Wild ARMs, as a series, began as one of the first RPGs Sony itself produced for its young PSone platform. Sporting a mixture of wild west and fantasy influences, it marked a slightly different take on the RPG formula popular at the time. A PSone sequel was released and two previous PS2 outings have been unleashed on the world from a rotating selection of game publishers.

The latest home for the Wild ARMs series is XSeed Games, who have published a PS2-remix of the first Wild ARMs title, Wild ARMs 4 and now the latest installment, Wild ARMs 5.Throughout the series, the core elements have stayed true to its origins; a mixture of wild west and fantasy elements, as well as a distinctive style of turn-based RPG combat.

That is one element that gets a bit of a twist this time out; while the combat is still turn-based, a dash of grid-based tactical RPG style is tossed into the soup for a fresh flavor; for the most part, it works in livening up the works, at least for a while. Some squares on each battle grin are aligned with particular elements and can offer strategic advantages or disadvantages in battle; when multiple party members line up in the same square, devastating combo moves can be opened up, although they reveal themselves over time. The downside is, in a return attack, all party members sharing the same square share damage, meaning that several characters can fall at once instead of separately.

The game was released in a special anniversary package that celebrated the first decade of Wild ARMs games. That packaging includes a collectible art book that series fans ought to find appealing. Yet that’s just the “wrapping paper,” as it were. The package itself is a nice step forward for Wild ARMs as a series, as the game now seems fully at home on the PlayStation 2; unfortunately, it comes to the PS2 table a bit late as most games are now gearing up for their big PS3 premieres, and even Wild ARMs 5, for all it’s merits, trails a bit behind other late PS2 RPG releases like Final Fantasy XII, Rogue Galaxy and others.

Also, the story stretches credulity, even on fantasy terms, in a James Bond, “oh yeah, right, that’d work” fashion. For example, in one early sequence, one of our protagonists is tossed from a train riding a wood rail bridge high atop a desert floor; the hero-tosser also tosses down a hand grenade and we’re supposed to buy that the impact force of the exploding hand grenade below him cushions his fall to the desert floor, allowing him to land unharmed below.

Happens every day. And twice on Sundays. Right?

Still, as good as it is to be sojourning through another tale of the world of Filgaia, the wrinkle lines are definitely beginning to show on the series and its execution. Though the names change over the sequels, the tales remain just a bit too familiar and one gets the sense that it is well past due for the Wild ARMs formula to undergo an extreme makeover. If the series devolves any more, it will be about as fun as a colon cleanse. While the essential idea of a wild West RPG can still hold a lot of appeal, it’s time to mix things up a bit in terms of the style of tale told.

As potentially the final PS2 installment of the series, Wild ARMs 5 will satisfy most series fans, even if it converts no skeptics. However, when the first PS3-era edition of Wild ARMs debuts, I believe it will require more than just prettier graphics to help the series feel fresh and new. In the meantime, this final walk with an old friend through a familiar neighborhood will stir up all he proper sentimental feelings for longtime series fans.