Introduction
Another addition to a series of Square Enix PSP Games that are being released. Is it just me or is Square Enix a total fan of the PSP? It does sit well with me, since I only have a PSP. Just hope they don't switch to NGP too soon, at least not until I have the money to buy it. Lord of Arcana is a tad bit different then usual Square Enix games. For one thing, it doesn't really have a plot. I guess that is Square Enix's answer to legions of fans who are condemning their games for having poor stories written by 5 year olds. Lord of Arcana is much like the PSP heavyweight Monster Hunter in terms of gameplay, although couple with Square Enix's designers such as Nomura and Amano added with composer Nobuo Uematsu, Lord of Arcana may prove to be a superb game.
Long ago, in the land of Horodyn, there lived a mighty king named Horodyn who is the Lord of Arcana or something like that. The Arcana are stones which contains great power and yadadada... Anyway, you are going to be the next Lord of Arcana. You start off playing as a high leveled killing machine who controls Bahamut (as an ultimate spell) and slay Nidhogg with us. However, when you complete the vow or something to be the Lord of Arcana, boom bam bang, you suffer amnesia and arrives at Horodyn. You will then have to regain your lost powers and appease the Arcana on the way.
At least that was what I think the story was until I read a gamefaqs review. I don't feel like starting the game again, since it has quite a long introduction. So meh, until someone can confirm that I am wrong, this will stay.
Gameplay
As mentioned earlier, Lord of Arcana's gameplay is very similar to Monster Hunter games, except for one main difference. Battles are fought in a different map and features Coup de Graces or Melee Duel mini games.
Coup de Graces are finishing blows dealt to dying monsters such as goblins and skeletons which increase their droppings at the same time deal some damage to nearby monsters. Melee Duel on the other hand is limited to Arcana bosses, such as Agni (pictured above) and Bahamut. Melee Duel is needed to kill the boss, a failed Melee Duel will result in the boss gaining HP, forcing the player to hit it back to the health required for Melee Duel to start.
Players also need to gain raw materials such as ores and monster cores to forge stronger weapons or to create potions and the like through the blacksmith and alchemist respectively. Players also get to choose between five types of weapon class, the One-handed Sword, Two-handed sword, Polearm, Mace and Firelance. Firelance is a high favourite due to it's range capabilities as well as high damage output. Players can also choose to enhance an existing weapon or armor. This is handy if players do not have the required materials to forge a new one. I minor con I find in this system is that players have to make potions as the shop does not sell it, it is especially frustrating when you are about to join a Bahamut run with a friend, only to find that you are out of potions and materials for potions.
UPDATE: Potions are purchasable after you beat Bahamut.
One MAJOR bad thing about Lord of Arcana is the inability to pause. The Start button merely brings up a menu, but the game is still running, which also mean who might still get into a battle. This is not a good thing, especially for people who play the PSP on the go. Imagine you have to do something for a moment, and you can't paused the game. Thank God for sleep mode.
Graphics
As far as I am concerned, the avatar and monster graphics are decent. Albeit the armor designs seems kinda weird. I mean a necktie in battle? However, the designers seriously need to do something with the environment. It is seriously bland. Out of the four places I have been to, only the lava cave was memorable, the others were meh. I just hope it gets better after this. UMD space limitations is not a valid argument, so I hope if Lord of Arcana 2 does come out, which I think and hope will, something will be done about this issue.
Conclusion
Overall, Lord of Arcana is a nice addition to the PSP game library. It is challenging and fun at the same time, although material hunting is quite draining. Multiplayer through Adhoc is fun and exciting. Although I believe many out there would choose Monster Hunter Portable 3rd over this, it is a nice replacement until an English version for the game hits the stores, if ever.
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