Arcana Heart
Encyclopedia
is a 2D arcade
fighting game
series developed by Examu Inc. (formerly Yuki Enterprise). The first edition was released to arcades (mostly in Japan, but a few in other countries) in late 2006. The games feature an original all-female cast (each a variation of the moe archetype), and after choosing a character, the player chooses an "elemental alignment," or Arcana, which determines the character's special moves.
, at ¥78,000 each, whereas similar patches for similar games have been released for free (such as the patch for Melty Blood: Act Cadenza).
in Japan on October 11, 2007.
The home version allows the option of playing individual characters in "Original" or "Full," reflecting the original and patched versions of characters from the arcade version. Voice acting was also added to all story segments.
On April 11, 2008, the game was released in North America. A notable difference between Arcana Heart and most other US PlayStation 2 titles is that the game has only Japanese voiceovers and no English voiceovers. Atlus removed the voices present in the Japanese console version's story mode as well as pre-battle and victory screens, but kept the voices used in battle.
The game featured 6 new fighters, each with their own unique Arcana. New techniques were also included, such as the Arcana Blast, allowing the player to become temporarily invulnerable; Arcana Homing, a feature allowing the player to simultaneously close the distance between them and the opponent while homing in on them; and the Critical Heart, a devastating special attack unique to each character.
. It also featured some design changes, such as new character illustrations and a red redesign for Kaya Hirotaka. New additions included an additional stage; three new characters including Nazuna Inuwaka, Akane Inuwaka, and Parace L'Sia; their respective Arcana, Cayatshime (Flower), Fenecs (Sound), Parace L'sia (Life); new color palettes for each character, available by pressing the Start button on the character select screen; and an additional training mode.
Suggoi! Arcana Heart 2 was further updated to version 2.6 on February 27, 2009.
AQ Interactive handled the PlayStation 2 port of Suggoi! Arcana Heart 2, which was released only in Japan on April 9, 2009.
It was planned for a world wide but was cancelled due to the sales of the first one.
An August 2009 issue of Famitsu
and the opening of the official game website revealed the new official main character of the series, Weiß, as well as another character named Eko. Over the next several months, Famitsu's website ran a feature detailing the return of all of the characters from the previous games and included interviews with each of their respective voice actresses. During that time, the official Arcana Heart 3 website also revealed more information about the full cast, detailed the game's background story, and revealed mid-boss character Scharlachrot.
. It is only available for NTT docomo
phones through its i-mode
service.
magazine. It was written and illustrated by Bermuda Saimaru and was published on January 26, 2008.
. The package included a DVD containing 3 audio dramas and interviews, and a CD containing 3 character songs and instrumental songs.
A drama CD was included with the limited release of Japanese PS2 game.
Arcana Heart Drama CD Heartful Situation was published by TEAM Entertainment. Episodes were released on October 24, 2007 and November 21, 2007.
Each soundtrack has been primarily composed by Motoharu Yoshihira. Arcana Heart 2 Suggoi! Remix featured arrangements from a variety of composers, including Nobuyoshi Sano, Atsushi Ohara, Ayako Saso, Shinji Hosoe, Raito, and Takayuki Aihara.
The soundtracks for the series have been published by TEAM Entertainment and distributed by Sony Music Entertainment Japan
, with the exception of Arcana Heart 2 Suggoi! Remix, which was published by SuperSweep.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
series developed by Examu Inc. (formerly Yuki Enterprise). The first edition was released to arcades (mostly in Japan, but a few in other countries) in late 2006. The games feature an original all-female cast (each a variation of the moe archetype), and after choosing a character, the player chooses an "elemental alignment," or Arcana, which determines the character's special moves.
Arcana Heart
In mid-April 2007, a patch was released for Arcana Heart called "Arcana Heart FULL!". The patch fixed a variety of issues, toning down overly-powerful characters and "buffing up" weaker characters. However, a controversy arose when Examu priced the patch, which was physically housed on a single custom chipIntegrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
, at ¥78,000 each, whereas similar patches for similar games have been released for free (such as the patch for Melty Blood: Act Cadenza).
Console version
On July 4, 2007, it was announced that a console version of the game would be slated for release on PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
in Japan on October 11, 2007.
The home version allows the option of playing individual characters in "Original" or "Full," reflecting the original and patched versions of characters from the arcade version. Voice acting was also added to all story segments.
On April 11, 2008, the game was released in North America. A notable difference between Arcana Heart and most other US PlayStation 2 titles is that the game has only Japanese voiceovers and no English voiceovers. Atlus removed the voices present in the Japanese console version's story mode as well as pre-battle and victory screens, but kept the voices used in battle.
Arcana Heart 2
Arcana Heart 2 is the sequel to Arcana Heart. It was the first game in the series to be developed and published by Examu after the rights of the franchise had been transferred to the company from Yuki Enterprise. It was also the first game for Examu's proprietary eX-BOARD, an arcade board based on Windows XP Embedded that would become the standard platform for the rest of the series and other arcade games published by Examu. The game was unveiled at the AOU2008 Amusement Expo.The game featured 6 new fighters, each with their own unique Arcana. New techniques were also included, such as the Arcana Blast, allowing the player to become temporarily invulnerable; Arcana Homing, a feature allowing the player to simultaneously close the distance between them and the opponent while homing in on them; and the Critical Heart, a devastating special attack unique to each character.
