Filgaia

Filgaia (known as Fargaia in the Japanese) is a fictional planet in which all of the Wild Arms Series events and stories take place. In many ways, Filgaia is much like Earth, except the planet home to different and oftentimes more fantastic flora and fauna. Filgaia is quite different from game to game. The layout of continents and their geography are in constant flux. There are a small amount of dungeons and towns which seem to reappear from title to title but for the most part it is a different world in every game; The people who live on Filgaia also in a constant state of change.

Despite this, there are elements of Filgaia that are constant. Humans are the main inhabitants of Filgaia in each game and there are other species who originate or migrate to Filgaia, such as the Elw, Guardians, Metal Demons, Crimson Nobles, and certain kinds of Monsters. In some games Filgaia itself is known as it's own living organism. Filgaia-organism is also usually presented in a state of decay with greenery giving way to deserts and rock -- although the balance between the two can vary greatly. The technology can vary between medieval swords and shields to advanced technology such as space ships and often times there is a mix between extremes. Magic is also present in each Wild Arms title and either comes from Ley Lines across the planet or from the Guardians.

Wild Arms
Filgaia is a wasteland world, driven so due to the Great War from well before the game's time frame. The Guardians, charged with maintaining the natural balance of the world, have come under strain over the years, until they are too weak to fight off the Metal Demons. By restoring the Guardians, it's hoped that Filgaia can finally begin to recover from her wounds.

In Wild Arms: Alter Code F the setting is the same, though the world map is flipped horizontally.

Wild Arms 2
In the second game, Filgaia is still the setting, though it's a very different Filgaia than the first time. Technology has largely moved to the WWII era, though western themes remain present in places. Filgaia isn't the wasteland it was in the first game, and there's no natural threat to the environment itself. Instead, Filgaia is threatened both by a few doomsday weapons and even an encroaching parallel universe!

Wild Arms 3
In Wild Arms 3, Filgaia is a wasteland. It's ability to support life is dropping and the human population is sparse. This incarnation is in the state of greatest decay in the series with areas of greenery which can be counted with single digits. Because the world is mostly desert and wasteland, society has taken on the mentality of the Old West in Earth's history. Despite this there is evidence of industry, as evidenced by railways which stretch across most of the land. There are instances of highly advanced technology -- such as nano-machines -- and the ambitious Yggdrasil tower which was designed to revive Filgaia.

Wild Arms 4
In a departure from the other games in the series, Wild Arms 4 doesn't show much of Filgaia, though it is the overall setting. Environmental damage is mentioned, but only as a side effect of recent wars. Technology of the setting is easily the most advanced of the series on average (with the notable exception of the Veruni colonies in the next game), even more advanced than contemporary Earth! Nanotechnology and genetic engineering are advanced, but well-documented sciences.

All of this, of course, is despite visual cues from Victorian and Wild West themes.

Wild Arms 5
In Wild Arms 5, Filgaia was again once a lush and beautiful planet. This time, however, it was not ravaged by warfare, but by the dependence on high technology which polluted and corrupted the world. The surviving population were split between the Veruni who left the world in search of another to colonize, and the humans who remained behind to try to live on the world without the advanced technology which harmed it. Filgaia has largely recovered by the time of the game itself, though the return of the Veruni places it in danger once again.