Wild Arms Alter Code: F

Written by Chris Reiter  on February 03, 2005

First Impressions: If your arms ever spontaneously rotate in circles of their own will without any logical explanation, do as I do...SCREAM FOR HELP!

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RPGs used to flow out of developer's stations like wine, with new ideas popping out as sources of untapped conceptualizations were not yet realized. Those were the days. As one of the first mega role-playing hits on the PlayStation, it's odd how Sony's original Wild Arms game has gone ignored by the public due to the approaching Final Fantasy VII in the same year. But it can't be just that. Wild Arms hit stores in the spring of 1997, where Final Fantasy VII was launched in the fall. Maybe it wasn't bad timing. Maybe it was fate. Whatever the case, though, Wild Arms still has its selective group of fans who know the real brilliance this inspiring tale brought to gamers before the seventh Final Fantasy installment wowed larger crowds later on. For fans and the uninitiated alike, you're in luck. This spring, Agetec has rolling off its assembly line not just a next-generation remake of the 1997 RPG soon to be redubbed Wild Arms: Alter Code F, but a retelling of the story at that.
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War has come for the people of Filgaia. Demons are ravaging the lands. Innocent lives are being struck down. And you're just beginning your quest to save the day. Enter three strangers, each with their own agenda to find their ultimate paths that will bind their newfound friendship together. Rudy, a young man whose mysterious ARMs powers, leaves him seeking answers about himself. Jack, a man partnered with a rodent named Hanpan, are a team of treasure hunters in search of power. Cecilia, a princess and a studious magic wielder, sets out to prove herself. Together these three will meet and find their different goals will become the common spark that'll have their destinations unite.
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Fans of the original Wild Arms saga should remember that as a turn-based RPG, the title sported a 3D window for its combat setup when taken out of the context of its otherwise 2D overhead world. This was actually a unique technique at the time as one of the PlayStation's first "major RPGs." Battles developed, of course, pairing Rudy, Jack, and Cecilia all into one group, able to strike with standard and magical attacks, in addition to using FP. FP, or force points, are based as always on the gauge that stacks up for each individual character the more they assault opponents. With the usage of FP, players then could increase their stats or even summon a guardian to their will. All of these same combat tactics will still remain within Wild Arms: Alter Code F. But as this is a remake, some changes will apply. One of these alterations being that no longer will the game feature three playable characters. Now there'll be six.
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In addition to Rudy, Jack, and Cecilia, characters taken from the original's storyline who never tagged along in your party before, now will have the chance to. These three extra characters consist of Emma, a researcher and repairer of ARMs technology, who uses a gun-like weapon and can clone enemy abilities and use them as her own in battle. There's "Calamity Jane" Maxwell, a hot tempered and greedy female treasure hunter, with gun fighting capabilities. And then there's her butler, McDullen, who while faithful to his mistress tries to control her outbursts unsuccessfully. He'll be equipped with his sword in standoffs. Borrowed from Wild Arms 3 will pit the action of the game's battles into a Grandia-esque format, where you and the enemy will both run around in real-time while abiding by the turn-based basis. The Migrant system from the third Wild Arms will also be presented here, which will allow players to avoid random battles at will whenever the Migrant meter will allow for it. This means that whenever a white exclamation mark appears over the head of the character in a dungeon, as long as the Migrant meter hasn't been overused to a certain point, players will have the opportunity to continue evading enemy confrontations. A major element that's completely new to the Wild Arms series, however, will be the use of switching characters throughout the battle sequences. Very similar to Final Fantasy X, having the increased amount of characters from three to six will allow for players to switch characters in and out of a fight whilst the heat of battle is on. This aspect should definitely add a whole different kind of strategic flavor that wasn't available in the first Wild Arms.
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Building a remake not only means you're getting improved gameplay, but better graphics at that. Where the earlier Wild Arms was made of outdated 2D and 3D technology, Alter Code F will find itself as in a complete 3D state. What this means for the game of the past is that the characters from before will resemble their "true artwork" more closely. You'll actually be able to view the bandage on Rudy's face, for example. The characters won't appear superdeformed anymore; they'll instead feature a real quality. Levels will be reformatted to combine with this more authentic approach, such as a cavern that'll now give off a sense of depth throughout its rugged layers of architecture.