Wild ARMs XF

"Tenjou Tenga Ichigeki Hissatsu Hou!!"

Last time I played a Wild Arms title was way back in the 90s when the original came out. That game was a relatively straight-forward RPG whilst this is a strategy RPG. Like its predecessor though, this game features anime characters battling the forces of evil on a planet called Filgaia. Supposedly, the game has a strong old west feel to it, but the western overtones really feel like an afterthought here. None of the typical trappings that one would associate with the west ever got much playtime in this series. What happened to the cowboys, rodeos, horses, showdowns at high noon, and for the love of all things sacred, the brothels?! Notwithstanding the lack of western elements in a western game, I was pleasantly surprised to find a game that stands pretty well on its own merits.

Buoyed by hilarious scriptwriting, the game has a story that is a joy to work your way through. The dialogue is really something to behold. It's so cheesy it reads like something straight from a D-list anime comic book. Several times we watch as a character makes a grandiose entrance in an overly dramatic way of course signifying "don't mess with me or I'll kick yer arse!” It's cool in a campy sort of way. Even the dialogue is hilariously off beat and really cheeky. I'll give you a few examples, fair warning that spoilers *might* abound. One of the heroes is not so subtly ribbed for liking two women and gets told two is better than one even if it's unrequited. Later on the same character is assaulted with a barrage of none-to-subtle double-entendres. A lot of games have some sort of super mysterious ceremony that either must be stopped at all costs or completed at great risk - WAXF is no different. Their ceremony is just as mysterious and has a name that simply rolls off your tongue. They call it the "Rite of Divine Coalescence". The game even features an androgynous baddie who goes around searching for bodies. Seriously, you can't make this stuff up! But the brilliant thing is, it works! If any of you like anime, then certainly you could appreciate how campy and over the top some of those shows can get.

Graphically, the game is decent with levels looking like what you'd expect. Although I'd stop short of saying levels ooze with detail, they're nice enough so that you aren't bored. A tree, is well, a tree. It doesn't rustle in the wind nor can you identify individual branches and leaves, but hey, at least it looks like a tree! Music is better with tracks ranging from western-ish country to fully orchestrated numbers. WAXF's charming script is also ably voiced by a competent if not unremarkable stock cast. All your favorites are here: the heroine, her older wiser companion, the pipsqueak, the honorable knight, the short fat villainess, the tall skinny villain, etc. The quality of the voice acting range from the mundane "been-there-done-that" to pretty good with the bad guys getting the best voices.

The battle system is a total joy. All levels have at least one strategy that works and the best thing about it is - it's so easy to restart a battle if you mess up. There's even a system command on the battle menu that allows you to reload your last save. There's no penalty for getting wiped out neither. Yes sir, you are free to experiment to your heart's content and not have to deal with nonsense like losing half your gold or going back to town to restock. I love this game! On the offense, you've got choices. Of course, you have your regular physical attacks and magic spells. You can also supplement these basic attacks with skills that allow you to decelerate the enemy or exploit their elemental weaknesses. Special abilities are called "Originals" and each of the 16+ classes have their own unique abilities - oh, except for that dumb dog of a character you get early on, Tony. He's got a grand total of 0 skills! Grrr... Anyways, you also have the ability to take advantage of the game's unique hex based grid system by surrounding the enemy on 2 sides, 3 sides, or all six sides so that you can perform "formation arts" instead of a regular attack. Not satisfied? Then you can also have one character lock-on to an enemy so that the next character's regular attack will be an unavoidable "combination art". Have more characters lock-on prior to attacking for even more massive damage.

Level objectives are more varied than in any other strategy RPG I've played to date. Some require you to clean house as any game naturally, but the more creative missions require you to find an object undetected, drain an enemy's MP, or reduce them to critical status. There are even a few non-battle puzzle missions that are a welcome change of pace to the meatheadiness of "club 'em before they club you". Only other thing to add is that there are no random battles - score! Every battle is initiated by the gamer.

You are allowed to commission free agents to assist you in your romp through Filgaia. WAXF call these freelancers drifters. The nice thing about this game is that you can spend gold when hiring them to have them start at higher levels. Even if you don't do that, all party units gain experience after a battle regardless of whether or not they participate. This reflects the really user-friendly approach the game has towards character training. Aside from participating in battles, drifters are required to farm materials needed to construct stronger equipment. You may deploy them to a previously cleared stage to search for said materials. A search lasts a few days (or in game speak a few battles), but in yet another example of how user friendly this game is, you can also spend a nominal amount of gold to rush the process. Gosh darn it; these developers are such friendly chaps.

One thing that is missing is the ability to grind stats. I kinda miss building obscenely disgusting powerhouses for massive pwnage, but since the game never gets overbearing it would have been rather pointless to do this. Some might say that some levels slavishly require you to follow one strategy or use a specific class. While that is true, that's not really a drawback. Nobody ever called Zelda a bad game because you had to kill Ganon with a silver arrow. A better complaint about WAXF would be regarding the at times totally inept AI which almost always has the enemy waitout turns when you are not in range. This is quite laughable when it happens; especially when you pound on a boss while its minions standby and watch. One other beef I have is with the lack of animation. Stories unfold in stills with the occasional voice-over work. It's like reading a comic book with a soundtrack.

Yet, none of that detracts too much from the overall experience of playing WAXF. It's like nitpicking on a game that has it where it counts. A game with a story that has humor and heart backed by a good engine. A game that truly is gaming gold and one which I heartily give my recommendation to.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/09/09

Game Release: Wild ARMs XF (US, 03/11/08)