Skip to main content

Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
TagsGame Engines
(+3)(-19)

Why are people angry in the comments? I can understand how people could be upset for it originally being for pc or something, but having it as a mobile game benefited both the players and the company more. From seeing this game is the type of thing you play as your daily things to do, like many phone based visual novels that rely on irl time.

And I might be wrong, but the reason they might price routes high is because they were struggling to continue producing other routes, like Portia at one point? I could be wrong, so be aware of that. 

Without paying for extra scenes you still get a satisfying play through of any character route. They also hold periods of time with events where you can speed through stories without the cost of keys if i remember right.  Whenever you spend money or not it's enjoyable, you can also go on wiki pages for seeing unlockable scenes for free if that's really a problem.

With the game I never felt they were trying to take peoples money, since they would've made the ending (upright or downright) rely on spending money I suppose to unlock extra scenes.  The way they handle their prices can always be changed and I'm sure they'll do what benefits both the players and also their company.

I remember playing a game that takes 30 irl days and more to complete, that gives less content than this game during the bits you can play, which also relied on leveling up your characters clothes taking even more time. In my experience of games, the arcana is a great game is what I'm trying to say. 

:b

(+3)(-19)

Thank you for the review. Our company is not perfect but we are trying to make The Arcana and Fictif better everyday. We are a small company that is trying to grow. We do listen to customer feedback and we continue to make product changes over time. We appreciate your support.

(+30)

As the arcana doesn't actually rely on irl time as you mentioned, I don't think mobile has any significant benefits over PC - it's just a different medium. Some people prefer PC for reasons such as a larger screen size that's easier on their eyes. It has taken Nix Hydra 4-5 years to deliver on their kickstarter rewards and they have carefully avoided mentioning (and sometimes edited out mentions of) their failed PC promise - the dodgy attitude and partial reimbursement of higher tier pledges who only wanted a PC version are the reasons people are upset, not that it's on mobile.

That the content costs money is not the issue anybody has with this game. The issue is that the cost is well beyond what similar content is priced at in other games, and soars into the realm of unaffordable or extreme costs for the average consumer compared to almost literally any other game I can think of, excluding gacha games which are intended to be predatory.

Regarding changing their prices - this will not happen, as there has been uproar over the pricing scheme since launch and Nix Hydra appears to be satisfied with their absurd costs. Even the 5 star top positive reviews mention the price point as a negative, whether or not it's reflected in their rating.

Other visual novels rarely cost more than $60-$120 for a COMPLETE GAME, with no missing paid content aside from unrelated DLCs or costumes. The Arcana costs around this PER ROUTE. I can't understand and am not privy to their financial decisions, but this is not reasonable or justified on the consumer end.

And if you have to miss most of the CGs and romantic content to play for free (viewing them on a wiki instead can be considered akin to piracy - this is not a valid solution for customers that they should be considering while pricing out their game), well then,  it's a pretty awful free to play experience.


You're welcome to enjoy the game - I also had no problem with the actual game's contents, and thought they were quite good...when you're not having to abruptly cut heartfelt moments short because you can't afford a paid choice. But just because worse pricing schemes exist, doesn't mean this one is good.