Wild Arms 2, known in Japan as Wild Arms: 2nd Ignition (Japanese:ワイルドアームズ セカンドイグニッション)[1], is the second game in the Wild Arms series. It was released in 1999 in Japan, with an American release following in 2000. The game was later added to the PlayStation Network.
Story[]
(From the American manual)
Once, there was a Blaze of Disaster that stained Filgaia with its crimson flames... The flames from the earth scorched the heavens. The blazing whirlwinds threatened to consume the very future of the planet. Mankind clung to its only hope of surviving this life-or-death crisis: the Sword Magess. Born as the daughter of a nameless petty nobleman, she was drawn to the call of the Guardian Blade named "Argetlahm." With no way to fight, the people cast their hopes on the Magess’ sword and believed in the future.
The night of the seventh day after obtaining the sword — wrapped in a torrent of light, the Magess vanished from Filgaia together with the Blaze of Disaster, leaving behind Argetlahm plunged deep in the earth...
Time passed. The Guardian Blade Argetlahm began to be treated as a symbol of power. The battle of the Sword Magess remained in the hearts of the people as a familiar, ubiquitous legend. But the people had no reason to think that their familiar legends of the past would have meaning in the present — and in the future.
Disc 1[]
Ashley's Prologue[]
Ashley Winchester is part of a platoon of musketeers who have been deployed to rescue a young boy kidnapped and taken to the Withered Ruins. After some exploring, he happens upon the hostage, Tony Stark, who creates a diversion for his captors and accidentally hits a switch that sets loose a giant monster called Kalivos that chases them all throughout the ruins. Outside, the other soldiers detect the monster and discover that it is secreting a combustible liquid; Ashley's commander prepares to fire the Rail Gun, an ARM that will destroy the ruins in order to kill the monster and sacrifice everyone else still inside to eliminiate the risk of Kalivos escaping. When a fellow soldier passes on the order to evacuate, Ashley refuses to leave anyone behind and insubordinately slays the monster. Despite the lives he has saved, Ashley is put on probation, yet he has no regret.
Lilka's Prologue[]
Sorceress-in-training Lilka Eleniak inadvertently appears in Palace Village using a Teleport Gem while trying to reach Valeria Chateau. The villagers are quite hospitable towards her despite her abrupt visit, and she has a long flashback to the Millenium Puzzle in which her older sister was trapped in as she guided Lilka through it with her voice. In the present day, she learns that the villagers have a problem with monsters attacking their granary at night, and come nightfall she protects the village from Olivier. The villagers extend their gratitude, gifting her with another Teleport Gem and sending her off as she hurries to the Valeria household. As she leaves, the villagers observe a few ill omens, including a black cat and an untied shoelace, leading them to worry for the young girl.
Brad's Prologue[]
Brad Evans, a former member of the Slayhem Liberation Army, is a fugitive being hunted down in Greenhell under the cover of darkness and heavy rain. The men chasing him release Barghests to flush him out of hiding, though he avoids their pursuit and even finds a stray puppy in the trees (who he later names Rush). He is almost out of the woods when a Gremalkin menaces the recruits and he rushes in to save them. Wounded from battle, Brad escapes to a nearby village, T'Bok limping the entire way and finally collapsing once he reaches it. He awakens to find himself being nursed back to health by a young woman named Merrill, who hides him in a barn stable until his pursues track him down, threatening collateral damage and casualties unless Brad surrenders himself. He goes quietly, wishing to himself for peace and an end to bloodshed.
Post-prologue[]
Ashley is still under house arrest in his hometown of Town of Meria, where his childhood friend Marina Irington, the innkeeper's daughter who helps run the bakery, stirs him from sleep. He runs into Tony outside, being introduced to the boy's friends Scott Summers and Tim Rhymeless, who task him with catching a cat on a roof. He does so and they reward him with a Crest Cap and the Medium for Grudiev when Marina brings Ashley an envelope from the musketeers saying his probation has been lifted and that he has been assigned to the special new squad, upsetting Marina as she worries that Ashley will be exposed to further danger. He departs for Sword Cathedral the next day for the ceremony, with Marina seeing him off at the last second.
At the knighting ceremony for ARMS, each member tries unsuccessfully to pull the Guardian Blade Argetlahm from a stone. During the feast, tremors shake the cathedral and a black darkness starts to turn the musketeers into monsters. The men trying to flee the building are all demonized, though Ashley hears a voice inside of him telling him to survive, and he turns into a different monster with a different appearance than the others as he fights until he is the only one left. He goes back to the heart of the cathedral and grips the sword again, this time successfully pulling out as the specter of the Sword Magess Anastasia Valeria appears before him. Just before Ashley collapses, a man on crutches enters the room, introducing himself as Irving Vold Valeria. Outside of the Sword Cathedral, two figures, Caina and Vinsfeld Rhadamanthus, discuss the apparent Demon Summoning ritual and their misgivings about Irving from afar.
