File Size: 1.51 GB
File Type: ISO
Wild ARMs XF (pronounced "Cross Fire") is the next member of the subtly-loved RPG franchise, bringing the series into a fully strategic RPG dynamic -- similar to the gameplay you might find in titles like Final Fantasy Tactics. This hex-based title brings a few enjoyable elements to the table but is ultimately riddled with gameplay issues and thematic problems that rob XF of higher praise.
XF follows the story of Clarissa Arwin and Felius Arwin as they attempt to reclaim Clarissa's mother's sword from a troublesome Drifter named Rupert. Their humble quest obviously expands into a much greater story involving an entire kingdom and political upset. Clarissa comes across a number of different characters during her journey and a text heavy plot plays out as the game progresses.
XF follows the story of Clarissa Arwin and Felius Arwin as they attempt to reclaim Clarissa's mother's sword from a troublesome Drifter named Rupert. Their humble quest obviously expands into a much greater story involving an entire kingdom and political upset. Clarissa comes across a number of different characters during her journey and a text heavy plot plays out as the game progresses.
The game is structured in a straight-forward manner and will be recognizable to fans of RPGs. Story sequences move the narrative forward and are punctuated by traveling and battles. You move across a 2D world map with small dots representing both towns and battlefields. While you can enter towns to talk with villagers, buy supplies and hire Drifters to work for you (though only through a list of options -- towns aren't rendered in any way, they're just static images), most of the action happens on the battlefield.
Everything in XF is dictated by precise hex movements and turn-based actions, just like Final Fantasy Tactics. After placing your party on the 3D map, each character has a turn to move and execute commands and the process repeats until particular objectives are fulfilled (or you lose). Battle is also heavily influenced by character classes, which range from magic users, close-range warriors and specialized classes with specific purposes, like dealing with the undead. Unfortunately, most of XF's problems come from the battle system, but we'll get to that in a moment.
Everything in XF is dictated by precise hex movements and turn-based actions, just like Final Fantasy Tactics. After placing your party on the 3D map, each character has a turn to move and execute commands and the process repeats until particular objectives are fulfilled (or you lose). Battle is also heavily influenced by character classes, which range from magic users, close-range warriors and specialized classes with specific purposes, like dealing with the undead. Unfortunately, most of XF's problems come from the battle system, but we'll get to that in a moment.
As I mentioned above, XF has a number of positive elements to consider. The first thing that comes to mind, surprisingly, is the sound. The Western-themed soundtrack is extremely enjoyable, though it may grow repetitious to some due to the small number of tracks versus the game's total play time, which is extensive. Regardless, the title's voice-over options are admirable, giving users the option of selecting either the original Japanese language track or the English dub. I opted for the Japanese track and was greatly satisfied with the quality of the voice work. The English track sounded... regrettable.
I was also rather impressed with the game's writing. While I can't necessarily speak on the quality of the translation, I will say that the dialogue was decidedly sharp and clever, which is definitely a plus for such a text-heavy title. Some of the characters have some genuinely great personality quirks, Labyrinthia being my personal favorite. But that's not to say the overall story is great -- I wasn't particularly enthralled by the narrative and it seemed pretty standard.
I was also rather impressed with the game's writing. While I can't necessarily speak on the quality of the translation, I will say that the dialogue was decidedly sharp and clever, which is definitely a plus for such a text-heavy title. Some of the characters have some genuinely great personality quirks, Labyrinthia being my personal favorite. But that's not to say the overall story is great -- I wasn't particularly enthralled by the narrative and it seemed pretty standard.
A startling number of the battles in XF are objective-based and require very specific, very unforgiving methods of approach. This issue is easily my greatest problem with the game as a whole, because battles became a matter of extreme trial-and-error. If you don't have the exact classes for the task at hand, you'll usually fail and that means a lot of wasted time. The immense joy of strategy RPGs for me comes from delving into each and every class and exploring how best to use them, outfitting your party with the right members to provide the maximum reward. But XF essentially demands that you approach things a certain way, making a typically creative gameplay type into a linear one.
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