Arcana Hearts 3: Love Max!!!!! Review | The Game Scouts

Nick Walge: As I was playing Arcana Hearts 3 for review, my girlfriend casually asked me what sort of game that I was working on. When I told her it was a 2D Japanese fighting game where all of the main characters are women, she exclaimed, “Oh, that’s great!” And while I completely agree that it is great to see strong female characters explored in any medium, I had to wonder whether or not this sort of portrayal was exactly what she might have had in mind. All female casts in fighting games are nothing new. Love Max!!!!! is the third in its series, after all, and Skullgirls explored a similar concept on the Vita earlier this year. But something about the frequently scantily-clad characters, as well as the several very young, pre-preteen characters, makes the concept seem borderline exploitative, and might turn off some gamers to the title. And that is a shame, because Arcana Hearts 3 is actually a strong, deep fighting title that likely won’t get the attention it might otherwise garner.