![One Of The Most Underrated SNES RPGs Just Got A Fan-Made Upgrade 1](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.timeextension.com/4df52f7fae728/one-of-the-most-underrated-snes-rpgs-just-got-a-fan-made-upgrade-1.900x.jpg)
The SNES certainly isn't short of RPGs, so it's hardly surprising that there were some amazing examples of the genre which simply fell through the cracks and didn't get the attention they perhaps deserved.
In our opinion, 1992's Arcana (known in Japan as Card Master: Rimsalia no Fuuin) falls into that category. Developed by HAL Laboratory, it's a first-person, turn-based dungeon crawler which owes a particular debt to the likes of Dungeon Master, Wizardry and Shining in the Darkness, and it boasts some amazing visuals and outstanding music.
Despite being lucky enough to get a North American release at a time when most JRPGs remained exclusive to Japan, Arcana received lukewarm reviews and was largely overlooked – especially when more famous titles began to hit the market, such as Final Fantasy and Secret of Mana.
Thankfully, Arcana is getting the chance to make another impression via a fan-made patch by Sarah Shinespark.
"Seal of Rimsala is a labour of love and was designed as the definitive version of Arcana," says Shinespark. "Arcana is Hal Labs’ forgotten JRPG, a first-person dungeon crawler with a card theme and killer music. Please enjoy this modernized take on an underrated title!"
The patch includes a brand-new English translation, which offers a "clearer and more descriptive" take on the plot. It also boasts "an improved map with symbols for doors, treasure chests and more," as well as "faster gameplay with anti-frustration features galore". In addition to this, we also have a new status screen with icons and damage bonuses (in the original, it is often hard to see what each character has equipped, for example), as well as hidden extras and bug fixes.
If you fancy checking out the patch, point your browser here.
[source romhacking.net]
Comments 8
This would have still been over a year before Secret of Mana.
But it's probably forgotten because Nintendo seems to have forgotten much of the HAL catalog that isn't Kirby. I think only Lolo has gotten rerelease.
Supposedly Nintendo took them as a second party after the visual novel Metal Slader Glory for the Famicom reportedly financially ruined them less than a year before this game.
@KingMike Earthbound also gets it's fair share of attention.
Well, this sounds like a very nice and welcome update.
Always loved this game so this is a welcome patch. My buddy had a Genesis and I loved Shining in the Darkness. This was the closest thing to it on the SNES so I grabbed it. The most annoying thing for me was finding a new party member in a dungeon then having to leave and equip them because they were only wearing rags and using a trash can lid as a weapon. Otherwise, awesome game!
I just wish that the map view wasn't so limited! You can barely see anything when looking at the map, and as far as I can tell, you can't scroll the map to see other parts of it that you've traversed. It's practically useless as it is.
I find this game as to being too short on playtime for a JRPG.
But I like it and the music, just great!
@KingMike a modern remake or sequel to Air Fortress (NES) would be amazing
Normally I didn't care for first-person dungeon crawlers that much, but Arcana is a game I really enjoyed. Maybe it's because it's a Japanese take on this genre. Plus the music is really great. An underrated gem for sure.
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