), she will join your party & Chongara will be able to summon her, but only in certain locations. But then, you have to go UP though ALL the 50 levels again, in order to get out. If you die, all that hours of work will have gone towards nothing! So be sure to be well prepared before going down there. *) FINAL NOTE: Talk to many of the people when available. If you talk to them annoyingly (over & over), they just might give you some nifty items. For example, the announcer at Needle -- talk to him over & over (about 10+ times). He will eventually get sick of you and will give you a book that will make you immune to all poison statuses. =================================================================== T H E E N D ------------------------------------------------------------------- Iwata Shoji siwata@sfsu.edu ** Coming Soon: Genso Suikoden Walk-Through ** ** Also to be Updated Soon: [MOVE GUIDES] o Sailor Moon S Battle Moves Guide o Suikoenbu (Dark Legends) Moves Guide o Advanced V.G. Battle Moves Guide [REVIEWS] o PoliceNauts: Private Collection Review o Wizard's Harmony Review --------------------------------------------------------------------