Is Arcana Worth Playing Today? - SNESdrunk

[@benjamin_burke]

Back in May, a comprehensive Improvement patch for Arcana came out, and from what I can tell, it's a vast improvement. It includes a FastROM hack to improve slowdown, a re-localization that removes censorship and improves the story, incorporates unused music and animation in the source code, lets EXP roll over after a level up, and rebalances the combat. If you're going to play Arcana today, use this patch. www.romhacking.net/hacks/4505/

[@decastar3010]

Is this "No-Header?"

[@Evilriku13]

it got even more updated where it now features a less jokeful translation (at least it was turned down for a more accurate and more understandable translation where effects are actually explained for example) and even more balancing was done. It still gets updated but is basically at a completly different point now, even more refined you could say then the first attempts around the time of your posts Benjamin!

[@FinaleCadence]

Man I love all your Vids man. Concise and to the point. I'd love to see you branch out into older titles from PS1 and Dreamcast!

[@zackdufois]

+FinaleCadence yeah why not - if he likes this stuff ;)

[@SNESdrunk]

+FinaleCadence Thanks, I will be looking at Final Fantasy VII and Chrono Cross for sure at some point

[@RyumaXtheXKing]

+SNES drunk You could call the Chrono Cross episode "Why the hate" or "Why the disappointment".

[@SNESdrunk]

Ryuma King "Because it's not actually a sequel to Chrono Trigger" /fin

[@TheLakabanzaichrg]

PlayStation1Drunk just doesn't have the same ring to it

[@megagrey]

This was the first RPG that I had for my Super NES, and helped break me into the genre. Kinda got nostalgia-glasses on for this one.

[@ericcartman7420]

You might be pleasantly surprised to see this then: www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=24593.0

[@ennbee5100]

2:29 "... this is why it's important to have a strong soundtrack with a game like this." That's the reason I think you're one of the best retro-game reviewers around - your deeper insight into the culture asa whole. Found your channel a week ago and am loving it, man!

[@Evilriku13]

So happy that someone actually took care and got all the mods together and built upon that for a unified experience so that the game is more enjoyable, less grindy, with a proper translation where the engrish is gone and so forth! Highly recommend the mod by Sarah Lightspark iirc was her name.

[@etherraichu]

Ive found that the most frustrating aspect of this game is the frequency of random encounters and the randomness of enemies in them. In the first dungeon of the game, you're just as likely to run into a battle against one slime as you are to get into a fight with six chimeras that hit your entire team with magic every turn and two assassins

[@Xebelan]

etherraichu It's part of what makes it fun though. That tension. You never feel like a badass until the very end.

[@yosha2467]

In games like this and Wizardry you are not meant to fight every combat and have an escape rate of 0%. You have to pick your battles. Sadly, the mainstream audience never thought about that so we ended up using turn-based as a flashy filler by removing everything that made it worth playing.

[@decastar3010]

The sauropods!

[@PkmariO64]

To me, the most annoying aspect of the game is how much healing magic costs. Want to simply make sure that one of your party members doesn’t die, so that you don’t have to start over? Here’s a spell that does just that, but it’ll cost you more than half of your magic points just to do it once.

[@Evilriku13]

@@PkmariO64 luckily the fan remaster known as Arcana - Seal of Rimsala fixes that stuff, but not only that: Gamebugs, EXP rate, encoutner rate, armor & weapon costs, translation, THOSE DAMN LAGS/GAMESPEED, and more has been taken care off to make this roughly 10+ hours game into a.. 6-7 hours one? It REALLY helps what has been fixed, including the AGI stat not working like it should previously!

[@PatrickAshe41]

It was a really awesome soundtrack. Nice moody atmosphere. That boss music. ESPECIALLY the final boss. I remember this game fondly. It probably inspired a trope or two in my novels.

[@bradcarey3078]

Dude, I love your channel. I really like your more recent multi game videos. Could you make a video about all of the SNES first person dungeon crawlers? I really want to know which ones are worth playing!

[@zenmastakilla]

There was just something really cool about game covers back then

[@Morunic777]

I love arcana. It's surprisingly addictive. Being a heavy grinder, I don't mind random encounters.

