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http://www.examiner.com/x-13269-Gam...gile-Dreams-Farewell-Ruins-of-the-Moon-review
Text is here, but you can click the link above to support my habit.
Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon is that type of game that would not have released in the States 15 years ago. Yet thanks to companies like Atlus, NIS America and XSEED Games, a niche market of distinctly Japanese games has grown that a game as unusual and dreamlike as Fragile can make it to Western shores.
The lead character is Seto, a young man who has been left alone by his recently deceased grandfather. With no reason to remain in his home, Seto departs with a cryptic message to head for a mysterious tower miles away (which players will recognize as Tokyo Tower). Shortly after venturing outside, he encounters the silver-haired Ren. Even though she quickly eludes him, Seto is compelled to find her again.
During this pursuit he encounters a host of characters, each one as interesting as the next. The mischievous Crow is a pest a first, but soon develops a heart-felt friendship with Seto. The playful Sai is a bodiless soul who guides Seto through a good portion of the game. He even develops a touching relationship with a portable computer that he carries on his back. All the while Seto explores a world that is devoid of humans and it is through his journey that he is able to gather clues on why everyone disappeared.
Seto's world very much reminiscent of the History Channel series Life After People. Man-made structures are everywhere, except there's no one to maintain them. Vegetation has grown, metal has rusted, and buildings are run down. This adds an effective level of otherworldliness even though the surroundings are recognizable. It fees up developer tri-Crescendo from having to rely on classic video game locales (even though there is one sewer area). Fragile can often feel surreal and this is aided by the fact that the player can go back and forth between nighttime and daylight locales without the game needed to explain itself.
The analog stick on the Wii nunchuck provides Seto with primary movement, while pointing with the Wii remote controls the camera. The d-pad accesses the inventory and map, while the A button is used for attacking. These controls are more than adequate although it would have been nice to have a 180-degree turn move, which are practically standard in many Wii adventure titles.
Director Kentaro Kawashima intended Fragile to be a game about the items that the player can find. This title follows the notion of objects preserving the memories and experiences of their owners. When Seto finds an item, he can learn about the object's significance and how it played a role in the owner's life. Some messages are more profound than others, but all are worth listening to.
In order for Seto to view these objects, he needs to carry them to the game's numerous recovery points. These makeshift fireplaces also allow Seto to regain health, save progress, and manage his inventory. Speaking of inventory, Fragile adopts a Resident Evil-style suitcase that has limited space. Fortunately, larger suitcases become available later in the game.
Fragile is not just about exploration, as Seto's Tokyo is filled with evil spirits looking to stop his progress. Possibly as a twist to the classic RPG slime, the game's most common enemy are floating jelly fish with faces. There are also ethereal pairs of lethal legs, ghost dogs of various sizes, and arms that reach out from the walls. More disturbing are the translucent women who attack using the prods on their backs and the fireball-throwers who look like spandex-clad superheroes, if not for their quadruped lower halves. Along with these opponents, there's a solid offering of bosses, who can be challenging, but easy to figure out.
In choosing battles, tri-Crescendo presents the player with classic risk/reward factors that any RPG fan will recognize. Winning battles will often award the player with health items and goods that can be exchanged for cash, so confrontations are worthwhile. The need to grind is all but non-existent; attacking say, 80% of the enemies encountered will level up Seto sufficiently for the subsequent boss fights.
While Seto's move set is rather limited, the developers present the user with new weapons at various stages in the game, offered a pace that preserves the challenge without making any fight unmanageable. These are the type of weapons that one might find and use in this post-rapture setting: sticks, mallets, butterfly nets, axes, golf clubs, iron rods and the odd katana. All these weapons have a limited use factor and can break without warning. They can still be used, they just will not be as effective.
Replacement weapons can be found occasionally, but the player's best bet is by stocking up on weapons sold by the merchant who appears often at Seto's recovery points. This fellow, who is not exactly human, sports a giant chicken head and adds to the game's surrealist look.
Even though Fragile is often dark and can seem ominous at times, is it not intended to deliver a survival horror experience. While a dilapidated carnival in Silent Hill can make for a creepy setting, a similar amusement park in Fragile ends up feeling both somber and serene. The game occasionally conveys the brightness that the moonlight can often cast in real life and is something that is rarely seen in this medium.
One can say that such poetic delivery is the point of Fragile. Many will find subtle rhythms in many of the objects' narratives. The game's theme of one finding another person to share their experiences with is a melancholic message to many socially challenged gamers who should hopefully find Fragile inspiring. As an added touch, poignant dreamlike interludes break up the game's various unmarked chapters. Many fans of Makoto Shinkai (Voices of a Distant Star, 5 Centimeters per Second) and Mamoru Hosoda's The Girl Who Leapt Through Time will certainly relate to Fragile Dreams.
Special credit should good to XSEED Games for preserving the game's intended vision. Not only did the publisher preserve Fragile's poetic flow, XSEED also kept at least one scene that most other publishers would not hesitate in editing out. While there is a Japanese voice option, the English audio should satisfy those who do not want to read subtitles. Most of the English characters are well cast, with some voices who should be recognizable to many anime fans.
With each passing year, developers are getting better and better at pulling gamers' emotional strings. If Heavy Rain gets the pulse racing with suspense and dramatic plot developments, Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon offers moments of pause and introspection. Its themes of friendship and time with others is often delivered elegiacally and can bring the user to states of reflection.
(This review is based off a 15-hour playthrough of the game. The story was completed and reasonable efforts were made to find as many items as possible.)
