Wild Arms 3
Wild Arms 3, known in Japan as Wild Arms Advanced 3rd (ワイルドアームズ アドヴァンスドサード, Wairudo Āmuzu Adovansudo Sādo), is a Western Steampunk console role-playing game developed by Media.Vision and published by Sony Computer Entertainment and the sequel to Wild Arms and Wild Arms 2 (aka Wild Arms 2nd Ignition). It was released in 2002 on the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console.
It is the first game in the Wild Arms series in which all party members are able to use ARMs. It was also the first console role-playing game released in the US to use cel-shaded animation. It also signified the end of character based equipment and had 'Personal Skills' completely replace them via Guardian (Mediums) invocation.
Synopsis
The game begins with the four characters meeting on a train by coincidence. The lead character, Virginia Maxwell is an 18-year-old drifter who is searching for her long-lost father. Gallows Carradine is a 24-year-old Baskar native seemingly intent on escaping his hometown and priest bloodline. Clive Winslett is a cool-headed bounty-hunter with a soft spot for his family. Lastly, Jet Enduro is a cold-blooded boy who lets nothing get in his way. After meeting on the train, the motley group is thrown into a fight over the priceless treasure, the Ark Scepter, with a group of bandits: Janus Cascade and his two cronies, Dario and Romero. The group travels to Baskar Colony and from there becomes involved in a dangerous mission to save their world, Filgaia.
Gameplay
World
Filgaia is now a desert-like planet because of its slow decay and unlike the last two games, this world doesn't seem to have any water. There are some grassy areas in which many things like fruits and berries are grown, but even though these places exist, it doesn't seem to be slowing the land's decline. Some people and towns are holding up in the wasteland due to various resources, but others are starting to die out without notice. Our heroes use horses instead of moving cars, though people use submarine-like vehicles to cross the ocean, now reduced to quicksand.
Battle System
The battle graphics have the same background effects as the last 2 games but this time, the camera can turn 360 degrees around the "battle room". Also, the characters can run while battling, though it seems they all run in a big circle. As in the past 2 games, the characters have a turn-based system, but this can be modified on a battle-by-battle basis. Otherwise, it seems to be dependent on the characters' various status effects and stats.
Search System
Looking for an area works the same way as in previous Wild Arms games - you have to ask for information or find it another way. Afterwards, you must use the map (which you must buy) to find the correct zone. Once there, you'll notice that the function looks like a grid-like dome. As it locks on to that area, the zone (usually a town or dungeon) will appear.
Character histories
Virginia Maxwell
Hometown: Boot Hill Opening stage: Gob's Hideout
Age: 18
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 108 pounds
Arm: Rapier Ex and Bantorain (probably a mistranslation of Buntline) 93R (Dual Pistols)
The only girl in the team, the 18-year-old becomes a Drifter in order to search for her long-lost father, who mysteriously disappeared 10 years ago. After saving her village from the tyranny of a gang of Gobs, killing many of them including their boss in the process, her aunt and uncle give her permission to become a Drifter, but tell her that she can return whenever she wants to 'rest her wings'.
Virginia has a strong sense of 'justice' and will take down all the bad guys as necessary. Sadly, she is green, and tends to trust the wrong people, as in the case of Janus Cascade during the rush to Ka Dingel. With the three men, she is thrown into a string of events that eventually decides the fate of their world, Filgaia. In combat, her dual revolvers are weak, but she has decent magic attacks and her Mystic ability allows her to make the most out of items by using them on the whole group.
Another interesting note is that Virginia, as the leader of the group, is one of the few females to serve as the main character of an RPG. Others over the years have included Maya from Septerra Core, Lenneth from Valkyrie Profile, Alis Landale from Phantasy Star, Rena Lanford from Star Ocean: The Second Story, and Terra Branford from Final Fantasy VI.
Because her last name is Maxwell, there are theories that she is from the same family as Jane Maxwell from Wild Arms/Wild Arms Alter Code: F. One link is the fact that she has Mystic, which Jane uses (rather than Cecilia) in Alter Code: F. Another could be the fact that she is the fastest character and has the highest evasion, stats that are similarly high for Jane.
Tools
- Tindercrest: Usually used to light up torches and melt ice/frozen things, which are often hidden triggers for unlocking doors and various machinery.
