The music of the game is so overlooked. It is one of my top 5 soundtracks of all time. The emotion generated in this OST immense. Just a joy to explore this game. I feel the subsequent games overly commited to the Western portion of the game and didn't retain enough of the magic and fantasy, but that's just me. Armed Fantasia does look great.
@@codygreyeyes1610 i was introduced to bof3 just after this and me and my best friend had the best time going through that game. Garr sticks out in my mind the most from that game.
I'm not even 10 minutes into the video and I'm tearing up. I _LOVE_ this game _SO_ much. I actually never got to play it until I was an adult, but my brother would let me watch him play it and it left a deep impression on my psyche. Despite having watched him play it so much, I actually didn't remember much about it other than the main characters' names because I have severe dissociative amnesia. I was bullied heavily from 3rd-8th grade and the coping mechanism my brain chose was dissociation. It makes it hard for me to form any sort of personal memory. Despite that, playing it for the first time myself was honestly magical. I didn't remember much about it because of my amnesia, so it was basically like playing it for the first time.
Beat it for the first time recently. I honestly loved the basic crusty 3d battle graphics, it resulted in some odd/grotesque monsters and i love the little colored triangles that pop out once you hit an enemy.
Thank you for covering this game - it's such a gem and should be remembered and personally very memorable since I played this as a kid back in the day.. The characters (Rudy, Jack, and Cecilia) meant so much and they gave us fantastic moments - here's mine personally: - Cecilia telling the Earth Golem that he can finally sleep in peace in the ending. - Jack's whole Elmina arc is so heartbreaking. - Rudys - with an artificial heart, the one who didn't belong in the world - having the 'heart' to summon Zephyr + being doubted by the Courage and Love guardians.
*happy sigh* Wild Arms 1... my second (but first quality) PS1 RPG. This was one of the first games I replayed on an RP2+. I couldn't believe how keen my nostalgia for this game was, and probably still is. The look of the world map, flow of characters when running (totally agree on how fun that is), the transcendent music... but, weirdly, everything for me takes a backseat to the sound of picking up an item. That sound effect was like a long, sweet hug. It's like if a sparkling star tweeted like a bird, coming quickly to rest in my palm. Something that really surprised me was how heavily Ennio Morricone's music inspired Naruke for this soundtrack. The world map theme is basically a bouncier, more driving version of Ecstasy of Gold. I didn't know that as a kid. Apparently Naruke was/is really into spaghetti westerns, and their soundscapes directly influenced her work in this game. It's very hard to choose a favorite song. But I imagine that the overworld theme, the game's intro theme, or Adlehyde's town theme are strong contenders. There's also a song called "A Sorrowful Separation" that always called to me as a kid. It's only a 15 or so second loop, but that song exemplifies the feeling, which I think this game introduced me to, of the determination to face one's fate, no matter the cost or challenge involved. On my replay, I was surprised as how little screen time this song receives, and the point in the narrative it accompanied didn't match up with my inflated impression of it. But I still carry it close to my heart.
thank you for making this. this is my all-time favorite jrpg, something i've replayed once a year since release. having played the rest of the series, i felt like 3 was the only one to come close to how good this was. the franchise had a really, really strong start. i look forward to armed fantasia
To answer something you asked early in the vid: "why is water black when there's a blue element?", that's because the four prime elements of earth, wind, water, and fire in Wild ARMs are based on Taoism. In Tao, there are the Sacred Beasts representing the elements, seasons, cardinal directions, among other things. Seiryu, the blue dragon of earth (actually wood, but nature is often included in earthen domains). Byakko, the white tiger of wind. Genbu, the black tortoise of water. Suzaku, the red bird of fire. Notice anything familiar? They match the four primal guardians in Wild ARMs (Gurdijeff- blue dragon, Fengalon- white tiger, Schturdark- black tortoise, and Moa Gault- red bird). Anyone got a rainbow and star I can borrow? I kinda wanna do that "the more you know" jingle and it just isn't the same without them... Ah well.
Oh Suikoden... I haven't seen that word in a while. I never played part two but I did play the original. GREAT music. Oh man, what a golden age of RPGs... We had it made.
Did you know: that the reason for the SNES look Wild Arms 1 because it was originally visioned to be an SNES title as stated by the Creator's interview with Erick Landon which is why it looked like an SNES game but I guess the "cutting edge" 3D battle was my guess to take advantage on the PS1 Hardware
I love love love Wild ARMs! Great casual game, great speedrun game, phenomenal music and 2D art. I had no clue about some of the connections between Wild ARMs and other games before, like Ziekfried and Nightmare. I'm very happy that you also included the JP version's credit song in the end of the video too, as I suspect many Western fans of the game hadn't heard it before. I would love to see retrospectives on the other WA games. Thank you for this retrospective. My favorite tracks, even though they're basically all fantastic: Into the Wilderness (intro theme) Wh-what? (Zed's Theme) Waterside Where Migratory Birds Gather (one of the town songs) To the End of the Wilderness (ending song that starts when Cecilia meets back up with Jack and Rudy) Some other secrets in the game: If you bomb the Save Bird in Surf village, all the chickens there move towards the player, in a seeming homage to Zelda. Relatedly, in Cecilia's bedroom in Adelhyde, there's a doll on her bookshelf that bears a striking resemblance to Link. There's a hidden Cecilia dance after battles. It happens rarely, but after a combat Cecilia has a small chance to do a different victory pose where she dances.
Wild Arms 1 is a top 5 RPG on the PS1. I wish ACF was JUST like this game, and only updated the graphics. It would have probably been one of the best RPGs of all time...alas. Anyways, great video!
oh man the nostalgia hit on this. Thanking you for going through this. I love Wild Arms and that anime opening and that whistling theme was my favorite.
