Wild Arms

Not to be confused with the Super NES shooting gallery gameWild Guns.

This article is about the video game series. For the first game in the series, seeWild Arms (video game).

Wild Arms
Genre(s)	Role-playing Tactical role-playing
Developer(s)	Media.Vision Contrail ForwardWorks
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment Ubisoft Agetec Xseed Games 505 Games
Platform(s)	PlayStation,PlayStation 2,PlayStation Portable,PlayStation Classic,PlayStation Vita,PlayStation 4
First release	Wild Arms December 20, 1996
Latest release	Wild Arms: Million Memories September 26, 2018

Wild Arms(ワイルドアームズ,Wairudo Āmuzu),also written asWild ARMs,is amedia franchisedeveloped byMedia.Visionand owned bySony Computer Entertainment.The franchise consists of severalrole-playingvideo gamesand related media. Since the launch of the originalWild Armstitle in 1996,the series has gone on to encompass several media, includingtoys,manga,mobile phone applications,and a 22-episodeanime.

The series has largely been overseen by producer Akifumi Kaneko. It saw regular releases throughout the late 1990s and 2000s. Following its last major entry,Wild Arms XF,in 2007, it became dormant save for acrossovermobile game,Wild Arms: Million Memories,released a decade later. Kaneko crowdfunded anopen worldspiritual successor,Armed Fantasia,in 2022, alongside Naruke and other series veterans. The title is currently in development.

Series development

Production

Wild Armswas the first role-playing video game project ofMedia.Vision,a company that had been known primarily for theirshooter gameseriesCrime CrackersandRapid Reload.Looking for a way to capitalize on the growing role-playing game market of the mid-1990s,Sonycommissioned Media.Vision to create a game that would combine elements of a traditional RPG with limited3Dgraphics to promote the hardware of their newly releasedPlayStationconsole.Supervised and designed primarily by Akifumi Kaneko and Takashi Fukushima, 1996'sWild Arms,while still retaining traditionaltwo-dimensionalcharacters and backgrounds, became one of the first role-playing titles released to showcase 3D battle sequences.

Drawing inspiration frommangasuch asYasuhiro Nightow'sTrigun,Kaneko and Fukushima crafted a video game world that resembles the contemporaryfantasyenvironment seen in similar titles.References to seminal role-playing game elements influenced by European fantasy such ascastles,magic,dragons,and monsters, were added to attract players to a familiar concept, as well as allow scenario writers from other projects.Other cultural and regional influences includeNorse mythology,animism,andJapanese mythology.

Music

Thebackground musicofWild Armsis reminiscent ofWestern films.The groundwork for the series' music was laid by composerMichiko Naruke,who had previously only written the scores toSuper Nintendo Entertainment Systemtitles.Recurring instrumentation includesacoustic guitars,mandolins,drums,woodwindandbrass instruments,andpianos,accompanied by clapping andwhistlingsamples. While classically influenced, the music of each game often diverges into other genres, includingfolk,rock,electronic,swing,andchoral.Naruke composed the soundtracks for the first threeWild Armstitles herself, yet she contributed to the soundtrack forWild Arms 4along withNobuyuki Shimizu,Ryuta Suzuki, and Masato Kouda, who emulated her now-established style.Music forWild Arms 5,the only video game title where Naruke did not contribute, was provided by Kouda along with series newcomerNoriyasu Agematsu.

Recurring themes

Rudy brandishing an ARM fromWild Arms Alter Code: F.

The usage of firearms factors heavily into theWild Armsmythos. Called "ARMs", these weapons are often associated with ancient technology and represent a more violent and warlike age; thus, a social stigma is often given to anyone possessing or using them.Though the exact nature varies from one game to the next, they are seen as highly destructive devices with an array of functions in battle. The practical usage of ARMs, either to protect or destroy life, is left to the user's discretion, and serves as a plot point within each game to establish a character's true motives.

