Setting Wild Arms takes place in the world of Filgaia, a
fantasy world. The technology of the world varies greatly, with some areas resembling
medieval Europe, featuring cloistered monasteries and castles, while other areas resemble a frontier loosely akin to the
American West. Advancements such as
motors are found sporadically. Much of the technology is remnants recovered from the distant past by archaeologists and engineers who refashion it for the present day. Destructive technology such as ARMs (firearms) is seen as a dangerous and therefore forbidden technology that is feared by the general populace. If the title screen is left idle, an introductory scene plays depicting the more recent past. A group of metal demons invade Arctica Castle, kills the inhabitants, and reclaims the inert cocoon of Mother. The only seeming human survivors are two Fenril Knights of Arctica, Garret and Elmina, with Garret escaping.
Characters Wild Arms features three playable characters, each with a brief introduction at the start of the game. "Roughknight" in
Alter Code: F) is a 15-year-old boy from a remote village who was orphaned several years prior to the start of the game when his grandfather died. Under the care of the town's mayor, Rudy worked as a farmhand for his neighbor. In his prologue, Rudy finds and rescues a local boy lost in a cave just outside town, yet inadvertently frees a zombie sealed within the cavern. He defeats the zombie and saves the village but alerts the villagers to his forbidden ARM weapon in the process, causing him to be cast out of the village. He is forced into the life of an adventurer and Dream Chaser. Rudy is a
silent protagonist, though he does have one line in the game. •
Jack Van Burace (ザック・ヴァン・ブレイス Zakku Van Bureisu) is a
treasure hunter and swordsman-for-hire who is searching the world for the "ultimate power" that will allow him to confront his troubled past. In his prologue, Jack discovers an ancient holographic device within the Memory Temple bearing a warning from the lost race of the Elw, who had developed advanced technology. He sets off to the town of Adlehyde to find more information that will point him in the direction of his goal. Jack is accompanied by 'Hanpan,' a "wind mouse" that speaks and understands the human language and often acts as Jack's moral compass. is a young
princess who has spent most of her life studying at the Curan Abbey magic school. Her 17th birthday at the beginning of the game marks her official ascension into the Adlehyde royal family and departure from the school. Before she leaves, however, she is contacted by a mysterious voice who beckons her to a hidden library deep within the abbey. There she confronts and defeats a demon using her fledgling magic skills, and frees a powerful entity known as a Guardian from a sealed book. The Guardian informs Cecilia that her royal blood allows her to be a medium between the real world and the spirit dimension occupied by the avatars of all the world's elemental forces, and that she will be instrumental in securing the future and reconstruction of the barren planet. During the festival, an army of demons led by Belselk of the Quarter Knights attacks Adelhyde, burns the town, and steals the golems. In the fighting, Cecilia's father is mortally wounded. To spare the remaining people of Adlehyde, Cecilia gives Belselk her family heirloom, a pendant called the Tear Drop that has magical properties which can be used as a catalyst for reviving the demon's leader Mother. The invaders leave, but Rudy, Jack, and Cecilia decide to oppose the demons and restore the weakening balance of Filgaia's
elemental forces. Cecilia cuts off her long hair to symbolize breaking with her royal origin. Traveling across Filgaia, the heroes make their way to the abandoned Guardian Temple to gain the aid of the mystical Guardians who maintain the forces of nature. The Guardians inform the party that the demon's leader, "Mother," has been sealed away by three scattered statues that lie across Filgaia. Utilizing ancient Elw technology in the form of teleportation devices, the group travels the world to stop the Quarter Knights from destroying the statues, but they fail in each attempt. The resurrection of Mother occurs, yet the Quarter Knight Zeikfried discovers that her intentions are not what he expected. Rather than conquer Filgaia for the Metal Demons, she intends to eradicate it. Mother reveals that she was the one who destroyed the old home of the Metal Demons when Zeikfried was only a child and tells the Quarter Knights that their deaths will follow soon after. The heroes decide to attack the demons' stronghold, the Photosphere. Rudy, Jack, and Cecilia gather the necessary materials to enter the tomb of the last remaining golem, the Earth Golem, Asgard. Convincing him to aid them in their struggle, Asgard neutralizes the protective seal around the Photosphere, granting the team access. With the aid of a blue-hooded figure, the heroes reacquire Cecilia's Tear Drop, which had previously served as the power source to the entire fortress. They attack the weakened Mother, destroying her body as the Photosphere sinks into the ocean. Thinking the worst was over, the trio departed for Adlehyde, where the Quarter Knights confronted them. The blue-hooded character who assisted them is revealed to be Ziekfried, who had betrayed the megalomaniacal and insane Mother. However, the Quarter Knights still plan to conquer Filgaia, as initially intended. The demons attempt to destroy the "
Ray Line" underneath Filgaia that connects the Guardians and the planet. These plans are temporarily thwarted when Zeikfried is thrown through a dimensional rift during the confrontation with the three. Finding himself transported to the underwater wreckage of the Photosphere, Zeikfred is met by a deformed visage of Mother, who devours him. The remaining Quarter Knights find another way to disrupt the Ray Line by creating their own imitation destructive Tear Drop. They use the Elw teleportation system to distribute it over Filgaia, throwing the forces of nature into chaos. In the resulting conflicts, both Rudy and Jack's backstories are revealed. Rudy has to sever his own arm in the conflict with Zeikfried (by sword in
Wild Arms, and by gun in
Alter Code: F). With his inhuman interior revealed, Rudy is shown as a Holmcross, an artificial being designed as a weapon that shares the same basic physiology as the Metal Demons. These beings were largely discarded and destroyed after the ancient war as violent threats nearly as dangerous as the Metal Demons they fought against. Rudy's adoptive grandfather, Zepet, gave Rudy a gentle upbringing and the capacity to care and love, steering him away from being a weapon of destruction like his brethren. Jack is revealed to have originally been Garret, a knight of the fallen castle of Arctica. Lady Harken of the Quarter Knights is his old friend and colleague Elmina, since transformed into a servant of the Metal Demons by Alhazad's experiments. The Metal Demons find the tower of Ka Dingel and raise it to skyward to connect with Malduke, an ancient giant structure on one of the moons orbiting the planet. Rudy, Jack, and Cecilia confront what remains of their adversaries before reaching the teleportation device to take them to Malduke. There they confront Zeikfried, who has become possessed by Mother, and defeat the combined being. It still seems too late to stop Malduke's superweapon from destroying Filgaia, but the Guardians are able to pool their strength and revive the world. Rudy, Jack, and Cecilia board the teleportation device to be transported back home but are stopped mid-voyage by Zeikfried. The weakened Zeikfried launches a last desperate assault but is finally defeated. Narrowly escaping through the destabilized portal to Filgaia, the Earth Golem Asgard shields the trio from a collapsing Ka Dingel. Asgard sustains great damage and is allowed to sleep once more beneath the earth with Cecilia's help. Cecilia prepares to live in Adlehyde to fulfill her duties as ruler. She soon leaves leadership responsibilities to others and joins Jack and Rudy on a new journey. ==Development==