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Arcana Heart Review for PlayStation 2 (PS2)

Arcana Heart Review for PlayStation 2 (PS2)

Everybody was
Kung-Fu Fighting!

Arcana Heart is a game with a very simple premise: girls beat the snot out of each other. Once you understand that, then you’re ready to play Arcana Heart. These girls may not be as curvaceous or bouncy as the Dead or Alive girls, but the basic idea is still the same.

Arcana Heart screenshot

In fact, Arcana Heart perhaps takes out the style of DOA and replaces it with substance. One of the first things you’ll notice about the eleven lovely ladies of Arcana Heart is that they all resemble a different anime girl or “moe” archetype. There’s the maid character, the temple girl, and the gothic Lolita; the gang’s all here. This game is definitely a coup for fans of anime girls. Not that this is a bad thing, but I am letting you know that if you’re looking for something other than stereotypical females in your fighter, Arcana Heart will disappoint.

However, if you don’t mind a cliché-filled character roster, you may actually get some enjoyment out of it. The game’s fighting system is fairly unique and uses a distinctive character combination system. When you select characters, you are able to select an Arcana, or elemental spirit, for them. This arcana gives your character special magical abilities and will work together with your character’s prepossessing features to create a custom moves set. This is a pretty good system and gives you quite a bit of freedom to play around with different characters and strategize.

Characters themselves are actually pretty diverse and have widely varying styles. The game’s titular main character, Aino Heart, is probably the most well-balanced character with easily accessible magic and physical attacks. Then there are characters like Yoriko Yasuzumi, the resident occult specialist, who rely solely on magic attacks and have almost no physical attacks at all. And of course the reverse is true for characters like Kamui Tokinomiya, who has attacks that are sword-based and utilize almost no magic at all. No matter what style you end up liking, there is definitely a character that you will end up liking.

Arcana Heart screenshot

The main mode of play in Arcana Heart is the story mode, which has you playing through the game’s story through the eyes of one of the eleven characters. Some are good, some are evil, and even though you may not understand the story at first, as you play through the different characters’ stories, you’ll gain a larger grasp of what is going on in the universe of Arcana Heart. And while the overarching story is not particularly compelling, I found myself interested enough to continue playing.

In addition to the story mode, there is also a training mode, an arcade mode, and a versus mode. These are all pretty straightforward, and once you learn the mechanics of the game, you’ll be able to jump right into any of these modes. There is also an extras mode where you can listen to music from the game, watch some intro videos, and even look at some art content.

Arcana Heart screenshot

As far as controls are concerned, Arcana Heart uses a very traditional approach to fighting games. It has several one-button mashes, but these will only get you so far. The secret to success in Arcana Heart is mastering long chain combos that utilize your character’s specific Arcana powers. The four face buttons are used for light, medium, strong, and special attacks. One of the greatest things about Arcana Heart is that, even though it will definitely take time to master the combo system, the shoulder buttons are used for throw attacks and special Arcana moves. The game’s fundamental controls are fairly easy to pick up. Even if you have never played a fighter before, Arcana Heart is still playable.

Arcana Heart screenshot

Visuals in this game are not exactly the best you have ever seen, but I have to say that the vintage look of the game was somewhat charming overall. The visual style looks a lot like Street Fighter II and uses 2D pixel-based animations. And when you consider that this title is basically a port from an actual arcade game, the graphics only seem appropriate.

Sound is pretty good in this game. The opening song is in Japanese and sounds very energetic and peppy. The stage music is not as energetic, and sounds a little generic. But it’s not bad at all, and the whole music scheme is quite satisfactory. Voice acting is minimal and is only relegated to in-game fighting noises and battle cries. These are all in Japanese, which is pretty cool in my opinion. The Japanese sounds lend a bit of authenticity to the game and enhance the whole experience.

Arcana Heart is definitely not a trailblazer in the fighting genre. It is not the best looking or most fluid fighting game out there, but if you want a solid title, then Arcana Heart delivers. It has all the right mechanics, and satisfactory audio and visual qualities. So if you have a love for the ladies and a love for combat, then look no further than Arcana Heart. Just don’t expect it to break any boundaries.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.7 Graphics
Not one of the best looking PS2 games, but it does get a few points for smooth animations and vintage sprite-based characters. 4.1 Control
Very simple at first, but success in the game relies on your ability to memorize lengthy combos. 3.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Level music is fairly forgettable, but opening title song is peppy and cute. 4.0 Play Value
This is definitely a fun arcade-style game, and if you are a fan of fighting games, you’ll have a blast both in the single-player and two-player modes. But as soon as the next fighting game comes out you’ll probably forget all about this one. 3.8 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • An all-girl fighting spectacular – Battles heat up with 11 beautiful female fighters to choose from.
  • Customize your fighter’s skills – Arcana add new attack and defense skills. Build your combat strategy by selecting from 11 different Arcana to pair with your fighter.
  • Supreme vertical action – Take your fighting skyward! Huge battle maps let you rain down punishment on your opponent with air dashes and homing techniques to create devastating aerial combos.
  • Exceptional replay value – Includes the original Arcana Heart and the remixed Arcana Heart FULL, and offers four different modes: arcade, story, versus, and training, as well as a gallery mode filled with unlockable extras.

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