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Arc the Lad R Smartphone Game Revealed as Sequel to Arc the Lad 2

ForwardWorks announced more information for its new smartphone game for the Arc the Lad franchise during a press conference on Monday. The game's title is Arc the Lad R.

ForwardWorks is also streaming a video outlining the game's setting. The game is set 10 years after the Great Disaster that befell the world at the ending of Arc the Lad 2, and features both new and returning characters.

ForwardWorks did not announce a release date for the game, but the game's website is offering pre-registrations. The basic game will be free to play, with in-game purchases available.

The game features the return of key staff members from the first two Arc the Lad games, including: Toshirō Tsuchida as the general game director and designer; Norihiko Yonesaka as scenario writer; artists Eiji Koyama, Ryūichi Kunisue, and Hiroshi Hayashi; and T-Square's Masahiro Ando as composer.

The story centers around Haruto, a member of the vigilante corps of Millmana, one of the nations backing reconstruction efforts after the Great Disaster. A certain event brings his story together with Mizuha, a mysterious girl. Meanwhile, the nation of Ardia is rapidly recovering its technology and infrastructure from before the Great Disaster, and is rapidly expanding, even as new Divine Beasts begin to surface and serve as a new threat. Ardia's ambition eventually shatters the fragile peace bought with the lives of a hero and a saint when it declares war on the other nations. Haruto and Mizuha must travel to other nations and seek the help of old heroes to have any chance of fighting against the forces of Ardia.

The game will retain the series' tactical turn-based battles, while also introducing unique new features. Side activities from previous games, such as missions from Forbidden Ruins, the Colosseum, and the Hunter's Guild, will return.

ForwardWorks and Sony originally announced the game in December 2016.

The Arc the Lad series spans five games, with the first game shipping for the PlayStation in 1995, and the latest game, Arc the Lad: End of Darkness, shipping for the PlayStation 2 in 2004. The original game inspired a 1999 television anime.

Source: Arc the Lad R's official website, Famitsu.com