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Luminous Arc ds Game Reviews
Luminous Arc
Critic Score
Metascore: 70 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.3 out of 10
based on 25 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 8 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

One thousand years ago, dragons and Witches warred against God for the fate of the world. God's power was triumphant, but it was a difficult struggle, and the deity sent Himself into a deep sleep to recover from the terrible wounds he suffered in the battle. Ten years ago, the Church has proclaimed that a great event will soon occur: God will be reborn, and the world will be led into a new golden age under His guidance. However, this news is coupled with a grave warning: the Witches will soon reappear to begin the millennia-old conflict once again. Take control of the Garden Children, a group of fighters and mages trained since childhood and dedicated to eradicating the Witch threat, and discover the mysteries behind their return, their motives, and their history. Create new weapons and equipment with the Vitae Imbuing system. Strengthen your friendship with comrades and improve your attacks on the battlefield. Compare your friends' strategic prowess against your own with Wi-Fi multiplayer. A variety of unique characters drive an epic story featuring voiced dialogue. [Atlus Software]

PUBLISHER: Atlus USA / Marvelous Interactive
DEVELOPER: Image Epoch
GENRE(S): Strategy, Role-Playing Game
PLAYERS: 2
ESRB RATING: T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE: August 14, 2007

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

85
RPG Fan
While this game will not end gamers quest for an irreplaceable Nintendo DS RPG, it can certainly entertain them for 15-20 hours.
Read Full Review
84
GameBrink
Beautifully presented with a fairly interesting story and fun cast of characters to interact with but it lacks a bit in terms of gameplay content. [JPN Import]
Read Full Review
84
Official Nintendo Magazine UK
A deep, engrossing tactical-strategy RPG weighing in with several weeks of play. [Nov 2007, p.93]
80
Play Magazine
Strategy RPGs on the DS are in no short supply but neither are the people that play them, and this one has pretty much everything a fan could hope for provided you prefer live lengthy dialogue over quick breaks between venues. [Nov 2007, p.76]
80
Nintendo Power
The game may be a little rough around the edges, but it's got heart. [Sep 2007, p.86]
80
Gamer 2.0
Luminous Arc is a good game by all accounts, but quite frankly, this isn't the big DS RPG gamers have been waiting for.
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78
Cheat Code Central
Luminous Arc may not be the next great title for the DS or SRPGs as a whole, but it is definitely entertaining enough to keep even the hardest of hardcore players enjoying it. Much like the whole game, the online play is equally simple and entertaining.
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76
GameZone
Provides fun, simple tactical action, and really, who could ask for more?
Read Full Review
75
Deeko
What I will say is this: When the RPG bug hits me, I always seem to stumble over the very game I need to satisfy the itch. Luminous Arc is my bug spray. Do yourselves a favor. Take off the elitist crown, get off your throne of indifference and play this game. You may actually surprise yourself and have fun.
Read Full Review
75
GameSpot
The best part of Luminous Arc is its balanced and accessible gameplay, though it lacks some narrative depth.
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75
IGN
It isn’t great, it isn’t amazing, it’s just an entertaining strategy RPG that makes no excuses in adapting classic gameplay with an anime feel and a few twists and turns of its own gameplay-wise.
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74
netjak
Overall, Luminous Arc has a lot going for it, and manages to deliver a mostly-solid TRPG performance with only a few flaws.
Read Full Review
70
NGamer UK
Not exactly the most thrilling RPG, and the user interface is quite irritating, but it might be of interest. [Dec 2007, p.65]
70
AceGamez
My problem with Luminous Arc is that underneath the boring story, poor jokes, religious mumbo jumbo and endless button bashing to skip it all, there's a little gem of a game trying to break out.
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70
Games Radar
With a lengthy campaign, an addictive battle system, and a cooperative multiplayer mode, Luminous Arc is the kind of title that you can lose yourself in.
Read Full Review
65
PALGN
It's clichéd, it's hokey, and the design could have been far better - while nothing's individually or overly poor, the package just doesn't quite work.
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60
EuroGamer
If you can stomach the story, and the isometric viewpoint giving you occasional trouble when trying to select your desired unit with the stylus, it stands as a decent bite-size alternative. Anyone else, though, would be better off waiting for the DS's next turn to see if it spits out something more meaty.
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60
Gamestyle
Trying to maintain that balance between strategy and traditional role playing is ultimately its undoing, as it fails to fully deliver on either front.
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60
GameSpy
If you just want a simple and enjoyable portable strategy/RPG to whittle away some time with, Luminous Arc will fill that role very nicely. But if you were hoping for a deep, compelling SRPG you could play competitively against others, you'll find that this light doesn't shine anywhere near as brightly as it should.
Read Full Review
60
Game Informer
The characters never once defy players’ expectations, the story is poorly paced, and the combat offers no meaningful twists on the formula we’ve been playing for years. I can’t imagine anyone but hard-line genre devotees will get their money’s worth out of Luminous Arc.
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60
GamePro
It's a decent enough game but it isn't the grand strategy RPG experience that we've all been waiting for. [Sep 2007, p.84]
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58
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Sure, the core game gets the job done, but you might still consider waiting for a brighter spot of strategic swords-and-sorcery. [Sept 2007, p.100]
58
Game Almighty
Luminous Arc just comes across as a competent game with no single aspect that excels or attempts to push the genre forward. It's basically a generic strategy RPG that benefits from supporting WFC, though even this aspect is bare-bones. You could do worse...you could do better.
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55
1UP
When you think "Final Fantasy Tactics clone," your mind probably sees something like Disgaea: Hour of Darkness: a competent facsimile of the formula that stands on its own. But with Luminous Arc, you get the most similar, least-polished alternative yet.
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40
G4 TV
The lack of character customization is another issue, with fixed classes and no input allowed on individual skills, attributes, or spells other than purchasing armor, weapons, and accessories each time you visit town.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Faust L. gave it an8:
Luminous Arc has an interesting story and tons of hours of gameplay, the versus mode gives it added value and is an overall good game.

Haz J. gave it a9:
The voice acting really brings what would be a standard strategy RPG to life, it is nearly shocking the amount they managed to fit in this DS game. I think the attachment to the characters and story will really carry many through this game like it has my-self (if the English version contains as much voice work).

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