Environmentalismis also a key factor in manyWild Armsgames, which often center around the restoration of the environment that has long since been tainted, either by warfare or natural phenomena. The governing forces of the planet are personified as "Guardians", spirit-likeanthropomorphiccreatures who act as thegodsof natural aspects such as water, fire, and wind, along with human traits such as love, hope, and courage. The primary heroes of each game often ally themselves with these Guardians to defeat technology-reliant or ecologically unconscious villains who would either subjugate or destroy the world to suit their respective goals.

Setting

EachWild Armsstory takes place on a planet called Filgaia, though each "Filgaia" appears to be an entirely separate world with a different arrangement ofcontinents,in similar tradition to the discontinuity between games of theFinal Fantasyseries.Filgaia is afantasyworld containing a variety of terrain, including deserts, red rock canyons, plains, forests, mountainous regions, grasslands, and Arctic tundras, though their predominance varies from one game to the next.Though human towns and cities are plentiful, the wilderness that encompasses most of the landscape is riddled with monsters and other beasts, as well as ruins or dungeons from earlier eras that house ancient treasures inaccessible to all but skilled adventurers. Filgaia is also home to a number of different races including theNative American-inspired Baskars, nature-dwelling Elws, andvampiricCrimson Nobles.

Elw

The Elw (pronounced el-loo) are a demi-human race who appear human, with the exception of their long ears. Because of their close relationship with nature, the Elw live exceptionally long lives. Due to the destruction of the environment, the Elw population is extremely low.

The Elw were the original inhabitants of Filgaia. When the neosapiens (humans) migrated to Filgaia after a war on their home world, the Elw kindly accepted them.

Around a thousand years before the events ofWild Arms,Filgaia was invaded by a race known as the Metal Demons. The Elw joined together with the other inhabitants of Filgaia, the humans and Guardians, in order to expel the invaders. Eventually, the Metal Demon leader "Mother" was defeated and the Metal Demons were pushed back to the northernmost part of Filgaia.

During the war, the Elw developed many weapons using their knowledge of magic, alchemy, and technology. Most of these weapons later became known as ARMs. The Elw also created the large humanoid machines called Golems. The Golems proved very useful during the first Demon War. However, the Golems were unreliable because they determined friend and foe based on whoever was operating them. This flaw was later exploited by the Metal Demons during the second Demon War and was the main reason the Elws created the Holmcross. The Elw created the Holmcross using living metal based on the Metal Demons'. The Holmcross went on a rampage, and all but one were destroyed by the Elw. The final weapon the Elw created was the Guardian Blade. When the Guardian Blade was activated, it sucked the vitality out of part of the planet and started the decay that would slowly turn Filgaia into a barren wasteland that would soon be impossible for the Elw, who were dependent on nature, to live on. This and the Elw distrust of humans led to the creation of the Elw Dimension and the Elw's evacuation of Filgaia. The last known Elw founded Baskar village.

Ragu O Ragula

A recurring optional boss enemy throughout the series is the legendary Ragu O Ragula, known as the "King of the Monsters". He is strongly hinted at being an alien lifeform, as he has "traveled the stars". In eachWild ARMsgame, he is the ultimate extra boss. In games in which the Abyss — a sometimes ridiculously long optional dungeon that appears in many of the games — is present, he will be at the end of that dungeon. The player is not often given many clues to find him, but he is always alluded to in a few bookshelves throughout the game. When defeated, Ragu usually bestows upon the player the iconic Sheriff Star accessory, which not only proves the player's valor, but also tends to make the remainder of the game quite easy when equipped due to its effects. This trend was broken inWild Arms 5,in which when defeated, Ragu drops a badge called "The Omega".

Games

Main series

As a Sony franchise, allWild Armsvideo games appear exclusively on PlayStation video game consoles. Each individual title is set in the world of Filgaia and contains several consistencies that have become series mainstays, including similar races, monsters, technologies, and plot points. Only two of the titles directly allude to any chronology, as each game bears a Filgaia unrecognizable from each prior title.

