I never knew about the Arc the Lad series until Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits came to the PS4 as part of the unfortunately short-lived move to bring PS2 games to the PS4.

That put it on my list of games to consider, someday.

But with the impending shutdown of the PSP, PS3, and Vita stores, the original PS1 Arc the Lad games were on my list of games to buy, so I decided to check out the first game to see if I’d like it enough to get the rest.

And you know what? It’s pretty good!

Arc the Lad is a tactical RPG about a boy named Arc who ends up going on a quest to save humanity from monsters. He meets a number of characters who join his mission, and they become the party you use in each of the game’s battle stages. There are a handful of areas where you can walk around and talk to NPCs, and a number of places that are worth revisiting for bonus items and secrets.

In battle, each character has a basic attack as well as special abilities that cost MP. They gain experience for doing pretty much anything, which means even support skills or opening a treasure chest can get you closer to leveling up.

The story is fairly straightforward (with surprisingly strong environmentalist themes), and the characters are likeable. It’s also pretty short for a JRPG and ends on a cliffhanger, which I assume is where Arc the Lad II picks up.

While it largely feels like a prelude to its sequel as a result of the cliffhanger, it more or less completes its story arc and is enjoyable enough on its own. I even did a lengthy bonus dungeon to get rewards that can be transferred into the second game… because yes, this series apparently features save data transfers despite originally being from 1995.

Anyway, I enjoyed it enough to pick up Arc the Lad II and III. I don’t know if I’ll play them right away, but I’m glad I was able to discover this classic series before the stores shut down.

If Arc the Lad is one you’ve been considering, it’s worth checking out!