- Galecrest: Used to move quickly across the floor and to cross small gaps in the floor (gaps must be equal or shorter than one square, or else you fail to cross the gap). Many do use it to cross quickly past various long halls to evade encounters with monsters.
- Changecrest: Used to switch shapes between orange blocks or orange gems; if you target a white gem with this tool, you will be immediately warped to its location; can also be used to change the 'shapes' of a few small animals found in towns.
Force Powers
- Mystic (25 FP): Extends the effects of an item to an entire party, such as a single Heal Berry healing the entire party instead of a single party member.
- Gatling (Any Amount): A special technique that may turn the tide of battle. The character will perform a string of consecutive attacks, which vary according to the amount of FP consumed. In other words, the more FP used, the better.
- Summon (Any Amount): Summons the Guardian that lies within one of the Mediums equipped to the character to perform an Elemental (non-elemental at times) strike on the enemy. Uses up all FP within the bar, but deals more damage when uses up more FP.
Jet Enduro
Age: unknown (speculated to be 19) Weight: 126 pounds
Arm: Airget-lamh B/V2 (One-handed machine gun)
A male character of unknown age, Jet is a Drifter in the team that wants to leave yet doesn't. He has no memories of before he became a Drifter except of Virginia's father teaching him how to survive in the wasteland.
Despite his cold and unemotional personality, Jet cares for the team and watches out for all of them - this is implied to be because he literally doesn't know anyone else. As an example, Virginia was going to be crushed by falling debris at one point, but Jet rushed forward and pulled her back from the danger. In fitting with his silent personality, he also says absolutely nothing afterwards.
Later in the game, the players find the truth behind Jet's past.
He is actually a cyborg made from samples of Filgaia. The latest members of the Council of Seven made him in order to test their hypothesis that Filgaia is a single organism. Their reasoning was that if Filgaia were a single organism, then it would have memories of its past. Jet, as a portion of the planet, should be able to recall the planet's past conditions. This is why Jet has memories of Filgaia being covered in greenery and water, whereas everyone else does not. The conditions extracted from Jet's past were later confirmed by the data brought back by Asgard.
Due to Jet's artificial origins, his memories of being with Werner Maxwell are literally his first memories, since he hasn't been born before that point. He is around ten years old. Jet is designed to resemble the dead son of Elliot Enduro of Project Yggdrasil. Elliot gave him the name Jet Enduro, likely after his son. His real name - the code name given to the android while he was in development - is Adam Kadmon.
Combatwise, Jet is fast, and can attack first out of everyone with his Accelerator ability. He is the weakest spell caster.
Tools
- Boomerang: Used to trigger switches. The boomerang is movable while it is being thrown to maneuver around obstacles to reach a switch.
- Radar: Used to find hidden items within objects as well as hidden switches and doors. This can also be used to find items that are disguised as animals in town.
- Radical Sneakers: If stepping in a certain place, these can be used to jump a greater height and to higher places which could not be reached normally.
Force Powers
- Accelerator (25 FP): Allows Jet to become the first to attack. Randomly, Jet can cause the enemy to be "blown away", removing the opponent from the battle permanently, though this happens very rarely.
- Gatling (Any): Allows the character to attack an enemy more than once in one turn. This string of attacks starts out as gun shots and if there are no more bullets, the character resorts to physical attacking. If the character has 100 FP points and knows the Finest Arts personal skill, then the character will give more damage to the enemy. Jet seems to be the strongest with Finest Arts and Gatling.
- Summon (All): Character summons a Guardian of the medium invoked which attacks with the property of the Guardian. Since this attack drains all of the FP of the caster, this attack should only be used strategically. However, the more FP used, the stronger the attack.
Clive Winslett
Hometown: Humphrey's Peak Age: 30
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 152 pounds
Arm: Gungnir HAG35 (Sniper Rifle)
Clive Winslett is a 30-year-old Drifter, but he has a house in Humphrey's Peak, and he is married and has a daughter. He takes his job very seriously and wants to know more about the history of Filgaia. He is the oldest and smartest one in the group. Despite his charming looks, Clive is the strongest gunfighter in the group.
Tools
- Bomb: Destroys obstacles with explosives.
