There have been umteen comparisons of Lord of Arcana to Monster Hunter since the game’s demo was released – and for good reason too. Access Games’ developed action RPG resembles the insanely popular Monster Hunter series closely. I was excited going into this review, but I have come out less than impressed. Lord of Arcana is a decent game, but it falls short of real greatness when compared to what it’s trying to be.

To start with, Lord of Arcana’s story centers on a mystical stone known as the Arcana, which is said – *gasp!* – to hold enormous power. In order to save the land of Horodyn, slayers seek the Arcana and battle numerous monsters which populate the world along with humans. There are five weapon classes to choose from: one-handed sword, mace, two-handed sword, polearm, and firelance. You will begin your story as a powerful “slayer,” but after the initial mission you will be stripped of your powers. It’s similar to how BioWare handled the opening sequences of Dragon Age II – and it pisses you off just as much.

- This Monster Hunter clone can't top the franchise it emulates -

Lord of Arcana's gameplay involves lots of combat and looting, but not much more. The story feels so distant in its importance that you’ll tune out while advancing through the game. Your objective is to take on quests through the Slayers’ Guild until you are powerful enough to do the main quests. They’ll set you up with relatively simple goals: kill this, get this item, etc. Unfortunately, the quests seem underwhelming for the most part. You will find out that grinding is indeed required to get through the main quests. It’s unfortunate that you have to go back and do the weaker quests repeatedly, but I suppose there is a sense of accomplishment tied to leveling for those who enjoy the scheme of things.

For the most part, you’ll spend your time in Horodyn, which is not exactly the most exuberant city in the history of RPGs. It has one or two colorful characters, but the dialogue is often static and expected. Any loot that you find on your quests can be brought back to the blacksmith, who will help better your equipment. Likewise, there is a store to buy from and sell to.

Lord of Arcana’s main gimmick, however, is that its hack-and-slash combat can be endured with friends. Actually, some quests absolutely require the aid of other combatants. Namely, boss battles are time-consuming and difficult when played alone. I can name several instances where I had to restart repeatedly because of how frustrating some enemies are – and on that note, being shrunken has to be, bar none, the most annoying status effect of all time; it was just so much more charming in Super Mario. Difficulty (and it is unforgivably difficult in single-player) is not necessarily an issue. In fact, I believe the difficulty of the game will attract a number of players as had Monster Hunter. Unfortunately, it is a massive failure for Lord of Arcana not to include online multiplayer. I can name one friend with a PSP, and rarely ever do we carry our PSPs with us (although it makes sense to have this inclusion considering it is a portable device). Even if we did carry our PSPs, it's imperative that we both own the game – which usually won’t happen unless we’re both crazy about it. It would be far simpler to log online, join a game with others who are playing, and log out as needed. Local multiplayer just isn’t enough.

- Local multiplayer is a nice touch, but online matching is a must! -

Lord of Arcana does have some redeeming qualities, of course. For one thing, its graphics are pretty good. In my opinion, Square Enix has done superbly well with pushing the PSP to its limits. That being said, LoA does not push the PSP to its limits as other titles such as Crisis Core: Final Fantasy had. Still, it’s not bad to look at and there is a bit of variety in terms of environments. The music is actually quite good, as Nobuo Uematsu is a fantastic composer.

To conclude, Lord of Arcana is a decent game. However, given that the PSP has higher-quality titles (especially ones that manage to do the same gameplay mechanics better), it’s hard to make an argument for its $30 purchase. If you’re a fan of the Monster Hunter experience it’s trying to imitate, maybe and only maybe you won’t be let down. But, if you’re a casual gamer and were attracted to screenshots, there are better games for the PSP to spend your money on.

GameDynamo's Score for Lord of Arcana (PSP)

	Score	Description
Graphics	77	The graphics are one of the best qualities of Lord of Arcana. It’s still nowhere near any of the Final Fantasy titles or Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, though.
Sound	83	Nobuo Uematsu is the man, and the music in LoA makes it bearable and even enjoyable at times.
Gameplay	75	It falls short of Monster Hunter, but for fans of the action genre, the game’s battle system will suffice with its magic and super attacks.
Play Value	68	Really, this depends on the gamer. Are you willing to put in numerous hours to grind and get through a rather tasteless experience? Then this is probably for you.
Final Score	72	It’s a decent game that falls short on some key qualities. If you’ve got a couple of buddies with PSPs who are willing to quest with you, go for it. Otherwise, turn away.

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