Wild Arms Alter Code: F

"Despite Minor Alterations, Wild Arms Remains Archaic"

For those unfamiliar with Wild Arms, the series initially began on the Playstation. Wild Arms: Alter Code F is a remake of the original with an expanded storyline, rearranged music, a new graphical style, and battle mechanics seen in the recently released Wild Arms 3. While this game took two years to be localized from Japan, was the wait worth it?

Story:

Figalia, a land filled with lots and lots of sand, is on the brink of destruction. The few who remain on the land are scared to leave their homes, as there seems to be nothing but a scary world full of nothingness and monsters. Those strong enough to wander the world are called 'wanderers' (I know, how original). The player is introduced to two wanderers and a princess, all of whom get a respective prologue before the actual story begins.

Rudy is the silent protagonist. Jack is an outspoken swordsman who is accompanied by a smart mouse-like creature. Cecilia, the sheltered princess, is not only holder of the Teardrop, a sacred item carried down her royal line, but also has the ability to communicate with Guardians, which are like summons. Think of Yuna from Final Fantasy X for comparison.

When the three all meet, by chance, the city of Adlehyde is attacked by demons thought to be banished long, long ago. Cecilia willingly gives up the Teardrop in hopes the demons will stop, but do they? Uhm, has she ever played a video game? Of course not! Now feeling the burden for the destruction of her hometown, she kindly asks Rudy and Jack to accompany her as she seeks the help of the Guardians to aid in her quest to save the world. Sounds cliche? Well, it is.

Even though I never played the original, I do know that the Playstation version only allowed the player to use these three characters. Because this is remake, more playable characters are available. However, these people are not available until the last segment of the game.

Because the game is primarily focused on these three characters, each gets a good amount of screen time. The player learns about each character's past, worries, fears, and hopes.The cast is well developed, but the villians are not. The player learns why the characters want to save Figalia, but the player will never learn why the villians want to destroy. I suppose the player is supposed to assume all bad guys are like Bowser from Super Mario and just want to break things for fun. Perhaps such a motive would've been acceptable a decade ago, but after the release of games with complex plots, I was really disappointed by this.

Because the villains are so cookie-cutter and the story is pretty cliche, there was a very little sense of progression. Part of the reason is that so many environments look alike.

Graphics:

The graphics are a mixed bag. While the game builds the atmosphere of desolation, I do not think it does it well. Even though each town is supposed to represent the Wild West, it does not mean every town needs to look the same with the same decaying wooden house, horse drinking from some pail of water, and merchants standing in their respective shacks. Most of the towns are straight lines as well, with each building serving a purpose.

Dungeons, however, are varied and the player will traverse through terrains seen in every RPG: the fiery cave, the snowy mountain, the lush forest, etc...

The art direction, though, is a bit bland. This is especially apparent in the CGIs, which are used quite frequently during story segments. A player of the original will see that the game is entirely rendered in 3D, including battles.

Game play:

Using similar battle mechanics seen in Wild Arms 3, Wild Arms: Alter Code F uses the standard turn based system. Before each turn, the player will have the option to attack, use magic, an item, or force points. Unique to Wild Arms is the force point system.

On the bottom of each character's portrait, under the HP (health points) and MP (magic points) meter, there will be a FP (force points) meter. Whenever the character attacks, uses a spell, or is hit by an opponent, that character will gain FP. When the FP meter reaches 25%, Jack and Rudy will be able to use their special attacks. Cecilia, though, being much like a summoner, has different special attacks depending on how far the player has progressed and what special attack the player wants to use. A regular elemental summon would take 50%, while using a Guardian to make all spells effect the entire party will only take 25%.

Overall, though, battles are pretty easy and typically require the same strategy. The only time when the player really needs to think is when facing a boss. The biggest annoyance during battles is how long each one takes. It seems the game takes some time to register each command, so the player will have to wait for each attack, each spell, etc... to register. Battles would take minutes, even in the beginning. It made the game feel really slow.

When not in battle, the player can switch between using Rudy, Cecilia, or Jack on the world map, towns, or dungeons. While switching between the characters will not matter in towns and on the world map, each one has unique tools to use in dungeons.

For example, Rudy has the ability to lay bombs to blow up crates, while Cecilia can blast fire to light torches. Utilizing these tools are necessary in order to get from the beginning of a dungeon to the end. What differentiates Wild Arms from other RPGs are the puzzles. While most RPGs really only ask for the player to flip a switch or push a block onto a switch, each dungeon in Wild Arms: Alter Code F will have several puzzles. I found these puzzles pretty fun and it really breaks up the game play.

The puzzles are the best part of each dungeon because the encounter rate is ridiculously high. Like, this is the only game where I have gotten into encounters while idly standing.

