Arcana is a SNES RPG developed by HAL Laboratory, called Card Master: Seal of Rimsalia in Japan. The game's characters are represented as cards, but it's primarily a dungeon-crawling RPG, rather than a card game.
Arcana is a classic RPG available on SNES developed by the popular HAL Laboratory. Originally released in Japan under the name of Card Master: Seal of Rimsalia, the game brought a refreshing new concept of representing every character as a card. However, despite this exciting twist, the game's core gameplay is more akin to a dungeon-crawling RPG than a traditional card game.
The game showcases its unique take on the card concept by presenting players with a "torn" card whenever a character dies. Furthermore, certain abilities of the game's characters are explained through the magical properties of some cards. Arcana stays true to the traditions of earlier NES games and, being an RPG, the game is designed to be difficult and challenging for players. This challenge is meant to make the feeling of completing the game even more rewarding.
Players traverse the game's towns and dungeons from a first-person perspective, which holds true for the conversations between characters as well. During battles, the player sees the protagonist characters around the perimeter of the screen, with the enemies in the center. However, the game's battles lack graphical intensity, and the characters' animations are limited.
Unlike traditional RPGs developed by Square Soft, Arcana displays the damage incurred by characters in a similar text display at the bottom of the screen, much like Dragon Quest games from Enix. The map's tile-based dungeons are arguably the most challenging aspect of the game. The player only sees what is immediately before their characters, and they move in the primary compass directions. These dungeons' labyrinthine design compensates for their lack of animation, with hidden dangers and dead-ends.
The game showcases its unique take on the card concept by presenting players with a "torn" card whenever a character dies. Furthermore, certain abilities of the game's characters are explained through the magical properties of some cards. Arcana stays true to the traditions of earlier NES games and, being an RPG, the game is designed to be difficult and challenging for players. This challenge is meant to make the feeling of completing the game even more rewarding.
Players traverse the game's towns and dungeons from a first-person perspective, which holds true for the conversations between characters as well. During battles, the player sees the protagonist characters around the perimeter of the screen, with the enemies in the center. However, the game's battles lack graphical intensity, and the characters' animations are limited.
Unlike traditional RPGs developed by Square Soft, Arcana displays the damage incurred by characters in a similar text display at the bottom of the screen, much like Dragon Quest games from Enix. The map's tile-based dungeons are arguably the most challenging aspect of the game. The player only sees what is immediately before their characters, and they move in the primary compass directions. These dungeons' labyrinthine design compensates for their lack of animation, with hidden dangers and dead-ends.
What's New
Version 1.0: N/A