The story begins in the world of Filgaia, a wild-western type world where nothing come in spades except for bad dudes. Obviously the only solution for some rotten tomatoes is to get rid of them, and that's where our heros step in; or actually we may have come in just a bit early. Our introduction to the brother/sister duo of Clarissa and Felius Arwin is upon their attempt to retrieve their late mother's sword which has been stolen from them by some rugged guy named Rupert. The Iskender Bay has a secret power which only Clarissa's mother has been able to unlock, and has yet to be seen again. unfortunately for Clarissa, Rupert is joined by a handful of robed figures just as things are looking up. From here the game leads into a tutorial of how to battle, then hops back for a quick cutscene detailing Rupert's escape to Elisius. Needless to say, Clarissa and her brother follow Rupert and find themselves in a whole mess of trouble with the kingdom of Elisius and a few new rules which have recently been established. The story mostly plays out as expected, with dialog boxes, brilliant illustrations, and some voice-acting to keep things interesting. In short, it's a good old RPG storyline.

Wild ARMS XF's battle system is where the fun begins. It's not a tough one to get used to, however it does feature a hexagonal playing field, unlike most SRPGs which are basted on a map of squares. The hex map quickly became my preferred way of playing an SRPG. Not only does the map feel more versatile, but it opens so many other doors for strategy and movement on the playing field. After all, isn't that what strategy RPGs are all about? Commands are dished out on a queue based on characters' RXF rating, and selected on a neat looking ring of actions. What's especially cool is that you can change your character class before every battle in order to suit up your party for whatever circumstances may call for. This can also be the game's greatest demon at the same time.

As with most SRPGs, most battles have a goal to accomplish and a set of rules governing a playing field. Wild ARMS is hardly any different, although it seems as though killing off all enemies on the map is a more common goal than it should be. There's still plenty of variety and balance within the quests as far as puzzle vs battle goes, but the ARMS system is something that became a bit bothersome. The pre-game class switching can at times feel like more of a trial and error segment than actual planning phase. Choose a class that's not well-suited for the quest and you'll find your party struggling to keep its head above water or straight up dead. The only issue is that the battles are sort of slow-paced, keeping things from being quick and easy. This also means if you're in considerable circumstances that things won't get better and gives a feeling of punishment for not having planned well. The end result is a mix of good and bad, because it feels really good to walk into battle all suited for combat but can also be deterring to find that you didn't properly prepare and have to try again.

Aside from this, the battles play out fantastically, despite the odd hitch every now and then before an attack. The game isn't very difficult once players get used to the class sytem and become familliar with victory stipulations. There's a wonderful challenge in the game that keeps thing interesting enough that you won't let your guard down, which is great because the last thing any game needs is a feeling of plodding through battles until the next cutscene pops up. Oh, and most importantly, you'll be tested on your skills as a strategist. Just about every battle has a strong element of strategy to it, which means there's not going to be any muscling through the opposition. It's always nice to see a genre done well. The world map is sprinkled with locales, of which you'll visit via menus and text-based conversations where the story is unravelled and quests are given. Also, players will find shops and inns to rest up and gather their bearings.

As far as the game's looks go, the in-game sprites and battlegrounds aren't anything special while still being easy on the eyes. Attacks like Originals have wonderful colors, keeping in tune with the rest of the game's blossoming sunset look. The art style and action bits in cutscenes are well illustrated and animated, along with the music to keep everything engaging. This is one of the other strong points of the game, as just about every track fits the situation and doesn't sound too shabby. The soundtrack could certainly have legs, and I'm nerdy enough to appreciate the music library as a listening service to some particularly cool tunes.

Wild ARMS XF is going to keep SRPG fans happy, and as for fans of the series I can't really say as I'm not well-versed upon the previous titles. I can however claim that as a newcomer, I was swept off my feet with the game's combination of atmosphere, art style, music, and still previously mentioned hex maps. It's certainly full of content too, as players can easily sink 40 hours into the title and won't be left unrewarded. It's also possible to double that playtime for those who want to scour every inch of Filgaia for what it's worth. Since this was more of an introductory title for me as far as the series goes, I think I've finally fallen into its clutches, but perhaps I'm the target audience for the western-themed game. In any case, Wild ARMS XF is a safe purchase for fans of the genre and most likely the series, as well as newcomers, too. It certainly has a place in the PSP's newfound SRPG library.