"Arc the Lad" is a tactical RPG. In battle, the player has an area where each character may move, much like "Final Fantasy Tactics" or "". The areas the player can move are marked by blue tiles, and when using a melee attack on an enemy, the player can attack an enemy at any side the player can reach, and a cursor will be above the enemy to let the player know that he can attack the enemy. If the player uses magic or special abilities to attack the enemy, there will be a red set of tiles that show the player the range in which the spell or attack will reach. Unlike "Final Fantasy Tactics", "Arc the Lad" is not isometric, therefore all tiles are the same size and shape.