Arcana Heart

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Arcana Heart

Developer(s) Examu
Publisher(s) JP AQ Interactive
NA Atlus
Platform(s) Arcade, PlayStation 2 (PS2)
Release date Flag of Japan2006-12-22 (Arcade)

2007-04-? (Arcade, FULL!)
2007-10-11 (PS2)
Flag of the United States2008-04-10 (PS2)
Genre(s) 2D Versus fighting
Mode(s) Up to 2 players simultaneously
Rating(s) CERO: 12+
ESRB: TEEN
Media 1 DVD-ROM (PS2)
Input methods DualShock 2

Arcana Heart (アルカナハート Arukana Hāto?) is a 2D arcade fighting game 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 game features an original all-female cast (each a variation of the moe Anime-Girl archetype), and after choosing a character the player chooses an "elemental alignment" which determines the character's special moves.

In mid-April of 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. A controversy arose, however, due to the fact that the patch (which is physically housed on a single custom chip) costs ¥78,000 each, whereas similar patches for similar games have been released for free (such as the patch for Melty Blood: Act Cadenza).

Contents

[edit] Characters

[edit] Playable characters

“The Maiden who seeks the power of Love”
Age: 14 (Misono Academy for Girls. 8th grade)
Height: 5’1”
Weight: 101 lbs
Residence: Café~Aino
Favorite Subjects: Art, Music, P.E.
Worst Subjects: Language Arts, History
Arcana: Partinias
Heart is innocent and full of energy, with a smile that is simply contagious. Ever since she was small, animals have been drawn to her, and much to her mother’s dismay, she frequently brought stray cats and dogs home. Heart truly believes that love can solve any problem. Even though she means well, her desire to spread happiness sometimes causes her to get involved in other people’s problems at times when they’d rather be left alone.
Heart has always been able to see Arcana. In truth, this ability is pretty common in young children, but as adults tell them that "such-and-such” is not real, most of them begin to losing this ability. The ability to see beyond the physical world is directly linked to a person’s beliefs and imagination. When you stop believing in Elementals, you stop seeing them. Luckily for her, Heart’s mother always encouraged her to believe in them. Consequently, she has been able to interact with a vast number of Arcana. Her first (and her best friend among the Arcana) was Partinias. Because of her ability to get along with so many Arcana, Heart has been labeled as an extraordinarily rare Maiden by the Ministry of Elemental Affairs, which tries to keep a close eye on all matters related to the Elemental world.
“The Maiden with a noble heart”
Age: 14 (Misono Academy for Girls. 8th grade)
Height: 5’2”
Weight: 99 lbs
Residence: Ebisu
Favorite Subjects: English, Math, Science
Worst Subjects: Art
Arcana: Bhanri
She is the daughter of a successful businessman and has been best friends with Heart since childhood. Two years ago, Saki’s father ha to relocate to Great Britain for work, and she attended school there. One day, Saki and her friend Fiona visited a mysterious mountainside and were sucker into the Elemental world. Saki was rescued by the Arcana Bhanri, but Fiona was trapped in the other dimension. Saki has felt guilty ever since. Now the sky has started looking exactly as it did two years ago in England, and Saki is determined not to let anyone else get caught in the Elemantal world.
Some Maidens are born with their abilities, but for others, like Saki or Lieselotte, their abilities at birth are relatively weak and can lay dormant for years. Sometimes, it takes a truly devastating, life-changing event to awaken the powers deep within them.
  • Kamui Tokinomiya (朱鷺宮 神依 Tokinomiya Kamui?) (cv. Hiromi Hirata)
“The Maiden who is burdened by time”
Age: unknown (appears 16)
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 112 lbs
Residence: Prince Hotel, Tokyo
Favorite Subjects: History, Classical Literature, Calligraphy
Worst Subjects: Modern Language
Arcana: Anutpada
Kamui is known as the Thousand Years Protector. Her Arcana keeps in a state of eternal slumber, awaking whenever there is a crisis facing the human world. She relies on the Ministry of Elemental Affairs to give her an update on the current state of the world each time she awakes. With her trusty blade, Tamayorihime, Kamui is now on a mission to investigate the dimensional bend in the skies above Tokyo.
Kamuji’s blade, Tamayorihime, was specially crafted for her when she became the Thousand Years Protector. It has the ability to cut through ether (Elemental substance) without scratching the physical body. The blade will allow none but Kamui to draw it from its scabbard. Her ability to wield such a weapon is proof that she is worthy to be the thousand Years Protector. Kamui is also obsessed with anything cute and cuddly. Rumor has it that she has a collection of stuffed animals, but she does not like revealing this to other people.