- Mighty Gloves: Move heavy objects. Cannot move while carrying an object lifted with these gloves.
- Grappling Hook: Fires hook straight up.
Force Powers
Lock On: Raises Clive's Hit Rate to 100% and doubles the attack power of a normal shot. Only used for the shot he takes on the same turn.
Gatling (Any Amount): A special technique that may turn the tide of battle. The character will perform a string of consecutive attacks with enhanced strength. Length of the combo varies according to the amount of FP consumed. In other words, the more FP used, the better.
Summon (Any): Character summons guardian of the medium invoked which attacks with the property of the guardian. Since using a summon drains all the FP of the summoner, this should only be used strategically. However, the more FP used, the stronger the attack.
Gallows Caradine
Hometown: Baskar Village Age: 24
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 220 pounds
Arm: Modified Coyote M17F (Sawed-off Shotgun)
Gallows Caradine is a 24-year-old Baskar who will soon become priest of his village and is trying to escape this. He becomes a Drifter in order to be free and ends up meeting the rest of the group and decides to stick with them. He doesn't take many things seriously and tends to have fun while on the job. He has a soft spot for pretty girls (which gets the party in trouble on one occasion), and is always fighting with Jet. Gallows has the best magic skills in the group, given his high MAG and his Extension ability.
Tools
- Freeze Doll: Fires a beam of ice that freezes certain things (like switches) and puts out fires.
- Steady Doll: Used to activate switches from afar.
- Kramer Dolls: plays a tune that attracts monsters.
Force Powers
Extension (25 FP): Broadens area of effect of an Arcana to affect all targets within a group. Negative effects or damage for enemies, positive effects for allies.
Gatling (Any Amount): A special technique that may turn the tide of battle. The character will perform a string of consecutive attacks with enhanced strength. Length of the combo varies according to the amount of FP consumed. In other words, the more FP used, the better.
Summon (Any): Character summons guardian of the medium invoked which attacks with the property of the guardian. Since using a summon drains all the FP of the summoner, this should only be used strategically. However, the more FP used, the stronger the attack.
Guardians
Other Characters
Janus' Team
Janus Cascade
Janus is a Drifter known all over Filgaia. His outlaw attitude and extreme actions have earned him this reputation, and he's the bad guy everybody wants to be. Though he may seem overconfident and brash, he has every right to be, as he has the skills and power to back up his attitude. His blue hair, bayonet, and ARM attacks are modeled after Ashley Winchester. His ARM is the same as Ashley's.
Romero Gigio
Not much is known about Romero, but he and his buddy Dario are followers of Janus, and the three of them journey the wasteland together. Romero is a bit cowardly and often loses his nerve, but Janus doesn't take well to "rookies", and poor Romero often gets hit in the nose with the butt of the Bayonet. Romero fights like a ninja, tossing kunai at his opponents.
Dario Nicolodi
Dario is also pretty unknown; he follows Janus and Romero around the wasteland, fighting, stealing and pillaging. Dario has a classic Black Bart look to him, but his actions belie his appearance, and he is every bit as much of a coward as Romero, which also results in him being abused by Janus. Dario attacks with a Gillius GS12/23, which resembles a Dirty Harry type magnum. He also has a bad habit of leaving his fly undone.
Lucio
Lucio is even less known than Romero and Dario, considering he is only mentioned twice during the game (during the first battle with Janus, and in the scene atop Ka-Dingel), and after that he is never actually seen in the game. It can be assumed he was just as incompetent, or as cowardly, as Romero and Dario. It is believed that Lucio died sometime before the events of the game.
The Prophets
Melody Vilente
This unearthly beautiful young woman is a member of the mysterious trio known as the Prophets. They operate behind the shadows of Filgaia, and no one really knows that they exist. But they have a mission, one that will come into play later into the game. Melody may be very easy on the eyes, but she is very tough on the rest; she is much more violent and deadly than she looks, and is highly vain about her appearance. In your first meeting with her, Clive rightly points out that her beauty is fake, and in the ensuing battle she focuses all of her very powerful attacks on only him until his HP depletes. She wishes for everything to be as physically beautiful as she is, including the planet, which she labels as an "incomplete world".