A note about your comments on the combat: people like me and you who have played it or looked up a guide and know how to get magic crests early have an easy time. But think back to your first playthrough when you missed some chests or optionals and were struggling which spell to grab with cecilia; not to mention if your unfamiliar with the glyph system you might not have access to defense down for a long time or know that tactic is available. I remember choosing damage over status myself sometimes. And i think thats where the difficulty comes in, how well youve played the other ideas of the game. Wild arms gives you so many rewards like power apples for exploring that if you find them all then you become overpowered, but if you dont find any, it can be a struggle. That said i still dont think theres much to write home about in terms of depth, but really, that it can be difficult or interesting, or even different, all depending on how well you play the other parts of the game.
Lmao the married scene with "Don't be a menace to South Central while drinking your juice in the hood" is a freaking classic. "MESSAGE" great reference lmao. Sub earned. Keep up the great work.
This was SO great, thank you!! This is a game I’ve always wanted to play but never had a chance to, and watching this feels like the next best thing. Really appreciate all your hard work, it shows!!
@@chrisdiokno5600 no idea what that is but it just got added to my list The potential is there though. If an indie studio were to pick this concept up with modern design they'd make millions. So much untapped crossover between ronin and cowboys - they're effectively the same archetype so the game would resonate in both the east and west. Yet no one made anything else besides Dark Cloud and maybe Azure Dreams but even then that's stretching Idk if it's a shame or a blessing though bc look at the industry today destroying all the great IPs like FF7 Hard to say tbh
When i saw the length I expected it to cover most of the series.... honestly I was pretty pumped when I figured out it was only on the first one. Loved the video! I'll have to try to play the rest of the series one day. But the original always had a soft spot in my heart
Thank you for this wonderful retrospective! Wild ARMS holds a special place in my heart also with the wild west setting, the great music and characters, so I'm glad there's folks like you that makes a whole production of your passion for it! I hope you get 'carried' away more often.
Talk about bringing me back. This was actually the first PS1 RPG I ever got, and fell in love with it completely. I think it was the first RPG I 100%'d too. Loved everything about this game. Alter Code F was a nice attempt at remaking it, but sadly it just couldn't compare to the original.
Thank you for calling out that book puzzle in De La Metalica. Back in the 90s as a kid with no internet I had no way of figuring out that puzzle other than just brute forcing it. I spend so many hours in that dungeon just running back and forth, having no clue what I was supposed to do, just trying every possible combination until I accidentally picked the correct option. This took me over an entire week during that summer of playing every day. I still remember how long I was stuck there to this day.
I always loved the chanting in the Ka Dingel cutscenes... It adds so much weight to those scenes. Personally, I would love to see the other Wild Arms games. I finished WA2, and I got near the end of WA3 and then various things happened that caused me to need a gaming break (probably school stuff at the time) and by the time I got back to having time, other stuff had come out. You know how it is... but I always wanted to finish it because WA3 FINALLY gives the Earth Golem a proper name in Asgard (though technically I guess WA2 did with it being a summon for Mirabell?) but WA3 felt like a direct sequel to WA1. I never got 4 or 5 though. I'd love to know what happened in them.
Amazing video guys. Your love and enjoyment of the source material really shines through, as it does with your other videos. I appreciate the hard work and time that goes into make longer videos. Outstanding job. I did click off at the spoiler section; I will come back once I finish the game. Keep up the great work, I enjoy the content you guys produce.
Thanks a lot dude, really appreciate all the kind words and of course your continued support with the channel. Whenever you get around to finishing Wild Arms I hope you enjoy your time with it, in my opinion it has a very great and memorable ending.
Man I can't express with words how much i enjoyed your retrospective about the first game of the series 😍Your opinions about its gameplay , characters , villains , story etc is so on point !! You get two extra points for the way you summarised your whole journey and discerned its core themes (hope , love , courage & desire) and last but not least for the inclusion of your cat , which is the definition of cuteness overload 😻It goes without saying that we want more retrospectives from the Wild Arms franchise !!!
Ah thank you for all the kind words, really appreciate that and glad to hear you enjoyed the video! More Wild Arms content will definitely come out in the future, will likely cover some other games first though!
It bothered you that they brought up a ship, but not that Calamity Jane is one of the characters? She was a real person. Great video, though. I loved this game and had forgotten all about it until somewhat recently. I still need to try the sequels. Do Koudelka, please.
I have barely started the video, but I am so excited. The first game is one of my favourite games of all time and introduced me to one of my favourite composers! I appreciate the game more now although I loved it when I was younger.
It’s an absolute classic for sure and the music is timeless. Like you, I also appreciate it more now than I ever did before. Hope you enjoyed the video!
Your video single handedly made me play this game. I've never played it before, and still somewhat at the beginning , but i'm loving so far. Thanks for creating such great content.
The music for this absolute gem gets me so nostalgic. Played it after renting it out from the local video store. Seven year old me didn't really appreciate the story as much as I did in later years have but oh my god what an introduction to RPGs in general. You really did this game justice dude, great video.
Never played the game, but that reunion is so touching. You could see what was going to happen a mile away but it still made me smile. The music was perfect❤
This is, and always will be, my favorite RPG. It was the first true RPG I ever owned, first PS1 game I ever had, and I've spent countless hours playing it. It's an amazingly put together story and one of the few I've actually cared about the characters for any reason other than stats or "they look cool" vibes. There's so much to unpack in it. Definitely a game to replay when you want a classic RPG story without complicated bells and whistles most games add in nowadays 10/10
What a great in depth video! I love you guys perspective and the editing is amazing as always! Also it was awesome to meet you guys this past weekend! Peace!!
Thanks man, it was great to meet you too! Definitely did not expect to meet anyone who watches the channel so that was very cool. Maybe we’ll see you around at some cons again in the future! Be sure to come say what’s up if you see us
@@GamingBroductions For sure! I hope so man. If we happen to meet again I’ll have to buy you guys a coffee or something. Thanks for these awesome videos guys
i absolutely LOVEd this game -- huge huge part of my childhood. Great review! I'm surprised I didn't see a video on Alundra in your video list, since in my opinion it had a few similarities to Wild Arms that also grabbed my attention.
FANTASTIC retrospective. You touched upon the highlights that made this game so memorable back in the 90s. And I immediately want to rush and (re)purchase the OST, after hearing Michiko Naruke's memorable score. This time, I'll look for a version with the missing tracks. Thanks for making this video.
