Reviewed: January 8, 2006
Reviewed by: John Bowlin

Publisher
Agetec

Developer
Media.Vision
SCEI

Released: November 15, 2005
Genre: RPG
Players: 1
ESRB: Teen

8
8
9
8
8.8

Supported Features:

Wild Arms - Alter Code: F takes the best of the original game and makes it even better. It has new updated graphics with completely redrawn environments. It has a re-developed, more cohesive script, with new plot twists and puzzle solving. It has an updated battle system, and too many other minor changes and updates to really mention. It is truly an amazing remake, and even fans of the original game should check this version out.

Here are just some of the updated features in this remake:

• Over 60 hours of gameplay – Dual Layer DVD is used to hold the massive amount of gameplay, music, and graphics.
• Proven storyline – combining the story that attracted many players with the latest technology and gaming system.
• Redeveloped script – completely rewritten script with new plot twists and puzzles.
• Stunning graphics engine – detailed characters, enemies, and environments truly bring the game to life.
• Evolved battle system – control up to six party members to pummel the enemy.
• New environmental effects – blowing wind in the wilderness, sparkling waters, sunlight trickling into towns, and bubbling lava filled ruins. The attention to detail and expression of space are the best in the series.
• Enhanced “realistic” character graphics – the familiar super deformed faces from the original were transformed into accurately proportional graphics.
• Redrawn environments – the maps, towns, and dungeons were completely recreated and updated into 3D format, and all the visual designs were redrawn from scratch.

Next you'll play as Jack Van Burace, a treasure-seeker who is also a master of the sword, and friend of Hanpan, a wind mouse spirit animal who helps Jack navigate the traps and obstacles in dungeons. Finally you'll play as the princess of Aldehyde, Cecilia Lynne Aldehyde. Cecilia is a medium and can communicate with the ancient Guardians of Filgaia, and she is also a student of sorcery.

Eventually Rudy, Jack, and Cecilia will meet up with each other in Aldehyde and have to face a terrible demon, which begins an exciting adventure across the frontier world of Filgaia. Along the way they will encounter other adventurers who can help them in their quests.

As you wander around in dungeons or on the main world map, you will have random encounters with monsters, which you will be alerted as a "!" is displayed over your character. If you press the Circle button you can avoid that encounter, assuming your encounter gauge is not at zero. Your encounter gauge goes down when you avoid encounters, and goes back up by fighting encounters. It can also go up by finding certain gems in the game. Other kinds of gems can be found to refill other gauges on your characters.

The combat system is turn-based, and you can use a handy combat menu during the fights. You set your party's formation at the combat start, which can have an impact on who gets attacked and who can do what. Each character you control can do a basic attack, shoot an ARM, cast a spell, use an item, perform a "special", or guard/reload. Each character in the game has unique abilities. Rudy can change out different kinds of ammunition using the "cartridge" power, while Jack can do special "fast draw" maneuvers with his deadly sword, and Cicilia can use "crest sorcery" to do damage to enemies or heal her allies.

Characters can also do another kind of ability called Force Ability. These are special combat skills that require the use of Force Points to use. Characters regain force points by making attacks on enemies or by being attacked. As the characters force meter goes up it can also enhance the character's other abilities, such as guard or increasing the damage on critical hits.

Each character's Force Abilities are unique. For example, Rudy is able to use an ability called "Lock-on" that will raise his chance to hit enemies with his ARM. Jack can use "Accelerator" which puts Jack as the first to act in a combat turn, which can be crucial if a certain item or action needs to be used immediately. Cecilia can do "Material" to invoke the powers of the Guardians, summoned powerful spirits.

While exploring the dungeons each character will also have various "Tool" powers they can use to help in puzzle solving. Jack's animal friend Hanpan can fly over pits and press switches or manipulate objects. Cecilia can shoot flames out to light torches or set things on fire. Rudy can set bombs up to blow obstacles out of the path. As you get further in the game you can find other tools to use. Figuring out different combinations of how to manipulate your Tools will be the key to solving most of the puzzles in the many dungeons you'll traverse through the game.

Wild Arms offers a lot of opportunity for character customization. First of all Rudy can find ARM shops where he can update the abilities of his ARM. He can also update his cartridges. And Cecilia can mix spells up using spell editing to create new magical effects. Of course, as your character gain experience from fighting combats, they will go up in level, which will make them more resistant to damage and able to deal more damage in combat, among other benefits. Overall there is a lot of variety in how to improve your characters, and should keep the stat tweakers happy.

Wild Arms has certain "Memory Birds" which you'll find to save your progress. You can also save your progress in the dungeon by using a Gimel Coin, which you can find on creatures or in hidden places in the dungeon. You can also use a Gimel Coin to resurrect your party if you get wiped out in a combat.

Overall, the story is very well done and has a lot of exciting turns and twists. The characters are all pretty much entertaining, and there are a lot of them. The puzzle solving is also fairly challenging and at the same time rewarding. The combats can get pretty repetitive, except for the more interesting boss fights, but since you have the option to avoid a lot of encounters using the Circle button, it never gets too bad, plus you need to do some fights to level up your characters so that can be rewarding itself.

Wild Arms - Alter Code: F has a lot of CGI movie cut scenes to help tell the story, and those are exceptionally well done, on par with anime quality video. The characters in Wild Arms are all done in a pleasing anime style, making the game feel like you're in a believable world. The artwork on all the backgrounds is well done and in some instances even breathtaking. While the graphics of Wild Arms - Alter Code: F are probably not going to wow you quite like something say, Final Fantasy X, they are still very respectable and a vast improvement over the original.

On the other hand, the game could have stood to get some other sound improvements. While the various spell and battle sounds are well done, the game is sorely missing in some good, quality voice work. The entire story is told through text boxes that you have to read, and in this modern age of RPG’s that's getting a bit quaint. Quality voice acting would have gone a lot further into making this remake especially nice, but even the lack of voice work doesn't ruin the classic experience.

A bonus DVD is included with the game, which has several trailers for various anime shows, plus a full episode of the anime Wild Arms: Twilight Venom, called "Sleeping Dirty." This bonus DVD was a nice inclusion and can give you a good flavor of the Wild Arms setting with different characters than the ones from the actual game.

On the other hand, if you've never before experienced Wild Arms, this is the perfect opportunity to get on board one of the better old-school RPG series with the game that started it all. While not as modern as some other famous series (ala Final Fantasy X), it's still a great RPG game in its own right, and fans of the genre shouldn't miss this one.