[@adamnox2268]

Correction. The elemental can die without game over. Story was good too. The whole point of the gameplay is what you call tedium. So if you like crawling then you like it.

[@eyeswideshut7354]

I just checked out your romhack review of this game. I actually skipped this review when it first came out. It looks like an awesome game and the music is crazy good! Thanks for the review.

[@7thangelad586]

This one reminds me of the NES game Swords and Serpents. I played that one lots as a rental; and a year ago I took the time to complete it!

[@YukihyoShiraki]

I played this game when i was maybe about 6 or 7, too young to really understand what i was doing at the time. I remember distinctly thinking the music sounded really cool and that the exploration was just like that maze windows screensaver

[@shellnet411]

Yes I want them to bring it back out I want to play it again I loved that game back in the day I hate turn bass games the only exceptions are arcana and a very similar play to that is what I've been playing on my 3DS Fire emblem

[@Chud_Bud_Supreme]

I've never even heard of this game. Amazing how many games have flown under my radar in all these years.

[@nozoto]

+Son of Tiamat I feel you. Being a 4th generation gamer myself, I realized recently a bunch of interesting games exists like "Brain Lord" (whose super famicom cover art is designed by Sachiko Kamimura, the chara-designer of the Heroic legend of Arslan and City Hunter, btw) and King Arthur's world, a Lemming-like playing with snes mouse. Also, I gotta say United States had a lot of exclusives Europeans hadn't the chance to play... It's a big reason why I am not particularly interested in new-era of gaming, as I learn everyday from other youtubers, including snesdrunk. I prefer to explore a vast, friendly lake than an ocean I find hostile.

[@Chud_Bud_Supreme]

***** I know. I feel bad for Europeans who didn't get games like Final Fantasy III (VI) and Earthbound. Even then, there were a ton of Super Famicom games that didn't come outside of Japan. I'm glad that fan translations and repro carts exist. I recently bought a repro cart of Final Fantasy V for my SNES.

[@nozoto]

Son of Tiamat I initially loved the idea behind repro carts. They are too expensive, in addition of raising a serious intellectual property issues, moreover. Rom hackers didn't work so repro cart manufacturers make money on their back after all. Besides, patched stuff is supposed to come free, as developers still in activity are courteous enough to let it go. Isn't commercializing it all pushing boundaries too far? For the moment, I spare enough of cash to buy the rolls of flash cart: SD2snes. It's only the price of 3 repros in box ! Hah, this way I could even play on my Super Famicom patched roms who weren't ever put together into carts... One day it's gonna be mine =D

[@Chud_Bud_Supreme]

***** It's definitely not 100% legal. As for the people who made the fan translations, I doubt most of them care whether they see money off it since they just did so everybody could play it, and many of those translations have already existed for many years. Fact is, demand for repros exist, and those same businesses that make them also make repros of games that were never released anywhere, games that are nearly impossible to find (like Earthbound) and even fan made games and hacks. I think it's a good thing. I don't condone pirating of brand new stuff, but games that are this old that nobody's making money off of anymore, those games are free game as far as I'm concerned.

[@Milshare]

I can't agree with the assessment that Arcana is like Eye of the Beholder. The active time of combat makes a big difference by itself, idle for a minute in the wrong place or wrong way in EotB, and your party can be dead. Both games have their own little complexities. I very much enjoyed playing both, and still enjoy playing them both from time to time.

[@elimgarak4667]

I want a Front Mission - Gun Hazard full review for Christmas! I fucking LOVE that game, it deserves more praise.

[@RobbyRaccoon]

I love your entertaining, straightforward style of presenting the content.

[@SNESdrunk]

Thanks for the nice words

[@mrbanks456]

This is the first game Masahiro Sakurai was involved in the production of, btw.

[@Christian-rn1ur]

JoJo Banks huh, and they still let him make more anyway. Imagine that.

[@isodoubIet]

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[@DreamMarko]

I love how you managed to find and recommend some very obscure games, even if they're not great they can still be fun to try out!

[@clinton6087]

I absolutely loved this game when I was a kid and I wish they would put it on switch online

[@kylecook3984]

I enjoyed this game quite a lot at 9, with a complete play through and then again at around 12. I’d revisit it. I remember it being something of a grind but enjoyable. More story would have been welcome.

