Arc of Alchemist Reviews
Action RPGs don't get much simpler than Arc of Alchemist but that's a part of its charm. So, if you're looking for a basic and surprisingly rewarding hack and slash adventure then give it a go. Just don't expect it to feel like a current gen experience.
Fun or not, there are a lot of flaws and there are plenty of better options for those looking for mindless violence.
Hardcore JRPG fans will likely enjoy customizing the base, upgrading the facilities, and perhaps even the simplicity of the combat. However, for anyone looking for a worthwhile RPG experience, Arc of Alchemist is not it.
Arc of Alchemist features repetitive combat, tired tropes, an empty world, and a poorly thought out and written story. There is nothing interesting in this package, just skip it.
Anyone interested in a straightforward action RPG experience with a handful of extra mechanics will find something to enjoy in Arc of Alchemist.
There’s a lot of things that frustrated me while playing Arc of Alchemist. Throughout the entire adventures, there’s a variety of things that just make the game unpleasant. Had I played this game ten years ago, I might forgive it a bit more because of the unique mechanics that it introduces, but it just doesn’t work today.
Idea Factory's latest release stretches the limits of what can be called a playable videogame.
At only ten hours long, Arc of Alchemist won't waste much of your time. This wasteland has seen better days and couldn't come as recommended to any but the most ardent of Idea Factory fans.
It's creative, different, and interesting, and respects your time so don't feel like you've made some epic commitment just to play through it. I love it.
Arc of Alchemist is a flawed, but fun experience.
Arc of Alchemist is not technically broken, which is the best thing I can say about it. Combining the most basic combat, the most complicated menu system, the weirdest economy, some pretty poor PS2-era graphics, and the densest, most indecipherable tips section, Arc of Alchemist is indeed reminiscent of a work of alchemy – if said alchemist was attempting to turn your valuable time into dust. Avoid at all costs.
The music at least alleviates some of the monotony and players won’t need to spend too long with it to spark the ending credits, but the combat and systems contrive to make the gameplay far from enjoyable, and the story is almost not worth mentioning. One can only hope that it allows lessons to be quickly learned ahead of any future action RPG endeavours.
Though playable (and most definitely replayable), Arc of Alchemist lacks the finesse that can be seen in great amounts elsewhere in Action RPGs on the Nintendo Switch.
In sum, Arc of Alchemist is not worth your time.
Compile Heart and Idea Factory's games usually stand out somehow while having other weaker aspects. Arc of Alchemist is probably their most well-balanced title in terms of quality. Unfortunately, what stands out here is the lack of quality.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
You might have noticed that I’ve reviewed both the Switch and PlayStation 4 versions of this game. And, while I fully admitted that I had fun with the PS4 version, I can’t say the same for this. Part of the appeal of the Switch is being able to play the game on the go—something that you can’t currently do with this version of the game. If you really want to play the game and don’t want to wait, I’d just suggest getting it for PS4 as it runs more smoothly. But, for those diehard handheld fanatics out there, I’d hold off on getting this until it gets patched. If it ever gets patched at all.
Arc of Alchemist isn’t the worst action RPG I’ve ever played, but it’s crushingly dire, and not worthy of your time or money.
Arc of Alchemist is an RPG that most people who play will forget about it shortly after finishing it. Given an average finish time of 6-8 hours (without new game plus), the journey is over before it really feels like it's begun. What's here isn't really impressive to look at, either. The Lunagear concept is slightly interesting, but mixed with the blandness of the rest of the game it doesn't make this a must-have release. If you really like building bases, you may have some fun with Arc of Alchemist. The rest of us can wait on a meatier RPG to take up our time with.
Arc of Alchemist is an RPG/ Adventure game, according to the info on Nintendo’s web page it has been newly polished for a western release. Released from a publisher and developer who have a lot of RPG games in their back catalogues. I thought I was in for an enjoyable RPG adventure when I took the game on to review. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case! In my opinion Arc of Alchemist should never have been released in the eShop or advertised as “Newly Polished” in Nintendo’s blurb for the game, and priced at $40. It did get an update on the day of release but I can honestly say it has made no difference to how the game runs and preforms.
There are far better JRPGs out there to play than this so avoid it unless you can find it on a deep, deep sale.