Enchanted Arms (2006)

Average rating

(51%)

Developers:	FROM SOFTWARE
Genres:	Xbox 360
Number of players:	1-2
Released:	September 08, 2006
Also available on:

Enchanted Arms is the long awaited introduction of the Japanese style Fantasy Role Playing game to the Xbox 360. At least that's what people are saying - though FInal Fantasy has been available on the platform for some time already. But Enchanted Arms is certainly the first all-new and platform exclusive RPG on the 360 - and that in itself is cause for celebration. And Enchanted Arms is an excellent example of the genre to boot.

In Enchanted Arms, players take part in an epic adventure across a game world filled with magic and demons. Our hero Atsuma and his party travel across the land trying to rescue his friends and defeat the demons and monsters threatening to destroy the world he knows. As he travels, he must take part in battles that make use of an original and unique development of the familiar RPG battle mechanic. The use of a grid-based battle system adds an extra level of strategy to each battle you fight. The game looks gorgeous, and offers up to 50 hours of playing time.

As well as the typical RPG elements such as characters to meet and interact with, skills and money to collect and experience to amass, Enchanted Arms also has Golems. These are robot characters that Atsuma can build and add to his battle group as he progresses through the game. Different Golems have different strengths and weaknesses - much like 'human' characters of the game, choosing the right characters to include in your battle party can make the difference between a glorious win or an ignominious defeat.

Enchanted Arms is sure to be a raging success with fans of the RPG genre, carrying enough of the usual elements to be familiar, but adding its own special twist of battle strategy.

Screenshots

Highest rated reviews

7 out of 7 people found the following review helpful:

A decent rent for RPG nuts.

Grahame from Scotland, 25th May, 2007

Enchanted Arms is next generation in visuals alone with gameplay stuck firmly in the last gen of RPG games. If you didn't like Final Fantasy 10 or games of a similar ilk I would advise you to stop reading now. This is a game for those already drilled in turn based combat. The characters all have lovely floppy hair and big anime eyes that will immediately please any JRPG fan. The voice acting can be slightly grating at times but this can be skipped through and is only a minor complaint. The questing itself is fairly linear and there is virtually no backtracking whatsoever. The battle system however is intruiging, with the game using a grid based system for movement and attacks. listening to the tutorials (they are somewhat boring though) is important as they disclose how to use cover effectively, essential for hiding weaker members of your party from a sudden death. All in all Enchanted Arms is a reasonable game that does not excel in any area but does not fail miserably either. Definately worth a try for RPG starved 360 gamers before Blue Dragon and others arrive.

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5 out of 5 people found the following review helpful:

RPG by numbers

A Customer from Liverpool, England, 29th September, 2006

If Final Fantasy X was the missing link in gaming for you then, the formula is well and truly alive and well in this latest offering. You see the usual: pretty boy manga-esque characters in day-glo outfits, repetitive random encounters with baddies, enough stats to maintain any geeky conversation with regard to levelling up and the merits of might versus magic. It does stand out for its next-gen graphical tweaks and movies, and also its amusing tongue-in-cheek characters. I would say if you a novice to the genre you won't really get the appeal straight away, but there's plenty here for you to say goodbye to a good few hours of your life...

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