[@orion164]

I had good memories of this game from my childhood. Recently, I replayed it and I was surprised at how short the game is. I think it only took me like 6-8 hours or something along those lines. I enjoyed replaying the game but I agree that it's not for everyone.

[@lekanraposte6732]

One of my favorite SNES RPG. Awesome music and pretty nice graphics. The story is barebone but still, pretty fun. I still have my copy. Unfortunately, the battery is most likely dead...

[@johntumahab323]

Nintendo Power had all of the maps in Arcana on a huge foldout, and it STILL took me forever to get through all the dungeons.

[@Aidan_B_Young]

This game’s difficulty is absolutely relentless

[@Presca1]

Yeah the maps and dungeons can be tedious but I do like the gameplay and it's a game I'm replaying having played it earlier on. I like these type of games and ones like it, so that helps and yeah I do like the music.

[@shadowandmike1215]

The music in this game is ridiculously good!

[@CrystallineGates]

This is one of my favorite SNES games! I've played/beaten it a number of times. The elemental system is pretty detailed compared to more recent RPGs where enemies are weak against opposing elements. (Water beats Fire and Fire beats Water, etc). In Arcana, Water beats Fire, Fire beats Air, Air beats Earth and Earth beats water. But, also Water does moderate damage to Air, Air does the same to Water, Fire and Earth do moderate damage to each other as well. Because they are not directly strong or weak against those elements. To level up, I recommend exploring EVERY square of the dungeons. Good grinding that way for EXP and Gold and once the maps are complete, it's impossible to get lost. Though a surprise attack from enemies attacking from behind can confuse you at first. That being said, you can find full, player-made maps on gamefaqs.com So it's pretty hard to get lost with maps. www.gamefaqs.com/snes/563513-arcana/faqs Some weapons and armor have item effects that are VERY useful during battle! And remember that elemental strengths and weaknesses apply to the weapons/armor you equip in Arcana. So if you've got the Earth-based Demon Axe, which can also cast Smash 3 (Same as using 3 Earth Cards against enemies) in battle.. the Demon Axe is powerful, but weak against Air-type monsters, and not at full power against Earth-type enemies, which also usually includes Undead. So be careful, and have FUN! ;)

[@Bradlogic]

I really wish they would add this to the game library on the Switch. It was my 3rd most used cartridge after Mario All Stars and Starfox.

[@luciogamesmusic]

The music in this game is amazing

[@LordSephleon]

This game... I remember I read about this game long before renting I rented it and spent a whole weekend playing it. I wasn't at home that weekend, but I brought my SNES, Arcana, and a couple of other games (just in case). I still love the whole "Card Master" theme where you have elemental forces as party members; reminds me very much of the Sha'ir class from Al-Qadim (AD&D setting). I also used to love the challenge of the game and not knowing when the boss would pop up in the maze. I did complete the game before the weekend was over, and I felt quite satisfied with it. Sadly, I no longer have the time to invest in old games like this, but it will always hold a special place in my memories. :) Anyway, great review! As much as I wanted to defend the game on certain points, I know that beyond the nostalgia glasses, this is just one of those "hit-or-miss" titles.

[@ExigentZero]

Dig the Cecil Avatar. I rocked that exact one a few years back.

[@agauerm]

The Eye Of The Beholder is the one I played the most on the SNES, similar to this one

[@stevengreen9536]

I played this one back in the day.It had that Might and Magic vibe.But it also had that Final Fantasy kinda feel to it.But they did not try to rip off of it.One of the few fantasy titles I beat back then.😀

[@Bryan-lu4du]

Owned and loved this game as a kid. I don’t think I have the time these days to do another play through but that’s ok because I finished it over a summer vacation back then. The music is definitely incredible even to this day it holds up and I’ll listen to it on KZbin playlists occasionally. I liked the character interactions and the story was good enough and gave me a unique feeling that’s hard to describe. I was curious about Arcana Spirits in the Sega Saturn (Japanese) so I bought it years ago, and it’s impossible to play do to the language barrier. I’m also not clear if it’s an actual sequel or not. I don’t think it is.

[@muhanc.a.9299]

Smells like Drakkhen, I have to try it.