On the top right of the screen is the "Migrant Seal". When an encounter is about to begin, a large exclamation mark will appear above the controlled character's head. By pressing the O button, the player has the chance to avoid the encounter, but it will consume points from the Migrant Seal. Throughout this techerous journey, the player will acquire several Migrant Seals. When sleeping at an inn, the seals will be restored. When a green exclamation point is green, the encounter can be canceled without any cost to the Migrant Seal, but if its red, then you are getting ambushed. I found it kind of funny you know you're about to get ambushed, yet cannot do anything about it.

If the player fails to win a battle, then he or she can use a "Gimel Coin" to restart it. However, if the battle is won after using a "Gimel Coin," then no EXP will be awarded. Gimel Coins have another function. Whenever the player feels tired of playing, a "Gimel Coin" can be used through the item menu to automatically save the game, anytime, anywhere. This feature REALLY needs to be utilized in more games as not everyone has the time to go through an entire dungeon at once. The biggest disappointment about this, though, is that the coins do not work in the last dungeon, which is the longest.

Most of the time, the player will be in dungeons. Unlike the original, the player cannot upgrade each character's equipment. However, Rudy, who weilds an ARM, equivalent to a fancy gun, can upgrade the cartridges to raise its attack power, critical hit rate, bullet count, etc... To upgrade Rudy's arm attacks (his version of magic), the player needs to use an "Alter Part". Alter Parts are found in chests, usually located in dungeons. Cecilia can also change her magic in towns, as she does not learn spells by reaching a certain level. Like everything else in this game, and every other RPG, the "Crest Graphs" are usually found in dungeons.

Now onto the search system, which is probably the most stupid thing I've ever heard of in a RPG. When traversing the world map, the player may notice there is nothing. No town or anything in sight. Why? Well, you need to FIND it using the search system. By pressing the [] button, a green circle will emit from the character. If a town or dungeon is nearby, then it will show up. I suppose this is to restrict the player from unintentionally going to an area where the monsters will completely destroy the party, I find this system realistically unsound. If there is a town or dungeon in front of you, wouldn't you be able to see it? By pressing the square button, all the game does is adding another step to town exploration. I just imagine our party running around blindly and then all of the sudden being like, "WOW! A TOWN!" after using the search system. Whatever. So lame.

Thankfully, during all of this, the player will be humming to the nice soundtrack.

Sound:

Personally, it took me a few hours to enjoy the battle theme, but all of the tracks are very good. While some are recycled over and over again, each track sets the mood well and fits the Wild West atmosphere.

It is good the soundtrack is stellar because the game features no voice acting. What I found so weird, though, is that the character's move their lips as if he or she is supposed to be voiced. I have a feeling this suffered from a Tales of... syndrome, where voice acting was removed in the US version. Voice acting would have benefited this game greatly, as there is thousand of lines of text, many of which are emotionally-packed. The soundtrack, while good, is recycled to the point that these emotional scenes become less impactful because the player heard this tune during the twenty just-as-dramatic scenes before it.

For those who played the original, the player will be happy to hear that the tracks have been rearranged. The tracks retain their original flavor, but are different enough to feel new.

Replay Value:

Rushing through this game, without preforming any of the side quests, took me thirty (30) hours. While I find myself beating games so underleveled and such, it will probably take an average player forty (40).

With sidequests, add another ten hours. They're plenty of sidequests, like gardening for berries (these are healing items, as they cannot be bought in shops), recruiting side characters, and taking on optional bosses. The sidequests, while some are way longer than others, are worth the reward.

When the game is complete, the player is allowed to make a "new game plus" file, where they're several rewards. For one, while playing the game, the player will have picked up some "EX File Keys". These keys unlock special items, like the movie player to watch CGI, character concept art, etc... If the player decides to start a new game with the "new game plus" file, then the ending levels and gella from the previous game will be carried over.

Closing Thoughts:

Because it is now 2009, where the PS2 now has dozens of RPGs to choose from, it is hard to recommend this game. The reason why I say this is not only has the Wild Arms series received new installments (4 and 5, both of which have higher production values) but they're so many RPGs that have better stories and more engaging battle systems. This RPG seems catered to a very specific crowd, those of whom played the original or love the Wild Arms series.

Seeing as this game took 2 years to be localized, it would've been nice if voice acting was included. The game feels very slow paced, due in part to the high encounter rate and slow battle animations, which bogs down the sense of progression.

While this game may entertain those who have played the original, I cannot see anyone new to the genre enjoying this game. If one is interested in the Wild Arms series, then I recommend starting with 4 and 5, which not only feel more immersive, but also have more engaging battle systems.

Final Score: 6.8/10

Quick Summary:

Story: While the story is not very original, the main cast is well developed. The villians is a different story.

Graphics: Lots and lots of sand. The graphics are decent, at best.

Gameplay: The turn based battle system feels archaic due to how slow the animations are. The search system is tedious along with the high encounter rate.

Sound: They're very good tracks, but they're used way too often.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/10/09

Game Release: Wild Arms Alter Code: F (US, 11/15/05)