Shouta
Member
Hrm, I realized while I was typing something up that I tend to ramble when trying to describe stuff in a short format so Ill type some thoughts up about the game in general.
Basically, Im really impressed with the game. It manages to nail pretty much all of the elements that it attempts (as far as Ive played in the game anyway, which is about halfway) and it does it while continuing to be interesting. A lot of SRPGs dont really do the strategy part of the genre very well because they dont force you to use the systems or think about the strategy involved. Most just do the SRPG style for the sake of being an SRPG. XF does it and gives the player freedom to really think about how they should approach things. There are battles where youll really need to think about how to tackle the situation with various class combinations and tactics. Generic party make-ups dont really work all that well at times and Ive been finding myself tweaking and setting up parties optimum to the situation at hand. It really is a strategy game.
The job system game is incredibly flexible. The other aspects are fantastic though. In battle features are great like Combination and Formation Arts. The developers really put some time into designing maps and scenarios and the subsystems that work within battle add a helpful (or sometimes detrimental) element too. I mean, a lot of SRPGs dont really give you much in battle to do beyond simply killing X enemy with a skill. WAXF gives a lot to do in battle though and lots of things to consider.
For example, the current map Im on is an assault on a gate. However, the conditions require that we not kill any of the enemies (although bringing them to near death is acceptable). In addition, the map is designed as a narrow bridge with blockades put up for the player to get around. The enemies also have high defense and varying amounts of HP.
The dilemma I face is how to get to the end of the map while severely weakening the enemies (but not killing them or letting any single member of my party die). I could make a straight shot to the end with high movement classes without attacking them. However, that means theyd get free attacks and could kill me. I could try weakening them but high defense and making sure they dont die makes it a bit tricky. While I could go with magic attacks, several of the enemies have less HP than my spells damage meaning they die in one shot. Those jobs also tend to be particularly slow so they could get killed on the way there.
There are any number of solutions I could go with for this situation. I could simply test my luck with physical attacks and hope I dont go over. I could try magical attacks to avoid the physical defense but Id have to weaken my magic attack slotting the abilities to a class with lower SOR. I can use Formation arts to boost my physical damage and so on. The possibilities for attempting this battle are really diverse and the flexibility of the systems allows it.
The story is pretty good for a Wild Arms game, far better than WA5 at this point, and the graphics/music are top-notch. Its a really surprising package for an off-shoot game especially since it plays a lot better than games originally designed as an SRPG.
If anyone wants detailed information about certain aspects, Ill type up a post on it.
Basically, Im really impressed with the game. It manages to nail pretty much all of the elements that it attempts (as far as Ive played in the game anyway, which is about halfway) and it does it while continuing to be interesting. A lot of SRPGs dont really do the strategy part of the genre very well because they dont force you to use the systems or think about the strategy involved. Most just do the SRPG style for the sake of being an SRPG. XF does it and gives the player freedom to really think about how they should approach things. There are battles where youll really need to think about how to tackle the situation with various class combinations and tactics. Generic party make-ups dont really work all that well at times and Ive been finding myself tweaking and setting up parties optimum to the situation at hand. It really is a strategy game.
The job system game is incredibly flexible. The other aspects are fantastic though. In battle features are great like Combination and Formation Arts. The developers really put some time into designing maps and scenarios and the subsystems that work within battle add a helpful (or sometimes detrimental) element too. I mean, a lot of SRPGs dont really give you much in battle to do beyond simply killing X enemy with a skill. WAXF gives a lot to do in battle though and lots of things to consider.
For example, the current map Im on is an assault on a gate. However, the conditions require that we not kill any of the enemies (although bringing them to near death is acceptable). In addition, the map is designed as a narrow bridge with blockades put up for the player to get around. The enemies also have high defense and varying amounts of HP.
The dilemma I face is how to get to the end of the map while severely weakening the enemies (but not killing them or letting any single member of my party die). I could make a straight shot to the end with high movement classes without attacking them. However, that means theyd get free attacks and could kill me. I could try weakening them but high defense and making sure they dont die makes it a bit tricky. While I could go with magic attacks, several of the enemies have less HP than my spells damage meaning they die in one shot. Those jobs also tend to be particularly slow so they could get killed on the way there.
There are any number of solutions I could go with for this situation. I could simply test my luck with physical attacks and hope I dont go over. I could try magical attacks to avoid the physical defense but Id have to weaken my magic attack slotting the abilities to a class with lower SOR. I can use Formation arts to boost my physical damage and so on. The possibilities for attempting this battle are really diverse and the flexibility of the systems allows it.
The story is pretty good for a Wild Arms game, far better than WA5 at this point, and the graphics/music are top-notch. Its a really surprising package for an off-shoot game especially since it plays a lot better than games originally designed as an SRPG.
If anyone wants detailed information about certain aspects, Ill type up a post on it.