Before Final Fantasy VII skyrocketed the JRPG genre’s popularity in 1997, the PlayStation had just a small selection of JRPGs. At the time, most JRPGs still stuck to the design style set during the Super Nintendo Entertainment System era, featuring 2D sprites on a 2D overhead perspective world. 3D graphics were still crude and simplistic, but by the mid-90s were not so uncommon. Wild Arms was one of the earliest JRPGs on PlayStation, and it still abided by the conventions of the genre established on 16-bit consoles. Although it was fairly traditional, it resonated with players by standing out with its unique blend of Wild West and anime-inspired visuals and setting. It’s become one of Sony’s lost franchises, but has Wild Arms aged well over the years?
Filgaia is a dying world that mixes Wild West frontier aesthetics, dusty towns, saloons, gunslingers, and vast arid wastelands with fantasy and science-fiction elements. A thousand years earlier, a lost advanced race known as the Elw and protective nature spirits called Guardians defeated an invading force of Metal Demons from the ruined world of Hiades. The victory came at a terrible cost: the planet was scarred, much of its life force drained, the Elw largely vanished, and the Guardians weakened. Ancient technologies such as powerful gun-like weapons known as “Ancient Relic Machines”, or “ARMS”, and golems remain as forbidden relics of that era.
In the present, Dream Chasers (Wild Arms‘ version of adventurers and treasure hunters) roam the harsh landscape seeking fortune amid ruins and monsters while Filgaia slowly decays. It’s a bleak backdrop that mixes JRPG tropes with the flair and style of spaghetti westerns, and even though it feels hopeless, Wild Arms‘ anime intro never fails to inspire hope and a sweeping, adventurous optimism.
Wild Arms has an admittedly very small party of three characters when most JRPGs of the era featured six or more. Rudy Roughnight is a reserved 15-year-old orphan and Dream Chaser from a small, isolated village. Gifted with a rare talent for using ARMs, he’s forced to leave his home after revealing that he possesses a dangerous weapon. Jack Van Burace is a seasoned treasure-hunting swordsman seeking ultimate power to settle scores from a troubled past; he is accompanied by Hanpan, a talking wind mouse who serves as companion and one of the party’s many tools. Cecilia Lynne Adlehyde is the 17-year-old princess, trained as a crest sorceress at an abbey; she can communicate with Guardians via an artefact known as the Tear Drop and becomes a bridge between humanity and the spirits of the land.
Rudy’s quiet determination and his mysterious affinity for ARMs make him both a powerful asset and an outsider in a world that fears the technology of the past. Jack’s quest for power forces him to confront the trauma and failures that shaped him. This journey leads him to shift from self-interest to a genuine commitment to others. Cecilia transforms from a sheltered royal into a decisive intermediary between humanity and the Guardians, embracing the burdens of leadership and sacrifice. Together, this trio uncovers layers of Filgaia’s ancient history, including the war that occurred a thousand years ago between humans, the advanced Elw, and the original Metal Demon invasion. They reveal how the scars from that conflict still affect the present.
The story ultimately revolves around themes of restoration, destiny, and finding purpose. The trio must not only overcome the external threat posed by the Demons and prevent the full revival of Mother, but also grapple with their own identities and the costs associated with power in a world striving to heal. It’s a simple story with defined motivations, if a bit basic at times. Heroes and villains are written very broadly, making it easy to follow but lacking depth apart from some admittedly surprising late-game revelations.
The adventure is on the light side, and the Wild West angle kind of falls into the background as the story develops and becomes more like a traditional fantasy JRPG. It may not have the gravitas of Xenogears, but the tone and feeling still carry enough weight that still manages to hold up decades later, and a lot of that is owed to the impeccable music that carries the experience.
Michiko Naruke’s music is one of the most distinctive soundtracks of the PlayStation era. Wild Arms‘ soundtrack draws significant inspiration from classic spaghetti Western films, particularly the scores of Ennio Morricone. Her work captures the dusty atmosphere of Filgaia while also incorporating the emotional depth typical of traditional role-playing games. Recurring elements in her compositions include whistling melodies, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, mandolins, harmonica-like tones, trumpets, woodwinds, and subtle electronic instrumentation. While Wild Arms‘ overworld graphics are decent-looking 16-bit-style sprites and the 3D models in combat are merely passable, Naruke’s melodies are an absolute triumph and capture an almost wistful and nostalgic tone.
Unlike most JRPGs, players control and cycle through a fixed party of three characters: Rudy, Jack, and Cecilia. They navigate a 2D overworld map that features towns, deserts, forests, and ruins. Movement on the field is free, and random enemy encounters lead to transitions into fully 3D battle arenas. The game emphasises adventure in a Wild West-inspired landscape, where discovering hidden paths and treasures, like in any good 90s-era JRPG.
Combat in is turn-based and strategic. Characters act in order of speed while choosing between attacks, skills, items, or defence. Rudy specialises in powerful ARMs that are gun-like weapons consuming limited ammunition but delivering heavy damage. These can be upgraded for better range, power, and capacity. Jack relies on agile swordplay and Fast Draw techniques that charge over time to unleash devastating strikes. Cecilia uses crest-based magic, equipping elemental crests to cast offensive, healing, or support spells drawn from the Guardians, which are functionally summons.
Wild Arms is a bit on the easy side, so apart from a few bosses, don’t expect too much of a challenge. The FP system makes the game easier as players level up, since their starting FP amount increases with their level. This makes it so more powerful special attacks are available early on in battle, and fights are usually over before they can begin. All negative statuses are cured when the FP bar maxes out too, making most of them minor bumps in the road to victory. The visuals of the battles may not look like much, and the depth isn’t well thought out, but at the time, Final Fantasy VII didn’t exist yet, and the only other PlayStation JRPG contender was the first Suikoden.
What makes Wild Arms stand out is its Zelda-like exploration and distinctive tool system. Each character equips specialised tools that can be used outside of battle, such as bombs to destroy obstacles, radar to detect secrets, and rocket skates to cross gaps. These gadgets enable platforming-like puzzles and provide access to otherwise unreachable areas, giving dungeon crawling a more interactive and action-adventure feel compared to traditional menu-driven RPGs of the era. The puzzles themselves are surprisingly complex and deep, often integrated into the level design and dungeon layouts. Later in the game, there are even vehicles or mounts to expand travel options across Filgaia’s varied terrain, like the way proper JRPGs used to be.