• Wild Armsestablished many of the recurring themes seen in later installments, including the desert world of Filgaia, and gun-like machinery called "ARMs". It introduced the "tool" system, in which special items such as bombs orgrappling hookscan be used out of combat to cross otherwise impassable terrain and destroy objects. Originally released in Japan for thePlayStationin 1996, the game was published in North America and thePAL regionover the next two years bySony Computer Entertainment.Wild Armsfeaturestwo-dimensionalcharacters and environments for normal gameplay, while battle sequences are instead rendered in full3D.The game follows the adventures of a band of "Dream Chasers", Rudy, Jack, and Cecilia, as they make their way across the desert-like world of Filgaia. Contacted by theAvatarsof the forces of nature that protect the world, the heroes are chosen to be humankind's champions in the face of a demon invasion.
• Wild Arms 2,the sequel to the firstWild Arms,was the second and final title for the original PlayStation. While keeping many of the themes from the previous title,Wild Arms 2introduced additionalscience fictionelements, including more abundant high technology and cybernetics, with additional fantasy andsteampunkthemes. A total of six characters can be recruited, with the player able to switch between any of them at any time. While characters remained in 2D, environments such as dungeons and towns were now rendered inisometric3D.Wild Arms 2involves a group of international peace-keepers known as "Operation ARMS" that are assigned by a wealthy benefactor to protect the world from the terrorist organization Odessa. The player assumes control of each member of ARMS as they make their way through the game, and eventually confront an ancient evil that once threatened to destroy all of Filgaia.
• Wild Arms 3is the firstWild Armsgame for thePlayStation 2console and the first title to be presented entirely using3Dcel-shadedgraphics. Though combat remains turn-based, a minor addition to the battle system, the "crossfire sequence", gives the appearance that characters and enemies are moving around the battlefield between rounds.The game takes place on a desert world almost totally devoid of large bodies of water, where roving bands of adventurers and outlaws roam the land in search of vast fortune, either through robberies ortreasure hunting.Four strangers united by circumstance, Virginia, Jet, Clive and Gallows are the main characters who must confront a group of mystics trying to revive the world, and a demon who would have it destroyed.
• Wild Arms Alter Code: Fwas released for the PlayStation 2 as anenhanced remakeof the originalWild Arms.It features an expanded script, additional story sequences, and a re-recorded soundtrack by Naruke. While all the previous locations from the initial version return, they are now presented in full 3D with new layouts and puzzles.New gameplay additions fromWild Arms 3include the Migrant System for avoiding battles, and the Crossfire Sequence added to combat.
• Wild Arms 4,also released for the PlayStation 2, takes a moreaction game-like approach to the series, including environments that only allow horizontal movement, and the ability to run, jump, and slide past obstacles. The tool system is absent for the first time, and combat sequences are handled dramatically different from previous games. Utilizing the "Hex System", battlefields are now made up of seven equally-sizedhexagonsthat characters may move between each combat round, allowing the player to attack enemies or aid allies stationed in adjacent hexes.The story follows the journey of Jude, a young boy from an isolated village who is the unwilling owner of a secretly-developed ARM weapon and now on the run from the government. He is joined by his companions Yulie, Arnaud, and Raquel as they embark on a quest to re-unite Jude with his mother, as well as defeat a number of superhuman government agents with a hidden plot involving the safety of the world.
• Wild Arms 5,the final title for the PlayStation 2, makes further use ofWild Arms 4'sHEX combat system with minor adjustments, including a combat party of no more than three characters. Released in Japan in December 2006, the game was released in North America by XSEED Games in August 2007.A PAL-region version was published by505 Gamesin limited quantities only available in France, Italy, Spain and the UK. The story concerns Dean Stark, a 16-year-old adventurer from a village specializing in collecting lost technology, and his friend Rebecca who discover a mysteriousamnesiacyoung woman named Avril outside town. The duo agrees to help Avril in her quest to recover her memory, while Dean commits himself to learning how to use ARMs so he may one day become a successful "Golem Hunter", a finder of ancient robotic giants.
• Wild Arms XFis the series' firsthandheldtitle, developed for thePlayStation Portable.Unlike the other titles, it is atactical role-playing game.The story centers around Clarissa Arwin, the leader of the Chevalet Blanc knights, who is swept up into a political war when she travels to the Kingdom of Elesius to retrieve her mother's sword.