  • Konoha (このは?) (cv. Mayumi Yoshida)
“The Maiden descended from enchanted ninjas”
Age: 13 (Misono Academy for Girls. 7th grade)
Height: 4’6”
Weight: 77 lbs
Residence: Yokohama
Favorite Subjects: Hinode City Park
Worst Subjects: Any class that forces her to sit in a desk
Arcana: Moriomoto
She is from the Koinumara clan, warriors who were part human and part canine. Nowadays, members of her clan still have a dog’s ears and a tail, and although Konoha tries to hide her non-human features, they tend to pop out when she gets excited. Every time the Thousand Years Protector awakes, a member from the Koinumaru clan is selected to become the Millennium Guard and accompany her on her mission. Konoha is proud to have been selected this time. She enrolled at Misono Academy to assist Kamui, but she has been having so much fun lately that she sometimes forgets how important her mission is.
Members of the Koinumaru clan were largely regarded as monsters, in the old days. Thus, they lived in seclusion in the mountains, far from civilization. One day, a dimensional bend near their village caused evil spirits from the Elemental world would cross over and corrupt one of the Koniumaru ninjas. Fortunately, Kamui appeared in time to stop him and save the village. To repay Kamui for saving the village, the Koinumaru have sent one of their members to assist her each time she awakes.
  • Maori Kasuga (春日 舞織 Kasuga Maori?) (cv. Maki Tsuchiya)
“The Maiden who purifies evil with her sisters”
Age: 14 (Misono Academy for Girls. 8th grade)
Height: 5’0”
Weight: 99 lbs
Residence: Kasuga Shrine
Favorite Subjects: Art, Home Economics, Japanese History
Worst Subjects: Science
Arcana: Ohtsuchi
The Kasuga family is renowned for its expertise at performing purification rituals and assisting in all matters related to the Elemental world. Maori lives with her older sister Tsuzune and her younger sisters, Koito and Kouta. She does her best to take of her younger sisters, and through hard work and discipline, the family tries to maintain the generations-old traditions of the Kasuga shrine. The Ministry of Elemental Affairs has requested that Maori and her sisters use their powers to investigate the skies of Tokyo.
The Kasuga family has been performing blessings, exorcisms, purifications, and other rituals for centuries. These techniques have been passed down from generation. Maori is the second oldest of the Kasuga family. She is in charge of directing her sisters during the rituals. Tsuzune, the oldest, is often in front of Maori. She takes the position of attacker, as well as guardian. Tsuzune’s Elemental powers are not quite as strong as Maori’s, but her physical strength is unmatched, the younger sisters, Koito and Kouta, are often behind Maori and assume the roel of support. When the entire family’s strength is combined, they can unleash a magic arrow that has never failed to repel demons.
  • Mei-Fang (美凰 Meifan?, Pinyin: Měihuáng) (cv. Juri Takita)
"The Maiden who was created with Elemental Science”
Age: 3 years in operation
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 211 lbs
Residence: Yokohama
Favorite Subjects: All
Worst Subjects: None
Arcana: Lang-Gong
She is a Chinese-made humanoid robot, created by Professor Mei Ling Hua, a colleague of Kira Daidohji. Mei-Fang was programmed with 4,000 years’ worth of Chinese recipes and a wide array of martial arts knowledge. Although Mei Ling Hua encoded her with apersonality, she wishes Mei-Fang would smile a bit more often. After her creator mysteriously left Tokyo, Mei-Fang left the laboratory in China to locate her.
Mei-Fang is a marvel of Elemental Science. Professor Mei Ling Hua engineered Mei-Fang;s body out of a power Elemental substance known as “ether.” Her bone structure is made of an ivory-ether frame, connected to an Elemental engine. Kira Daidohji is responsible for inventing the circuits used for this. Mei-Fang’s suit was woven from ether-fibers, making it both unique and very expensive. Heart’s ribbon, Saki’s hair band, Kamui’s clothing, Konoha's scarf, and Yoriko’s hat and robe are also made from ether-fibers.
  • Lilica Felchenerow (リリカ・フェルフネロフ Ririka Ferufunerofu?) (cv. Mayako Nigo)
“The demon Maiden who doesn’t care”
Age: 14 (Misono Academy for Girls. 8th grade)
Height: 5’0”
Weight: 92 lbs
Residence: Lives with her Father
Favorite Subjects: Ditching class
Worst Subjects: All of them
Arcana: Tempestas
Her mother is a human, and her father is a demon. Lilica inherited her powers and her demonic features from her father. She enjoys skipping school and skating around town on the roller blades her father bought her. She loves playing pranks on people and has very little patience for things that don’t interest her. Because of her magical ability, she can sense a disturbance in the skies above Tokyo. But she really does not seem to care all that much.
