Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits

Choose Your Side...

Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits is the fourth game in the Arc the Lad series. The narration begins with Kharg, a young man who happens to be descended from noble blood, training with his mentor, Lloyd. Everything is fine and happy, and we meet up with two other characters (his friend Paulette and a forest-dwelling child named Maru) before monsters called Deimos attack one of the nearby mines for their main source of power, Spirit Stones.

After that, the story switches over to a half-human half-Deimos young man named Darc, who is enslaved by a froggy hag named Geedo. Needless to say, he doesn't get treated very well. After meeting up with an Orcon named Delma, her brother Densimo, and being betrayed by both Densimo and Geedo to his father's murderers, he claims that his ambition is to become King of the Deimos.

Each hero is also asked by one of the last remaining Sprits in the world to Save the World, and thus begin on an epic quest to do so, crossing paths multiple times and discovering some interesting secrets about themselves?.

The game is a tactical RPG with a plot twisting through about every trope in the book. But the writing is good, the voice talent is well-seasoned, and despite being fairly into the Cynical side of the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism, it has some serious Crowning Moments and is well worth playing.

Tropes used in Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits include:
  • cracks his neck* I'll grind you to fine powder!

Kharg: Nothing can hold me back!
Volk: I don't care if my fangs are broken....

I know we can win!
(Landing a Critical Hit): DIE!!!
Taste the windblade of fury!

  • Hot Scientist: Tatjana. Having Cree Summer's sexy, sexy voice doesn't help.
  • How Dare You Die on Me!: Darc to his mother, Nafia.
  • Humans Are the Real Monsters: Hoo, boy. Are they ever.
    • Probably zig-zagged.
  • Hulk Speak: Lakelta Brother Tsaw.
  • Improbable Weapon User: Several. Bebedora uses her stuffed animal and Delma uses a couple of pokers she found. However, Paulette takes the cake with her weapon, called a "Sling knife". She swings it around in circles to build up momentum and attacks by sending the bladed part into enemies. That's more or less the...only way to describe it. Best part is, she's an attacker; and possibly one of the most flexible characters so you'll see it a lot. You can at least excuse Delma's pokers.
  • Incredibly Lame Pun: The names of the lakelta brothers. Tsee, Tsaw, and Fulkrum. Didn't get it? Say them out loud.
  • Kill It with Water / An Ice Person: Volk
  • Lady of War: Camellia.
  • Last of His Kind: Droguza claims to be this.
  • Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Maru has a habit of doing this. A good example is when he's at critcal health, one of his quotes is "My turn already?"
  • Light'Em Up: Tatjana. Also a temporary straight-playing of Light Is Not Good.
  • Limit Break: Used with the Tension Gauge mechanic. When it fills up, an aura appears around the character and you can unleash team-up attacks For Massive Damage.
  • Living MacGuffin: Lilia.
  • Marathon Boss: The Final Boss. Thankfully, because of how the battle system works, you can heal in between rounds.
  • Mind Control: This is one of Bebedora's skills, see People Puppets. It never comes in handy in the plot, though.
  • Mineral MacGuffin: The Five Great Spirit Stones.
  • Ms. Fanservice: HOLY MOTHER OF ALL SPIRITS CAMELLIA. Let's see: large breasts complimented by a Sexy Backless Outfit with an Impossibly Low Neckline? Check! Actually 200 years old and still hot? Check! Battle quotes with a BDSM subtext? Check! Note that while this is her when you first meet her, she gets better.
  • Monster Arena: Two for each side. The humans have theirs at Cathena and Lambda Temple, while the Deimos arenas are in Orcoth and Rueloon.
  • The Obi-Wan: Lloyd, the Captain of the Defense Corps in Kharg's hometown.
  • Official Couple: Believe it or not, Maru and Bebedora. This leads to many a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming, and is in fact cited as the reason the plot works.
  • Parenthetical Swearing: One of Camellia's kill quotes is "May you rest in peace." She puts a... special emphasis on that last word.
  • Playing with Fire: Paulette and Delma.
  • People Puppets: Bebedora is frighteningly good at this.
  • Power Gives You Wings: Played with to the point of Zig-Zagging Trope. Kharg gains the ability to learn magic early in the game, but doesn't know why; when it's revealed later in the game that his magic is a result of his Half-Deimos lineage, the shock causes him to grow a pair of wings, which he rips from his back in disgust, making him both a justified case of the trope, and an aversion. Darc is an inversion; he begins the game with wings and spellcasting abilities, but shortly after his wings are torn off, he finds a human sword and decides to incorporate human martial arts into his fighting style.
  • Puzzle Boss: The Meshimgen.
  • Reliable Traitor: Darc welcomes Delma back into his service even after she stabs him in the back and tries to steal control of his clan from him.
  • Right Behind Me: In Darc's fifth chapter, we witness a scene of a Dilzweld soldier badmouthing Deimos and the idea of Darkham using one (Droguza). Cue Tall, Dark, and Deimos Droguza....
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: The Royal Family of Milmarna, including Maru. Kharg and Darc count as well, due to Kharg being a prince (despite the fact that his country abolished the monarchy) and Darc intends to become King of the Deimos.
  • Sacrificial Lion: Lloyd
  • Science Is Bad: Played straight and averted. The Dilzweld Empire does a lot of cruel things For Science!, and so they can take over the world (and wipe out the Deimos, while they're at it), but one of Tatjana's battle quotes is "Science protect us!"
  • Schizo-Tech: The Dilzweld Army has rifles. While the heroes wield swords, axes, and other medieval weaponry. Justified with the Deimos, who fight with magic while humans use them to fuel their technology.
  • Shown Their Work: With regards to gun safety. They do use guns in impossible and often unsafe ways, but the enemies are shown using them better than in other video games. Tatjana attacks with a pistol/blaster, and whenever she has it drawn and isn't using it, she has it pointed down, even if it looks a bit like she's got safety on, she obviously hasn't dropped that habit. Likewise, enemies with firearms held in unsafe positions are shown loading them before attacking, or drawing them from a holster, and some enemies with guns as primary weapons always have them pointed at you.
  • Slouch of Villainy: Darc, after taking over Orcoth.
  • Spin to Deflect Stuff: How Paulette blocks.
  • Stripperiffic: Most female Deimos NPCs, as well as Delma.
  • Talking Is a Free Action: Oh, so much. Lampshaded a few times, though.
  • Teens Are Short: Subverted to Hell and back. Kharg and Darc, supposedly 17 in the game, look like twenty-something men.
  • Tsundere: Delma, a Type A, apparently for Darc. Very easy to see, given one of her quotes when healed.

Delma: You... you looking for trouble?!?

    • To be fair, it's pretty obvious that being a Tsundere is how Deimos flirt.
      • Darc also acts this way towards Lilia.
  • Really Seven Hundred Years Old: Camellia, although it's kind of obvious when you first meet her. She gets better, and how!
  • Ridiculously Cute Critter: Firbles. Pyrons, their evolved form, though....
  • Video Game Cruelty Potential: After The Divine Ruler forces Bebedora into a Face Heel Turn, you have to fight her. Maru, who has been subtly hinted at being attracted to her, is among your party members for this fight. In an outright cruel move, he is the most effective fighter in this particular battle, meaning he's probably going to be doing the most damage to 'dora.
  • Weapon of Choice: Everyone has one. They get unique equipment parts to make up for it.
  • Who Wants to Live Forever?: Kirjath, a side character. His body ages and crumbles, but he can't die. Doing his sidequest resolves this fate, and gets you the Goddess Statuette, which gives a substantial HP boost.
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