Huzzah! Thank you for making this video. I got lucky and stumbled onto this shortly after release, on sale, and this video brought up all the good memories. Wild ARMS is definitely one of those series that needs to get more love; amazing soundtrack, straightforward but involving story, gameplay that does a little more without being overly complicated.
I am going to be honest with you that's the first song I ever covered on the guitar. Hearing the bwewhng weng wong took me back. This was the first game I ever played and I didn't have a memory card for my ps1 and I would play up to the Zephyr summon and then have to turn the ps1 off, I did that seven to eight times before I got a card. I love this game, thanks for the retrospective on it. I remember learning the infinite overflow glitch and I used it once but I liked playing this game so I would normally play through it regularly.
Tony's family were pretty thankful as well and his dad blamed himself for what happened. Treasure Hunter and his snarky little animal companion going on adventures together? See (Jing: Kind of Bandits).
Your content is simply sublime. I love watching your videos after a stressful day, all my worries wash away and only nostalgia remains. I hope you know how much joy you bring to people's lives, never stop making videos
Now these are the type of comments we make content for. Thank you, that really means a lot and makes us happy to hear how much you enjoy the videos. We have many more in the works so we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon
The GOAT PSX game in my opinion. It wasn't the first RPG I ever played, but it's the one that's had the longest lasting impact on me. You definitely did it justice! Please cover WA2 next! Your content is awesome.
46:24 I'll always remember playing this with my best friend. We got so frustrated at not knowing how to progress that I left, took the bus to the mall, looked it up in a strategy guide, took the bus back home, and he was still wandering around the level, not knowing what to do.
Thank you for this Retrospective. Wild ARMs is my first RPG ever, and your video sums it very well and brings me back to happiest, most peaceful times of my life. ❤❤✨✨🙏🙏 Good thoughts for you!
Underrated series. If I remember, there were also wild west scenario lands in other older home computer games but this seems to be the first complete wild west one.
Supradarky is a VMG person and (back when his list was much smaller) I decided to play every game on it. Picked up WildARMS from the PSN store and... well, I was in college, there was a move, but I did always like the vibes of it, and the opening video was a way for me to bond with my youngest brother. (His earliest sentences and first real understanding of plot twists were "Rudy is Robot!" (which he told to a dinner table full of family members who did not get the significance) and "Hanpan is mouse!" Every time Hanpan showed up in the opening movie) When I did finally replay it, it really hit me how SOLID of a JRPG it was, and how unique the western world was. I'd love a small remaster (i.e. better translation, clean up the battles, etc) but it really is pretty fantastic the way it is.
Great video! Wild Arms is probably one of my all time favorite games, for the last 20 or so years I'll return to play it often. So great to see other people have such fond memories of this game also.
The track in the secret Jack origin screen is so fucking amazing. It still gives me goosebumps. I'm glad they did it secret. Sometimes doing things too direct lacks creativity. Also the best JRPG ending by far. Maybe Chrono Trigger is close.
Great retrospective! In the past few years I’ve completed 1-3 and honestly love this series so much. The 1st game was one of the first RPGs I played and I was hooked just from seeing the cover. Forever hoping Alter Code F is released on PS plus some day.
Ayeeee glad to see my tune made it into the vid! Excited to watch this after I finish watching some UFC fights. Just started Wild Arms 3 myself so maybe I'll get to cover it soon too!
@@PS1Fan1991 you know, I have never played a WA game... But I looked up the music when they asked me to make an instrumental for the video. It was hard to pick a song to sample! Excited to play some WA for my channel at some point. I just picked up WA3 on a PSN sale so maybe not far off.
@@thegamersician I am happy to see that more people get to listen to the work of Michiko Naruke! She is an amazing composer and I am glad to see that she is working on Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes and Armed Fantasia: Into the Wilderness.
When I first played it in '97, I was not able to fully complete the game for a couple of years. In 1998, I was able to 100% complete the game and I was in tears once the credits rolled. I was so invested in the story that I felt for these characters, especially the Golem.
This was really cool and made me go back and play through Wild Arms myself before coming back to the video and go through the spoilers section. The story and setting legit went to places I didn’t expect and I really enjoyed the game
thank you watching this made me smile again remembering playing Wild Arms as a teen, the first and second one are special! ah the opening sequence is killer still ❤
This video is already out for 19 hours and the complete retrospective of Wild Arms 2 is not yet available!? Come on! Excellent video, did not knew anything about the story of this game and i am glad i finally have some hindsight.
🎉 Flowers. This is my favorite of yours so far and I'm a long time subscriber. My biased love for the games is part of it but your commitment to making quality content is evident. This video hit me in the nostalgia feels. Ive been looking for Wild Arms videos and even though theres a few this is by far the best. Fantastic work. Thanks.
Thank you, that really means a lot. As a big longtime fan of the game and series in general I really wanted to do this one justice so a lot of time and love went into it, it’s always great to hear when that’s noticed. Appreciate you being a long time sub of the channel and continuing to tune in!
For a game that's always been treated like a baseline standard RPG, this game really moved me. I think the story has just the right amount of grandness, interesting setpieces/side stories, and feeling of community with all the characters (both main and minor) that really makes it feel unique. Love the found family ending. I think this Wild Arms is a masterclass in setting and story telling. I'd even say relationship writing too despite the characters and script not being too fancy - It's still so good. All stories should really meet this standard. What a fulfilling adventure.
@@mattpace1026Never thought about it like that. But narratively, Rudy isn't the protagonist, Cecilia and Jack are, so the protagonist is only useless if you're mechanically holding to some ideal of what a protagonist is. But while I agree that Rudy doesn't steal the show, he does have a purpose in the narrative in supporting and acting as a foil or mirror for other characters, like Cecilia or Jane.
@@bummedmachinist7483 Mechanically holding onto the idea of what a protagonist is...I think you mean understanding what a protagonist is, a concept you clearly want to ignore. I don't have a problem with Rudy being a foil. I have a problem with the writers thinking putting a foil character front and center was a good idea.