Suggoi! Arcana Heart 2
On October 30, 2008, Examu released a major update to Arcana Heart 2 called Suggoi! Arcana Heart 2. This version further balanced the game and fixed some bugsSoftware bug
A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...
. It also featured some design changes, such as new character illustrations and a red redesign for Kaya Hirotaka. New additions included an additional stage; three new characters including Nazuna Inuwaka, Akane Inuwaka, and Parace L'Sia; their respective Arcana, Cayatshime (Flower), Fenecs (Sound), Parace L'sia (Life); new color palettes for each character, available by pressing the Start button on the character select screen; and an additional training mode.
Suggoi! Arcana Heart 2 was further updated to version 2.6 on February 27, 2009.
AQ Interactive handled the PlayStation 2 port of Suggoi! Arcana Heart 2, which was released only in Japan on April 9, 2009.
It was planned for a world wide but was cancelled due to the sales of the first one.
Arcana Heart 3
A second sequel to Arcana Heart was announced by Examu via their blog in August 2009. According to the creators, the blog entry stated that the game was still in development and that it would be released in the eX-BOARD Arcade machines in Winter 2009.An August 2009 issue of Famitsu
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
and the opening of the official game website revealed the new official main character of the series, Weiß, as well as another character named Eko. Over the next several months, Famitsu's website ran a feature detailing the return of all of the characters from the previous games and included interviews with each of their respective voice actresses. During that time, the official Arcana Heart 3 website also revealed more information about the full cast, detailed the game's background story, and revealed mid-boss character Scharlachrot.
Arcana Heart: Card of Glory
A spin-off of the series for mobile phones, Arcana Heart: Card of Glory, was jointly developed between Examu Inc. and Cave Co., LtdCave (company)
Cave Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game company, known primarily for its manic shoot 'em ups. Cave remains one of the most active makers of arcade shoot-'em-ups in the Japanese market...
. It is only available for NTT docomo
NTT DoCoMo
is the predominant mobile phone operator in Japan. The name is officially an abbreviation of the phrase, "do communications over the mobile network", and is also from a compound word dokomo, meaning "everywhere" in Japanese. Docomo provides phone, video phone , i-mode , and mail services...
phones through its i-mode
I-mode
NTT DoCoMo's i-mode is a mobile internet service popular in Japan. Unlike Wireless Application Protocol, i-mode encompasses a wider variety of internet standards, including web access, e-mail and the packet-switched network that delivers the data...
service.
Manga
A manga adaptation based on the video game was serialized on the March 2008 issue of Comp AceComp Ace
is a Japanese computer game and manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. Comp Ace began as a special edition version of another one of Kadokawa Shoten's magazines, Comptiq. The first issue was released on March 26, 2005, and was published quarterly for the first three volumes which had cover...
magazine. It was written and illustrated by Bermuda Saimaru and was published on January 26, 2008.
Audio drama
The "Arcana Heart Fan Disc" was sold on August 17, 2007 at Comiket 72Comiket
, otherwise known as the , is the world's largest self-published comic book fair, held twice a year in Tokyo, Japan. The first Comiket was held on December 21, 1975, with only about 32 participating circles and an estimated 600 attendees. Attendance has since swelled to over a half million people....
. The package included a DVD containing 3 audio dramas and interviews, and a CD containing 3 character songs and instrumental songs.
A drama CD was included with the limited release of Japanese PS2 game.
Arcana Heart Drama CD Heartful Situation was published by TEAM Entertainment. Episodes were released on October 24, 2007 and November 21, 2007.
Soundtracks
Arcana Heart Heartful Sound Collection was released on March 21, 2007, Arcana Heart 2 Heartful Sound Collection was released on April 9, 2008, Arcana Heart 2 Suggoi! Remix was released on February 5, 2009, and Arcana Heart 3 Heartful Sound Collection was released on January 13, 2010.Each soundtrack has been primarily composed by Motoharu Yoshihira. Arcana Heart 2 Suggoi! Remix featured arrangements from a variety of composers, including Nobuyoshi Sano, Atsushi Ohara, Ayako Saso, Shinji Hosoe, Raito, and Takayuki Aihara.
The soundtracks for the series have been published by TEAM Entertainment and distributed by Sony Music Entertainment Japan
Sony Music Entertainment Japan
is Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
, with the exception of Arcana Heart 2 Suggoi! Remix, which was published by SuperSweep.
Arcade sticks
Japanese peripheral manufacturer Hori produced two limited edition arcade sticks for the series following the PlayStation 2 releases of Arcana Heart and Suggoi! Arcana Heart 2. The Arcana Heart arcade stick was released on October 11, 2007, and the Suggoi! Arcana Heart 2 arcade stick was released on April 9, 2009. A promotional campaign following the release of the Suggoi! Arcana Heart 2 arcade stick featured other goods such as postcards and beverage coasters.Arcana Heart
- Official Examu website - Arcade version
- Official AQ Interactive website - PS2 version
- Official Atlus website
- Official Atlus English Forum
- A short article about the patch on Insert Credit