Wild Arms 4

"Decent game but not really an enjoyable journey"

Alright, after all the wait since Wild Arms 3 which i missed out, I really expect this instalment is going to be great.

** Storyline ** 6/10
Well, you start off as a teenage boy Jude Maverick who lives in an isolated place above the world of Filgaia. Everything seems well for him until his hometown got invaded by some soldiers who then destroy the whole place. Together with his new friends, they escape the town and the story kicks off as they try to restore peace to the war-torn Filgaia.

** Gameplay ** 7/10
Unlike previous wild arms instalment, there are no unique tools for each characters to solve the dungeon puzzles. Instead, tools are found in each dungeon and can only be used within that particular dungeon. However, you are able to jump and slide around the dungeon and a new feature, Accmode is introduced in this series.

Each dungeon will contain some hidden gella coins and bags. By using the Accmode in specific places, these coins and bags will be revealed. Accmode also helps you in various puzzles where you need to slow down the time to cross certain areas.

Wild Arms 4 introduced a new Hex-based battle system rather than the traditional turn-based pace. There are seven hexes on the battlefield occupy by either party or enemies. Each hex can hold up to a party of four. The position of your party and enemies start off randomly. Whatever attacks or spells cast on the hex will affect all members in the hex. This may look easy but each battle requires some strategy and luck to win especially during the early phase of the game. You will probably get annoyed in the early stage of the game as your character may be K'O as soon as the battle starts.

** Graphics ** 8/10
This game probably offers the best graphic compare to any of the previous instalment. The landscape and environment in certain towns and dungeons are definitely impressive.

** Music ** 8/10
The soundtrack definitely has the same old Wild Arms feel, which features the usual complement of whistling tunes. Some of the soundtracks for dungeons and towns seems fit and soothing and all sounds really nice.

** Length **
Wild Arms 4 is a pretty short game and can be completed within 30 hours excluding sidequests. However, if you are a hardcore gamer, the length will probably be stretched as the characters final equipment and badges require pretty good amount of time to obtain.

** Difficulty **
Average, some of the puzzles are rather straight-forward.

** Replay **
Well, unless you have load your Wild Arms ACF save files or start Ex New Game, there are a couple of things not accessible during our first playthrough. Example, the ultimate boss Ragu o Raglu and the Convert Badge.

** Overall ** 7.5/10
Apart from the poor story plot, this game would have been a pretty decent game had it not being a Wild Arms instalment. I find that this game rather disappointing as it does not offers much of the Wild Arms feel and hopefully, the next instalment improves.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/03/06