I can’t hear you

The credits section of the instruction manual lists a voice acting cast. At the very top of the list is Quinton Flynn, best known for his role as Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2 and as Tidus in Final Fantasy X. One would figure from his work on those two previous projects that Arc the Lad would also feature a good amount of speech.

Unfortunately, the talkie moments in Arc the Lad are extremely sparse. At best, the game goes to a cut scene where just a few lines of dialog are muttered and before you know it, you’re back to reading text. Perhaps we’re just spoiled by other recent RPGs and their liberal use of voice acting, but it wasn’t until Final Fantasy X that we realized how much voice acting can add to the experience.

She could fit into a Final Fantasy

Wasted potential

Part of the problem is that the game teases you with its cut-scene and voice acting ability. The letterboxes drop down momentarily to focus in on great looking characters and environments; the characters open their mouths with voices coming out… and then it’s over.

We’re not going to fault Arc the Lad for not having great amounts of speech, but we hope that the next game in the series will have more to listen to rather than to just speed-read through.

What lovely instruments you have

It seems that Arc the Lad’s biggest use for voice actors is for its battle sequences. During the beginning of a character’s turn, he or she may blurt out one-liners such as “I will save the deimos!” or “I’m on the prowl.” After getting hit, they may retort with sayings such as “You’ll be sorry” or “That tickles!” While some of them are mildly amusing (though not to the same extent as in Warcraft), it’s largely a waste of voice talent.