The resulting ebb and flow works well in combination with each member's particular abilities. Along with their standard attacks, each character has original abilities, which use up mana, and force abilities, which use force energy. Force accumulates through the course of battle, but the resulting attacks are the most impressive of the game. Yulie's Material ability, in particular showcases some striking visual effects when she summons the resulting creatures. Racquel's Force ability, Intrude, is also enormously helpful, allowing her to perform two actions in the same turn. Combined with her innate skill to attack after moving to another hex within the same turn, you can potentially issue Racquel three commands in a row. The HEX system also assigns "ley points" to particular hexes, which glow in the corresponding color. Ley points are elemental hexes that enhance or inhibit attacks or other skills. For example, a foe in a red ley point will be resistant to fire attacks, but vulnerable to water attacks.
It's fairly easy to see any enemy's particular strengths and weaknesses, although we wish there were an easier way to survey the entire battleground before centering on the active party member. You can choose the attack or move command to pull out to a battlefield view, but it would have been helpful to have the battle start with that overview, or allow the player to see the full grid by pressing a shoulder button. Yet even with that inconvenience, and with all the additional strategic elements, combat is fairly easy, and most challenging encounters are from the occasional boss. Of course, it helps that your hit points automatically and inexplicably replenish after every battle.
Wild Arms 4 is considerably less impressive during exploration. Levels are littered with simple environmental puzzles that require a lot of jumping, which is frustrating thanks to the fixed camera. Some of the puzzles make some sense at least, such as using bombs to clear your pathway. On the other hand, Jude has an Acceleration ability that slows down the environment while he moves at normal speed, like some kind of bastardized Viewtiful Joe power. The ability is necessary to solve certain puzzles, and it reveals invisible items and Gella (money), but it's never really explained. How did Jude come by this power? Why can't he use it in battle? There's no answer, of course: it's a gameplay contrivance that's meant to add variety and comes off as underdeveloped and gimmicky.
