Inside Arcaea: Where Every Beat Tells a Story

Arcaea is a mobile rhythm game that has gained massive popularity for its unique playstyle, amazing soundtrack, and story that defines how storytelling should be presented. However, there's still a lot to learn about it, so let's begin.

Part 1. What Is the Story of Arcaea?

Two girls, Tairitsu and Hikari, end up in Arcaea, a glass world packed with memories that swing between happiness and pure heartbreak. Hikari chases after every happy shard she can find while Tairitsu gets buried in dark ones. Tairitsu can't find joy, so she collects the bad memories and chooses to destroy them.

In Vicious Labyrinth, Tairitsu's been collecting all those bad memories for a while, and weirdly enough, it starts making her happy. But when she finds a labyrinth full of these dark memories, things go downhill. She stumbles upon a vision showing the world's end, and it completely breaks her. That's when her anger and pain twist into something violent, giving rise to Grievous Lady.

In Luminous Sky, Hikari's bright memories stop feeling real. The light she once loved starts to fade in meaning. Slowly, she loses her mind and becomes obsessed with finding someone who can help her understand the world. That's how Fracture Hikari comes into the picture.

Then comes Eternal Core, where both girls finally meet in a cathedral. Hikari wants peace, but a shard showing betrayal pushes Tairitsu over the edge, and their fight begins. In Black Fate, Tairitsu becomes Tempest Tairitsu after gaining full control of the shards. Her power crushes Hikari, leaving her nearly dead in the event called Arcahv.

In Final Verdict, Tairitsu attacks again, but Hikari summons a miracle sword and kills her instead. Overwhelmed by guilt, Hikari cries as everything ends in tragedy.

Part 2. What Platforms Is Arcaea Available On?

Arcaea is available on both iOS and Android, so the barrier to entry is fairly low. The game is free but features several microtransactions that unlock the entire song catalog, although a fair amount is already available at the beginning.

You may want a tablet or an iPad for better control during harder charts, but playing on a phone works fine, too. The game is also available on Nintendo Switch, but the feel is a bit different.

When choosing your platform, hardware plays a major role. Devices with displays that offer a refresh rate higher than 60Hz provide better precision when you start to hit notes.

Your playstyle depends on your chosen device, as techniques can vary. Regardless of your setup, the base gameplay remains the same.

Arcaea's system requirements depend on the platform. For mobile (iOS and Android), it requires iOS 12.4 or later and is playable on smartphones and tablets. For PC, it can be played through an emulator like BlueStacks, which needs at least Windows 7 or macOS 11, 4GB of RAM, and 10GB of free disk space. The Nintendo Switch version also has its own set of specifications.

Part 3. How Do Arcaea Game Settings, Track Selection, and Note Types Work?

Gameplay, Audio, and Visual Settings

Under gameplay, the Pure Late/Early Indicator toggle turns on or off the option to display if your taps were too late or too early, which helps when trying to aim for Shiny Pures. The Note Speed setting changes how fast the notes come toward the judgment line. The higher the speed, the faster they appear. This does not change the actual timing window for judging notes; it's only a visual adjustment.

The Show Potential toggle displays or hides your account's potential value. Under audio settings, the Note Volume controls how loud the sound is when you tap, providing feedback. This feature is disabled if your audio offset is very high. The Audio Offset adjusts how in sync the music is with your gameplay, which is especially important when using Bluetooth headphones, as the delay can reach hundreds of milliseconds. The Audio Preset lets you switch between two mixed variants for wired and wireless headsets.

In visual settings, the Color Blind mode changes the colors of arcs to make them easier to distinguish. The Full Recall or Pure Memory Indicator lets you see whether you're still on track for a Pure Memory or Recall. The Late or Early Positioning option changes where these indicators appear when you hit a note.

Track Selection

Track selection is a streamlined process supported by multiple filters that make it easier to find songs. The song selection page can show packs or every song within your owned collection.

You can sort by difficulty, title, date, grade, clear status, or artist, and you can group songs by version, level, grade, or clear condition.

If that's not enough, you can directly search for songs by name. Arcaea is unique because it uses a 3D environment for note presentation.

Note Types

In Arcaea, Notes can appear from four lanes along the bottom, as well as from the free-flowing area above, where much of the action happens.

• Regular tap notes come from the four lanes, similar to 4-key rhythm games. You must tap them in sync with the music as they reach the judgment line.
• Ground hold notes require you to hold until the note finishes. The game judges only the start of the note, not the release, so you can hold as long as you like once it ends.
• Sky notes are unique because they can appear anywhere, even on the ground. Like tap notes, they are hit when they reach the judgment area.

Arcs are curved notes that flow anywhere on the playfield, similar to hold notes but without start or end judgments. You simply follow their paths. Arcs are assigned to either the left or right hand, indicated by pink and blue colors by default. You must hit the correct arc with the correct hand, though the game determines success based on timing, not physical hand tracking. This becomes clearer in higher-difficulty charts.

Part 4. What are the Different Difficulty Levels in Arcaea?

Most of the songs in the game are labeled Past, Present, or Future, with some having an additional Eternal rank after Future. Each label carries its own difficulty. Standard charts range from Level 1 (easiest) to 11 (hardest).

The Beyond label connects to Beyond Worlds in World Mode. These songs unlock through Beyond-specific progression and range from Level 8 to 12 +. Like other rhythm games, Arcaea includes hidden internal ratings; two songs listed at the same level can differ slightly in real difficulty (for example, 8.0 versus 8.4). These internal ratings aren't shown in-game but can be looked up externally.

During a song, notes you hit consecutively build your combo. The more you hit in a row, the higher it goes. If you miss a note, the combo resets to zero and rebuilds as you continue.

