bishōjo game
Arcana Heart 3
By Examu, released 1 Jan 2009
- Microsoft Windows
- PlayStation 3
- arcade video game
- 2D fighting game
What it is
Arcana Heart 3 is a 2D fighting game developed by Examu and published by Arc System Works. Its battle system combines sequential-button Arcana Combos with Homing Action and Arcana Burst, alongside more advanced mechanics such as Extend Force, Arcana Eclipse, and Arcana Blaze. Players choose among 23 playable Angels and 23 Arcanas, pairing characters with an Arcana to shape their strategies. The game includes several solo and competitive modes, including Story, Survival Score Attack, Trial, Time Attack, Versus, Training, and Replay Theatre. Character stories include voiced main and after-stories in Japanese, plus non-voiced short stories. Gallery Mode lets players unlock illustrations and animations. Steam features list single-player, multiplayer, online PvP, shared/split-screen PvP, controller support, achievements, cloud saves, trading cards, and leaderboards. It is listed for Windows on Steam; other platforms listed are PlayStation 3 and arcade. The listed release dates are Jan 1, 2009 and Sep 29, 2015.
What players like, and what they don't
- 23 playable Angels and 23 Arcanas
- Training, Versus, and online PvP modes
- Full controller support listed
- Voiced main and after-stories in Japanese
- Steam version listed for Windows only
- Voiced stories are in Japanese
Who it suits
Arcana Heart 3 suits fighting-game players interested in character and Arcana combinations, training, and several match modes. Its story and gallery content may also appeal to players who want more than Versus play.
Arcana Heart 3 offers a broad set of battle mechanics, modes, and character pairings. Its Windows listing includes both online and shared/split-screen PvP.
