REVIEW:  "Suggoi! Arcana Heart 2" adds three new fighters to the roster: Nazuna Inuwaka, Akane Inuwaka, & Parace L'Sia... each bringing an innovative fighting style to the series along with unique Arcana abilities. The three new Arcana elements introduced in this installment are Cayatshime (Flower), Fenecs (Sound) and Parace L'sia (Life).

 

 

Also seen in the prequel, Arcana Heart 2, the new gameplay additions include: Arcana Blast, Arcana Homing and Critical Heart. Arcana Blast costs one power meter and enables a fighter to be invulnerable temporarily. Arcana Homing costs one meter of the homing gauge and allows players to split and perform a Homing Cancel. Finally, Critical Heart consumes all 3 meters of the power gauge and enables the use of a powerful super move when the fighters are at a specific distance.

 

 

The new characters of Arcana Heart 2: Suggoi round out the roster very nicely, and in my opinion, are more impressive and interesting character designs than some of the original roster. The visuals are still sharp and impress for a through-and-through 2D fighting game on all levels. Character animation still isn't as smooth as some of the top 2D fighters, but the "anime-esk" style of animation definitely works in this game.

 

Page Updated: March 8th, 2020 Developer(s): Examu Publisher(s): AMI Co. / LTD   Arcade AQ Interactive   PS2 Designer(s): Sakuraitooru Platform(s): Arcade, PlayStation 2 Release Date(s): Oct. 30th, 2009        Arcade April 9th, 2009          PS2 Characters:  Heart, Saki, Akane, Kamui, Konoha, Maori, Mei-Fang, Lilica, Lieselotte, Yoriko, Kira, Fiona, Petra, Catherine, Dorothy, Zenia, Elsa, Clarice, Nazuna, Parace, Mildred, Angelia Featured Video: Related Games: Arcana Heart 2, Arcana Heart, Arcana Heart 3, SNK Gals Fighters, Guilty Gear XX: Accent Core, Blazblue: Calamity Trigger, Skullgirls, AquaPazza    Gameplay Engine  8.0 / 10 Story / Theme  6.5 / 10 Overall Graphics  8.0 / 10 Animation  8.0 / 10 Music / Sound Effects  7.0 / 10 Innovation  7.5 / 10 Art Direction  7.5 / 10 Customization  7.5 / 10 Options / Extras  7.0 / 10 Intro / Presentation  7.0 / 10 Replayability / Fun  6.5 / 10 "Ouch" Factor  7.0 / 10 Characters  7.0 / 10 BOTTOM LINE  7.5 / 10  Review based on Arcade version      Final Words: I actually enjoyed playing this one the most out of the series, for some reason. Arcana Heart 2: Suggoi was a substantial improvement over the first two titles. In fact, I like most of the new characters designs considerably more than "most" of the original cast... both in terms of design and playstyle. The updates to returning characters are also noticeable, and Examu did a good job overall on keeping them fresh. In case you've been stuck under a rock, yes... Arcana Heart 2 is still an all female fighting game. If you like using strong men in fighting games, you're shit out of luck! Even with the lack of testosterone, there are some awesomely entertaining match-ups and some guaranteed "cool moments" in Arcana Heart 2 Suggoi's gameplay... even button mashers can potentially look like they know what they're doing. Yeah, it's just one of those games. It's intuitive and easy to play. Although I didn't "master" the combo system in the few hours I spent with the game, I found the gameplay engine intuitive and somewhat fun. Arcana Heart 2 Suggoi seems like a pretty good "introductory" fighting game for younger or inexperienced players. On this flipside, if you're a 32-year-old male playing this game... uhh, you're gonna get hit hard with a sort of "stigma". And nobody will be able to help you. In any case, AH2 Suggoi is worth a look for any 2D fighting game fan. The sprites are nice! ~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen    Click Here for all posters / box art! FOLLOW    ON:                             TFG NEWS CHARACTERS GAMES