The story of Arcana Hearts 3: Love Max!!!!! is not insignificant. Developed by the Examu studio, the game was ported to consoles by Arc System Works, another Japanese studio well known to fans of versus fighting. It follows Arcana Hearts 3 released in 2011 and which had not really been very successful. But these kinds of details are not enough to discourage NIS America which therefore offers European players its sequel, subtitled Love Max!!!!!, with no less than 5 exclamation points. This tells you all the euphoria that accompanies this release and the developers who have not done much except to take up the guideline imposed by its illustrious elder. Like the latter, Arcana Hearts 3: Love Max!!!!! is a sequel that stands out for its one hundred percent female cast. No less than 23 fighters, each more kawaii than the other, as long as you are sensitive to the charms of these women-children who hardly exceed 14 years old. Yes it's true, there's a kind of perverse pedophile side to this game, which is a reflection of those otakus from Akihabara who only have eyes for those kids ready to show a little flesh, in exchange a bit of notoriety.
LES 400 ASSES / THE SAINT OF BREASTS
All the commonplaces of the chick from Japanese animation are there: from the little schoolgirl with erotic intentions to the perverse nun, passing by the naughty witch with glasses, the submissive maid, the excited loligoth or even the little cat naughty ninja; if you are a follower of these purely Japanese otak' delusions, you will be royally served. But beyond this obsessed-candy-pink coating, we find above all a cast of great variety. Each of these fighters has her own personality and some of them are distinguished by their originality. We think in particular of Eko who fights with a monster drawn by him or even Yoriko Yasuzumi, who has the particularity of being supported by a cape and an autonomous stick. A great diversity in the style of the characters, but also in their combat techniques and again, Arcana Hearts 3: Love Max!!!!! scores points. Because at a time when some major licenses no longer hesitate to multiply clones in their roster, the title of Examu takes the trouble not to duplicate. Something rare enough to be underlined.
The game is indeed based on a combination of 5 keys, with in detail 3 buttons for attacks (weak, medium, strong) and two others reserved respectively for Homing and Arcana, which it is obviously possible to associate for devastating combos.
Nevertheless, as usual, we will tend to choose his character according to his palette of movements and his special moves which of course recall the classics such as Street Fighter or KOF in the way of executing attacks and other combos . Quarter circles, charge attacks, 360°, regulars of versus fighting will find their marks very quickly. In reality, it is on the side of its game system that Arcana Hearts 3: Love Max!!!!! does, once again, like no other. The game is indeed based on a combination of 5 keys, with in detail 3 buttons for attacks (weak, medium, strong) and two others reserved respectively for Homing and Arcana, which it is obviously possible to associate for devastating combos. The Homing is a kind of ultimate dash that allows his character to rush headlong like a missile towards his opponent. Generally used to catch up with your opponent in the air before he hits the ground, the Homing attack is usually combined with the Arcana attack which serves as a sort of launcher to grab your opponent and send him flying to the other end. of the screen. This is what makes the game quite technical in the end, far from the prejudices that one could have just by watching the cover of the game, which tends to confuse the issue, it must be recognized.
"HOLD YOUR WIFE!"
Always with the aim of playing the card of difference and not of indifference, Arcana Hearts 3: Love Max!!!!! is also distinguished by the presence of Arcanas. After selecting his character, the player is asked to make his choice regarding the Arcanas, a sort of protective spirits systematically affiliated with a specific fighter. These appear according to the attacks executed and can perfectly fill a gap in a fighter who has some gaps. But the choice of the Arcana also has other consequences such as the strike force, the ability to withstand blows or even the speed of movement of his character. There are as many divine spirits as there are characters in the roster, and if the player is free to team up with this or that Arcana, it is often advisable to keep the base one to enjoy all the advantages offered. This is all the more true since the mega furies, also called Arcana Blaze, are only effective if the original tandem is united. Otherwise, you will have to settle for the Arcana Super Attack and Eclipse, which are already very effective in ruining an opponent.
But the technical aspect of Arcana Hearts 3: Love Max!!!!! does not stop there, since other subtleties make its gameplay even deeper, with in particular the Homing Cancel...
But the technical aspect of Arcana Hearts 3: Love Max!!!!! does not stop there, since other subtleties make its gameplay even deeper, with in particular the Homing Cancel, which allows you to cancel normal and special attacks. Similarly, it is also possible to perform Guard Cancel if your yellow Arcana allows it, which has the effect of making you temporarily invincible for a short time. Enough for pro gamers to reverse a situation. Another trick, transplanted from old SNK glories, the introduction of what is called recovering, or aerial recovery, which allows you to “get up” in the air after an attack received and thus reduce the damage related to the fall. In the same vein, if an opponent pushes you back or sends you wandering against a wall, it is possible to bounce on it and thus gain a few frames in succession to avoid being chained stupidly. In short, you will have understood it, under its air of cute fighting games, with a perverse tendency, Arcana Hearts 3: Love Max!!!!! is a fighting game capable of interesting stick experts who would like to change from the usual Street, Guilty Gear or KOF.
THE COCK DOESN'T MAKE THE MONK
Both accessible for the layman and sufficiently technical for the purists, Arcana Hearts 3: Love Max!!!!! turns out to be a pleasant surprise in its gameplay. It is rather in its graphics and its modes that the game disappoints. Visually first, the game has many technical shortcomings, starting with a fairly low cost rendering of sprites, blurry and pixelated. Likewise, the sets are singularly lacking in character and are incredibly empty. No animation, nothing, which tends to weigh down the immersion. And what about this black stripes – certainly illustrated – on the sides, which hide the fact that the game is in 4/3. A shame in 2014. In terms of game modes, it also lacks inspiration with what it takes to train, spend time solo and investigate matches in Versus, but nothing very original in the end. The online game is of course integrated into the cake and the servers being incredibly empty, it is better to call a friend to spend a quiet evening.
