Not to open up the whole "Games are..." argument, but I've recently become fascinated with the psychology behind why people play games. Look at Facebook games, for example. They're not the more engaging of games, but there's something at play at keeps people (me included) coming back for more. The same rings true for most games, though some, despite best efforts, have a harder time presenting players with a reason to return.

Case in point, Lord of Arcana. For lack of a better way of saying it, Lord of Arcana is an attempt to tap into the same magic Monster Hunter found years ago. Although the series hasn't found the same level of success in the states, Monster Hunter is something of a national pastime in Japan. When any game finds success, clones will follow. However, clones are rarely better than the original and, like so many others, Lord of Arcana gets the basic concept, but misses out on the finer points.

At the very least, Lord of Arcana puts on a good show. The audio is all over the place, but nothing seems particularly out of place, nor does it grate on your nerves. It's a decent videogame soundtrack, which is really all the game needs. Visuals follow suit. You're allowed a healthy set of character customization options, so your character is your own. For me, this is always a plus. Acquiring new loot is a major feature, and though the motivational factor behind the idea is surrounded by a few question marks, it's at least fun to watch your character's appearance evolve as you collect new weapons and armor.

If Lord of Arcana has any more visual weaknesses, it's environments. You're going to spend a lot of time in the same areas and though there's some variation in appearance, it still gets old.

If you're at all familiar with the Monster Hunter series, Lord of Arcana's structure should feel immediately familiar. Story is tossed into the background, providing context rather than a narrative to keep you moving forward. You're an amnesic who, in order to regain his lost memories, sets out on a quest to gain the power of the Arcana. For the player, this translates into navigating dungeons and slaying monsters.

As expected, Lord of Arcana throws a lot of missions at you, though variety is in short order. Lord of Arcana is a complete grind, a structure that may not appeal a number of players. Given the lack of story, quests serve little purpose other than to shuttle you around between dungeons and offer opportunities to collect items and gain experience. Even for fans of this style of play, Lord of Arcana will prove a bit of a slog. Quests aren't much fun, particularly when you're required to find randomly spawning resources.

Going back to the "psychology of play" idea, Lord of Arcana uses the promise of new loot as a way to keep you going for just one more mission. The idea isn't uncommon in games; in fact, most games are built on the same concept. But simply teasing new powers isn't enough, there has to be something to keep going. There's a whole school of behavioral psychology behind the concept, though I'll spare the psychobabble and get to the point. The promise of new, shiny toys is great and is sometimes enough to keep you trudging through the worst of games, but there are limits.

For as much loot as Lord of Arcana dangles in front of players, there underlying mechanics do little to make you want to keep going. It's the difference between cleaning your room for $10 and cleaning the house for $10. At some point, the tedium will wear you down. Quests are repetitive, the controls offer problems and the difficulty is unnecessarily punishing.

Lord of Arcana is better with a friend, or at least the difficulty curves seem to support that idea. Lord of Arcana isn't friendly towards solo play. You start out with a killer set of armor and weapons which, as per game law, you loose immediately after the tutorial. No kidding, you go from a full set of armor to your skivvies and a stick. The local villagers are quick to supply you with new gear, but to get the good stuff, you'll need to endure pitched battles with the worst the monster world has to throw your way.

Typically, the promise of a sword powerful enough to smite lesser foes is enough to keep you going. This is one of those "finer points" Lord of Arcana misses. Even with great gear, it becomes apparent early on, every fight is a chore. Hard fought battles are one thing, but at some point you need to feel like a badass, otherwise there's nothing to keep you going.

With friends, Lord of Arcana is easier to swallow. Quests are still hard, but at least you have some backup. The downside is the lack of online support. Lord of Arcana supports four-player Ad hoc play, but everyone needs their own copy. There is a "demo" option that lets other players download the game and tag along on your adventures, but there are limits.

The one element Lord of Arcana nails is customization. In addition to designing your character's base appearance, including voice, there are numerous armor sets and weapons to collect and equip. The new kit is about more looking cool, it provides the basis for your character's stats, which - at least in theory - determine how your character will fare in combat.

Although the promise of loot is a factor in Monster Hunter's success, it's a small item in a bigger psychological design. New items are great, but the idea isn't simply about collecting new items, it's about bettering your chances of survival in increasingly dangerous situations. Lord of Arcana misses the point. It gets the collection right, but refuses to let players taste even a bit of real power.

Combat is action-oriented, but is more potential than anything else. You'll learn new combos throughout the game, though the system never evolves past the concept of blind button-mashing. There's the suggestion of strategy, but nothing ever comes of it. Enemies are tough, but stick to predicable attack patterns. Bosses are more interesting, but take forever to beat. Lord of Arcana is not portable friendly. Even worse, you'll have to face some bosses multiple times to collect specific resources, giving way to another major frustration.

A lot of the better equipment is crafted. For whatever reason, the right components are always in short supply. I'm sure the aim is to offer some sort of goal during level grinds, yet once again it feels like the game is intentionally trying to hold players back.

Lord of Arcana also plays host to a few puzzling technical decisions. All battles take place in a smaller arena despite offering plenty of room and access to all attacks while in dungeons. It's weird and takes you out of the action. Even more confusing, and unusable, is the "Lock-on" system. There's no option to toggle targeting. Instead, you're required to hold the button down. It hinders combat and gets in the way.

There may very well be players out there who enjoy Lord of Arcana's punishing difficulty, or love loot collecting dungeon hacks enough to overlook it's more glaring problems. But, for the average player, Lord of Arcana is well intentioned, but half-baked clone of a better game.