[@Xebelan]

Muhan C.A. If you like Drakkhen, and I do, this game doesn't scale to your level either. It will murder you most gleefully to the awesome soundtrack-- which I love. Of the npcs Darwin has the most distinctive personality.

[@gamerzero7735]

Drakkhen sucks. This one, not so much.

[@gwgux]

When I remember this game, I think of the music...and that's it. It's an OK RPG for the time, and that's about it really. It's worth a play through, but after that there's not much in it to make one want to play it again.

[@PersianImm0rtal]

Not true, you should check out the Seal of Rimsala hack for this game. Adds better translation, smoother graphics, and better gameplay.

[@CosmicCosmo1]

Pretty cool game. Too mundane to keep your attention for a full playthrough but it's really quite fun for the first few hours. Music really top notch here

[@TeamB4UEnterprises]

Wow, we have virtually the same opinion on this game! This was one of my "gateway RPG's", one of the first RPG games I ever played, and while it has a special place in my heart in that regard, looking back on it now, it's not that great. And yes, the translation is brutal. XD -Rory

[@pixelpuppy]

The soundtrack for this game absolutely slaps and still does. Very similar to another HAL game Alcahest.

[@ExigentZero]

Arcana is awesome. Loved it.

[@elbravovierde8010]

The soundtrack is amazing!!! I't is maded by the same guys who did the soundtrack for my favorite action RPG on the Super Famicom the legendary Alcahest!! And they also did the soundtrack for Kirby Superstar!! Their sound signature is clear as day too see!!

[@ronwisegamgee]

I actually managed to beat this game back in the day. As for getting lost, stick to a wall and you'll eventually find your way.

[@davidlenz7817]

Great video I'm going to replay this today!

[@CallMeFreakFujiko]

I got a RETRON system last year and I wanted to buy some cheap games to test all three slots out. I didn't want to spend that much just in case it didn't work. There's this one place that sells some SNES games for $3 and this one was one of them, so based on some screenshots this is the one I chose. I found out recently that people are willing to pay $20 for the game loose so I popped the game in and played for about an hour. It's fun and I'm definitely not disappointed that I spent $3 on the game but I don't get it. I was thinking "maybe there's more that I'm not getting?" So I looked it up, found this video and I still don't understand why people are willing to buy this game for $20. Not that I'm complaining. I'm just a bit confused. I can at least say that it's definitely worth $3.

[@thomasffrench3639]

The card thing was a big thing at the time. The Dragon Ball games all had card with the battle sequences

[@Cragnous]

Oh wow never heard of this game but It reminds me of old D&D games I used to play on pc and Nes, I think it was called Pools of Radiance. The most recent ones I played and arguably the best are the new Etrian Odyssey.

[@JimmyBackbeat]

Etrian Odyssey sure is cool. SMT Strange Journey is good to. I would recommend you to check out Legend of Grimmrock on pc. It is a total love letter to the genre as it was originally, but with all the accessibility of modern games. Also Dark Spire on DS. It is also a love letter to the genre but without the accessibility. It will hate you and kill you over and over again. And it is great. Just great

[@speedruns3155]

Full speedrun of this game, if anyone is interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqLGhZl-iq6Djqs

[@chaser5616]

I played this game before,for me i think this game is punishing, if you die,you start back at town and the dungeon is reallly long and had no safepoint(as far as i remember)i remember playing it untill the second chapter where the dungeon is a rocky place then forest and more forest,then i died and had to restart back to the rocky place all over again!! the good thing is,the map will still be complete if you had finished it.

[@bratticuss]

Bard's Tale comes to mind.

[@gamerzero7735]

This game is an underrated masterpiece. My only complaint is once Rooks, Teefa, Axs, Salah, or Darwin dies, the game ends.

[@chrislowe2793]

Since you’re. doing first person RPG, can uou reviw SWORDS & SERPENTS for the NES? I think I’m the only person who owned that game.

