Wild Arms (video game)

Did You Know?

• Wild Arms was developed by a team of about 10 employees over roughly three years.
• The game may have been originally intended for the Super Famicom before becoming a PlayStation title.

Plot

Wild Arms takes place in the world of Filgaia, a fantasy world where technology varies from medieval Europe to a frontier resembling the American West. Much technology is recovered from the distant past, and ARMs (firearms) are feared as forbidden remnants. A thousand years before the game's events, a great war occurred between humans and Elw against an invading race called the Metal Demons. During the conflict, powerful weapons were developed, including mechanical golems and artificial warriors called Holmcrosses.

The humans captured the demon leader, Mother, and sealed her in a castle in Arctica, but could not destroy her regenerating body. With the Guardians' aid, she was imprisoned in a cocoon, and her heart was torn into three pieces placed inside stone statues scattered across the world. The war ended, but the surface of Filgaia was devastated. If the title screen is left idle, a scene shows Metal Demons invading Arctica Castle, reclaiming Mother's cocoon, with only two Fenril Knights—Garret and Elmina—surviving. The game features three playable characters, each with a brief introduction.

Reception

Wild Arms garnered a positive response. It sold over 250,000 copies in Japan during its first two weeks. Game Informer called it 'by far one of the best action RPGs of the year,' with scores of 9, 9.25, and 8.5 out of 10. GameFan reviewers scored it 95%, 92%, and 90%, awarding it 'Game of the Month' and stating that if not for Final Fantasy VII, it would be RPG of the year.

Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it an 'Editor's Choice Silver Award' with scores of 9, 8.5, 9, and 8.5, and Crispin Boyer called it 'easily the best PlayStation RPG to date.' It won EGM's 'Game of the Month' and was Runner-Up for Role-Playing Game of the Year 1997 behind Final Fantasy VII. GamePro's Reader's Choice Awards placed it third behind Final Fantasy VII and Alundra. Praise centered on its visuals, especially the polygonal battle graphics and moving camera.

GamePro noted that even the non-battle graphics were on par with the greatest RPGs. Next Generation emphasized its visual punch. The party dynamic and puzzle-solving were also applauded. RPGFan called it 'very well designed' with a great English translation. The game held an average rating of 79% on GameRankings from 14 publications.

Wild Arms Alter Code: F

Wild Arms Alter Code: F is an enhanced remake of Wild Arms for the PlayStation 2, developed by Media.Vision and published by Sony in Japan and Agetec in North America. It features a new graphical engine, more playable characters, redesigned dungeons, new puzzles, and other changes. The Japanese version was released on November 17, 2003; the North American version was released on November 15, 2005, and includes a bonus DVD with the first episode of the Wild Arms: Twilight Venom anime.

The game was never released in Europe. New permanent party members include Jane Maxwell, Emma Hetfield, and Zed; temporary characters include Magdalene Harts and Mariel. The graphics are 3D both in and out of battles, with more realistically proportioned characters. Full motion videos were added for key points and guardian summoning.

The encounter cancel system from Wild Arms 2 and 3 was added. The English localization was redone, generally reverting altered terms like 'Belselk' back to 'Berserk'. Some elements were removed: characters no longer have equipment choices, escaping a battle was removed, and characters have only one Force ability instead of four.