The Arcana

I actually first tried The Arcana ages ago. AGES. But it seemed like one of those really well done but way too expensive mobile games where you have to pay "coins" to unlock the good scenes. So I deleted it. But I recently re-installed it on a whim. And, while I still think it's overpriced if you actually wanted to unlock everything, it's got some good points. So here I am.

 

First up, the good stuff: beautiful art. Very usable layout. Choices clearly have an impact on the story. And the story itself is interesting and engaging. There's a "common" route of a few chapters/prologue where you get the basic setup: you're the apprentice of Asra (the white haired magician-y guy, LI number 1, 5th in the picture). He travels a lot on missions that he won't take you on. He disappears one day as per usual and you're visited by the regal Nadia, Countess of Vesuvia (LI number 2, 4th in the picture). She has you read her cards and immediately hires you to come to the palace for a job, promising more details when you get there. 

By the time you reach the palace, you've had semi-mysterious run-ins with 3 more love interests: Julian (the goth looking aristocratic dude with an eyepatch), Muriel (dark-haired, awkward beefcake guy who, for some reason, wears a chain collar), and Portia (the wild-haired and cheerful/plucky head servant of Nadia). The final love interest you learn about once you reach the castle (and he's the weird one--the intense looking blonde guy that's first in the picture).

So, it seems that Nadia wants to hire you to use your talents to find Julian, who is accused of murdering (by fire, with extreme prejudice) Lucio, the Count and her husband...and the 6th love interest. 

Here's where I have a slight disconnect -- it is very, very clear from what you see in Lucio's burned out bedroom and in the very disturbing picture showing him as some kind of goat-god that there is a lot more going on here than a murder case. And, if you don't jump to conclusions right away and keep an open mind, you immediately figure out that Julian, while strange, is likely not a murderer. And that there's something really, really wrong/off with the whole Lucio situation. And that Portia is Julian's long-lost sister (and probably working in the palace in order to find him). 

After the prologue, you have to actually choose a route and could, theoretically, read through more than one at a time. I did do a few "spend the coins" things to see if they were worthwhile in the prologue (you start with a small supply) and, unlike Dangerous Fellows, they do give you significantly more story. However, I still stand by my original sentiment that unlocking the extra bits are way too expensive (and the numbers on that link are from years ago and they've since added more books/chapters). It's a well-made game but a serious money grabber. I *might* (and that's a big might) spend enough to unlock 1 character's whole complete story, but the more likely thing is to just read the base story for free and unlock a few of my fav character's extras. You do get a few free coins every day so you could theoretically unlock everything after a long, long time. A really long time.

This is where the mobile games annoy me. I'd rather buy the whole thing out right for a decent price. 

Anyway, I actually liked Asra the most after the prologue, so I'm...doing Muriel's route. I plan on finishing it without unlocking anything and see how many coins I can amass. My next preference would be Julian, then Portia. I find it very hard to trust Nadia and Lucio, the little I've seen of him so far...Um. No. Just no. Will update once I finish a route or get to a good point, but that may be a while.

Edit: Okay, have been slowly playing on through Muriel's route. It's been about 22 days since I posted about it, so you could take that as a baseline. I've got 1490 coins saved up via doing the Daily things (and I might have done one small purchase? I can't remember now. If I did, it was the cheapest option.). I am on Book XV Chapter 1 of Muriel's story. There are a total of XIX books for him and then an Upright End or a Reversed End. I have not chosen a single "bonus" story for him though it's actually been hard because I quite like him! Now I rather wish I'd picked Lucio or Nadia instead because I really hate Lucio and Nadia I don't find particularly interesting, though after this much of the story, she's definitely okay and not as dodgy as I'd thought she might be. 

Anyway, Muriel is practically a shy cinnamon bun of really large proportions. He's the blushy one. I didn't expect that from the prologue. But. I made a plan and I'm sticking to it.