Arcana Heart 3

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. XGN
    Sep 7, 2011
    80
    Arcana Heart 3 is a good fighting game when you don't look at the low-res graphics. The combat system is quite elaborate and with the big amount of different combinations in a fight, Arcana Heart 3 is a must-buy for every fan of the 2D fighting genre.
  2. SpazioGames
    May 30, 2011
    80
    It's a beat'em'up for the genre fans, dedicated to learn all of its tricks. The newcomers won't have an easy time with it. A shame for the lack of polish on the online, that makes it laggy and lacking depth and content, and the lame graphics. This won't stop the fans though, that will still have fun with the great combat system.
  3. Play UK
    Jul 19, 2011
    79
    It's a niche choice in a niche genre but the kiddy exterior masks a surprisingly complex game that rewards investment. [Issue#207, p.94]
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  5. Multiplayer.it
    Jun 24, 2011
    78
    Arcana Heart 3 is not a game for everyone but it's certainly astonishing for every 2D fighting game fan out there. As always, super-sexy heroines are an appreciated touch, but the best addition to the series is the new Force Gauge system, providing deeper battles with AI players and your friends.
  6. GamingXP
    Sep 19, 2011
    71
    The ingredients of Arcana Heart 3 are a lot of cool girls, different fighting styles, arcane powers and, unfortunately, rather poor graphics.
  7. Gamereactor Sweden
    Aug 24, 2011
    70
    Primitive graphics aside, Arcana Heart's third installation has a lot of addictive gameplay depth.
  8. Thunderbolt
    Aug 22, 2011
    70
    Arcana Heart 3 is fun for what it offers, but it falls short of its real potential. These girls need to train more.
  9. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Jul 17, 2011
    70
    There's a massively deep fighter hidden here. [Aug 2011, p.115]
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  10. GameSpot
    Jul 6, 2011
    70
    Despite some potentially off-putting thematic material, Arcana Heart 3 is a fun fighter with a lot to offer.
  11. PSFocus
    Sep 11, 2011
    62
    Diversity rarely makes or breaks a game, but a lack of options certainly hurts.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 19
  3. Negative: 5 out of 19
  1. metatcn
    Nov 22, 2011
    10
    This game is amazing. There are 23 fighters and 23 arcana. You pair the fighter with arcana unique style for mix of the arcana ability and theThis game is amazing. There are 23 fighters and 23 arcana. You pair the fighter with arcana unique style for mix of the arcana ability and the the fighters ability, creating a ton of customization in how to use your fighter. The game also supports an amazing netcode which makes the game amazing experience online and because you have excellent netcode you are better off playing with people in US and japan which makes for amazing competition. Seriously more fighting games need to be like this and blazblue, cause these two games raised the bar in online play by leagues.I would love to see street fighter and tekken get this amazing online netcode. Anyway the biggest turn off is that the characters can be very, well jail bait. Crazy anime fanservice and all young female cast can be a bit getting used to. But either way if you are willing to look past that there is a very deep fighter with amazing online and offline modes (especially how smooth the online is), give it a chance and you'd be surprised how good this game is.… Full Review »
  2. vahn
    Sep 26, 2011
    9
    I'm not a huge fan of beat'em ups but then when I heard about a fighting game that had multiple ways to customize your fighting style, I saidI'm not a huge fan of beat'em ups but then when I heard about a fighting game that had multiple ways to customize your fighting style, I said to myself "MUST.BUY.IT!", and the reason is because it reminds me an 15 year old fighting game that I loved and still love to this day (for those who has an idea, it has robots). Anyway, what makes this Arcana heart different than the other games is the Arcana mechanic: this game has a lot of combinations possible to make! There are 23 fighters and 23 arcanas, which can create a HUGE combination of 529 possible fighters, and arcana aren't just for show up: they actually change your character status, as Arcanas have their own attack, defense and move list, making it interesting to try out what's the best combination (and it can take a while). However, it has quite some flaws to me: first of all, the game has only 2 modes, story and score attack, (excluding training mode, versus mode and network mode) and both aren't very huge: story will make you fight several fights as usual (the background isn't bad too, but it's not explained enough), while score attack is all about fighting more fighters but with a harder AI (with a very, very hard boss waiting for you). There's also a gallery mode, which is a nice addendum. And that's it: the game itself is extremely poor in content, and that's a huge pity because eventually you can do all in a few days/weeks. Infact...I just collect trophies now, because it's the only thing left of the game (even though I'm no collector). And of course, the fanservice is another huge flaw: it's all about tastes of course but this game is a bit hard to be liked by all, as there's no male character in ALL the entire game: 23 females of all kind, pure fanservice that some will love, and many will hate. But, personally, I'd still suggest to check it out: it's a game that tries something different among the many other fighter games like Street Fighter and Tekken and I believe this game is a longevity bomb in multiplayer thanks to the possibilities you have. The only thing that might discourage the player might be its pure fanservice elements, so my advice is to control for yourself first (videos, files, footage, etc), just to make sure you know what you're going to play..… Full Review »
  3. Trepadora
    Nov 16, 2013
    3
    Arcana Heart 3 is an embarrassing failure on all fronts, and something I'd expected a lot more from given ArkSys was behind this. AfterArcana Heart 3 is an embarrassing failure on all fronts, and something I'd expected a lot more from given ArkSys was behind this. After enjoying the crap out of Blazblue and Guilty Gear, I expected a similar experience from this. Unfortunately what I found was no doubt a cheap cash grab with very little effort or thought given to it. The graphics are low-res and murky, the soundtrack while passable is completely forgettable.
    Normally in terms of UI, we'd talk about how user friendly a game might be, but in this case, it's more a case of user hostile. No attempt at explaining anything is made it the game whatsoever. The controls, the story, the terminology. Not to mention, the story itself. It is a complete joke to call this a story. Call Of Duty has more sophisticated and deep storylines. What this is, is an arcade mode that has been poorly patched together into something meant to resemble a story.

    Arcana Heart 3 attempts to boast numerous amounts of characters with great variability in the 'Arcana' system. When it comes down to it, the characters all play too similarly for the Arcana system to even make a difference. What we actually have is slight variations on the same character. While the game has 23 different characters, each personality can be fit into the same archetypes that we've come to know and hate over the years. Additionally as every character is female, each is milked as much as possible for pointless fanservice.

    The game, even if you somehow find enjoyment in it, will not grab your attention for anything longer than around 10 hours. There is a distinct lack of options avaliable. No unique game modes, no arcade mode, no combo challenge mode. You will spend most of what little time you spend on it playing online or grinding through the same cut-and-paste story mode for all of the characters in some vapid attempt to convince yourself that you did not waste money on this.

    In short, Arcana Heart 3 is a poor cash-and-grab attempt aimed at hormonal adolescents, with lacklustre performance is every area and shameless fanservice painted all over the game. If you are considering buying this game, pick up Blazblue or Guilty Gear. You will find a much more complete and satisfying experience well worth your money.    … Full Review »
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