Mobile

Wild Arms Mobileis a series ofFlash-basedmobile phone gamesdistributed byYahoo!Keitai, I-Mode, and EZWeb for theNTT DoCoMocellphonebrand in Japan. First developed in 2006, the download-to-play service includes twoWild Arms-themedminigames:aTetris-stylepuzzle game,andWild Arms Kōya no Nichō Kenjū,ashooting gamefeaturing characters and locations fromWild Arms 3.Additional downloadable features include backgrounds,calendarskins, music, and visual styles based on severalWild Armsgames. A routine news feed can also be accessed with information from Sony Computer Entertainment.

Wild Arms: Million Memorieswas released for smart phones in Japan on September 26, 2018.The game was developed byForwardWorksand features characters from variousWild Armsgames. The game was shut down February 27, 2020.

Spiritual successor

Armed Fantasia,acrowdfundedindiespiritual successorto the series, was announced in 2022 by Kaneko, who had not developed a game in the 15 years sinceWild Arms XF.Developed by Wild Bunch Productions, its music is planned to be composed byElements Gardenand long-time series composers such asMichiko Naruke.It was fully funded in a "doubleKickstarter"along with theShadow Hearts-inspired JRPGPenny Blood.Armed Fantasiais planned to include an open-world environment, but with a story-driven approach. The game includes the ability to chain attacks for both players and enemies.

The game takes place in a world afflicted bydesertificationand governed by the Order of the Sacred Key, which fights creatures known as Anomalies using powerful ARM weapons. The three main characters ofArmed Fantasiaare wandering Anomaly fighters dubbed Pathfinders, akin to Drifters inWild Arms.They include 17-year-old street-smart protagonist Ingram Goodweather, 19-year-old Order knight Alicia Farhead, and Elucid Sturges, a highly-intelligent 18-year-old mage.

Other media

Manga

Cover to theWild Arms Flower Thievesmangacollection.

First appearing in the JapaneseMagazine Zin 2001,Wild Arms Hana Nusubito,orWild ARMs: Flower Thieves,is a 187-pagemangacommissioned by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan published byKodansha.The manga features artwork by Wakako Ōba and contains plot elements from the first twoWild Armstitles, though it is set in its own unique world.Flower Thievestakes place thousands of years after a war betweenhumansand demons destroyed much of the life on the planet, turning the world into a scorched wasteland. Set in a dystopian future, the manga features a large group of humans on their last legs, living in the overcrowded city of Upper Hose whereflowersand otherfloraare rare and valuable. When a plant-eating monster known as a "Flower Thief" attacks a mysterious girl named Jechika, a young boy, Maxi, must use a forbidden ARM weapon to save her, and is subsequently expelled from the city for using illegal technology. Traveling into the wilderness with Jechika and afloristnamed Gi, Maxi sets off on a quest to restore the balance of nature throughout the world and make the earth habitable again.

Beginning withWild Arms 2in 1999, official adaptations of eachWild Armsgame were produced by such manga companies as DNA Media,Enix,Bros. Comics, GanGan Wing, and 4Kings for release exclusively in Japan. Each work follows the plot of each game it is based on, with minor interpretations to the original script and characters.

Anime

Main article:Wild Arms: Twilight Venom

Wild Arms: Twilight Venomis a 22-episodeanimeseries originally broadcast on Japan'sWOWOWnetwork from October 1999 to March 2000 produced byStudio Bee Train.Directed byItsuro KawasakiandKōichi Mashimo,the series follows the adventures of two treasure hunters—Loretta, an aspiring sorceress and Mirabelle, aCrimson Noble—who stumble upon the body of Sheyenne Rainstorm, a warrior from the past reborn as a 10-year-old boy. Able to use the archaic yet powerful ARM devices found with him, Sheyenne and the others team up with gung-ho scientist Dr. Aronnax to discover the secret of his past. The series features music byKow Otaniand Sho Wada, as well as themes from the first twoWild Armsgames.

