Wild Arms: the Vth Vanguard

The fifth Wild Arms game marks the 10th Anniversary of the series which kicked off on the original Playstation in December of 1996. Trek back to the world of Filgaia which is gradually falling into ruin. A group of young heroes known as the Migratory Birds stakes out into the world and endeavors to reverse the descent into decay. Heading up the group is a blue-haired lad named Dean Stark - when we first see him in the game, he's carrying a shovel and headed towards a dungeon. Joining him in the adventure are Avalil Van Freul and Rebecca Streisand who appear on the cover artwork with Dean.

In the early part of the game, Dean ventures into the aforementioned dungeon and eventually uncovers a golden artifact which he presents to an acquaintance who is waiting outside. In the dungeon, simple actions are enacted to open doors and players get a feel for the control of the game. Dean's sliding dash and downwards attack move may also be practiced. The movement of the game flows in fluid fashion and a versatile camera may be positioned to view the action from overhead or lowered to view it from slightly below Dean. The battle system is dubbed HEX Battle where combatants are positioned on one of six hexagrams and move between them to attack and fend off counterattacks. «NCS Game Notes»