@@mattpace1026 The definition of protagonist I use is "a leading or principle figure." I don't think Wild Arms is a game with one protagonist, especially since the first character of the trio you play is entirely up to personal whim. Let's backpedal a second, I'm not your enemy or looking to win an argument. It felt like you came at me with blood in your eyes and it put me on the defensive, are you trying to make me look stupid or feel bad or are you trying to educate me and help me understand a flawed idea I have about writing? I'm interested in the latter I do want to become a better writer and critic of art. I just thought your statement was coming from a rigid definition or ideal of what a protagonist is in a story; aren't there three protagonists in wild arms, not just one? Depending on the story the role of protagonist can shift, right? All I'm saying is that narratively the role is filled by other characters in this case, so we're not left without an interesting lead character. Also, I'm not an apologist, so don't feel you have to smack a rabid Wild Arms fanatic back to reality, I just liked these aspects of the narrative direction. There are other RPGs I like that do what you're saying and don't have a proper developed lead character, I'd agree with you that it's a bad thing. We're totally united that Rudy probably shouldn't be at the center of the game's cover for his narrative role, he's probably there entirely because he's a rather blank character and a self insert for the player, which is a rather shallow reason, i'd say.
This game has a very special place in my heart. It was THE game to get me into JRPGs. Back in the day, I was so hyped for FF7 that I wanted to get into the genre and gave this game a try. So glad I did as it turned out to be one of my all time faves! Great game, and great video, Gamer Bros!!! Thank you 🔥🔥🔥
The most epic win I had in a JRPG was Secret of the Stars on the SNES. The fight was against Gara. I was out of healing. Down to my last character, who had 3 hit points left and only enough magic for one more attack. I had already thought I was going to have to restart the fight. My final attack was, of course, the kill shot and I nearly had a heart attack.
Definitely hope to see more Wild Arms from you! I’ve only played through this game once, the year it came out and I still remember just about everything from it. I guess it left an impression on me, lol. I may have to take out to old PlayStation and relive those old memories again.
Ahh 1000% agree. I was 12 when this game came out and it still holds a spot in my all-time fave games. Definitely has some of the best music. So much nostalgia watching this. I actually had to keep coming back to it to beat it because I kept getting stuck at one point. Gaming before online walkthroughs existed was definitely more difficult lol.
agreed about suikoden's lack of exploration and def needs more focus on the villians. Thankfully Suikoden 1 also has a god tier soundtrack equal to Wild ARms
One thing I always wanted ever since playing this game as a child, was a Wild Arms Artbook. I know there has to be one out there, but haven't found it... yet, that is.
Never had chance to say before, your work in general is amazing. So many times I’ve enjoyed your videos & perspective/insight. You also have a voice that often reminds me of Johnny Young Bosch. All in all keep up the good work, you really deserve move viewership/subscribes.
I only recently found out this was a video game series. Up until this point in my life, for about 15-18 years, I only knew about Wild Arms TV. I love that anime a lot.
The original Wild Arms has a very memorable intro musical sequence.
One of the best in the genre for sure
@@GamingBroductions I never knew the intro was done by Madhouse until I watched this video. Amazing!
I remember Wild Arms, and Soul Blade being two of the "must see" game intros of the time.
@@Naedlus Chrono Cross is up there too
I still play the game to this day. Also the into music is in on of my playlists in my car.
The music of the game is so overlooked. It is one of my top 5 soundtracks of all time. The emotion generated in this OST immense. Just a joy to explore this game. I feel the subsequent games overly commited to the Western portion of the game and didn't retain enough of the magic and fantasy, but that's just me. Armed Fantasia does look great.
I listen to certain tracks from this game to this day.
overlooked haha its the one of the most known intro music of all jrpgs
Feels like an eternity since I've watched one of these gems
More Wild Arms videos would be awesome. This series is fantastic and definitely deserves at least 2 more videos
Definitely would like to cover the next 2 at some point, the first 3 are some of my all time favorites though I was never as big into 4/5
I played this game last year and from then on became one of my favorites of all time.. This opening is iconic
This is the game that got me into jrpg's right here! 😊
That’s awesome, it’s definitely a great intro RPG!
Also, R.I.P my brother Eric Greenler who played through and enjoyed this with me. Great, great times!
It was Breath of Fire for me. Love that game
@@codygreyeyes1610 i was introduced to bof3 just after this and me and my best friend had the best time going through that game. Garr sticks out in my mind the most from that game.
Totally agree this game, mario and the 7 stars and chrono triggers was my first ever rpg experience.
I love how the game actually has two intros, the anime FMV and the Fall of Arctica prologue.
I just beat the game for the first time and didn't know about the prologue until after I rolled credits lol
No retrospective has made me want to play a game more than this one has. Truly exceptionally well done🎉
It is a good one. Wild ARMs was very memorable.
I'm not even 10 minutes into the video and I'm tearing up. I _LOVE_ this game _SO_ much. I actually never got to play it until I was an adult, but my brother would let me watch him play it and it left a deep impression on my psyche. Despite having watched him play it so much, I actually didn't remember much about it other than the main characters' names because I have severe dissociative amnesia. I was bullied heavily from 3rd-8th grade and the coping mechanism my brain chose was dissociation. It makes it hard for me to form any sort of personal memory.
Despite that, playing it for the first time myself was honestly magical. I didn't remember much about it because of my amnesia, so it was basically like playing it for the first time.
The cutscene you get when loitering on the title screen is also really really great. The score for that scene is also fantastic.
Beat it for the first time recently. I honestly loved the basic crusty 3d battle graphics, it resulted in some odd/grotesque monsters and i love the little colored triangles that pop out once you hit an enemy.
This game and Lunar SSSC were my childhood. The red balloon at the festival and Celia with the golem at the end always make me cry
Thank you for covering this game - it's such a gem and should be remembered and personally very memorable since I played this as a kid back in the day..
The characters (Rudy, Jack, and Cecilia) meant so much and they gave us fantastic moments - here's mine personally:
- Cecilia telling the Earth Golem that he can finally sleep in peace in the ending.