The inline skates Lilica loves so much were given to her by her father on her tenth birthday. Because he did not know her shoe size, he accidentally got her skates that were too big for her at the time. However, this only Lilica happier because it meant she could wear them for a long time and not outgrow them. Lilica has customized them a number of times over the years. Last year, she saved up enough money to install ether-powered motors on them. These motors react to Lilica’s magical ability and can accelerate and decelerate instantaneously. There are no skates like them in the world, and anyone but Lilica would probably find them too cumbersome to wear. Nevertheless they’ll always be her prized possession.
  • Lieselotte Achenbach (リーゼロッテ・アッヒェンバッハ Rīzerotte Ahhyenbahha?) (cv. Yōko Honda)
“The Maiden who is a wanted criminal on every continent”
Age: 10 (Does not go to school)
Height: 3’7”
Weight: 41 lbs
Residence: Teikyo Hotel, Tokyo
Favorite Subjects: None
Worst Subjects: None
Arcana: Gier
She is known internationally as the “Crimson-Eyed Criminal.” After losing her family, Lieselotte was emotionally scarred, and she became a cold-hearted assassin. Somehow, though Lieselotte carries around the consciousness of her older sister, Elfriede. Lieselotte’s sister has the power to manipulate puppets, and together, they are a force to be reckoned with.
Lieselotte does not know how she got into her current situation. She can remember living peacefully with her family. She can remember the smell of her mother’s warm baked goods. She can remember playing with her older sister, Elfriede. However, something horrible happened to all of them. Now, she travels the world alone, accompanied only by a ball-jointed puppet with no legs. Lieselotte has hopes that one day she and her family can all live together again and be happy.
  • Yoriko Yasuzumi (安栖 頼子 Yasuzumi Yoriko?) (cv. Yui Itsuki)
“The Maiden who is obsessed with the occult”
Age: 14 (Misono Academy for Girls. 8th grade)
Height: 4’8”
Weight: 97 lbs
Residence: Koenji, Tokyo
Favorite Subjects: World history, Art
Worst Subjects: Math
Arcana: Dieu mort
She is introverted, bookish, and obsessed with anything occult. One night, Yoriko performed a ritual and summoned Mike, the self-proclaimed “Demon King”. A contract was former between the two of them, and now she is unable to part with her unusually-shaped companion. Against her will, Yoriko and Mike roam the city every night investigating the magical disturbance in the skies above Tokyo, causing mischief, and eating doughnuts.
While on break, Yoriko and Lilica decided to try summoning a low-level demon servant for Yoriko. She was a bit nervous to try such a ritual, but her fascination with the occult got the best of her. That night, the two of them got together, and Yoriko drew a magic circle on the ground. Before starting the ritual, however, she got nervous and ran to the bathroom. While Yoriko was busy splashing cold water on her face and talking to herself in the mirror for encouragement, Lilica was up to no good. She thought it would be funny to re-draw the incantation and not tell Yoriko. When Yoriko returned and began the ritual, she did not summon a low-level demon, but rather, she summoned Mike the “Demon King”. Naturally, Lilica feels a little guilty about this.
  • Kira Daidohji (大道寺 きら Daidōji Kira?) (cv. !Hiromi Tsunakake)
“The Maiden who wants to take over the world”
Age: 11 (Misono Academy for Girls. 5th grade)
Height: 4’0”
Weight: 48 lbs
Residence: a “house” she built in her grandparents backyard
Favorite Subjects: Elemental Science
Worst Subjects: Art
Arcana: Niptra
She is a child prodigy who earned her doctorate in Elemental Science at a prestigious American university. However, Kira became embittered with the world around her when she was forced to return to elementary school upon returning to Japan. Consequently, she has become arrogant and condescending, and she has come to the conclusion that her only remaining option is to embark on a quest for global domination.
Kira Daidohji received her doctorate at age ten, performing breakthrough research on ether conductors. The blob she takes with her into combat with her is also made of ether, and it changes its shape to suit Kira’s immediate needs. This is revolutionary application of Elemental Science, and it would surely make Kira even more famous than her research on ether conductors. Nevertheless, unveiling him to the world is not her highest priority right now. Kira has been asked many times what the blob’s name is, but she always answers. “Names are there to differentiate one entity from another, but since he is the only one of his kind, what would he need a name for!?”.

