''Arcaea'' is a

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed and published by Lowiro (stylized as lowiro). The game was released on

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

and Android mobile platforms on 9 March 2017. A single-player version of the game was released for the

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

on 18 May 2021.

Gameplay

During gameplay, players must keep track of two sets of notes moving across the screen, and tap the screen or press controller buttons when the notes intersect with the guiding lines. The game has 5 difficulties: Past, Present, Future, Eternal, and Beyond (shortened to PST, PRS, FTR, ETR, and BYD). It has a difficulty scale of 1-12, with 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 having + variants (e.g. Future 9+). The game includes characters that give various beneficial effects while playing the rhythm game, and they gain

experience points An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Experien ...

when selected for gameplay.

Development

''Arcaea'' began as a single-developer project by Anton Prydatko, inspired by Japanese arcade rhythm games. Prydatko founded Lowiro in the United Kingdom, though many of the musicians working on ''Arcaea'' are Japanese indie or ''doujin'' composers, and the majority of its players are also Japanese. It was important to the developers that the game's

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method allow players to "own" their purchased content. Players can buy "packs" of songs and play them an unlimited number of times, unlike the "stamina" model commonly used in mobile game monetization, which restricts play time.

Reception

Eric Ford of ''

TouchArcade ''TouchArcade'' (stylized as toucharcade) is a mobile games journalism website. It was launched in 2008 as a sister site of ''MacRumors'' by its founder Arnold Kim and Blake Patterson. ''TouchArcade'' also hosts a forum and a weekly podcast. ...

'' says that it has "an awesome art style combined with very up-beat songs and a nice twist to the traditional rhythm formula". But he also mentioned that some of the gameplay elements could make the game potentially difficult. ''Digitally Downloaded''s Mike S. praised the game's aesthetic and music, and described its character art as "impeccable", though not memorable compared to other rhythm games. He disliked the game's requirements for unlocking new songs, considering them to be inappropriate for the game's paid release on the Nintendo Switch. Dani Maddox of ''

Siliconera The GAMURS Group, simply known as Gamurs, is an esports media and entertainment publisher. Established in 2014, the group operates multiple brands focusing on the esports and entertainment news markets, including the websites: ''Dot Esports'', '' ...

'' said the game's music was "just amazing", with a large range of songs and genres. However, she found the game's story mode to be poor, and encountered issues with controls in the Nintendo Switch version, such as the console's size when playing in touchscreen mode and the game being "finicky" with a controller.

References

External links

* {{Official website 2017 video games Indie games Music video games Video games developed in the United Kingdom Android (operating system) games IOS games Nintendo Switch games Multiplayer and single-player video games Video games featuring female protagonists Rhythm games