Wild Arms (PSX) - Part 18

In my Final Fantasy VII video series, I had remarked that JRPGs on PSX were contrasted to Square Enix’s seminal 1997 release, often unfairly.

Wild Arms was Media.Vision's first role-playing adventure, released as a mostly 2D game to an audience weened on full-3D environments, it came out only a month prior to the aforementioned Final Fantasy VII. Yet, despite this, it struck a chord with many. Wild Arms would also go on to have five sequels and its inclusion on the recent PlayStation Classic mini console is testament to the sort of legacy it left on PlayStation hardware.

While no technical masterclass in the same way Chrono Cross or Threads of Fate might have been on Sony's hardware, the Western Frontier presented in Wild Arms is one that few JRPGs have tried their hand in. It is not that Media.Vision's entry tries to even subvert the tropes, it is full of Wild West motifs, including a Sergio Leone esque score. Though, unlike many others of it's ilk, Wild Arms does not limit the story by confining the experience to that of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. There are far more intricate ideas suggested, relating to ancient civilisations and a synthetic race of cosmological beings playing a big part in the game world. Besides that, the odd pairing of our three core protagonists in Rudy, Jack and Cecilia create a natural dynamic that keeps progression lively. There is alot to like about Wild Arms, even if it is showing its age in this bold new era of 4K visuals.

The video playthrough you are watching today represents my first time fully playing through the first story in the Wild Arms series, having only ever dabbled a bit into the PS2 sequels that followed it. Many of the series' familiar tropes are established in this initial outing, including the infamous platforming sequences in dungeons, of which I manage to screw up multiple times in this playthrough. I really like the puzzles of Wild Arms, where character specific tools and interactions encourage you, as the player, to experiment with the different parts of Filgaia (Wild Arm's setting). The turn-based combat can feel a tad slow and lacks much of the refinement that the series would later gain a reputation for, but being able to balance the use of Rudy's ARMs (the titular power weapons of the series), Jack's techniques, and Cecilia's magic can make or break any number of fights in this game. Also Goat Dolls are an absolute lifesaver (literally), it'll make a little more sense when I fight the optional bosses towards the end of the adventure.

One last thing I should mention: This will be the last video series of mine to feature the legendary Micomsoft XRGB-mini FRAMEMEISTER. Having now gotten my hands on various alternatives to the device, it has sadly seen less and less use in my setup. I decided to record this video series as something of a swansong for it and hope it finds more time in the sun with it's new owner. Here is to having many more years of retro gaming fun!

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A LEGAL NOTICE:
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Any copyrighted footage I use is covered under fair use laws, or more specifically those listed under Section 30(1) of the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1989 and under section 107 of US Copyright Act 1976. This video exists purely for the purpose of research and criticism. I do not make a profit from any uploaded content, nor do I intend to. Thank you for watching.