- Jack's whole Elmina arc is so heartbreaking.
- Rudys - with an artificial heart, the one who didn't belong in the world - having the 'heart' to summon Zephyr + being doubted by the Courage and Love guardians.
*happy sigh* Wild Arms 1... my second (but first quality) PS1 RPG. This was one of the first games I replayed on an RP2+. I couldn't believe how keen my nostalgia for this game was, and probably still is. The look of the world map, flow of characters when running (totally agree on how fun that is), the transcendent music... but, weirdly, everything for me takes a backseat to the sound of picking up an item. That sound effect was like a long, sweet hug. It's like if a sparkling star tweeted like a bird, coming quickly to rest in my palm.
Something that really surprised me was how heavily Ennio Morricone's music inspired Naruke for this soundtrack. The world map theme is basically a bouncier, more driving version of Ecstasy of Gold. I didn't know that as a kid. Apparently Naruke was/is really into spaghetti westerns, and their soundscapes directly influenced her work in this game.
It's very hard to choose a favorite song. But I imagine that the overworld theme, the game's intro theme, or Adlehyde's town theme are strong contenders. There's also a song called "A Sorrowful Separation" that always called to me as a kid. It's only a 15 or so second loop, but that song exemplifies the feeling, which I think this game introduced me to, of the determination to face one's fate, no matter the cost or challenge involved. On my replay, I was surprised as how little screen time this song receives, and the point in the narrative it accompanied didn't match up with my inflated impression of it. But I still carry it close to my heart.
thank you for making this. this is my all-time favorite jrpg, something i've replayed once a year since release. having played the rest of the series, i felt like 3 was the only one to come close to how good this was. the franchise had a really, really strong start. i look forward to armed fantasia
To answer something you asked early in the vid: "why is water black when there's a blue element?", that's because the four prime elements of earth, wind, water, and fire in Wild ARMs are based on Taoism. In Tao, there are the Sacred Beasts representing the elements, seasons, cardinal directions, among other things. Seiryu, the blue dragon of earth (actually wood, but nature is often included in earthen domains). Byakko, the white tiger of wind. Genbu, the black tortoise of water. Suzaku, the red bird of fire. Notice anything familiar? They match the four primal guardians in Wild ARMs (Gurdijeff- blue dragon, Fengalon- white tiger, Schturdark- black tortoise, and Moa Gault- red bird).
Anyone got a rainbow and star I can borrow? I kinda wanna do that "the more you know" jingle and it just isn't the same without them... Ah well.
Thank you so much!
I believe The Book of Khema is referring to the Necronomicon that you can only get from De La Metalica
Ah, that is a good assumption. I wonder if that was just a mistranslation error then
This game is 50% of my childhood, the other 50 is Suikoden 2. Such great memories... Thank you for this video!
Oh Suikoden... I haven't seen that word in a while. I never played part two but I did play the original. GREAT music. Oh man, what a golden age of RPGs... We had it made.
Did you know: that the reason for the SNES look Wild Arms 1 because it was originally visioned to be an SNES title as stated by the Creator's interview with Erick Landon which is why it looked like an SNES game but I guess the "cutting edge" 3D battle was my guess to take advantage on the PS1 Hardware
Your channel has become one of my favorite JRPG channel. Brings back my childhood. Keep up the awesome work.
The Book is referring to The Necronomicon - Cecilia’s Ultimate Tome.
That part with Zed always tugged at my heart strings and I’m so happy you included it in the video. Such a great game from my childhood!
I love love love Wild ARMs! Great casual game, great speedrun game, phenomenal music and 2D art. I had no clue about some of the connections between Wild ARMs and other games before, like Ziekfried and Nightmare. I'm very happy that you also included the JP version's credit song in the end of the video too, as I suspect many Western fans of the game hadn't heard it before. I would love to see retrospectives on the other WA games. Thank you for this retrospective.
My favorite tracks, even though they're basically all fantastic:
Into the Wilderness (intro theme)
Wh-what? (Zed's Theme)
Waterside Where Migratory Birds Gather (one of the town songs)
To the End of the Wilderness (ending song that starts when Cecilia meets back up with Jack and Rudy)
Some other secrets in the game:
If you bomb the Save Bird in Surf village, all the chickens there move towards the player, in a seeming homage to Zelda.
Relatedly, in Cecilia's bedroom in Adelhyde, there's a doll on her bookshelf that bears a striking resemblance to Link.
There's a hidden Cecilia dance after battles. It happens rarely, but after a combat Cecilia has a small chance to do a different victory pose where she dances.
My favourite game since its release, thanks for covering.
It’s a classic for sure. Thanks for watching
Well you know, I guess its time to finish WIld Arms 1. Wonderful video, always been a fan of this series. The OST and opening videos are incredible.
Wild Arms 1 is a top 5 RPG on the PS1. I wish ACF was JUST like this game, and only updated the graphics. It would have probably been one of the best RPGs of all time...alas. Anyways, great video!
oh man the nostalgia hit on this. Thanking you for going through this. I love Wild Arms and that anime opening and that whistling theme was my favorite.
No problem, thanks for watching! The opening is legendary for sure
A note about your comments on the combat: people like me and you who have played it or looked up a guide and know how to get magic crests early have an easy time. But think back to your first playthrough when you missed some chests or optionals and were struggling which spell to grab with cecilia; not to mention if your unfamiliar with the glyph system you might not have access to defense down for a long time or know that tactic is available. I remember choosing damage over status myself sometimes. And i think thats where the difficulty comes in, how well youve played the other ideas of the game. Wild arms gives you so many rewards like power apples for exploring that if you find them all then you become overpowered, but if you dont find any, it can be a struggle. That said i still dont think theres much to write home about in terms of depth, but really, that it can be difficult or interesting, or even different, all depending on how well you play the other parts of the game.
It's hard to hit me in the feels, but man, this video gave me 9999 points damage in the best way. Keep chasing your dreams, bros!