[edit] Boss characters

  • Fiona Mayfield (フィオナ・メイフィールド Fiona Meifīrudo?) (cv. Maria Yamamoto)
“The Maiden is trapped in the other world”
Age: 13
Height: 4’5”
Weight: 68 lbs
Residence: The Elemental World
Favorite Subjects: Home Economics
Worst Subjects: Most of the others
Arcana: Oreichalkos
Fiona was born in a wealthy family in Britain. She met Saki two years ago, when she came to Britain as an exchange student from Japan. The two of them became good friends, until one fateful day when they both were sucked into the Elemental world. Saki made it out in time, but Fiona was trapped there. She now serves Mildred, who promised to help her find a way home.
Fiona lives in the Elemental world. She was teleported there in a bright light two years ago, and she has stopped aging since then. On the bright side, she found herself in a part of the world which was largely inhabited by the kinds of fairytale creatures she loved. She even met the ”All-knowing Mr. Dragon”, who was able to explain to her what happened and where she was. That was the start of her journey to find a way home, thanks to Orichalkos, Fiona has learned to make brief visits to the human world, but she has found that very few people can see or hear her. She feels fortunate to have found Mildred.
  • Mildred Avallone (ミルドレッド・アヴァロン Mirudoreddo Avaron?) (cv. Yukiko Kikuchi)
Age: 17
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 130 lbs
Residence: England
Occupation: Director of the British MEA
Mildred is the head of the British branch of the Ministry of Elemental Affairs. She may be young, but she’s experienced at overcoming anyone who stands in the way of her goals. She seems suspiciously interested in the skies above Tokyo and is currently conducting research in secret.

[edit] Arcana

Partinias “The Pure Lady” (Arcana of Love): In the middles ages, when Europe was covered in war, a woman who criticized violence and tried to spread compassion was burned for being a witch. Now, her spirit leads its power to Heart, who she feels embodies the same capacity for Love.
Bhanri “The Warrior Queen” (Arcana of Lighting): She was once celebrated queen of a war-torn land, who died protecting her people. Long after her death, her subjects continued to revere her, and her spirit was turned into an Arcana. She sees the same strength and selflessness in Saki, and after Bhrani rescued her from the Elemental world, she decided to grant Saki her powers.
Anutpada “The Ancient Relic” (Arcana of Time): Somehow, an ancient mechanical timepiece from a lost civilization acquired consciousness and free will. Anutpada lend its mastery over time and space to Kamui, so she can protect the balance between worlds.
Moriomoto “The Green Lord” (Arcana of Nature): Only the king of all vegetation truly understands the secret wisdom of plate life. He offers his knowledge and protection to Konoha and all members of the Koinumare Clan.
Ohtsuchi “The Eternal Guard” (Arcane of Earth): As steadfast as the clay from which he was made, Ohtsuchi has protected his followers for centuries. Maori’s family has prayed to him for generations, and he gladly repays the adoration.
Lang-Gong “The Wolf Hermit” (Arcana of Fire): A wolf who lived alone in a remote Chinese forest began interacting with hermits and sages. In time he learned to communicate with humans, and long after his death, his spirit was immortalized in their tales. Much like a fire, always seeking change and growth. Lang-Gong gives his power to Mei-Fang, whom he feels represents the next stage in human evolution.
Tempestas “The raging Zephyr” (Arcana of Wind): He embodies the gracefulness of the wind and the freedom of a bird. Tempestas has found a kindred spirit in the capricious Lilica, who helped nurse him back to health when he was injured. They have since formed an inseparable bond.
Gier “The Overwhelming Darkness” (Arcana of Shadow): One day, the collective wickedness of all of man’s deepest, darkest desires became an entity of its own. Forever lurking in shadow, he feeds on the very same emotions that spawned him. It should be no wonder that he has now chosen Lieselotte to help him satisfy his hunger.
Dieu Mort “ The Cruel Executioner” (Arcana of Death): There once lived an executioner who love chopping off heads so much that one day he beheaded himself out of sheer madness and curiosity. His services were sought after by Mike, who feels Dieu Mort’s dark expertise will be of use to Yoriko.
Niptra “The Primeval Fish” (Arcana of Water): Long ago, when the world was covered in water, a fish retained the memory of each of his past lives. Throughout the cycle of reincarnation, he became the largest and wisest fish in the seas. Eventually, his spirit was freed of the concept of a lifespan and become an Arcana. Bored with life, he has taken an interest in Kira’s plans for global domination, but he does not always do what she asks him to do.
Oreichalkos “The Elder Dragon” (Aracna of Metal): Believed to be the oldest living Arcana, Orichalkos was feared by most beings in the Elemental world. Then, one day, a young girl named Fiona came there from the human world, and she was not afraid of him. She was friendly and looked at him with sparkling eyes that seemed to melt his scaly exterior. He feels sorry for her and has agreed to help her until she can return home.

