| Wild Arms 5 | |
| Developer: | Media.Vision |
| Series: | Wild Arms |
| Director: | Nobukazu SatÅ |
| Producer: | Akifumi Kaneko Eitaro Nagano Kentaro Motomura |
| Designer: | Koichi Shirasaka |
| Artist: | Takayuki Yabubayashi Tomomi Sasaki |
| Composer: | Masato Kouda Noriyasu Agematsu |
| Platforms: | PlayStation 2 |
| Genre: | Role-playing |
| Modes: | Single-player |
Wild Arms 5, released in Japan as, is the fifth video game in the Wild Arms series of Japanese role-playing games. The game celebrates the series' 10th anniversary by featuring cameo appearances of characters from the previous games. It was developed by Media.Vision for the Sony PlayStation 2 platform.
During combat, the field is split into seven hexagonal sections, some of which may have special properties. The player and enemies can move to different hexagons during their turn. This time around, the party count is three instead of four. Dean's party members and enemies can act instantly when they move onto the next hexagonal platform.
The Force meter returns from Wild Arms 4. This meter increases as Dean's party members make physical attacks or are attacked. This can be used for Original attacks, Team Combos or summoning Guardian beasts to attack enemies. The more powerful the attack is, the more the Force meter will be drained. The characters can summon guardian beasts to the field to attack enemies. They can also use combination attacks that utilize most or all of the party. A new feature in Wild Arms 5 is the ability to chain attacks together. This lets one of Dean's party members attack two to five times provided they have the Violator Badge equipped and enough bullets to make the attack.
Each playable character is equipped with an ARM, a specialized kind of gun that deals physical damage in a range that varies for each character, from one-hex away to any hex. The ARMs must be reloaded after a number of shots by having the character defend for one round. While each character has a specific ARM, there are cartridges that can be added to increase its firepower. The ARMs also have their own stats that can be boosted by using "dragon fossil" items acquired during play. Like in other Wild Arms games, ARM is an acronym, though its actual meaning is obscure. There are two versions given in the game.
By the time the player is able to control three characters at once early in the game, the tools known as mediums are introduced. In this version, they are portable computer devices with mystical qualities. Each character can only equip one medium at a time and there are six available mediums throughout the game. Each medium specializes in affecting specific parameters and granting the character unique Original and Force abilities.
Wild Arms 5 is a third-person video game. The world map is not scaled down, and towns and dungeons can be seen in their real size. The player traverses the world by walking, or employing various vehicles, including a train and monowheel. The field avatar cannot be changed; Dean is always the leader.
Dungeon exploration has two modes. In Action mode, the player can jump, slide, and interact with objects. In Shooting mode, Dean draws both of his ARMs and can fire them freely. By employing various cartridges, the player can interact with the environment in a number of ways. Some examples include activating distant switches, breaking down obstacles, and lighting torches.
Like every game in the Wild Arms series, Wild Arms 5 takes place on the world of Filgaia. Humans are currently being ruled over by the Veruni, an alien race that landed on Filgaia 100 years ago. Dean Stark, the protagonist of the story, lives in a secluded village away from all the turmoil. He dreams of one day leaving the village to pursue his dream of becoming a Golem Hunter, someone who excavates ancient robots, like his idol Nightburn. While in the mountains, Dean and his childhood friend Rebecca spot a Golem's arm fall from the sky and land in a cave just in front of them. Upon entering the cave, they find a girl curled up within the Golem's hand. The girl only remembers two things, her name (Avril), and the words Johnny Appleseed. After receiving the pair of ARMs (special guns) she was holding, Dean, along with Avril and Rebecca, decides to embark on an adventure to find out what the words "Johnny Appleseed" really mean.
Meanwhile, a revolt has begun within the Veruni government. A man named Volsung has overthrown the leader of the Radical faction, sworn enemies of the more peaceful Moderater faction, claiming that his violent actions are necessary for the survival of the Veruni.
All playable characters are equipped with ARM weapons:
The game makes use of CGI to create a 3D effect, including a slow camera pan drift. The player can zoom in and out from different angles during gameplay. There are also several computer generated cut scenes. The art style for the characters is a typical anime look, as opposed to a realistic or super deformed one. In addition, the game features a wide selection of alternate costumes for all the playable characters, including several originally used by characters from the previous Wild Arms games, that can be obtained during gameplay.
The game features voiceovers in several of its cutscenes and battles. The music for Wild Arms 5, the only video game title where the original series composer Michiko Naruke did not contribute, was provided by Masato Kouda along with series newcomer Noriyasu Agematsu. Unlike past Wild Arms, Nana Mizuki sung the opening "Justice to Believe" and ending "Crystal Letter" theme rather than Kaori Asoh.
In the United States, the first print run of Wild Arms 5 came in a commemorative "Series 10th Anniversary" box and included an art book featuring character art from all five Wild Arms games. This limited edition was later replaced by a standard edition with different cover art and no extras. The European version was released in two different versions: a limited edition, including an 80-page art book, and a standard edition, without the art book. Both featured the "Series 10th Anniversary" cover from the US release.
The game was released for the PlayStation Network in Japan on October 15, 2014.
Wild Arms 5 received above-average reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 34 out of 40.