Arcana Heart 3: LOVE MAX!!!!! is a fighting game developed by Examu who are also behind the Aquapazza series. Arcana Heart is a fighting game centred around 23 different girls with differing backstories and personalities as they battle it out, with 26 being shown throughout the series. Being an anime-girl game Arcana could push some gamers away, but with its tight controls and over the top action it is certainly one to check out.
Story
Arcana Heart 3 is set in a fictional world, with somewhat post-apocalyptic areas and metropolis areas sharing neighbourhoods. The game follows after the second in the series and tells of a new group The Drexler Institution who have reconstructed their organisation within the world in secret, with their experiments assumingly creating some dimensional distortions.
From the backstory and beginning scenes we are given a directive for each maiden in the game; defeat 6 foes in 6 days to find the 5 ores that make up a celestial stone said to harness the power of Sacred Energy which are also being collected by another of the Maiden characters, Scharlachrot. While collecting these ores you can choose from between 1 and 6 different enemies each day, all with their own stories and dialogues to listen to. Once you have collected the ores you will be confronted by Scharlachrot and another boss.
Each character in the story will last around 10 or so minutes depending on how many times you fail a match and with there being 23 characters it amounts to around 4 hours of story mode. However it doesn’t stop there as all the characters have After Stories to unlock and play through, with both dialogue and matches to be had. On top of that there is also Memories to unlock for each character for your viewing pleasure, with some containing choices for different outcomes.
Gameplay
Like many Fighting Games, Arcana Heart 3 comes packed with attacks, combos and special moves, Weak, Medium and Heavy attacks are common place as well as a dashing homing in move to clear the distance between characters. Arcana Heart 3 also brings into play the Arcana’s like the previous releases which take form in both offensive and defensive moves.
Coming in 23 different variations, to suit each character, the Arcana’s come packed with different attack and defence power and style of attacks ranging from ranged and melee to protective areas and activated traps. Every Arcana can be attached to every character, allowing players to find one that suits their playstyle and their favourite Maiden.
Just like any other fighting game, Arcana Hearts 3 is hard to master, combining the characters combos and leading them into their specials and their Arcana attacks can take quite a time to get right, but when you do it carries the same accomplishment like any other game in the genre. Like any other game there is also 2 control schemes, Normal and Simple, simple being an easier way to access Arcana attacks and Normal being used for easier access to character skills.
When you complete the game with certain characters you are also treated to a new game type similar to Bullet Hell games. Once beating the mid-boss you will face off against a giant machine with 5 weak points you have to attack to win, though the machine will be shooting beams, energy balls and summon flying machines to swarm you. Jumping, dashing and good use of your arcana will be needed to beat this boss as it can get quite hectic.
Overall thoughts and feelings
Arcana Hearts is an Arcade game first and foremost and that descendant is shown in this re-release/port to the PS3. It keeps the side borders of the characters as they are animated to show their status as well as detailing their points and progress in trials. The whole look and feel of the game is reminiscent of Arcade games all the way down to the controller display, showing the face buttons in a diagonal fashion akin to the layout on Arcade machines.
Again, there is a Japanese divide with the audience or this game, though for a different reason as there aren’t over the top body types or over sexualised females. All characters represent a Moe type which is basically a personality or look that is meant to be Cute, which could push away some gamers due to the game looking too colourful and cutesy. The gameplay is solid though, so the characters themselves shouldn’t be the main drive in pushing away.
The music in Arcana Hearts 3 is what you would expect from a Japanese Arcade game, there seems to be no track with vocals and it is mostly action related tunes. There are times where the music is badly looped, especially on the menu screen, and detaches you from the battle where there is a few seconds of silence.
Overall I give Arcana Heart 3: LOVE MAX!!!!! a 4/5, it is a great action packed Fighting Game with some interesting mechanics in place. The amount of customisability in the game is amazing, allowing 23 different move sets from Arcana’s and 19 different colours for each Maiden to really make them your own. Haters of the Anime type might not enjoy this release but anyone who enjoys Anime or Fighting games should check it out.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
You must be logged in to post a comment.