Lmao the married scene with "Don't be a menace to South Central while drinking your juice in the hood" is a freaking classic. "MESSAGE" great reference lmao. Sub earned. Keep up the great work.
The very first game I ever bought for Playstation. I will always love this game, especially the brilliant intro music.
This was SO great, thank you!! This is a game I’ve always wanted to play but never had a chance to, and watching this feels like the next best thing. Really appreciate all your hard work, it shows!!
Wild Arms is so unique for being wild west themed
It's a basically untapped market
I know right? Only other one I can think of is the Wild West level in Live A Live@@SaintJames14
@@chrisdiokno5600 no idea what that is but it just got added to my list
The potential is there though. If an indie studio were to pick this concept up with modern design they'd make millions. So much untapped crossover between ronin and cowboys - they're effectively the same archetype so the game would resonate in both the east and west.
Yet no one made anything else besides Dark Cloud and maybe Azure Dreams but even then that's stretching
Idk if it's a shame or a blessing though bc look at the industry today destroying all the great IPs like FF7
Hard to say tbh
When i saw the length I expected it to cover most of the series.... honestly I was pretty pumped when I figured out it was only on the first one. Loved the video!
I'll have to try to play the rest of the series one day. But the original always had a soft spot in my heart
Thank you for this wonderful retrospective! Wild ARMS holds a special place in my heart also with the wild west setting, the great music and characters, so I'm glad there's folks like you that makes a whole production of your passion for it! I hope you get 'carried' away more often.
Talk about bringing me back. This was actually the first PS1 RPG I ever got, and fell in love with it completely. I think it was the first RPG I 100%'d too. Loved everything about this game. Alter Code F was a nice attempt at remaking it, but sadly it just couldn't compare to the original.
Thank you for calling out that book puzzle in De La Metalica. Back in the 90s as a kid with no internet I had no way of figuring out that puzzle other than just brute forcing it. I spend so many hours in that dungeon just running back and forth, having no clue what I was supposed to do, just trying every possible combination until I accidentally picked the correct option. This took me over an entire week during that summer of playing every day. I still remember how long I was stuck there to this day.
I always loved the chanting in the Ka Dingel cutscenes... It adds so much weight to those scenes.
Personally, I would love to see the other Wild Arms games. I finished WA2, and I got near the end of WA3 and then various things happened that caused me to need a gaming break (probably school stuff at the time) and by the time I got back to having time, other stuff had come out. You know how it is... but I always wanted to finish it because WA3 FINALLY gives the Earth Golem a proper name in Asgard (though technically I guess WA2 did with it being a summon for Mirabell?) but WA3 felt like a direct sequel to WA1. I never got 4 or 5 though. I'd love to know what happened in them.
Amazing video guys. Your love and enjoyment of the source material really shines through, as it does with your other videos. I appreciate the hard work and time that goes into make longer videos. Outstanding job. I did click off at the spoiler section; I will come back once I finish the game.
Keep up the great work, I enjoy the content you guys produce.
Thanks a lot dude, really appreciate all the kind words and of course your continued support with the channel.
Whenever you get around to finishing Wild Arms I hope you enjoy your time with it, in my opinion it has a very great and memorable ending.
Man I can't express with words how much i enjoyed your retrospective about the first game of the series 😍Your opinions about its gameplay , characters , villains , story etc is so on point !! You get two extra points for the way you summarised your whole journey and discerned its core themes (hope , love , courage & desire) and last but not least for the inclusion of your cat , which is the definition of cuteness overload 😻It goes without saying that we want more retrospectives from the Wild Arms franchise !!!
Ah thank you for all the kind words, really appreciate that and glad to hear you enjoyed the video! More Wild Arms content will definitely come out in the future, will likely cover some other games first though!
It bothered you that they brought up a ship, but not that Calamity Jane is one of the characters? She was a real person.
Great video, though. I loved this game and had forgotten all about it until somewhat recently. I still need to try the sequels.
Do Koudelka, please.
I have barely started the video, but I am so excited. The first game is one of my favourite games of all time and introduced me to one of my favourite composers! I appreciate the game more now although I loved it when I was younger.
It’s an absolute classic for sure and the music is timeless. Like you, I also appreciate it more now than I ever did before. Hope you enjoyed the video!
Your video single handedly made me play this game. I've never played it before, and still somewhat at the beginning , but i'm loving so far. Thanks for creating such great content.
The music for this absolute gem gets me so nostalgic. Played it after renting it out from the local video store. Seven year old me didn't really appreciate the story as much as I did in later years have but oh my god what an introduction to RPGs in general. You really did this game justice dude, great video.
Never played the game, but that reunion is so touching. You could see what was going to happen a mile away but it still made me smile.
The music was perfect❤
I would love a retrospective on the rest of the Wild ARMS games! Excellent job on this one
This is, and always will be, my favorite RPG. It was the first true RPG I ever owned, first PS1 game I ever had, and I've spent countless hours playing it. It's an amazingly put together story and one of the few I've actually cared about the characters for any reason other than stats or "they look cool" vibes. There's so much to unpack in it. Definitely a game to replay when you want a classic RPG story without complicated bells and whistles most games add in nowadays 10/10
Ohohohohooooo thank you for this! Wild Arms deserves a long episode and you delivered lol!
No problem! The game and series in general definitely deserve some more love, it’s a classic
What a great in depth video!
I love you guys perspective and the editing is amazing as always!
Also it was awesome to meet you guys this past weekend! Peace!!
Thanks man, it was great to meet you too! Definitely did not expect to meet anyone who watches the channel so that was very cool. Maybe we’ll see you around at some cons again in the future! Be sure to come say what’s up if you see us
@@GamingBroductions For sure! I hope so man. If we happen to meet again I’ll have to buy you guys a coffee or something. Thanks for these awesome videos guys
i absolutely LOVEd this game -- huge huge part of my childhood. Great review! I'm surprised I didn't see a video on Alundra in your video list, since in my opinion it had a few similarities to Wild Arms that also grabbed my attention.