Albums

Alone the World.

In addition to commercial soundtracks for each individual game and the anime,two sets ofarranged albumshave been released featuring music from multiple games in theWild Armsseries. The compilation albumAlone the World: Wild Arms Vocal Collection,released in July 2002, features all vocal tracks from the first threeWild Armstitles,as well as sung versions of previously instrumental songs provided byKaori Asoh.

In celebration of theWild Armsseries 10th anniversary, Media.Vision andKing Recordsproduced two separate albums under theWild Arms: Music the Bestlabel which feature music from the first fourWild Armsgames as well as theTwilight Venomanime. The first album,Feeling Wind,released August 2006, containspianointerpretations of various songs performed by Haruki Mino and Fumito Hirata and arranged by Yasuo Sako,and came packaged with a special edition songbook entitledPiece of Tearsfeaturing liner notes for each track as well as interviews with long-time series composer Michiko Naruke.The second album,Rocking Heart,released the following October, is arockandjazz-inspired remix album featuring arrangements by Nittoku Inoue, Nobuhiko Kashiwara, Nao Tokisawa, Atsushi Tomita, Transquillo, and Ryo Yonemitsu.

Reception

Aggregate review scores
As of July 30, 2013.

Game	GameRankings	Metacritic
Wild Arms	(PS1) 79%
Wild Arms 2	(PS1) 68%	-
Wild Arms Alter Code: F	(PS2) 73%	(PS2) 73
Wild Arms 3	(PS2) 78%	(PS2) 78
Wild Arms 4	(PS2) 73%	(PS2) 69
Wild Arms 5	(PS2) 73%	(PS2) 71
Wild Arms XF	(PSP) 69%	(PSP) 64
Wild Arms: Million Memories	-	-

Bryan Cebulski ofHardcore Gaming 101praised the originalWild Arms,stating that "where every sequel is thrown off balance by its flaws, the original is exactly what it wants to be: An uncomplicated mid-sized JRPG". He also said that the reoccurring Baskar tribe were some of the only playable equivalents to Native Americans in JRPGs outside ofShadow Hearts: From the New World.He called Michiko Naruke’s compositions "gorgeous" and said that despite their drawing upon Western film soundtracks, they fit very well into the RPG setting.

Cebulski stated his opinion thatWild Arms 2was the "black sheep" of the franchise, featuring an unusually mature and ambitious plot and themes that resembles the gameXenogearsand the later works ofYoko Taro,but a narrative which is "confused, at times even totally incomprehensible". He also criticized the story's lack of urgency and the villains' lack of clearly defined actions and motives, and concluded that the game "wants to be something postmodern and complex, subversive and dynamic in a way it just never shows itself being."

Cebulski said thatWild Arms 3,which lowered the amount ofmedieval fantasyandsteampunkinfluence, was superior to its predecessors, saying that it was the game he recommends to new players in order to get a feel for the series due to its better pace and more competent localization than the second game. He said the characters are "tremendously endearing" and called protagonist Virginia Maxwell surprisingly progressive due to her optimism and naivety. However, he said the combat is "tedious because they’re random battles" and found it annoying that most bosses cannot be defeated in a straightforward manner, though he acknowledged this keeps the game from becoming too easy.He called its successor a "jarring change" to a more heavily sci-fi "mecha anime"setting, but one that was needed and welcome due to its older mechanics having peaked and run out of new ways to explore.He calledWild Arms 5"a streamlined culmination of all the series has to offer... [which] pays homage to the core of what made the series remarkable as it introduces new and sometimes improved mechanics", particularly mentioning how the ability to place hexes in formations other than hexagonal enables numerous new combinations and strategies and how the overworld allows sufficient exploration without making the game lag, but said that the series as a whole was "petering out".

In 2012, Kimberley Wallace ofGame InformercalledWild Armsa "lost RPG franchise", saying the odds of a new game in the series were 25:1 due to sales potentially not meeting Sony's expectations.

External links

• Official website(in Japanese)