There isn't anything enchanting about Enchanted Arms.
The attempt is applaudable, though. Enchanted Arms shrinks many aspects of the genre which makes it so likeable to some but irksome to others in a simple 40-hour affair. The main character is Atsuma, the main character of the game with a penchant for stupidity, or rather, the poster child for any JRPGs. Thrown into the fray are a feisty princess, a loud-mouth hunter, a serve-my-master-at-all-cost warrior, and the package is complete. Even Makoto, an 'interesting' character with a rather different sexual orientation hardly assuage the feeling that we've perhaps seen it all somewhere and better. The result is more like a tutorial and an appetiser to what can be expected of next-gen RPGs, and not what it packages itself to be.
What particularly stood out is the battle system, which quite arguably is the sole saving grace for the mediocrity. Backed by the familiar random encounters, battles are presented in a chess-like platform, where characters can move around and use attacks with a fixed target area. What is pity is that it lacks much depth, as they are often about how to deal the greatest damage in the fastest manner. But then again, this makes up for easy and fast-paced battles which can be both enjoyable and addictive for the lazy-minded. That said, the camera angle needs better polishing too- another pity, considering the often beautiful and varied avatars of characters and golems on the battle field.
Think of golems as machines, or just comrades in arms when you decide to use them in battles. Enchanted Arms replicated another aspect off games such as Pokemon- the 'gotta catch 'em all' aspect, that is. Golems can be recruited throughout the game, and for players who are interested in online-battling, collecting the best and training them can add much logetivity to the game. The details paid in designing the golems, especially when there are so many of them, are amazing. If only such details are mirrored onto other aspects of the game.
Graphics, for one, is caught in the limbo of what is enchanting and what is sheer laziness. The portraits of characters are well-crafted, but the same can't be told about the environments. Exploring the worlds in Enchanted Arms is like driving 10 hours on a road to nothingness, minus the benefits of the car stereo and the auto-stick. The dullness of which is matched only by the lack of activity. There is no real incentives to interact with the NPCs, except to get the story going, a real big chore when there are so many back-tracking to mitigate your efforts.
Silence is probably something players will have to get used to when playing Enchanted Arms. On (too) many occassions, sound is mysteriously missing, reminding one of the extreme boredom that comes with exploring the indifferent environments. The Japanese voice acting (comes with the Asian version) is generally well done, evidenced by the convincing "GAHHHHH!" and the "WAHHHH!" Atsuma erupts whenever he got excited by the most un-interesting of matters. Enchanted Arms isn't bad, it just isn't good enough. As it clings onto the accolade of being the first JRPG on the shooters-proud Xbox 360, it may have silently carved the path for more of such games to come. While expecting more of the game is ill-advised, the game has done a decent job in portraying what next-gen RPGs is about without making a big hoo-ha over it.