You know, I think I’d never played the third game in a series after having played the previous games before. Playing the second after the first, yes. Quite frequently. But not the third, with the exception of Wild Arms 3 (Advanced Third). Perhaps this is a function of the fact that few games make it to a third installment. Once you get a third game, you can start to make claims at being a real, ongoing series. Perhaps it’s our obsession with the power of three. In any case, a third game is an exciting game for any fans of the series. Wild Arms 3 is no exception, so let’s get right down to it.
The game starts off with the now familiar split prologues for each of the main characters. Virginia is a strong girl of 18 who’s looking for his long-lost father, following in his footsteps as a drifter. Gallows is a lazy guy trying to avoid his duties as the latest in a long line of shamans. Clive is a sniping bounty hunter who has to deal with the loss of his mentor/father-in-law. Finally, Jet is a cold guy, who suffers from amnesia. They’re not 100% original, but they’re what you’ve got. You’ll end up pretty attached to them after a few battles.
Battles in Wild Arms 3 follow some of the basic conventions of the previous games. You enter commands at the beginning of each round, and act in order of speeds. Also, like in the second game, though battles are random, you can skip them at the press of a button. However, you can only do this a certain number of times before resting. Another thing that has changed is that you don’t have any equipment besides your gun. You upgrade your guns, adding to the max bullets or increasing the attack power. For other types of abilities, you have a different system. You put accessories on your mediums, which grants that medium a personal skill. You can then move the mediums from one ally to the next. This allows for a good amount of customization. Unfortunately, once you attach a skill, that’s it, unless you want to delete it entirely. So, if you accidentally attach a unique skill to a medium you find doesn’t synergize the way you’d like, you just have to deal with it.
The story is pretty traditional, going back to the basics of the first game. You gain the ability to wield the guardian’s powers in battle, and journey to halt or reverse the environmental decay that plagues the world. You discover that there’s an ancient conspiracy that involves great evils. The form is pretty standard, but the details are actually pretty surprising. The surprise is augmented by the game’s multiple openings, which change depending on how far into the game you’ve progressed.
Puzzles continue to be one of the high points of the series, and take much the same form as in previous games. Each character has tools, and those tools allow you to do various things, like freeze objects or travel rapidly in a straight line. Making its first appearance in the series are the puzzle boxes, side quests which have nothing to do with the main plot, but everything to do with making challenging puzzles. Essentially, you have to line up two or more of the same color blocks, which makes them disappear. Disappear all of the blocks, and you get a prize the first time. Since you can’t use your tools, the puzzles are pure mindbenders.
Replay value on this one is pretty tough. There are some extras you can unlock at the end of the game by completing certain tasks. There are also a fair number of ways you can set up your team. Really, I wouldn’t give this game more than “one well-explored play through,” but that’s no negative reflection on the game.
Overall score for this one is easier. It’s a solid game, with lots of good features, solid translation, and a lot of things to explore. No, it doesn’t do anything particularly excellent, except for the puzzles. It gets about 8.4. It’s still not quite as good as the first game, but through no fault of its own. It’s following the formula, and it follows it well, with minimal kinks. One thing is for certain, I’ve noticed that it’s frequently available in used game stores for cheap. I suspect this is because it was overproduced. Whatever the reason, it’s great value for the money.
Quick Tip: Finest Arts is the easiest way to deal a lot of damage. However, to activate it, you need to be out of bullets. Sooo. Give the Finest Arts to a character who doesn’t have a lot of bullets to get rid of. Like Clive.
How I Broke Game: Well, it’s not a particularly impressive set, but I’ve got two minor tales. One is that you can duplicate an item that you only have one of. Some enemies can steal items. If you kill them before they get away, you get the item back. However, if another enemy steals the same item, you get one more over what you had before. Totally useless. The other fun story is that I bypassed an entire puzzle by moving across block diagonally at just the right point.
If you liked this game, you should try one of the following games out. Wild Arms: Alter Code f is the game that is closes in system to this one, and also has a few names and characters you’ll recognize. Grandia II has a little bit of a similar system of skills, and it also takes itself moderately seriously. Dark Cloud 2 has about the closest you’ll get to a western feel in another JRPG, and happens to also have a cell-shaded style and puzzle elements.
No comments:
Post a Comment