Wild Arms Alter Code: F (PlayStation 2) review "War didn't change, but other things did, I guess. "

No, if you've played Wild Arms, you may not know what to expect from its remake, Wild Arms Alter Code: F. Yes, they're turn-based roleplaying games that tell more or less the same tale with familiar characters, but Alter Code takes things in a different direction from its predecessor. That should be obvious the instant you begin the game and take in its colorful, 3D environments and presentation. You might be skeptical at first, but seeing the world of Filgaia with a fresh facelift arrests you before your can form a single, cantankerous criticism. Then you advance and hear cuts from the original soundtrack, and you feel yourself falling back in love...

Sure, you'll find plenty of reservations at first, but they'll also slowly fade away. For instance, this one utilizes Wild Arms 3's encounter system, where you can avoid combat before it begins at the expense of some energy, whereas the original's flee command is absent from battle. And speaking of combat, the first fight reveals that Rudy no longer carries a knife as his main weapon, but fights with his gun (referred to as an “ARM”). Before you can protest, though, you think, “Well, that actually makes more sense.” Plus, you can upgrade various parameters of his ARM in special shops, which is preferable to acquiring “knife,” “stronger knife,” and “wickedly stronger knife that looks kinda cool.”

Yes, that annoying “scan the world map until locations appear” mechanic comes back, but hear me out: it's a handy feature for allowing you to roam more of the world without accidentally accessing a dungeon too early. Plus, it's not like it's hard to find new locales. You just talk to the right person to get a “hint,” then walk to the blinking dots on your radar. That's where you'll find the new place.

So you press onward to see how various parts of the game are handled, and you're not disappointed. Major plot points play out in grander fashion, where scenes benefit from more elaborate animation and battles come off as more desperate. Early on, when you face Berserk (or Belselk, according to his previously mistranslated name), the fight feels all the more furious. The guy just invaded a town and started ransacking everything, and you can see the burning buildings in the background more clearly. Dungeons like De La Metallica hit just the right combination of otherworldly and strange because they're more fully realized in 3D and decked out with fresh puzzles and more palpable surrealism.

Alter Code, as with its inspiration, doesn't rewrite JRPG story rules and tropes much, but it's all the better for it. It gives you lively characters with compelling arcs and wonderful backstory, not to mention piles upon piles of lore spoken by townsfolk or gained from books read throughout the campaign. It's all executed fantastically, giving you characters who are far from perfect and who have goals of their own and lessons to learn, making them all the more relatable.

Yes, Rudy is still the outcast who doesn't know much about his true nature (and might be afraid to learn to divulge it). Jack remains stuck in his past, the memories of which have gotten fuzzy because of his lust for vengeance and “ultimate power.” Cecilia is still that uncertain princess who hates being adored for her title and functions alone, but still hasn't learned that the best way to receive love is to give it first. Now, though, there are further backstories to look into. We learn more about Jane and her tough, seemingly self-centered exterior, and how it's a cover for the gratitude she has trouble expressing. Sure, the Saturday-morning antics of the good versus evil plot are nice as usual, but the character histories and origins are where the truly great material lies.

So you continue, advance, and find a lot more surprises...

For one thing, you can't purchase healing items, forcing you to literally farm them once you find a garden suitable to do so. Gripe as much as you want, this mechanic sells the wasteland feel and survival elements all the more. Also, you can no longer switch out equipment, such as weapons, armor, and hats. Instead, you locate passive skills throughout the campaign that serve the same function. That, and your characters scale well enough that leveling up alone improves their prowess noticeably.

I think I can hear you shaking. Battle? Nah, it's pretty much the same. You enter with a party of three, select commands for each one, and watch them go to work. However, their abilities aren't precisely the same. Jack, for instance, still uses “Fast Draws,” but learns a different assortment of them. Rudy also locates new toys to fire off, but the ARMs in this title boast divergent capabilities. You no longer find “Gun,” “Stronger Gun,” and “Holy Shit Look at This Gun—Why Bother Even Using the Others?,” but instead secure artillery with wild, specific effects. Some of them hit a single target, others hit multiple, and one even sends out numerous shots that randomly hit different targets. The coolest by far is the Gatling Raid, which expends all of Rudy's bullets for a huge blast. Combine that with a full bullet upgrade and you've got a devastating attack that hits in the tens of thousands at a minimum.

Just when you think you've seen it all, this iteration unveils a whole new feature: additional playable characters. Nope, you're not limited to the core three anymore, and can now permanently recruit folks like Jane and Emma, as well as use some temporary folks like Mariel and Magdalen (aka McDullen).

These characters add an extra layer that wasn't seen in the previous piece. Sure, you aren't able to fully enlist the new folks until you open the final dungeon, but still, that closing portion of the campaign now comprises a significant part of the experience. Now, you can sail the world with Emma, helping her download data on different monsters so she can learn their special abilities like a blue mage in Final Fantasy. Jane also pickpockets the opposition, giving you access to helpful items. Farming becomes much simpler, plus you can steal an item that sells for nearly a million—and it's not hard to acquire at all.

If it isn't broken, don't fix it; but if you can upgrade it, then make it count. Wild Arms Alter Code: F remains a masterclass in how to handle a remake. It presents the same story and campaign with a plethora of small changes, yet it doesn't replace the original. It stands on its own, allowing both games to exist as fantastic separate titles. Seriously, developers: if you're going to remake one of your golden oldie RPGs, play this one and take notes.

Community review by JoeTheDestroyer (February 28, 2025) Rumor has it that Joe is not actually a man, but a machine that likes video games, horror movies, and long walks on the beach. His/Its first contribution to HonestGamers was a review of Breath of Fire III.