Wild ARMs Cross Faiya

...or "Ex Eff."

I didn't know what to expect in WA:XF. Definitely not an SRPG until I saw the box. It was Wild ARMs, that was a good enough reason for me to get it first and figure it out later.

Story 4/5
It begins with Clarissa and Felius recently landing on this continent the game takes place on to chase after this guy who stole Clarissa's late mother's sword. On their way, Clarissa gets mistaken for someone else. From there due to certain circumstances, she ends up pretending to be that person for the time being, to save and calm the citizens. Her involvement leads her and the companions she joins up with to deal with the country itself to save it.

I loved how there was a plot twist that wasn't even verbally mentioned and it just allowed the player to put the pieces together. Though it was a bit silly how no one in the game bothered to put the pieces together nor [spoiler]questioned/wondered why Clarissa had those premonitions and was able to shoot this magical light[/spoiler].

I disliked how they, again, put Sci-Fi into this game (just like WA5). I guess it worked with the plot... but I do enjoy the old fashioned wild west idea more. They also reused the [spoiler]time travel element[/spoiler] from WA5 into this game too. Eh, overall it worked out so I'll just leave it at that.

Characters 3.5/5
There wasn't anyone that was particularly annoying. Perhaps my least favourites were Labyrinthia and Ragnar. I do wish they did reveal the plot twist... I am curious to know what would happen if they did. Though the characters are probably happy the way they are.

TONY was unexpected. Another hidden plot element that was not revealed but one could probably guess based on the previous Wild ARMs.

The bad guys were all pretty forgettable. Maybe except the last boss... but that's only because of her relationship with the rest of the characters.

Sound 4/5
An option for the Japanese voice track is always awesomely great. The music was similar to WA5 (same group of composers) so there quite a number of nice tracks ranging from the classic whistle n guitar to some sweet techno. I am sad for Naruke Michiko, but I think I've learned to move on.

Graphics 3.5/5
I love the pixel graphics! It feels so old school but the vibrancy in colours, transitions, and textures scream new school. Being an SRPG, there is very little animation except character actions on the battle field.

There were a lot of still pictures and the attempt to make it "animated" through the use of zooming here and there.

Gameplay 4/5
WA:XF is your SRPG with tile movement and class changes. Tiles are hexagons which, in a sense, makes you more vulnerable compared to the 4 corner square. With a maximum of 6 characters on field at the same time, you can surround enemies (although, enemies can do the same to you) in certain formations to do more damage.

There's a variety of class choices and you gain more as you continue with the story. You can learn the listed skills of each class by gaining skill points while using that class. After, mastering that skill, you can equip that skill while using any other class as long as you have enough skill slots to fit it.

Hiring drifters was a neat idea but I ended up not using them much on the field except for excavating items. As soon as you got the 6 main characters, hired drifters became completely useless. A variety of characters pertaining to the storyline would've been nice but the fact that you can customize them at will anyways, I guess it wouldn't matter too much.

To upgrade new equipment, one has to gather materials and synthesize them at a shop. Materials were usually scarce and synthesis for all your jobs (and perhaps multiple for more than one person) became costly. I was often behind with my synthesis due to the lack of funding and patience to farm for ingredients but you can manage without it.

The game was linear, with one hidden boss (only Ragu). I only wish there were some more extras and sidequests, and perhaps fun references to the rest of the series.

Now, the main issue people seem to have had with this game - difficulty. WA:XF is good at differentiating itself from other SPRGs with the need to use strategy and planning. Each scenario has its own list of goals to achieve before you pass the stage, so it was not so simple as to toss all your characters on the field and bash the crap out of everyone you see. Not to mention the final boss was a sneaky one. I was on it for at least 2 hours, I swear. It wasn't as bad as some of the other stages I went through, replaying stages up to 10+ times. That explains why my game's playtime says 90 hours(!!!!)...

Overall 4/5
Even through I wasted so many hours on this game replaying and replaying stages just to continue the story, it felt really rewarding at the end (that goes for anything you grind for a long time though? :b). The challenge was unexpected but it was fun and it kept the game interesting.

I don't mind Media Vision doing another WA SRPG actually... or, just any WA really. There hasn't been any news on the WA series after XF, so I guess we'll just have to keep a lookout for them.