The Golem War

Once upon a time, there was a land in which magic went awry. Human factions fought, escalating their magical weapons, until one day they created a powerful weapon they could no longer control, the devil golems. In the nick of time, before their own creations could destroy them, the people of this land managed to seal the awful creatures away. Thus, the Golem War ended and the story of Enchanted Arms™ begins.

Atsuma goes to the Yokohama City festival.

A thousand years pass. The game begins in Yokohama City, where Enchant University teaches special students what little knowledge of magic remains. Our hero, Atsuma, and his initial group of friends, are all students at this school.

Atsuma and his Posse
The game follows the antics and tragedies of Atsuma, a young man with a particular talent for fighting. He's quite a hot-head, so it's no wonder he's always getting into trouble. The game goes to great lengths to present Atsuma and his friends as well-rounded personalities with histories, feelings, and unique personalities.

When playing the single-player mode, you follow Atsuma on a linear storyline. The dialogue in Enchanted Arms is well-written, entertaining, and at times even laugh-out-loud funny. The beginning is heavy on the story, but this mostly a function of the clever tutorial. The further you progress in the game, the more often Atsuma and his friends face battles.

Cutesy little golems and low-level monsters sometimes
make it difficult to take the game seriously, but many of
these adorable creatures can wipe the road with you.

Atsuma's best friend is Toya, a young man with everything going for him. Not only is he hot, but he also has more than enough intelligence and common sense to make up for Atsuma's shortcomings in mental areas.

The other leg of the adventuring trio is Makoto. Makoto has a crush on Toya. He's jealous of Atsuma's easy friendship with Toya and doesn't understand why Toya hangs around with someone who gets him in so much trouble. But he doesn't want to be left behind, so he follows them on their adventures.

The epic architecture of Yokohama City.

The World and its People
The developers at FromSoftware have worked wonders with the visuals in Enchanted Arms. When viewed in hi-def on Xbox 360™ it is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Landscapes unfold before you in majestic detail as you travel through mountain ranges, forests, and other settings. The Japanese visual style here is dramatic and ever-present.

A different type of Japanese style shows in the design of some of the golems, the magically built servant creatures. It seems that the more powerful the golem, the cooler its animation and design. Some of the lower powered golems have a more childlike appeal.

Cutesy little golems and low-level monsters sometimes make it difficult to take the game seriously, but many of these adorable creatures can wipe the road with you. Keep that in mind when you come upon the pretty green pixie with the enormous eyes.

One of the funniest aspects of the game world are the many NPCs that you encounter. Only those that have relevance to the story have actual names. All the others have simply descriptors that give you an idea of what this person is like. For example, you may stop and talk to the Carefree Man, the Child with Big Dreams, or the Man Who Smells of Drink. You can talk to anyone in the game, but not all of them will have something to tell you.

Atsuma uses his powers.

Golems and their Combat
Enchanted Arms incorporates a turn-based form of combat. This keeps the story from getting too thick, and the story keeps the combat from getting too heavy. As in many RPGs, as you wander, you will be drawn into fights. Atsuma and anyone traveling with him will fight together. You control the entire party.

Combat takes place on a grid that is divided in half. Your characters are randomly scattered on one half, your opponents on the other. Use spells and ranged attacks to damage your opponent, utilizing powerful spells with large areas of effect, choosing who will attack and who will defend. Strategy will become increasingly important as your enemies grow stronger.

Enchanted Arms promises hours and hours of entertainment for anyone who loves a good story and strategy board games. Its best feature is that it truly is an enchanting adventure.

Article by Angel Leigh McCoy