Disc 2[]
Characters[]
Heroes[]
- Ashley Winchester - The effective main character of the game. A natural-born hero that inherits both the power of the evil demon Lord Blazer and the sword of the Sword Magess. He is dealing with the balance of these two forces, and the true meaning of 'heroism' that not only drives his story, but that of the rest of the game.
- Brad Evans - A former war hero now treated as a war criminal. He's tough, powerful, and has the best understanding of the military mind of the group. His story is to come to grips with what he can do now that his wars are over and those he served no longer have a need for him. He's the 'displaced veteran' of the group.
- Lilka Eleniak - A crest sorceress attempting to fill her talented older sister's shoes. She's the cheerful girl of the group, though this is largely a front to cover up her own lack of confidence in her skills.
- Tim Rhymeless - An orphaned boy in the town of Meria. Despite his youth and innocence, Tim retains a powerful ability to speak to and command the Guardians. Tim's story deals with the selfishness and often emptiness of sacrifice.
- Kanon - A bounty hunter determined to bring down the demon Lord Blazer that inhabits Ashley's body. Kanon has a tortured past, and her story deals with the conflict of what she thinks she should be, and what she truly wants to be.
- Marivel Armitage - One of the last, if not the last, Crimson Noble, and an associate of Irving. She is an optional character, but has knowledge of history and technology far greater than anyone else. Her long life, however, has made her despairingly lonely. Her story reveals a lot of Filgaia's history, that of the Crimson Nobles, and her resolve to persevere despite it all.
Odessa[]
- Vinsfeld Rhadamanthus - The leader of a nebulous terrorist organization known as Odessa. He used to lead the Slayheim Liberation Army, and his actions led to Brad being framed as a criminal. Now he seemingly seeks to conquer the world with his new army.
- Judecca Ducet - Odessa's hitman and expert marksman, he is an insane and violent man, prone to torturing his victims even to the detriment of his mission.
- Antenora Victoria - The strategist of Odessa, she is set on getting Vinsfeld to love her.
- Caina - The wielder of Randolf the Magic Key, that allows his to summon monsters for Odessa. He follows Vinsfeld out of extreme personal devotion.
- Ptolomea - The honorable field commander of Odessa's troops, and the "muscles" of the organization.
- Liz & Ard - A couple of Odessa's minions, one strong and stupid, the other overly full of himself and his intelligence. They are never apart, always providing comic relief.
Other villains[]
- Lord Blazer - The "Blaze of Disaster" that was defeated and sealed a thousand years ago by the Sword Magess. Now, the demon resides within Ashley's body.
- Kuiper Belt - A malevolent parallel universe, that encroaches and threatens to consume Filgaia. It's the true source of monsters across the land, and the ultimate threat of the game.
Allies[]
- Irving Vold Valeria - The commander of ARMS, and the one who put the group together. He aims to reduce tensions between countries and make them work together for the future of the world.
- Colette Mapleleaf - A "Pillar" candidate for the Baskar, and Tim's love interest.
- Marina Irington - Ashley's love interest.
- Billy Pilder - Brad's old war comrade.
- Merrill - Young girl from T'Bok Village, who helped Brad back during his military days.
Merchandise[]
Soundtrack[]
Album cover
Released on January 10, 1999 by SPE Visual Works, Wild Arms 2nd Ignition Original Soundtrack includes the background music for the game.
Radio play[]
Radio play cover
Exclusive to Japan, Wild Arms 2nd Ignition Original Drama is a radio play with 17 tracks on it, released on July 27th, 2002.
Game Guides[]
Japanese-language Complete Guide
Kadokawa published the Japanese-language Complete guide on November 1st, 1999, with 367 pages.[2]
Versus Books published the Wild Arms 2 Official Perfect Guide in the year 2000, produced by Empire 21 and written by Ryan Lockhart, is the official English-language guide, published alongside the game. The guide included a pull-out poster depicting a piece of official art with Ashley Winchester, Brad Evans, and Lilka Eleniak standing with weapons poised and with the silhouette of Lord Blazer standing on a cliff in the background.
Manga[]
Art book[]
Fargaia Chronicle cover
WILD ARMS FARGAIA CHRONICLE, an art book containing conceptual designs from Wild Arms, Wild Arms 2 and Wild Arms Twilight Venom was released on November 29th, 1999 in Japan only, having never been translated or exported.
Openings[]
Trivia[]
- The original title of the game was "Wild Arms: 2nd Ignition", though "Wild Arms 2" appears on covers as well. For some time, there was confusion about the title's presentation being in all capital-letters, leading some (most infamously RPGamer) to believe that "ARMS" actually stood for the acronym used within the game. After the release of Wild Arms 4, however, Sony clarified the name of the franchise, as well as all of its games, making this game definitively "Wild Arms 2".
- This particular entry in the series is noted for having a weak translation in comparison to its predecessor and successors. As a result, the characters speak in odd ways in English, and many scenes with dialogue that utilize Japanese references (specifically conversations with Liz) make no sense to U.S. gamers. Some parts of the story are also lost in translation due to the sloppy quality.
References[]
- ↑ ワイルドアームズ セカンドイグニッション (Japanese)
- ↑ [1] (Japanese)
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