Wild Arms Alter Code: F Is the Quintessential JRPG

Wild Arms Alter Code: F  is a remake of the original Wild Arms, which came out on the PSOne in 1997. The original game is notable not only for being one of the first JRPGs released on the PlayStation, but also being a fucking bizarre Western Sci-fi Fantasy genre game. Wild Arms was the first game I got with my PSOne, and Alter Code: F for the PS2 is the first game I played to 100% completion.

Like many of my PS2 games, it had been long enough since I’d played it that I’d forgotten many of the details, so I decided to replay it. Even after all these years, the story, the characters, and the gameplay still feels familiar. It’s like finding a much beloved book, your favorite parts tugging at your memory and encouraging you to move through the pages to reach them.

The visuals are as beautiful as I recalled, and Filgaia still feels like a large, interesting world. I sat down to play the game at around 5pm, and before I knew it, it was nearing midnight and I’d barely even taken a smoke break.

I still maintain that Wild Arms Alter Code: F is the quintessential JRPG. The story is solid, the characters are interesting and relatable, and each character feels useful.

If you’re a fan of the original, then rest assured that Alter Code: F does everything a good remake should do. It cleans up the story, smooths out the plot, and makes the game play more interesting. Though it’s expensive, you can still find the game easily enough on Amazon, and I highly recommend it.