Yay, 300th post! \o/ And yay, 30th hour of Arc Rise Fantasia! I just finished the Opalus subplot, and I’m having waaay more fun than I ever thought I would when I picked it up.

My opinion of the game has improved quite a bit in the 25 gaming hours since the last post. Part of it is the game improving, and a great part is me either getting used to situations or dialing down my expectations and adjusting accordingly.

Improvements, either on my part or on the game’s part.

The battle system did open up once I had more magic at my disposal. I have more orbs that I can use and have unlocked the level 1 magic for all my characters. I also started using Analyzers to check the bosses’ weaknesses so I can target them with magic. A well-aimed sync attack can knock a healthy chunk off an enemy’s HP in no time at all (thanks teasel for the tip).

So far this strategy is working much better than the Trinity Act strategy the game tries to promote. It does more damage in less time, for one thing. Even better, you can build up quite a nice combo with just two party members while one heals, instead of having to take all three out of action for the first three moves.

The only disadvantage is that I can’t use magic in dungeons at all because I’m saving it for the boss fights. Luckily I always stock up on at least 50 Mid Liquids and as many High Liquids as I can afford.

Got used to

The voice acting. Either the actors improved with time (unlikely, but possible) or my ears just got used to the awfulness, because I don’t even notice it any more. More than that, I actually even like some of these voices. Like, I honestly think Niko’s dorky, clumsy voice fits his dorky, clumsy personality just fine. That Niko, he’s feeding information to the Imperial Army, isn’t he? It’s hard to get mad when they make it so obvious.

Dialed down expectations

I’m having more fun with the boss battles, but map fights are still as useless and as unthreatening as ever. I wish the game would compensate by making boss-like battles more frequent, at least as sidequests, but I’ve realized it’s not going to happen.

I’ve also realized that the story isn’t going to get any better. It’s not going to get better, it’s not going to do anything unusual or exciting and it’s probably going to piss me off by the time it’s over. But that’s okay. A stupid ending is much easier to bear when you’re expecting it.

Is Arc Rise Fantasia a good game? No. I’d call it above-average, where above-average is defined as “highly playable and even enjoyable at times.” And really, what are my options for turn-based RPGs on the Wii? Not many, and not much better than ARF, so I might as well get used to it.

Related posts:

Early thoughts on Arc Rise Fantasia 65 hours into UnchainBlades EXXiV + Arc Rise Fantasia update Aargh Rise Fantasia – Final Push! Finished Arc Rise Fantasia. It was pretty good! (ending spoilers)