A Full Recall equals a full combo, and it happens when every single note in a chart is hit without missing.

Pure Memory occurs when every single note of a song is struck with perfect accuracy. It can vary slightly to prevent all leaderboard scores from being identical. The maximum achievable score in any song is 1 million.

Part 5. How Can You Improve Your Scores and Potential in Arcaea?

Improving your score in Arcaea mainly depends on focusing on better accuracy. Playing easier levels consistently can greatly benefit your ability to become more precise. The reward system favors higher accuracy rather than poor accuracy on harder charts.

You can also aim for an EX score or higher, which is a good goal. Although everyone improves differently, consistency remains key. This is simply one method of practice. You can approach the game however you find most effective.

Potential represents your skill level. It fluctuates depending on whether you play better or worse.

The calculation method adds the sum of your play ratings from all recent plays to the sum of your best plays, then divides by 40.

Each play's rating is determined as follows:

• Greater than 10 million → Internal Level + 2.0
• Between 9.8 and 10 million → Internal Level + (1.0 + (Score − 9.8 million) / 200 000)
• Below 9.8 million → Internal Level + (Score − 9.5 million) / 300 000

Poorer performances result in lower modifiers. You can't lose potential on EX Great plays or better, since their modifier equals 1.0; lower results decrease potential.

Then, there are Badge colors that reflect your current potential level: blue, green, light purple, deep purple, red, and one-, two-, or three-star variants. Some songs include Potential Unlocks for certain difficulties, though these are rare.

Part 6. What are the Different Game Modes in Arcaea?

There are basically 3 different game modes in Arcaea:

1. World Mode

World Mode extends into multiple worlds, each unique in progression, rewards, and play requirements. Stamina determines how far you can progress. It recharges at a rate of one per 30 minutes, capped at 12 stamina, meaning it takes six hours to recharge from empty to full.

Extra stamina can be purchased for 1,000 Fragments (six stamina) once every 23 hours, or 50 Memories for six stamina without cooldown. You can only buy more stamina when below 12, though exceeding the limit temporarily overflows it.

There are eight main chapters in Arcaea, a ninth chapter during limited-time events, and two Breach Chapters. Each chapter consumes stamina to progress.

In the World mode, combining stamina and Fragments helps you boost your total progress. Some maps use two-stamina systems instead, giving no bonus. Using 50 Memories also multiplies progress by four times.

Map progress depends on your character's Step stat - higher stats mean greater advancement. Completing a map happens when all tiles are cleared; some maps can loop indefinitely.

Tiles have various effects:

• Song Restriction Tiles: force certain songs or packs.
• Fixed Speed Tiles: limit scroll speed ranges.
• Random Song Tiles: randomly select from the catalog.
• Stamina Tiles: add stamina to your total, even overflowing beyond 12 if landed directly.

Breach Worlds unlock after reaching 9.0 Potential. They require three stamina and can be boosted with Fragments, Memories, or Beyond Boost.

The Beyond Boost bar fills during regular play; better performance fills it faster. It caps at 200%, allowing two or three times progress depending on the percentage used.

Progress in Breach Worlds is percentage-based - the map finishes once progress reaches 0%. Character Affinity affects how much progress you make. Affinities vary per map, and while any character can be used, only certain ones benefit fully.

Beyond Worlds builds on the same structure but emphasizes higher challenge levels and boosted progression systems. Beyond Boost stacks with Fragments and Memories, multiplying performance results. Playing well fills the bar faster, rewarding consistent accuracy.

2. Course Mode

Course Mode in Arcaea is the same as the challenge courses in other rhythm games. You must clear four songs in a row on a fixed difficulty. Your Life bar carries over between songs, and failure to maintain it results in failing the course.

Currently, there are eleven different courses, each harder than the last. Starting a course costs either four stamina or one Warp Shard. You don't recover these whether you win or lose. Rewards vary but always include Fragments and banners added to your profile. The top three courses also grant Ether Drops alongside Fragments.

3. Story Mode

No spoilers here. Stories unlock after purchasing song packs and completing specific tasks, like clearing a certain song or using a required character. Arcaea's main story follows Hikari and Tairitsu. Each character's arc begins in separate packs and merges around the third or fifth pack.

Arcaea features multiple song packs:

• Main Story Packs: Eternal Core, Vicious Labyrinth, Luminous Sky, Adverse Prelude, etc.
• Side Story Packs: Crimson Solace, Binary Enfold, Sunset Radiance, and more.
• Collaboration Packs: With games like Tone Sphere, Groove Coaster, and Cytus II.

Prices vary depending on content.

Side Stories are dedicated to individual characters, usually needing one pack but occasionally continuing in additional ones. To unlock a Side Story, you only need the main pack unless otherwise noted. Short stories unlock through single songs. They're inexpensive but brief, usually tied to a specific character and revealing their backstory. Stories combine rich visuals and artwork that complement each narrative chapter.

Part 7. Get Better Audio Quality Using HitPaw Online Audio Enhancer

If you have game tracks in audio or video formats and want to improve their audio quality, HitPaw Online Audio Enhancer can really help you do that in one click. Here's how:

• Step 1.Open the HitPaw Online Audio Enhancer site and click Enhance Now.

  

• Step 2.Upload your track.

  

• Step 3.Under Enhancements, toggle on Reduce Noise or Automatic Volume, and click Preview to listen to the enhanced track. Then, click Download to save.

  

Part 8. FAQs of Arcaea

Conclusion on Arcaea

Arcaea wraps everything together into one wild rhythm adventure full of stories, worlds, and insane challenges. Between modes, you keep pushing your limits while vibing with tracks. With Tairitsu and Hikari's story, tricky charts, and beautiful music, the game pulls you back for one more perfect score.