Wild Arms 3, known in Japan as , is a role-playing video game developed by Media.Vision for the PlayStation 2. It is a sequel to Wild Arms and Wild Arms 2. Sony Computer Entertainment released it in Japan and North America in 2002 and Ubi Soft published it in Europe in 2003. In May 2016 the game was released for PlayStation 4 through PlayStation Network.
The story follows Virginia Maxwell, an amateur Drifter (adventurer) looking for adventure on Filgaia, a desert planet with wild west motifs. After foiling an attempted train robbery of a valuable treasure, Virginia joins forces with three other Drifters as they travel the world and unravel a mysterious plot involving the ancient history of the planet.
Gameplay
Wild Arms 3 is the first game in the Wild Arms series in which all party members are able to use ARMs (magical firearms). It also replaces equippable armor and weapons with Personal Skills via Guardian (Mediums) invocation.
The battle graphics use the same background effects as the previous two games in series, but this time the camera can turn 360 degrees around the battle room and the characters can run while battling. As in the past two games, combat utilizes a turn-based system, but this can be modified on a battle-by-battle basis.
Unlike traditional RPGs, locations on the world map are not immediately visible. In order to discover new towns and dungeons, the player must ask for information or learn of them during the plot and then manually search for them using a GPS-like system. The world map, which the player must buy, assists the players in finding new locations.
Plot
The game takes place on a version of the planet Filgaia from the Wild Arms series, a place that is desolate to the point of even its seas consisting of sand, supposedly the result of an ancient war. Four Drifters find themselves chosen to wield the power of the planet's spiritual protectors, the Guardians, to stop a prophesied but unknown menace to their world. As they adventure together, they are opposed by other Drifter teams, a trio of fanatical scientists called the Prophets, and the Demons of Filgaian legend. The four adventurers eventually make startling discoveries about their world's true history, and their personal connections to it.
Characters
Playable characters
Virginia Maxwell is an 18-year-old Drifter who is searching for her long-lost father, whom she believes to still be alive. It is her life's wish to know and live the Drifter life, as her father did. Her ARMS are two revolvers given to her by her father. Jet Enduro is a cold-blooded boy who suffers from amnesia and who lets nothing get in his way. It is learned at Leyline Observatory that Jet's original name was "Adam Kadmon" (which refers to "Primal Man" in Kabbalah), as stated by Werner Maxwell. His ARM is a machine gun; and unknown to Jet, it was designed to be usable only by him. He has a connection to Virginia's father. Clive Winslett is a 30-year-old, cool-headed bounty-hunter with a soft spot for his family, consisting of his wife, Katherine, and their young daughter, Kaitlyn. Clive is tormented by an event in his past in which his mentor, Professor Berlitz, was killed during an excursion to delve into the mystery of Filgaia's past. Berlitz sacrificed himself to save Clive, to whom his daughter Katherine was engaged. Clive's ARM is a sniper rifle, which was one of many inventions of his mentor. Gallows Carradine is a 24-year-old native of the Baskar tribe seemingly intent on escaping his hometown and his priestly bloodline, by working as a low-rent Drifter bandit. His grandmother, Halle, gives the party hints and direction throughout the game, while disparaging her "useless" grandson. Gallows' younger brother Shane is a dream-seer for the tribe, and his predictions are known to always come true. His latest vision was of a "Blue Menace" who would seek to destroy Filgaia, and was eventually revealed to be Siegfried. His ARM is a sawed-off shotgun and the only of the four main characters' weapons that is never discussed in the plot.
Janus' Gang
Two teams of Drifters oppose the heroes: one is formed by Janus Cascade, a ruthless but charismatic bandit, and his lackeys, Romero and Dario; Janus later reveals himself to have been working for the Prophets. He is the villain for the first and second parts of the game. The Prophets inject him with Gias, which allows them to keep tabs on him, and punish him for failure via an electric shock. Janus ultimately attempts a not-too-subtle betrayal of the prophets, but it is revealed Janus was intended to be sacrificed by Siegfried, to allow the demon to have a corporeal form.