The third Arcana Heart game in the Arcana Heart series; developed by Examu. Featuring improved system mechanics and a handful of new characters, Arcana Heart 3 is the most accessible Arcana Heart game yet.
Plot
Arcana Heart 3 continues after the events of Arcana Heart 2. This translated prolog effectively summarizes the continuation of the story…
“It has been two months since Angelia Avallone attempted to use the dimensional distortion above the Kantou area in Japan for her scheme. In that time, the organization "Drexler," whom once distributed demonic arts throughout Europe during a certain war, had resumed operations all over the globe. The secret branch in Japan was destroyed by the West Europe Spirit Agency and they established the branch office "Rosenberg" there in its place. Immediately following that, a large dimensional disruption was observed by many. The timing of this event was most unnatural, and there were rumors of secret activity from the defunct Drexler branch. In order to resolve these events, the Japanese Spirit Agency has dispatched their Scared Maidens. The Rosenberg office also sent their Sacred Maidens but in their way stands a new foe, opponents that have been granted the powers of a Sacred Maiden, Valkyries.”
Gameplay
Arcana Heart 3 continues the series' usage of Arcana, or celestial beings based on the characters from the Tarot. In addition to the 23 playable characters, the 23 Arcana each have their own unique powers, to augment the abilities of the girls. The game adds a Force Gauge to the fight system. When completely filled, the Force Gauge allows the player to perform an Extend Force, a maneuver similar to the Arcana Burst from earlier games. The game also adds a "Simple Mode" which simplifies the control layout into a single button for each major function: one button for normal attacks, one button for special moves, one button for moves involving Arcana, and one button for the game's Homing Dash ability. The console version has a fully voiced story mode and HD anime graphics for super moves. It also includes the usual training mode, score attack, and online play.