Arc the Lad III gameplay details

[10.21.99] » Cards to feature heavily in game system -- where have we heard this before?

   With Arc the Lad III just a week away from Japanese release, developer Arc Entertainment has finally seen fit to reveal some of the strategy RPG's systems. Primary amongst these is the Battle Card System; certain characters, known as Cardists, can capture monsters and transform them into cards. Instead of using these cards to waste precious hours of your life playing mini-games, you use them in battle to summon the captured monsters from them. Only five cards may be carried at one time; the active cards can be swapped in and out of your entire collection at Card Shops. At these shops, you'll also be able to trade cards between players and their saved games.

   Another interesting twist is the ability to select your party members before every battle -- your entire collection of characters travels as a group, allowing you to select a new team of fighters for each fight based on the opposition. Some of these characters are returning characters from Arc the Lads I and II, a move sure to please fans of the series. However, it's not known whether the status of these characters can be imported from Arc the Lad II's save data, as Arc II allowed players to do with Arc I saves.