Reviews for Arcana Heart

magical girls + old-skool 2-D fighting

Strengths: anime graphic style and soundtrack, good storylines

Weakness: not very deep in the fighting mechanics department; not very balanced

For those of you out there who play with Chun li exclusively every time you play SFII, this game is for you (sorry ryu). Or if you are really into watching bishojo anime (cute girl) for the heck of it. This game pretty much captures that spirit and does it well, and for some of us that's compelling enough a reason, say, to play as a psycho ninja with endless projectiles or a robotic cutie from vague regions in space. So the fighting isn't all that deep by hard-core 2-D fighting standards. That's not really why you would play this game to begin with, though don't get me wrong it's still a quality J-import type arcade game. Just not SF standard depth or fighter balance.

Overall: A fun time with quirky characters and great graphics. Worth it.

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Arcana Heart (PS2)

Strengths: Good graphics and music, enjoyable 2D fighting game, unique characters and environments

Weakness: None apparent

Arcana Heart is a bit of a different spin on the 2D fighting game. The game has some great graphics, sounds and music soundtrack, though the spin is that all the characters in the game are anime girls. Each one has their own interchangeable fighting companions called arcana. With the choice of characters, it's an enjoyable different 2D fighter, and certainly worth a look.

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Arcana Heart

Strengths: 2D fighting with a twist

Weakness: None

Arcana Heart is a good 2D fighting game with a twist. The fighters are 11 maidens with super moves, combos, counter attacks that are pretty standard in any 2D fighting game. The twist is that they are all cute anime looking girls that have interchangeable arcana to fight with them. There is no story in this game, so it's a pure fighting engine. The game is surprising addictive even the graphics is lacking as in 2D only.

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2D Girl Fight with a Twist

Strengths: Unique way of expanding roster. Gameplay is more technical (no button mashing). Good variety of characters to choose from. Minimal Street Fighter clones.

Weakness: Small cast even with 11 interchangeable arcana. Action is slower than I thought it would be. No unlockable characters (i.e Mildred).

Arcana Heart is a 2D fighter consisting of 11 maidens who “fill in the blank” (i.e. seeks the power of love) and their interchangeable arcana. The overall gameplay is comparable to other 2D fighters with special moves, counters and supers with the rather unique aspect of choosing “helpers” (arcana) to fight along side of you. With interchangeable arcana, players are able to tweak their moveset and customize their style of play thus adding an additional dimension of play to an otherwise average 2D fighter. Overall the game is a better than average fighter that aficionados of the genre should pick up. If it were possible I would give this 3.5 stars (not worthy of four stars but should not get only three either).

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The only thing this fighter needs is more women!

Strengths: Customization with fighters and styles. Looks good. Great action.

Weakness: None.

Arcana Heart is a very good fighter. It's got its own setting and style that separates it from the other 2d fighters. It doesn't reinvent the genre. But it's original enough that it's something that every fighting fan will like. The all female cast and fighting enviroments are fun. Also, there's great balance between the fighting styles. If you're a fan of fighters, pick it up.

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Sweet fighting with anime visuals

Strengths: timing, combos and balance well executed

Weakness: load times

I usually buy an Atlus title because I want an rpg, and they tend to deliver a quality title. But I also harbor a desire to test out 2d fighters- especially those I had never heard of- as well as a fondness for anime. So when I heard about Arcana Heart coming out, I made a note and picked it up at release.
As fighting games go, AH is very smooth and the mechanics are sound. Fighters and attacks are balanced and the computer didn't seem to regress to cheating. That said, there is a bit of a learning curve and while the AI is sound, it is the two-player action that fighting games (for me) are all about. In this respect, had I been able to play online through the aging ps2, it would have been an awesome feat. Still, vs battles are fun affairs. The only negative, and it was rather disruptive, is the longish load times between fights. Nothing breaks the mood like having to cool down between fights while the load screen churns. Had they been able to cut to the action quicker, this would be a 5-star experience.

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Girl Brawler

Strengths: Its a Fighting Game

Weakness: No dialogue voices

The game is based twelve arch-type anime girls. The story is hard to understand well because there is no story. Plays a lot like Guilty Gear combo system you can go up to 100 hits which could fun but could have been done without it. Its a Atlus game and they don't make many copies, get it now before you miss out and its great game.

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Arcana Heart

Testseek.com has collected 4 expert reviews for Arcana Heart and the average expert rating is 78 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

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