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> Results: Luminous Arc
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The ESRB Says
Language:GamerDad heard plenty of words like 'hell' and 'damn' and 'stronger' words. Alcohol Reference:Normal references among warriors regarding ale and taverns. Mild Fantasy Violence:Pretty standard 'tactics' style combat. Suggestive Themes:Improbably proportioned women in improbably outfits are just the beginning. Most strategy-RPG 'tactics' games are heavy on lengthy combat missions and light on plot above unifying story elements. Luminous Arc has a strong narrative and loads of time spent developing characters and having their tales unfold. Unfortunately none of it is particularly interesting, engaging or deep - we learn about the characters but don't care that much about what happens to them. That immediately puts the combat system as the sole hope of rescuing the game from the pile of 'yet another reasonably solid but unremarkable efforts'. Unfortunately the battle system, while reasonably fun and challenging, is overshadowed by contenders new and old. The character-rich Fire Emblem GBA (of when do we get a DS game in the series!?!) games brought you into battles really caring about your 'units', and this is also true for the recent PSP game Jeanne D'Arc. Here you know your characters but never care about their plight. The game also lacks the skill system and battle depth of another GBA game Final Fantasy Tactics. And while it is seldom fair to use other games to judge a new one, Luminous Arc uses enough elements from all of those game types to practically invite the comparison. And while there are no glaring holes or flaws, there is also nothing that stands out - nothing that has you dragging out your DS when you know you should be going to sleep or doing something else. It is a decidedly uninspired game that you will probably enjoy for a while but if you stop to play something else you will never return, and if you do you will be hard pressed to remember Johannes or any of the others.  
Most games of this type end up with 'mild' qualifiers to the language and suggestive themes references. However, from the start it is clear that this game is targeting audiences that are just a couple years shy of playing beach volleyball games with full-physics jigglies. The language and innuendo are laid on thick and often gratuitous, but there is a definite tone that fits in with the game. The combat is typical of the 'tactics' game genre - turn-based, non-bloody and non-visceral. But the game goes out of its' way to position itself for teens, and as such gets a GamerDad Age Seal of 14+.
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