Arc the Lad: End of Darkness
Real-time action RPG set five years after Twilight of the Spirits.
Arc the Lad: End of Darkness (released in Japan as Arc the Lad: Generation) is an action role-playing game for the PlayStation 2. It was developed by Cattle Call and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, with Namco handling the North American release. This title is one of three Arc the Lad games on the PS2, following Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits.
Set five years after Twilight of the Spirits, the game reuses many of its settings, characters, enemies, and music. The world features new technologies and job classes, and racial tensions between Humans and Deimos (intelligent creatures) have lessened. However, the Spirit Stones—the main natural resource from the previous game—are nearly gone, leaving the future of both races uncertain.
Unlike the four earlier tactical entries, End of Darkness uses a real-time battle system. This shift was widely considered a misstep for the series due to its poor implementation. The game also included online play, supporting up to eight players in four-on-four deathmatches or four-player co-op, though the servers were shut down in June 2006.
**Gameplay**
Players travel between cities to complete missions assigned by local guilds. Storyline missions advance the plot and allow the player to take tests, while optional missions yield items and experience. Combat is real-time, letting the player perform standard attacks, dash forward and backward, target enemies, strafe, and use four abilities. Equipment and abilities are determined by cards assigned to the character. These include ability cards (magic, gimmick, and special skills) and part cards (attack, defense, and accessory). Cards are found during battle or bought in shops, and can be synthesized to create new ones.
Up to 24 characters from previous Arc the Lad games can be unlocked, though they cannot be used in story missions—only in extra missions and online play. The roster includes all playable characters from Twilight of the Spirits (except Densimo and Samson), as well as Arc, Kukuru, Tosh, and Iga from the first game; Elc, Leiza, and Shu from Arc the Lad II; and Alec, Lutz, Theo, and Cheryl from Arc the Lad III.
**Online**
Online play was a new feature for the series, allowing players to explore the world cooperatively or compete in four-on-four battles. Due to low participation and poor reviews, the online server was shut down on June 16, 2006.
- Developer
- Cattle Call
- Publisher
- Sony Computer Entertainment (Japan); Namco (North America)
- Platform
- PlayStation 2
- Release region
- Japan and North America
- Genre
- Action role-playing game
- Series position
- One of three Arc the Lad games on PlayStation 2
Lore & Background
Arc the Lad: End of Darkness takes place five years after Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits, reusing many settings, characters, enemies, and music from the previous game. The world features new technologies and job classes, with reduced racial tensions between Deimos and Humans. However, the main natural resource, Spirit Stones, are nearly depleted, creating uncertainty about the future. The story follows Edda, a young exorcist from Cragh Island—one of the few remaining exorcists—and his Sloth tribe Deimos friend Hemo. Edda becomes a hunter after guiding a hunter through a cave, and later confronts a cult called Truth Sword and its leader Ursula Al Kees, who is stated early in the game to be the daughter of Dr. Sarak, inventor of the ALD device.
Reader's Guide
Arc the Lad: End of Darkness is significant as the only real-time action RPG in the Arc the Lad series, breaking from the tactical gameplay of its predecessors. This change was poorly received, with critics viewing it as a step backwards due to execution issues. The game introduced online play for up to eight players in death match or co-op modes, but low participation and poor reviews led to the servers being shut down in June 2006. The game reuses assets from Twilight of the Spirits and includes 24 unlockable characters from earlier Arc the Lad titles, though these cannot be used in the main storyline. Its legacy is that of a divisive entry that attempted to modernize the series but failed to meet expectations, and it remains the last Arc the Lad game on the PlayStation 2.
Did You Know?
- Arc the Lad: End of Darkness is the only game in the series to use a real-time battle system instead of a tactics-based system.
- The game features online play with up to 8 players in 4-on-4 death match or 4-person co-op, but servers were shut down in June 2006.
- The story follows Edda, the only exorcist alive, and his Deimos friend Hemo.
- The game includes 24 unlockable characters from previous Arc the Lad titles, but they cannot be used in storyline missions.
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