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Coming from Sony and Japanese developers Media Vision, Wild Arms 3 is the third installment in the popular series and features some cool upgrades. This is a cool and interesting RPG for the PS2 that mixes fantasy elements such as spells and monsters with an Old West motif with six-shooters for a truly unique game. It seems odd but it works well, with a unique cel-shaded look that sets it apart from the pack. Even though Wild Arms 3 is a bit conventional in mechanics and structure, it offers solid gameplay, engaging characters and an original storyline that will keep your interest level high. While many RPG fans have been disappointed by the focus on flashy cinematic sequences and overly dramatic plots, there are still a few games that show the genre doesn't need extraneous features to be entertaining. Wild Arms 3 takes place in a desolate planet named Fligaia that's barren and forbidding, though was once a beautiful planet. It's your mission to discover what happened to make the world die. While the landscape of Fligaia seems inhospitable, there are scattered human settlements where most people stay to protect themselves from the harsh environments. This world is fairly lawless and has been over-run by goblins and other monsters. However, there's a group of drifters who dare to go beyond the safety of their towns' walls and travel Fligaia looking for adventure. This is explained an extensive prelude where you meet the characters and learn about their background stories and motivations. It drags on for awhile because you have to play as each character before setting out. It seems slow because you play solo and learn about the past of main character Victoria and the three other bandits. This preamble is interesting and sets the stage for the intense adventure to come. Once the main quest begins, players will find numerous towns to explore and can communicate with the other NPC's on each level. The villages also contain lodges where you can rest up, plus shops where you can buy additional items.
Wild Arms 3 offers a decent menu system that shows small icons in the middle of the screen. This is a nice touch and makes navigation more intuitive and interesting than in other RPGs. The game allows you to change your options as well, and can use an auto-battle system to help speed things up, though this doesn't apply when you encounter a boss character. During the game you can switch to the status control screen that shows your attributes and inventory system. Controlling the characters is straightforward, and you can use a run button to move faster or a tip-toe movement to traverse tricky areas you might encounter. The control during battles is simple with a traditional choice menu before each round. However the battle move quickly, so don't take too much time because the battles occur in real-time. This interface is well-designed and the straightforward appearance doesn't get in the way of the action.
Wild Arms 3 starts off a bit slow, but once
you get beyond this, the pace picks up substantially. Like many RPGs, the
narrative is a too sentimental and manipulative but, at least there are
characters with some motivation. The improvements from the series earlier
installments are gradual which makes the game feel familiar with enough twists
to keep your interest level high. There are too many interruptions with
pointless random battles that quickly lose their impact, but this is an RPG
after all. It stays largely within the confines of traditional RPG design, and
offers a nice story and some challenging elements that makes it quite engrossing
and entertaining. What it lacks in flash, it more than makes up for in the
gameplay department. The unique Medium magic system works well in the context of
the game, adding more fun to what is an already solid RPG. Players accustomed to
flashier games will probably be disappointed by the traditional presentation but
fans of the old-school style games will love this challenging and entertaining
title.
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While
the plot is creative and innovative, Wild Arms 3 extends its approach to the
game itself. On the surface, the gameplay seems like most RPG titles with
health, force, magic, material, and experience points used to indicate your
level, but there's much more lurking underneath. The structure follows a
traditional RPG convention, and offers a mixture of action, exploration, puzzles
and battles. What's interesting is that unlike most turn-based games, WA3
features real-time play. This means that all of the characters can attack each
other simultaneously which makes things more intense, though can also mean added
confusion. This system is fairly simple early on with only a single character
facing a small number enemies, once the party is fully set up and multiple
enemies are onscreen, things get a lot more hectic. One annoying feature is that
most battles occur randomly which hurts the flow of the game, but you can avoid
some encounters by pressing a key repeatedly. What makes Wild Arms 3 stand out
further is that it features a unique battle system where you can attack with
either magic or use your sharp-shooting to battle. Using magic doesn't penalize
the player and in fact these can be used as many times as you want them to be.
Gamers will also find a variety of different magic types, some of which can be
used fro protection, while others can restore energy or freeze enemies. You'll
also find various other items scattered around the deserts including food,
restoration devices,
In
addition to the standard magic spells, player can summon Mediums. These Mediums
are the embodiments of the various elements and can be used to increase your
personal skills. More importantly, you can summon these during a battle to
perform special moves, and can restore levels and health points when you lose
strength. Each character in the game has unique powers but the Mediums can be
used to enhance pre-existing abilities. The personal skills can come in handy
during battles because it allows you to perform balanced attacks, strategically
using these against enemies. Additionally, each Medium has its own unique Arcana,
or spells, that they can use when you invoke them. Like the standard magic
system can be used for a variety of defensive and offensive purposes. Using the
mediums isn't as complicated as it sounds, and this system seems organic with
the other functions. You can use them an unlimited number of times and
compliments the standard magic spells. Between the guns and the mystical
elements, Wild Arms 3 implements an innovative system that gives it a unique
feel and personality.
Visually,
the game stands apart from the pack and uses a variation on cel-shading called
brush-shading. Most of the game takes place from a top down perspective, which
is effective, and you can also swing the cameras around to gain a better
viewpoint. While it's not as elaborate as some of the more cinematic games on
the market, there are some nice cut-scenes and dramatic camera angles used to
make the battles more exciting. This change in perspective is a welcome
departure from the perspective used throughout the game. The many cool design
elements give you more eye-candy than you'd expect. In addition to outlining the
edges of objects, each character is shaded with angled strokes, which gives the
game a more painterly appearance. The anime design is quite striking with this
effect and the character designs and animations are excellent throughout,
showing quite a bit of creativity, especially the monsters. Wild Arm's mixture
of Western conventions and fantasy is accomplished nicely, making a world that
seems to fit together perfectly. Taken with the unique theme, this gives Wild
Arms 3 a completely original look. Unfortunately, there are no voice-overs, with
most of the dialogue using windows. This wouldn't be a big deal except that the
music is annoying and gets on your nerves in a hurry. It's not a major issue,
and the game's overall look and feel shows a high degree of originality and
production polish.