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[jshackles]

I set out to play a well-liked PS1 RPG that I haven't played before, and I landed on Wild Arms. The game must have been pretty well liked because it looks like it got about 6 sequels, and surprisingly enough I have not played any of these games. It was also included in the PlayStation Classic so it had to have been at least somewhat liked.

I'm nearly done with all three character's prologue chapters. I'm assuming they meet up, at some point. First impressions below:

Things I like
Old school turn based battles
Sprite work is really well done, and blends 3D models in really well
Intro cinematic was cool and reminded me of the old Sega CD Working Design games
The "tools" system seems cool, everyone has their own gimmick
The magic system is kinda crafting based so that seems neat

Things I don't like
Omnidirectional movement but no analog input makes it a bit clunky
Menu items / icons are not explained in-game (they were probably in the manual lol) and took a bit of trial and error
Battles and battle animations are slow

But I'm having fun with this game which seems to hold up surprisingly well since it's 23 years old. Anyone got some non-spoilery hints or tips? Anyone played this recently? I'd love to hear GAF's thoughts on this one.

 

[Shifty1897]

I love this game! I first rented it at 12 years old and only got a few hours further than where you are now, OP. I picked it up digitally and beat it on Vita in 2014 or so. Don't be afraid to consult a guide if you get stuck though, there are times where the game is extremely vague about what to do or where to go and looking up a guide is way better than spending five hours visiting every town and talking to every NPC.

 

[Spukc]

i bought this game for psp to play it..
then i still didnt do it.

 

[GloveSlap]

Picked this one up when it first came out and definitely enjoy. That intro is still so hype, the music is so good.

 

[Manji Uzuki]

This game brings back lot of memories. It was one of the first JRPG I ever played.

The setting is quite nice and as far as I remember is long and challenging in some areas. I may be wrong though as I played it so long ago

Hope you enjoy it!

 

[p_xavier]

The PS2 remake is pretty good. One of the few PS2 games I still own.

 

[Aesius]

Wild Arms was a weird game for me. It was one of the last RPGs I played through with my brother, who at the time was in his early teens and growing out of video games/doing anything with me, his little brother. So I have bittersweet memories of it. I remember that we both liked it but it never really made a huge impression on us the same way that Dragon Warrior, Shining Force, FF6, Chrono Trigger, and a few others did. I also remember it being somewhat tedious with a really high encounter rate, which makes a lot of those old school JRPGs essentially unplayable for me now.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Fun game. Make sure you get necronomicon! Best accessory!

 

[jshackles]

Wild Arms was a weird game for me. It was one of the last RPGs I played through with my brother, who at the time was in his early teens and growing out of video games/doing anything with me, his little brother. So I have bittersweet memories of it. I remember that we both liked it but it never really made a huge impression on us the same way that Dragon Warrior, Shining Force, FF6, Chrono Trigger, and a few others did. I also remember it being somewhat tedious with a really high encounter rate, which makes a lot of those old school JRPGs essentially unplayable for me now.

So far at least, I feel like the encounter rate has been pretty good. Long enough to work out the dungeons and puzzles without constantly getting interrupted by battles.

But I did just finish playing Final Fantasy 1 so that might be skewing my perspective on this a bit, that game is brutal.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

Never did play the original, but I am a big fan of WA2. From those who know both I'm told they share many similarities, the sequel more or less being a refined variant of its predecessor. It wasn't until WA3 that fans of the franchise started to wither.

If you have the stomach for old PS1 RPGs, I cannot recommend enough Legend of Legaia. Still one of my favorite games of that era (albeit hella clunky for today's audience).

 

[jshackles]

If you have the stomach for old PS1 RPGs, I cannot recommend enough Legend of Legaia. Still one of my favorite games of that era (albeit hella clunky for today's audience).

I love Legend of Legaia!

There are a lot of PS1 era JRPGs that I've played to death though, so I wanted to try something new and see if the genre holds water without my nostalgia glasses on. It helps that Wild Arms has a pretty wide array of achievements available too!

Wild Arms (PlayStation)

There are 156 achievements worth 1,075 points. Wild Arms for PlayStation - explore and compete on this classic game at RetroAchievements.

retroachievements.org

 

[Aesius]

So far at least, I feel like the encounter rate has been pretty good. Long enough to work out the dungeons and puzzles without constantly getting interrupted by battles.

But I did just finish playing Final Fantasy 1 so that might be skewing my perspective on this a bit, that game is brutal.

I think at the time we played it we were already getting sick of random battles, so that might be why it sticks out in my mind.

 

[HarryKS]

So far at least, I feel like the encounter rate has been pretty good. Long enough to work out the dungeons and puzzles without constantly getting interrupted by battles.

But I did just finish playing Final Fantasy 1 so that might be skewing my perspective on this a bit, that game is brutal.

Wait until you get to Wild Arms 3. That's when it gets really, really WILD.

 

[AetherMage]

Great game. I was late getting to it myself, but enjoyed it as much as anything on PS3. Worth a playthrough just for the soundtrack.

 

[jshackles]

Wait until you get to Wild Arms 3. That's when it gets really, really WILD.

I have this on the PS4 so I guess I'll be playing it on the PS5. Dug up the receipt and I paid a couple of bucks for it back in 2016. I guess I thought I'd get to this point eventually.

 

[PhaseJump]

Wild Arms was great. Wild Arms 2 and 3 were awesome. 4 is pretty bad, but the battle system is unique. 5 brings it back with the new battle system and also feels closer to the original trilogy.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Only played 4 and beat it but couldn't beat this, game isn't engaging in the least, the opening is iconic but that's as far as I'm willing to praise it. I didn't hate it but not finishing it definitely means it wasn't good as I rarely drop games. I hear 2 and 3 are better so maybe one day.