«©NCSX» Our introduction to the term "Steampunk" came in a game titled Sakura Taisen back when the Sega Saturn was a market contender. "Steampunk" refers to a fictional reality where the use of steam as a source of energy is dominant. The mechs in Sakura Taisen were powered by steam and the world in Arms' Heart also operates on steam. The publisher Hamster describes the game as a "Steampunk RPG" in their promotional material and Matsuzo Machida of Shadow Hearts fame is the director and scripter.
Arms' Heart takes place in a once-prosperous kingdom known as Johann which has fallen into disrepair and under the control of an evil empire. The hero is a blonde-haired lad named Jena who's got ambition, skills, and the potential to bring Johann back from the brink. Jena is an androgynous hero who appears to be wearing lip liner, rocks an emo haircut, and wears a ludicrous outfit which bares his chest and abdomen to a malevolent world. The game follows standard RPG conventions with exploration, character interaction, and encounters galore. The battle system features a device called the "Howling Gear" which determines if your attacks connect or not. When the gear appears on the left side of the screen, it's accompanied by a 3-panel "hit meter" which is located right-of-center on the screen. As the Howling Gear spins, the panels on the meter flash "Hit," "Miss," or "Strike" which determine if the enemy is smacked or not. If you're skillful enough to make all three panels flash "Hit" then the enemy gets struck thrice. All orders will ship with a bonus Arms' Heart Original Soundtrack that was given away by the publisher Hamster in 1:1 ratio.