Malik Bendict
Malik is another one of the Prophets, and like Melody, he operates mainly behind the scenes. His occasionally cheery personality is drowned out by his strange movements and body motions, and his overall shifty demeanor. He appears to be callous and heartless as he robs the life force from the Guardian sanctuaries with a smile on his face. Though his motto may be "Work with a smile and always go the extra mile," he may be the type who finds pleasure and solace only in his work, as he harbors a dark secret about himself that borderlines on psychotic.
Leehalt Alcaste
Leehalt is the leader of the Prophets, and he is very rarely seen. He is extremely well versed in the ways of ancient technology and ancient folklore, and when he speaks, he frequently makes allusions to ancient folklores and religious figures and events. He seems to care about nothing but his work, and will stop at absolutely nothing to get what he wants done.
The Schrödinger Family
Maya Schrödinger
Maya is the leader of the Schrödinger family. She is an energetic Drifter who is easily irritated, though it never prevents her from doing a thorough job. She and Virginia do not get along very well: Maya thinks Virginia is silly for trying to uphold ideals of justice and playing the hero, but eventually they come to respect each other. Her drive to be a Drifter resides in her obsession with gems and her compulsive desire to horde them. Her character design closely resembles Jane Maxwell from Wild Arms.
Maya has the power to change her appearance and powers by extracting information from books she reads and hypnotizing herself with such information. Her real appearance is that of a girl dressed in a dark green school uniform. Her usual appearance comes from her favorite book series, Disaster Girl of the Wasteland. Over the course of the game, she also assumes the following versions:
Master Magician version With this transformation, Maya wears an orange skirt, a large pointy hat, and a magician's staff. She can cast spells on all your characters simultaneously.
Martial Artist version With this transformation, Maya is dressed in a green Chinese martial artist uniform. She uses a bo as her weapon of choice. In this form she proudly considers herself to be a better martial artist than Todd.
Scientist version With this transformation, Maya wears a lab coat with glasses. The players never encounter this form in combat, but she takes it on later in the game when Virginia needs help escaping from a high tech area.
Innocent Girl version With this transformation, Maya becomes an innocent girl who can't lie. The players never encounter this form in combat, but it is instead only comes up and is used against Maya by Siegfried to pry information out of her since she is unable to lie in this form.
When fighting against Maya and her gang later in the game, she will use an attack called "Calamity Jane" which was the codename for Jane Maxwell from Wild Arms. When performing this attack, she fires off several ARMS all of which are from the original Wild Arms, making a weak connection to Jane Maxwell since she was the only person beside Rudy in Wild Arms who could use ARMS. Presently the theories about Maya's relation to Jane have become somewhat nil as Virginia seems to have more traits linked to Jane than Maya does.
Alfred Schrödinger
Alfred is Maya's younger brother, and an expert on explosives and tracking devices. He is usually very timid and shy, but he is never afraid to defend his sister. He's always trying to keep the peace between his sister and the many enemies she makes. He is constantly explaining to the party that Maya is not as mean as her behavior leads them to believe.
He is apparently a pyromaniac of some sort, as he looks into flames to calm himself when he is in trouble, and all of his attacks involve explosions and fire. His primary attack is throwing a stick of dynamite at one of your characters.
Todd Dukakis
Todd is a character whose design appears to be influenced by people of African descent; as can been seen by his exaggerated afro. He is dressed in a tight, orange suit, and he carries a katana that is sheathed in a straight wooden scabbard. He is a very devoted servant to Maya and her family. He is polite and considerate to friend and foe alike, and he comes off as a bit of a "butler" with his choice of words and actions. He lacks confidence in his abilities. He is a student in the way of the Fast Draw sword techniques; he is a force to be reckoned with.
Shady Thousand
Shady is a flying, talking cat with a choice between baking and freezing breath. He is an allusion to Schrödinger's cat. He was summoned by Maya's ancestors and used to perform experiments involving shutting him in a box. As a result, he is claustrophobic.
Demons
Siegfried
Siegfried is a demon that appeared in Wild Arms, and was also the final boss of that game. It is supported by the game that he is indeed the very same demon from Wild Arms. He takes on the appearance of a "knight" with armor and wielding a large spear (one can also see that the part of his face that is exposed is humanlike). Siegfried becomes the main antagonist of the game in chapter 3 and 4 when he is accidentally revived by the Prophets. When he appeared he took on those three as his Cohorts, and killed Janus Cascade who he used as a vessel for his resurrection.