[@jasonz7788]

Great work Sir thank you

[@AceAileron]

Standing beside Paladin’s Quest, this is my favorite guilty pleasure RPG. As the video mentions, beyond the music there isn’t anything necessarily memorable about the game. That being said, a remake (better translation/dialogue, story, and a few other things) would make this a game worth playing beyond what it is. What I found the most intriguing about this game is how the challenge dramatically shifts: it starts off easy with a solid party in Bainia Temple, gets a bit more difficult in Draven Pass (and subsequent areas) and then BAM, The Ice Mines are extremely hard. It’s just your main character and spirit and you’re always outnumbered/under leveled for most of the dungeon. The Stavery Tower and Bintel Castel have their peaks and valleys in terms of difficulty but the game’s final boss is one to be reckoned with.

[@PersianImm0rtal]

The Seal of Rimsala fixes all of your complaints, better balance, and new translation.

[@jeremyharrison5133]

Omfg! I loved this game as a kid

[@jonrwert]

I remember this game was tough as a kid, never beat it.

[@Bloodgaze]

Omg! I loved this game. That scene at the top of the second to last tower. Fucking Galneon!

[@JoseRamirez-cw9er]

This is one of the best games

[@DjTractus]

This was pretty fun

[@mab-q8l]

this is a great game

[@MazterP28]

Is this on the switch? Or a rerelease of it?

[@JasonSpanhur]

This is the best first person dungeon crawler on the snes.

[@Justforvisit]

Interesting, so there was a "Teefa" way before "Tifa" ever was born :D

[@JeffreyOsb]

Is this game similar to Wizardy? Well, Wizardy is a large universe, let's say Wizardry 5 on the SNES?

[@leadbones]

It's far less obtuse than Wizardry. You don't have any customization options, but it's just more straightforward and casual. I've always liked it, myself.

[@excalibran]

There's a card motif, but no deck mechanic. Why?

[@damn0knight]

damn, you really duh snes drunk. i almost asked you to review this but started scrolling through what looks like the entire snes library! anyhow, i wanted to throw out my thought on the final boss battle. after gathering the baddest weapons and leveling up the entire crew, i still found that fucker to be an absolute coin toss with regards to winning. it pissed me off when i got my ass kicked but looking back i appreciate how it wasnt just decided by simply reaching the end. laters.

[@Kittiesofdeath]

arcana is imo a much better game then shining in the darkness.

[@billydrahl8007]

Needs a remake on thr switch

[@Uncle-Jay]

I don't get the card theme. I mean it looks perfectly normal besides everything being on cards, which is stupid to me.

[@JBeaverton]

Arcana = Tarot

[@facina3390]

I only remember this game because i thought the broad on the ad was hot. I feel old, and kinda gross.

[@jkn2k]

And today ? Worth playing?

[@mo_musashi_284]

Huge & brutal ? I’m good

[@Verbalaesthet]

I never liked these Windows Screensaver kinda mazes. They drive me crazy. It's like playing a 3d game with crazy lag.

[@louiskeiflin5858]

Sword of Vermillion everyone?

[@officialunofficialgaming4526]

New sub, ur great

[@GigaMan91]

HAL soundtracks never disappoint.

[@chocobolows9830]

Best game in the fucking world

[@DOSRetroGamer]

What does the game win by representing the characters as cards? I ... don't get it.

[@lhfirex]

This game sucks when you get near the end of it. The final dungeons are extremely tedious, and the music gets worse, and for some reason party members that join always have no equipment. So when you get to the point in the final dungeon where a guy rejoins your party after he left hours ago, you have to go out and equip him all over again.

[@Conan_the_Based]

The soundtrack isn't good. It's phenomenal. I used to rent it and just listen to the sound test for a couple hours at a time.

[@TheBrazilRules]

I love First Person Dungeon Crawlers but i don't like this game for some reason.

[@lustisnotlove6226]

Cards? how about street fighter characters presented in cards

[@Sephiroth144]

"Teefa", huh...?

[@Xerpes]

for a good game with genre you should try phantasy star 1 on master system! then you will be called master drunk or system drunk? kkk

[@wrathovgod5099]

Shin Megami Tensei is the only good game of it's kind on the SNES/Super Famicom... Obitus is decent and Arcana is ok but Dungeon Master sucks.

[@Noone-of-your-Business]

Complaining about usability of a game with automap - evidently, you have never played the C64 version of The Bard's Tale...🤣😘

[@not_jon_vendi]

Teefa 😁