In December 2016, we learned there was going to be a new Wild Arms game… for mobile devices.
It was announced as a reboot featuring a new story, with the original Wild Arms staff working on it despite it being developed by Wright Flyer Studios.
The trailer showed characters from across the series, which implied it could be a crossover game.
Now we finally have more details.
The Wild Arms mobile game is titled Wild Arms: Million Memories. Like we suspected, it features characters from throughout the series.
So, what about the original Wild Arms staff? Wild Arms: Million Memories is being overseen by Akifumi Kaneko, the designer for the original Wild Arms games. He is also credited as the scenario writer for Wild Arms 2 and 3, and the screenplay writer for Wild Arms 4.
That’s good news, at least. It doesn’t appear as though other staff members have been announced yet.
The official website includes a sample of the theme song, “Million Memories,” which sounds nice enough, although not particularly what I’d associate with Wild Arms.
I’m not sold on Wild Arms: Million Memories, but at least they’re trying something with the IP. Maybe this will be the first step before they make a full Wild Arms game again. Or maybe this will even be a decent game on its own, like our soon-to-be-lost Tales of the Rays.
What do you think about Wild Arms: Million Memories and the future of the Wild Arms series?
…except instead of the full console RPG fans have hoped for, it’s a mobile game.
According to the translation from Gematsu, it will be developed by Wright Flyer Studios, but the original Wild Arms staff is going to work on it. It features a new story and is a reboot of the series.
I’m not sure how you reboot a series of standalone games set in separate worlds, especially if it has an all-new story instead of retelling one of the originals… but let’s take a look at the trailer.
The trailer begins with the upcoming mobile reboot of Arc the Lad, which was announced at the same time. Wild Arms begins at 1:01 in the video.
Anyone who has played the first Wild Arms will recognize its intro at the start of the teaser. However, it also shows characters from other games in the series. Is the image of all these Wild Arms characters together just an homage to its history, or could this mobile game be some sort of crossover?
Mobile games are not necessarily bad. Full games have been created for mobile devices, such as the Chaos Rings series, from what I’ve heard.
However, many mobile RPGs fall far short of console and handheld titles. They might still have stories (even if those stories are spread across a large number of missions), but a lot have a stronger focus on collecting characters to fight enemies with simplistic gameplay.
(They also have a tendency to require Internet connections, although this frustration isn’t limited to mobile games.)
We have no idea what this Wild Arms game will be like. It could be a traditional RPG with an all-new storyline and cast of characters, just released for mobile devices. It doesn’t have to be a microtransaction-fueled gacha grindfest.
But for a fanbase that’s been waiting years for a new mainline entry, this isn’t the news we wanted to hear.
Still, at least it proves they haven’t forgotten about Wild Arms. Maybe this mobile game is just the first step toward a full revival of the Wild Arms series. What do you think?
The Wild Arms series stands out among other JRPGs because it has a Wild West setting, which is especially strong in Wild Arms 3.
You play as a group of Drifters, adventurers who dare to venture into the barren desert, as they fight to save the world from an unknown threat. Saving the world is a pretty basic game plot, but Wild Arms 3 is one of the most unique JRPGs I’ve played.
TV Tropes jokes that “Wild ARMs 3 gives one the impression that its creators were told to make a JRPG, but had never played a JRPG before.”
While the combat system is a traditional turn-based system, the participants run around in between their turns, which gives the illusion of action. Instead of an MP system, you build a Force gauge as you battle, which enables you to use spells and special attacks. You upgrade your weapons rather than buy them, and since it’s a desert and healing items are fruit, you can’t buy them… though you can eventually grow them.
Wild Arms 3 also has one of the best ways to handle random encounters I’ve seen. You have an encounter (ECN) gauge. When you’re about to enter a battle, you have the option to expend ECN points to skip it. Weak encounters can be skipped at no cost, although this is dependent on your Migrant Level. As you explore, you’ll find items that increase your Migrant Level, which makes it easier to skip random encounters.
It’s a cool system that removes the annoyance of random encounters without getting rid of them. Even Wild Arms 3’s world map is unique, as you must use a radar-like system to find new locations… and only if you’ve already learned about it.
The protagonists also subvert normal tropes.
The main character is Virginia. Female party members are often mages, but while Virginia is a good healer, she’s also well-suited for physical combat.
Meanwhile, the boisterous muscular man, Gallows? He’s your primary mage.
Although Jet looks like he should one-up everyone at physical combat with his machine gun, he’s a balanced character.
So, who’s the strongest physical attacker? It’s Clive, the nerdy book-lover.
Through their personalities and character development, these four heroes mess with standard tropes even more. Their character development is excellent, by the way.
The story is also fantastic, if convoluted. Wild Arms 3 has incredibly brilliant and subtle foreshadowing… possibly too subtle for its own good, as it may make foreshadowed twists feel as though they come out of nowhere.
Click for Wild Arms 3 spoiler
The greatest example is the main villain, who actually appears multiple times through the entire game and whose powers are continually hinted at.
It also has dynamic intros.
See the middle section where Virginia faces off against the bandit? That section changes to reflect your current progress in the game. It’s a little thing, but I love it!
What more can I say about this game’s awesomeness? Your airship is a dragon. You play through a prologue for each party member to see how they wind up in the same place. There are optional puzzles scattered across the world, and a 100-floor bonus dungeon. You can fight on horseback. It has this amazing villain theme!
Wild Arms 3 is a terrific JRPG with a great story, especially if you want an atypical setting and a lack of clichés. While it’s currently available only for the PS2, it was trademarked for the PS4… and I hope it reaches the PS4, because all JRPG fans should play this great game.
In December 2016, we learned there was going to be a new Wild Arms game… for mobile devices.