Siegfried takes a direct role with his plan to reform Filgaia, interacting personally as opposed to Beatrice (see below). His goals remain the same as they did in Wild Arms by using the demon technology (revealed to be nanomachines) to reconstruct all of Filgaia into a galactic starship to dominate other planets.
Beatrice
Beatrice is another demon and the main antagonist in chapter 5 of the game and appears at the end of chapter 4. She is also a demon, but different than Siegfried as she is made up of electronic signals making her similar to as she describes, a dream. She takes on the appearance of a girl in the game with dark clothing and hair and carries standard traits associated with the Goth subculture.
Opposed to Siegfried’s actions to directly influence the world to fit his needs, she manipulates the people of the planet to get what she desires. In the final part of the game, she draws the heroes to her castle located in an intangible space, thus she can kill them and they can kill her.
Supporting Characters
Tesla Maxwell
Virginia's uncle
Shalte Maxwell
Virginia's aunt
Halle Caradine
Halle is the grandmother of Gallows and Shane, and she raised both of them. She has little to no patience for Gallows' fooling around and constantly scolds him, even beating him with a rod when he falls asleep during sermons. Years of putting up with Gallows has turned her bitter, tired, and irritable. She was a beauty in her youth and won the Miss Grudiev award of the Baskar village.
Shane Caradine
Shane is Gallows' younger brother, and he's quite the opposite of Gallows in nearly every way. He's respective of his elders and his upbringing, and studies diligently in his pursuit to priesthood. Yet, he admires his brother above all else.
Werner Maxwell
Werner is Virginia's father.
Martina Vanbasten
Martina's mother is sick and bedridden with a strange disease. Since her mother is ill, poor little Martina is living with her mean old aunt in Claiborne. But Martina is a curious little girl, and shortly into the game, she will journey far across the wasteland in search of a cure. Talk to her along the way and you will be rewarded!
Lord Begucci
Lord Begucci is a snobby rich man who runs the Gunners' Heaven arena. He gets great pleasure from seeing humans and monsters fight in his little arena, enjoying the view from his nice box seat above. There is more to him than meets the eye, however. Try completing all the divisions in Gunners' Heaven to pique his curiosity. ..
Coney Begucci
Coney is Lord Begucci's daughter, and she's every bit as enthusiastic about battling as her father. She gives advice to potential battlers, prizes to winners, and condolences to losers. She's also a tad psychotic.
Florina
Florina is a young girl who has a naturalist sense; in other words, she can sense the feelings and emotions of plant life in Filgaia. She hears the words of nature, and knows that the planet is dying. The flowers in her garden are crying, and she needs your help. She looks very similar to Mariel from Wild Arms/Alter Code: F and as such, could possibly be an Ewl.
Catherine and Kaitlyn Winslett
Clive's wife and daughter, respectively. It is unknown what job his wife has or what school his daughter goes to, but they seem to live well enough in the town of Humphrey's Peak. Be sure to play the good father and have Clive read to his daughter on occasion.
Marivel Armitage
She is only seen in the various story books that our heroes find along their adventure.
Interesting Facts
Dragon - A being from another planet that came to Filgaea for an unknown reason. It is made of both living flesh and machinery, has the ability to transform into a flying ship, and its bones are used to make the ARMs Drifters use. It is speculated that they have the ability of telekinesis, as Clive says that the bullets ARMs use aren't expelled by gunpowder, but something like the will of the user. There is only one known dragon to still be alive.
Demon - An organism similar to a dragon in the compound of their being. They are a species that also came to Filgaia from outer space. They are also made of flesh and machine, but regular humans can also use nanomachines to become demons. They have access to the Information Library Hyades, which contains all history of past demons. Hyades also contained a Dream Demon, one composed entirely of data.
Crystal Teardrop - This item appears in Wild Arms as Cecilia's Tool. It is used to solve puzzles in that game as all tools are, but in this game it serves a different purpose. The demon Siegfried (also from Wild Arms) attempts to use it an energy source for his plan to convert the planet into a war machine. Also the crystal is explained as crystallized energy from the planet itself which Siegfried is able to tap into and use to heal himself in battle. The item in the hands of the character serves no real purpose, but when the Mystic force power is used on it, it will heal a small amount of HP on one target.