[edit] Console Version

On July 4, 2007 it was announced that a console version of the game is slated for release on Playstation 2 in Japan on October 11, 2007.[1]

There are two different versions of the console game for the different regions. The Japanese version is Arcana Heart "Original", a direct port of the Arcade version without the "Full" patch, with the addition of voices in the story segments.

On April 11th, 2008, the game was released in North America. This version allowed for players to choose between which versions of the characters the player wanted to use, "Original" or "Full". 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 Japanese console version's story mode, but kept the voices used in battle.

[edit] Arcana Heart 2

Arcana Heart 2
Developer(s) EXAMU, Inc.
Platform(s) Arcade
Release date Flag of Japan2008-03-21 (Arcade)

2008-04-28 (Arcade, ver 2.1)
Genre(s) 2D Versus fighting
Mode(s) Up to 2 players simultaneously
Arcade system eX-BOARD

Arcana Heart 2 is the sequel to Arcana Heart, which was developed by Examu as the first Examu title published after the rights of the franchise had been transferred to EXAMU, Inc.

The four known American import locations are:

  • Chinatown Fair in New York City
  • University Pinball in Philadelphia, PA
  • Planet Zero in Houston, Texas
  • Tek Republik in Austin, Texas

New characters include:

  • A dual gun wielding noble named Petra Johanna Lagerkvist, with her Sacred Arcana Jirael. (CV: Marina Inoue)
  • A woman wielding a pilebunker with white hair shrouded in black named Zenia Valov; an ice-elemental Emperor Penguin named Almacia is her associated Arcana. (CV: Kaori Shimizu)
  • A human nun by the name of Elsa La Conti with her Punishment Arcana Koshmar. (CV: Kaya Miyake)
  • A demon nun named Clarice Di Lanza with her Sin Arcana Sorwat. (CV: Sayaka Ohara)
  • A young girl in a bathing suit and a cap with bunny ears named Catherine Kyohbashi who rides a massive red, black, and white mecha, along with a tortoise-like Magnetism Arcana named Medain. (CV: Ai Matayoshi)
  • A young magician girl named Dorothy Albright who wields cards, rockets, pinwheels, and lions, and her Mirror Arcana, Heliogabalus. (CV: Yu Kobayashi)
  • A boss character Angelia Avallone and her Halo Arcana Mildred, the boss character from the previous game. (CV: Eri Sendai)

Arcana Heart 2 is run on EX-BOARD system by Examu.

Source: http://www.examu.co.jp/arcanaheart2

[edit] Adaptations

A manga based on the video game was serialized on March 2008 issue of Comp-Ace magazine, published on 2008-01-26.[2]

[edit] Audio Drama

Arcana Heart Fan Disc was sold in 2007-08-17 in Comic Market 72. The package includes 1 DVD and 1 CD. DVD contains 3 audio dramas and interviews. CD contains 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 in 2007-10-24 and 2007-11-21.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ (Japanese) Arcana Party Blog
  2. ^ Comp-ace 2008/3 issue page

[edit] External links

Languages