Arc the Lad
Classic PlayStation JRPGs That Need to Make a Comeback
Rumors have been brewing about Sony making a move to revive its Japan studio in order to work on bringing back some of their beloved JRPG experiences for consoles. There’s plenty of promising titles that Sony has either developed or published over the years, perfect for bringing back with a brand new entry. Keep in mind not everything here is developed by Sony, but they did handle publishing duties and still own the rights to each IP.
Arc the Lad is a series of tactical RPGs that started back on the PS1 and saw a number of releases through the PS2. The games never came to North America, however, until an Arc the Lad Collection was released in 2002. Most of the series focuses on Arc, a young boy that sets out to look for his father who’s been missing for 10 years.
The biggest appeal of Arc the Lad has always been its story, which weaves an intricate narrative filled with characters and lore across multiple games. The series could definitely use an update, both graphically and gameplay wise. The tactical battle system is most comparable to Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre, but using some kind of system like Valkyria Chronicles or Valkyria Revolution could definitely work as well. The final game in the series, End of Darkness, switches things up as a real time action-RPG, but the heart of Arc the Lad lies in tactical gameplay, which should be the focus if we ever see the series return.