FANTASTIC retrospective. You touched upon the highlights that made this game so memorable back in the 90s. And I immediately want to rush and (re)purchase the OST, after hearing Michiko Naruke's memorable score. This time, I'll look for a version with the missing tracks. Thanks for making this video.
Congratulations buddy, this is one of the best video essays i've seen in a while, you can feel the passion and care in every line.
Huzzah! Thank you for making this video. I got lucky and stumbled onto this shortly after release, on sale, and this video brought up all the good memories. Wild ARMS is definitely one of those series that needs to get more love; amazing soundtrack, straightforward but involving story, gameplay that does a little more without being overly complicated.
I am going to be honest with you that's the first song I ever covered on the guitar. Hearing the bwewhng weng wong took me back. This was the first game I ever played and I didn't have a memory card for my ps1 and I would play up to the Zephyr summon and then have to turn the ps1 off, I did that seven to eight times before I got a card. I love this game, thanks for the retrospective on it. I remember learning the infinite overflow glitch and I used it once but I liked playing this game so I would normally play through it regularly.
Tony's family were pretty thankful as well and his dad blamed himself for what happened.
Treasure Hunter and his snarky little animal companion going on adventures together? See (Jing: Kind of Bandits).
Your content is simply sublime. I love watching your videos after a stressful day, all my worries wash away and only nostalgia remains. I hope you know how much joy you bring to people's lives, never stop making videos
Now these are the type of comments we make content for. Thank you, that really means a lot and makes us happy to hear how much you enjoy the videos. We have many more in the works so we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon
The GOAT PSX game in my opinion. It wasn't the first RPG I ever played, but it's the one that's had the longest lasting impact on me. You definitely did it justice! Please cover WA2 next! Your content is awesome.
I was getting goosebumps as you were hyping up the intro and was ready for that sweet blast of nostalgia......then bam!
Great video! One of my absolute favorites growing up. April of '97 was great, Alundra and Wild ARMs. PS1 RPGs always will be my favorite.
Thank you! Agree with you there, PS1 RPGs are my favorite as well
Alundra and Wild Arms Two absolutely gorgeous 2D experiences and both have god tier Ost.
46:24 I'll always remember playing this with my best friend. We got so frustrated at not knowing how to progress that I left, took the bus to the mall, looked it up in a strategy guide, took the bus back home, and he was still wandering around the level, not knowing what to do.
Pretty indepth I didn't even know about the cameo about Vash in the 2nd game. Great job man, love your long form vids.
Thank you for this Retrospective. Wild ARMs is my first RPG ever, and your video sums it very well and brings me back to happiest, most peaceful times of my life. ❤❤✨✨🙏🙏 Good thoughts for you!
Underrated series. If I remember, there were also wild west scenario lands in other older home computer games but this seems to be the first complete wild west one.
Supradarky is a VMG person and (back when his list was much smaller) I decided to play every game on it. Picked up WildARMS from the PSN store and...
well, I was in college, there was a move, but I did always like the vibes of it, and the opening video was a way for me to bond with my youngest brother. (His earliest sentences and first real understanding of plot twists were "Rudy is Robot!" (which he told to a dinner table full of family members who did not get the significance) and "Hanpan is mouse!" Every time Hanpan showed up in the opening movie)
When I did finally replay it, it really hit me how SOLID of a JRPG it was, and how unique the western world was. I'd love a small remaster (i.e. better translation, clean up the battles, etc) but it really is pretty fantastic the way it is.
Played this about a year or two ago on ps5 fell in love immediately the intro, the soundtrack, the mystery of Rudy! Loved it!
Great video!
Wild Arms is probably one of my all time favorite games, for the last 20 or so years I'll return to play it often.
So great to see other people have such fond memories of this game also.
Thank you! I can definitely see myself replaying it again in the future, it’s a really fun one to go back to here and there
The track in the secret Jack origin screen is so fucking amazing. It still gives me goosebumps. I'm glad they did it secret. Sometimes doing things too direct lacks creativity. Also the best JRPG ending by far. Maybe Chrono Trigger is close.
I'm sorry, but "Rudy Roughnight" is the best pawn star name I've ever heard lol
If this comment is too lewd, just say and I'll remove it with no worries
No need to remove it because it’s the absolute truth lol
@@GamingBroductions Ha ha, fair enough. I didn't know if it negatively affects the algorithm.
Great retrospective! In the past few years I’ve completed 1-3 and honestly love this series so much. The 1st game was one of the first RPGs I played and I was hooked just from seeing the cover. Forever hoping Alter Code F is released on PS plus some day.
Ayeeee glad to see my tune made it into the vid!
Excited to watch this after I finish watching some UFC fights. Just started Wild Arms 3 myself so maybe I'll get to cover it soon too!
Wild Arms 3 has amazing music!
@@PS1Fan1991 you know, I have never played a WA game... But I looked up the music when they asked me to make an instrumental for the video. It was hard to pick a song to sample!
Excited to play some WA for my channel at some point. I just picked up WA3 on a PSN sale so maybe not far off.
Thanks again for providing that dude! Chill vibes for sure 👌 WA3 is dope so hope you enjoy that one!
@@GamingBroductions you got it big homie! Any time 💪🏾
@@thegamersician I am happy to see that more people get to listen to the work of Michiko Naruke! She is an amazing composer and I am glad to see that she is working on Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes and Armed Fantasia: Into the Wilderness.
When I first played it in '97, I was not able to fully complete the game for a couple of years. In 1998, I was able to 100% complete the game and I was in tears once the credits rolled. I was so invested in the story that I felt for these characters, especially the Golem.
This was really cool and made me go back and play through Wild Arms myself before coming back to the video and go through the spoilers section.
The story and setting legit went to places I didn’t expect and I really enjoyed the game
thank you watching this made me smile again remembering playing Wild Arms as a teen, the first and second one are special! ah the opening sequence is killer still ❤
This video is already out for 19 hours and the complete retrospective of Wild Arms 2 is not yet available!?
Come on!
Excellent video, did not knew anything about the story of this game and i am glad i finally have some hindsight.
🎉
Flowers.
