Wild Arms - Reception

Reception

Wild Arms garnered a positive response. Game Informer magazine stated it was "by far one of the best action RPGs of the year", praising the game's use of 3D battle graphics in addition to a colorful 2D graphics of normal gameplay. An online GamePro review in 2000 remarked that while the game's graphics had not aged well, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable game, earning it a perfect "fun factor" score and an Editor's Choice award. The game received above-average reviews on both GameSpot and IGN websites, and received an above-average score of 8.75/10 in Electronic Gaming Monthly, earning it a "Silver Award", a distinction given to games with a score of 8.0-8.9. The game maintains an 83.3% average rating on Game Rankings, pooling reviews from 14 separate online sources.

Major criticism of Wild Arms comes from its myriad puzzles and minigames that resemble those found in an action game, described as being "extremely action oriented, which may be frustrating to RPG fans who don't have the quickest of reflexes". The game was also compared to the RPG Final Fantasy VII, released five months later, which in turn led to Wild Arms being designated as a game that would "suppress your appetite for Final Fantasy VII". GameSpot additionally declared that Wild Arms' graphics, though impressive, were not the industry standard at the time, remarking: "Although it's no Final Fantasy VII, Wild Arms looks great." The Wild Arms series has grown to several games since the original title's release, with a fourth sequel released in Japan in December 2006, mobile phone adaptations, a manga, and a Wild Arms anime distributed by ADV Films. In episode three of the anime series Great Teacher Onizuka, Wild Arms (referred in the English voice track as Wild Arms 3) is referenced as a game that the main character Eikichi Onizuka desperately wants to finish. Its Japanese box art is also shown on screen.