Wild Arms 2 - In a side quest in the game, you can read chapters from a story to Clive's child. The story which comes up for the player to read as an actual book and contains characters and locations found in Wild Arms 2. The story focuses on a character "Jack", who is a young boy and an engineer who is coached by Marivel Armitage who is a Crimson Noble. She aids the child in creating a flying machine not unlike an air plane, while also teaching the child and his friend valuable life lesson.
Occasionally in the story, Anastasia Valeria from Wild Arms 2 will make appearances as Marivel's friend. Anastasia is also of a young age, and the story takes place before the catastrophic legends of Wild Arms 2 and references several places in Wild Arms 2 and even a specific monster in Marvel's Mansion which is the "Crimson Castle" dungeon in the second game.
Notes
- This games has five chapters and five different introductory movies:
- Chapters 0 and 1 feature the introductory song accompanied by whistling. The movie shows a duel between Virginia and Janus after the animations of Clive, Gallows, and Jet.
- Chapter 2 has two versions, both of which feature the introductory song accompanied by English lyrics. The first version shows Janus in his demon form and the prophets after the animations of Clive, Gallows, and Jet. The second version adds an animation of Asgard after those of the prophets.
- Chapter 3 also features English lyrics, with the villain animation replaced by those of the prophets in their demon form, and Siegfried replaces Asgard.
- Chapter 4 features animations of the Schrödinger family after animations of Clive, Gallows, and Jet. A shot of Beatrice replaces Sigfried.
- On rare occasions, the Japanese lyrics will be sung during the opening scenes rather than the English ones. This seems to be a random occurrence, and does not appear to be affected by the player's actions.
- Dario and Romero have the same designs as the bandits in Wild Arms 2 in Ashley's introduction.
- Wild Arms 3 is the first game in the series to show facial expressions for all characters in dialogues. These can be brought into the foreground of the dialogue box using the select button.
- The look of Basker Village (Gallows' Town) has the same look of that of Wild Arms 2 version of Baskers Village; the village is made with the many houses in a shape of a circle, and a giant stone sits in the center. Unlike in Wild Arms 2, you cannot walk on the stone and spears are in the ground with the arrowheads pointing up.
- Although most of Filagia is made up of sand, it is seen many times that creatures of sealife (mainly the giant creatures) can live under without problems.
- This is the first game in the series to have the main characters (with the help of another) battle within the sky.
- It is said in the video game that it takes four people to control a sandcraft properly, and most of the world is cut off by sand, it is unknown how Janus and his team can cross the desert many times without a fourth man. The only way this could happen is if Lucio was there, but it does not explain why he never fights alongside Janus, Romero, or Dario.
- In a certain town you are able to listen to music from the game that you have already heard. Instead of the actual track name the title will be (track 1, track 2, track 3 etc); to listen to other (or all) tracks you must complete the entire game, though it is not required to gather some songs.
- Similar to Ashley from Wild Arms 2, Janus can transform into a creature. Janus' change makes him become a demon version of himself, rather than releasing a possessed soul like Ashley transforming into Lord Blazer.
- Humphrey Peak seems to have the same look of the Town of Maria stage in Wild Arms 2. Also, Gunner Haven has the look of the Castle of Maria stage.
- Maya's Magical Girl Version oddly has elements of Lilka in her characteristics.
- Long before her formal introduction, Beatrice appears as a reflection in a mirror in Virgina's first level, Gob's Hideout, and again in Jolly Roger seemingly being harassed by Janus and his gang. She also appears again in Boot Hill, when Janus is making his speech about "flattening" the town. Her appearances demonstrate her position as the true "main" villain.
- Though published by SCEA, the game was localized into English by Squaresoft.
- While not that relevant, the Earth Guardian, Grudiev, bears a rather uncanny resemblance to Space Godzilla in appearance. Wild Arms Alter Code: F also makes use of this design.
- According to books in-game, the very first Drifter was named "Alan Smithy". That name (more commonly rendered as "Smithee") is a popular pseudonym used by Hollywood directors/producers who for whatever reason do not want their real names to be credited. A notable example is David Lynch using this alias for the restored version of his movie Dune.