REVIEW:  Arcana Heart 2: Suggoi! or "Suggoi! Arcana Heart 2" adds three new fighters to the roster: Nazuna Inuwaka, Akane Inuwaka, & Parace L'Sia. Each of the newcomers bring a new and innovative fighting style to the series along with their own unique Arcana abilities (which all characters can utilize). The three new Arcana elements introduced in this installment are Cayatshime (Flower), Fenecs (Sound) and Parace L'sia (Life).

 

 

First introduced in the prequel, Arcana Heart 2, the newest gameplay additions over the original Arcana Heart 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 members of the original roster. The visuals and 2D character sprites are still sharp and impress for a through-and-through 2D fighting game on nearly all levels. Character animation still isn't as smooth as some of the top tier 2D fighters out there, but the "anime-inspired" style of animation definitely works in this game.

 

Page Updated: June 12th, 2025 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: For some reason, I enjoyed playing this particular installment the most out of the series. 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 considering the severe lack of testosterone, there are some awesomely entertaining match-ups and some guaranteed "cool moments" possible in Arcana Heart 2 Suggoi's... 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, or... perhaps... girls? I think it's safe to say this is a fighting game for girls. Because if you're a 30+ year-old male playing this game on the regular... people may wonder things about you. I could care less whether or not you play this game, but in any case, AH2 Suggoi is worth a look for any 2D fighting game purist. The sprites and backgrounds are nice! ~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen    Click Here for all Posters / Box Artwork! Click Here for all Screenshots! FOLLOW    ON:                             TFG NEWS CHARACTERS GAMES