Wild Arms 4

"You can't rush the results..."

Story

Jude Maverick, a child living in the isolated town of Ciel, skips swordsmanship practice one day and witnesses military planes breaking into the city's shelter. He investigates and finds a girl and a young man (her captor) held against their will. Like any young protagonist would do, he attempts to rescue them, but can only free the man; the young girl is taken elsewhere. When the soldiers invade Ciel, a natural power within him awakens... And so begins Jude's struggle.

Outside of Ciel, on Filgaia, which still smells of the war a decade prior, people's lives are just beginning to pick up again. The unfamiliar and cold place is quite an experience for someone who's never known war, and Jude feels out of place. His friends are his crutches, and he is theirs -- even for those who've dealt with it, it's still not something that can be overcome so easily. Add in a group of warmongering fighters who try to take the friends out when they start upturning their plans and a few startling revelations about the world itself, and you've got the plot in your palms.

This installment is heavily thematic, showcasing that adolescence and adulthood aren't quite so disparate and are, in fact, stitched together by common beliefs and bonds. The story itself is far-traveling and should appease most Wild ARMs fans as far as whimsy and intrigue go, but the dialogue -- "the glue" that progresses the story forward -- falters quite often, relying on keywords to evoke emotion rather than being fully descriptive. This by no means that the story lags constantly, but don't look for concise, witty dialogue to show up very often.

Graphics / Exploration

Graphics look tip-top and don't fail to harness the PS2's capabilities. Battle scenery is detailed, attacks are dazzling, and what's shown of the world world setting is grandiose -- it's really gorgeous. Movie sequences are not choppy or blocky like those of yesteryear, and its flawless movement in and out. The only problem is that some of the cutscenes are misplaced and aren't necessary, while other times it would enhance the feel and atmosphere. Personally, I would rather read simple text than having the same five or six portraits of the characters convey what is happening. In WA3, character portraits weren't used for much emphasis; in WA4, they are, and the unchanging "cardboard" feel is to same-y to be effective.

A mixed bag of results for exploration. Like WA2 and 3, the towns and dungeons are all three-dimensional and interactive to a degree, but WA4 skimps when it comes to exploration for the most part. The world map is no longer a place to run around on, instead being replaced by a connect-the-dots map a la Final Fantasy X; entering village houses greets you with an NPC picture which appears alongside a text box, and no freedom to search the premises is available. To boot, the Tool system has been revamped and has had its uses confined to dungeons only.

Having seen the exploration being used heavily in the past two installments, it would be an understatement to say that WA4's attempt wasn't a large disappointment.

Music

Everything in its right place for the most part, the music should do the OST lovers right. The music as a backdrop really supplements the characters' current events, while the battle themes are all well-suited and impressive. Really, it has few faults (repetitiveness, at times), and they're easily overcome.

The voice acting (i.e. waste of space, if you ask me) isn't too bad, but putting vocals behind the text doesn't work all the time. Not to say that the VAs aren't good or anything, but Jude and Yulie's characters can get annoying since they have a number of cheesy lines ("Why can't we all just get along!" for one). Most of the game is scripted with only text, though, and one can turn off voices if needed.

Gameplay

One of the more prominent features the game was billed on, the HEX battle system is a twist on the old. Characters break out of the old stand-still-and-pose ATB era and jump right into having their placement in the fray mean something. There are seven HEXes in all, occupied by both enemies and allies, in which characters can move around and occupy spaces together. Fr'instance, if Jude and Yulie fight in the same HEX, they can both be attacked at once by the foe, but on the beneficial side, either's passive skills (Defender, Magic Blocker, etc.) are able to be triggered. Since attacks are usually by a per-HEX basis, status effects and healing also target in the same way, which means that navigating the field can turn the outcome of the battle into or away from one's favor. Boss battles against the superhuman group Brionac, in particular, force the player to employ strategy to overcome the odds. Really, if there was a hallmark to the game, it would be this.

Extras

There are a bunch of extras, some small mini-quests cued by talking to a certain NPC, some strenuous exercises in speed and hand-eye coordination (see: Extra Challenge). A downside is that some of these cannot be completed until a New Game+ save, an option that lets you replay with new options intact and previous items, so completionists looking to rack up a 100% perfect game the first time 'round are going to be let down. On the positive, if you own an Alter Code F cartridge, you can transfer data to get extra goodies which actually allows you to complete everything in one playthrough. There are an exceptional amount of constructive activities to do, and that should satisfy most people.

One glaring "oops," however, is that the Monster Library (a post-game unlockable based on accomplishments you've done) is unable to be obtained in any form, due to two monsters being left out without the localized list being updated correctly. As such, the Character Voice Library and the Character Library are also unable to be obtained. So, this is definitely one hindrance that might send people who like "master files" running...you'll need to use a sharking device to get absolutely everything. =(

Pros / Cons

+ Story is fun to follow
+ Characters can be identified with, mostly
+ Impressive, graphic-wise
+ Musical scores are delightful
+ Plenty to do in the post-game
+ Doesn't lack replay value
+ Enil (you'll find out what this means later!)

- Dialogue doesn't carry the game forward
- A few out-of-character plot changes, masquerading as twists
- XSeeD screwed up a portion of the unlockables
- A step down from WA3's western-influenced game

Ruling

Story - 8 (Watered down a bit, but tolerable)
GFX - 10 (Has a rosy sheen)
Exploration - 5 (Expansiveness shouldn't end on the town outskirts)
Music - 9 (Leave the mute button alone, folks!)
Gameplay - 10 (It'll put a HEX on you!)
Extras - 08 (At least most are available...)

Satisfaction Rate: 83%

The Verdict™: Stands with its predecessors, albeit in the shadows a bit.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/24/06