This is my favorite of yours so far and I'm a long time subscriber.
My biased love for the games is part of it but your commitment to making quality content is evident.
This video hit me in the nostalgia feels. Ive been looking for Wild Arms videos and even though theres a few this is by far the best.
Fantastic work.
Thanks.
Thank you, that really means a lot. As a big longtime fan of the game and series in general I really wanted to do this one justice so a lot of time and love went into it, it’s always great to hear when that’s noticed. Appreciate you being a long time sub of the channel and continuing to tune in!
For a game that's always been treated like a baseline standard RPG, this game really moved me. I think the story has just the right amount of grandness, interesting setpieces/side stories, and feeling of community with all the characters (both main and minor) that really makes it feel unique. Love the found family ending. I think this Wild Arms is a masterclass in setting and story telling. I'd even say relationship writing too despite the characters and script not being too fancy - It's still so good.
All stories should really meet this standard. What a fulfilling adventure.
You really think it should be the standard for a game's main protagonist to be pointless?
@@mattpace1026Never thought about it like that. But narratively, Rudy isn't the protagonist, Cecilia and Jack are, so the protagonist is only useless if you're mechanically holding to some ideal of what a protagonist is.
But while I agree that Rudy doesn't steal the show, he does have a purpose in the narrative in supporting and acting as a foil or mirror for other characters, like Cecilia or Jane.
@@bummedmachinist7483 Mechanically holding onto the idea of what a protagonist is...I think you mean understanding what a protagonist is, a concept you clearly want to ignore.
I don't have a problem with Rudy being a foil. I have a problem with the writers thinking putting a foil character front and center was a good idea.
@@mattpace1026 The definition of protagonist I use is "a leading or principle figure." I don't think Wild Arms is a game with one protagonist, especially since the first character of the trio you play is entirely up to personal whim.
Let's backpedal a second, I'm not your enemy or looking to win an argument. It felt like you came at me with blood in your eyes and it put me on the defensive, are you trying to make me look stupid or feel bad or are you trying to educate me and help me understand a flawed idea I have about writing?
I'm interested in the latter I do want to become a better writer and critic of art.
I just thought your statement was coming from a rigid definition or ideal of what a protagonist is in a story; aren't there three protagonists in wild arms, not just one?
Depending on the story the role of protagonist can shift, right? All I'm saying is that narratively the role is filled by other characters in this case, so we're not left without an interesting lead character.
Also, I'm not an apologist, so don't feel you have to smack a rabid Wild Arms fanatic back to reality, I just liked these aspects of the narrative direction. There are other RPGs I like that do what you're saying and don't have a proper developed lead character, I'd agree with you that it's a bad thing.
We're totally united that Rudy probably shouldn't be at the center of the game's cover for his narrative role, he's probably there entirely because he's a rather blank character and a self insert for the player, which is a rather shallow reason, i'd say.
This game has a very special place in my heart. It was THE game to get me into JRPGs. Back in the day, I was so hyped for FF7 that I wanted to get into the genre and gave this game a try. So glad I did as it turned out to be one of my all time faves! Great game, and great video, Gamer Bros!!! Thank you 🔥🔥🔥
The first RPG that introduced me to RPGs. I remember watching my older bro play through Wild Arms. Watching this and FF8 is how it all started for me
The most epic win I had in a JRPG was Secret of the Stars on the SNES. The fight was against Gara. I was out of healing. Down to my last character, who had 3 hit points left and only enough magic for one more attack. I had already thought I was going to have to restart the fight. My final attack was, of course, the kill shot and I nearly had a heart attack.
I missed all but the Final Fantasy games for the PlayStation as I was a Sega Fanboy and later a Nintendo one, glad to see about these games I missed.
Yes!!!!! Appreciate your commitment to providing quality content guys!
Thanks for always tuning in to watch, we appreciate it!
I want all of the wild arms games! This was great.
Damn, that's a pretty in-depth review you did and one of the best I've seen on TH-cam. Kudos.
That really means a lot, thank you.
clicked immediately when i saw you posted a new video bro. Love your content man i hope you can keep creating!
Love to hear it. That’s the plan man, thanks for watching!
Definitely hope to see more Wild Arms from you! I’ve only played through this game once, the year it came out and I still remember just about everything from it. I guess it left an impression on me, lol. I may have to take out to old PlayStation and relive those old memories again.
@6:18 Quote of the Year :D
I would definitely like to see you go through each main Wild Arms game in the series.
This was my very first PlayStation jrpg.. loved the cute and charming character designs and the legendary music.
So excited to watch this! Thanks as always.
No problem, hope you enjoy it when you get around to it!
Glad to see a new upload from you!
Ahh 1000% agree. I was 12 when this game came out and it still holds a spot in my all-time fave games. Definitely has some of the best music. So much nostalgia watching this. I actually had to keep coming back to it to beat it because I kept getting stuck at one point. Gaming before online walkthroughs existed was definitely more difficult lol.
Came here for the Wild Arms, stayed for the Last Dragon reference! Thanks for putting your time into this. Great retrospective!
agreed about suikoden's lack of exploration and def needs more focus on the villians. Thankfully Suikoden 1 also has a god tier soundtrack equal to Wild ARms
One thing I always wanted ever since playing this game as a child, was a Wild Arms Artbook. I know there has to be one out there, but haven't found it... yet, that is.
My first JRPG and my constant source of inspiration. A beautiful blend of science fiction, fantasy, and the Wild West.
Never had chance to say before, your work in general is amazing. So many times I’ve enjoyed your videos & perspective/insight. You also have a voice that often reminds me of Johnny Young Bosch.
All in all keep up the good work, you really deserve move viewership/subscribes.
Yes please do other Wild Arms!!! My nostalgia for it is tied with Wild Arms 3. Id love to see that. Great retrospective video
Still have my PS1 copy. Love this game. The intro left an impression on me as a kid.
I only recently found out this was a video game series. Up until this point in my life, for about 15-18 years, I only knew about Wild Arms TV. I love that anime a lot.
I really love this game! Thanks for the review. Brought back fond memories