Wild Arms

Games: Wild Arms

• Release Date: 1997
• Genre: Role-Playing
• Style: Third-Person 2D RPG
• Similar Games: The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo Entertainment System), Legacy of the Wizard (Nintendo Entertainment System), Final Fantasy (Nintendo Entertainment System), Legend of Legaia (PlayStation)

Game Description

As the game opens, you assume the roles of three wayward souls, or as the game refers to them, "Dream Chasers." Rudy, an orphan, possesses the unique ability to psychically bond with "ARMs", or Ancient Relic Machines (ranging from handguns to rocket launchers.) Cecilia, a princess, is, of course, your magic user. Jack is a mysterious and weathered swordsman who, along with his rodent companion, Hanpan, rounds out your versatile party of three. As your party meets up at a festival in the Filgaian capital, Adlehyde, our antagonists are revealed, the dreaded Demon race from a galaxy far, far away. The story builds gradually, and though a bit confusing at times, reveals interesting bits of our characters' sordid pasts. Overworld adventuring is standard, but Wild ARMs stands out in its Dungeon scenarios, presenting challenging and downright fun puzzles to solve around every corner.

Review: Overall

If the opening to Wild ARMs, a beautifully animated and scored anime (japanese animation) sequence, is any indication as to how it plays, then it should satisfy just about any type of game player. How Wild ARMs does this, however, is unique in and of itself.

You certainly wouldn't think it to look at it. Frankly, Wild ARMs just isn't a very technically sophisticated 32-bit game. In theory, Sony intended it to be a sort of appetizer for the blockbuster Square game, Final Fantasy VII, to be released some months later, but in many ways, Wild ARMs surpasses it. And it does so through a very important virtue which has been all but forgotten in the era of RISC-processors and texture mapping. A little something called simplicity marks Wild ARMs as a stand-out game among any genre.

Easy controls, reminiscent of the Final Fantasy series, and straightforward gameplay give Wild ARMs a very small learning curve, welcoming newbies aboard. But what brings the die-hards along for the ride is the engrossing story. Perhaps the story is so totally enveloping because we only have three main characters to control, as opposed to SaGa Frontier's 8, or Suikoden's 108. Where other developers might make just three characters bland and cliche after 40 hours of gameplay, Sony makes them absolutely entertaining, adding plot twists just when you thought you had permission to be bored. The story is awesome, but its also navigable, thanks to clean control and a few well-developed protagonists.

Wild ARMs also shines in its puzzles -- you never thought you'd have so much fun blowing up boxes and pushing switches until you've played it. Older gamers will pine for their old Legend of Zelda and Legacy of the Wizard cartridges when they tough it out in the dungeons of Wild ARMs, where a challenging, but rarely frustrating puzzle lies around each corner and under each rug.

The only distractions from an otherwise fantastic game are the graphics. Ho-hum sprites and blocky 3D battle scenes serve their purpose, but are by no means groundbreaking. A tremendous soundtrack also accompanies you on your quest, but it does drive you quite mad hearing the same battle music over ... and over ... and over again. Nevertheless, the music is great, almost enough to get you on the phone with the Japanese importer and demand your copy of the soundtrack.

Sony really came through on Wild ARMs, surpassing their first RPG attempt, Beyond the Beyond, by leaps and bounds. It does so by passing up ritzy graphics and special effects in favor of good old-fashioned storytelling. Wild ARMs is recommended for anyone seeking a puzzle, an adventure, and a game worth its forty dollars.

Review: Enjoyment

Absolutely awesome, stylistically similar to many classic 8 and 16 -bit RPGs

Review: Graphics

Average, with a few standout polygonal enemies. Them's big heads, eh?

Review: Sound

Sometimes repetitive, but generally very thrilling.

Review: Replay Value

Though it is an RPG, it's endearing enough to warrant a few more go-throughs.

Review: Documentation

A wealth of WWW pages, a helpful instruction booklet, and a few strategy guides are available.

Production Credits