Lord of Arcana bewitching PSPs

The success of the Monster Hunter franchise in Japan is reflected in the abundance of Japanese publishers turning out their own takes on the online-enabled, multiplayer-focused action genre. Namco Bandai has God Eater, Tecmo Koei has Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce, and now Square Enix has Lord of Arcana.

The publisher today confirmed its multiplayer-focused action title for release in North America, Europe, and other PAL territories. The game will allow players to go it alone, but a local cooperative mode will support questing parties of up to four. Players will also be able to outfit their characters with customized weapons and armor.

The story of Lord of Arcana revolves around a powerful stone called Arcana, said to be "the source of all order in the world." Only the most powerful can lay claim to the stone, so players will need to hunt scores of monsters--which the publisher says have been designed by "world-renowned artists"--if they want to discover its secrets.

Square Enix did not specify any projected release window for Lord of Arcana. However, it did specify the game will retail for $39.99 in the United States at launch.