Developer: Namco (Project Fragile) / tri-Crescendo
Publisher: XSEED Games
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Released: March 16, 2010
Text is here, but you can click the link above to support my habit.
Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon is that type of game that would not have released in the States 15 years ago. Yet thanks to companies like Atlus, NIS America and XSEED Games, a niche market of distinctly Japanese games has grown that a game as unusual and dreamlike as Fragile can make it to Western shores.
The lead character is Seto, a young man who has been left alone by his recently deceased grandfather. With no reason to remain in his home, Seto departs with a cryptic message to head for a mysterious tower miles away (which players will recognize as Tokyo Tower). Shortly after venturing outside, he encounters the silver-haired Ren. Even though she quickly eludes him, Seto is compelled to find her again.
During this pursuit he encounters a host of characters, each one as interesting as the next. The mischievous Crow is a pest a first, but soon develops a heart-felt friendship with Seto. The playful Sai is a bodiless soul who guides Seto through a good portion of the game. He even develops a touching relationship with a portable computer that he carries on his back. All the while Seto explores a world that is devoid of humans and it is through his journey that he is able to gather clues on why everyone disappeared.
Seto's world very much reminiscent of the History Channel series Life After People. Man-made structures are everywhere, except there's no one to maintain them. Vegetation has grown, metal has rusted, and buildings are run down. This adds an effective level of otherworldliness even though the surroundings are recognizable. It fees up developer tri-Crescendo from having to rely on classic video game locales (even though there is one sewer area). Fragile can often feel surreal and this is aided by the fact that the player can go back and forth between nighttime and daylight locales without the game needed to explain itself.
The analog stick on the Wii nunchuck provides Seto with primary movement, while pointing with the Wii remote controls the camera. The d-pad accesses the inventory and map, while the A button is used for attacking. These controls are more than adequate although it would have been nice to have a 180-degree turn move, which are practically standard in many Wii adventure titles.
Director Kentaro Kawashima intended Fragile to be a game about the items that the player can find. This title follows the notion of objects preserving the memories and experiences of their owners. When Seto finds an item, he can learn about the object's significance and how it played a role in the owner's life. Some messages are more profound than others, but all are worth listening to.
In order for Seto to view these objects, he needs to carry them to the game's numerous recovery points. These makeshift fireplaces also allow Seto to regain health, save progress, and manage his inventory. Speaking of inventory, Fragile adopts a Resident Evil-style suitcase that has limited space. Fortunately, larger suitcases become available later in the game.
Fragile is not just about exploration, as Seto's Tokyo is filled with evil spirits looking to stop his progress. Possibly as a twist to the classic RPG slime, the game's most common enemy are floating jelly fish with faces. There are also ethereal pairs of lethal legs, ghost dogs of various sizes, and arms that reach out from the walls. More disturbing are the translucent women who attack using the prods on their backs and the fireball-throwers who look like spandex-clad superheroes, if not for their quadruped lower halves. Along with these opponents, there's a solid offering of bosses, who can be challenging, but easy to figure out.
In choosing battles, tri-Crescendo presents the player with classic risk/reward factors that any RPG fan will recognize. Winning battles will often award the player with health items and goods that can be exchanged for cash, so confrontations are worthwhile. The need to grind is all but non-existent; attacking say, 80% of the enemies encountered will level up Seto sufficiently for the subsequent boss fights.
While Seto's move set is rather limited, the developers present the user with new weapons at various stages in the game, offered a pace that preserves the challenge without making any fight unmanageable. These are the type of weapons that one might find and use in this post-rapture setting: sticks, mallets, butterfly nets, axes, golf clubs, iron rods and the odd katana. All these weapons have a limited use factor and can break without warning. They can still be used, they just will not be as effective.
Replacement weapons can be found occasionally, but the player's best bet is by stocking up on weapons sold by the merchant who appears often at Seto's recovery points. This fellow, who is not exactly human, sports a giant chicken head and adds to the game's surrealist look.
Even though Fragile is often dark and can seem ominous at times, is it not intended to deliver a survival horror experience. While a dilapidated carnival in Silent Hill can make for a creepy setting, a similar amusement park in Fragile ends up feeling both somber and serene. The game occasionally conveys the brightness that the moonlight can often cast in real life and is something that is rarely seen in this medium.
One can say that such poetic delivery is the point of Fragile. Many will find subtle rhythms in many of the objects' narratives. The game's theme of one finding another person to share their experiences with is a melancholic message to many socially challenged gamers who should hopefully find Fragile inspiring. As an added touch, poignant dreamlike interludes break up the game's various unmarked chapters. Many fans of Makoto Shinkai (Voices of a Distant Star, 5 Centimeters per Second) and Mamoru Hosoda's The Girl Who Leapt Through Time will certainly relate to Fragile Dreams.
Special credit should good to XSEED Games for preserving the game's intended vision. Not only did the publisher preserve Fragile's poetic flow, XSEED also kept at least one scene that most other publishers would not hesitate in editing out. While there is a Japanese voice option, the English audio should satisfy those who do not want to read subtitles. Most of the English characters are well cast, with some voices who should be recognizable to many anime fans.
With each passing year, developers are getting better and better at pulling gamers' emotional strings. If Heavy Rain gets the pulse racing with suspense and dramatic plot developments, Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon offers moments of pause and introspection. Its themes of friendship and time with others is often delivered elegiacally and can bring the user to states of reflection.
(This review is based off a 15-hour playthrough of the game. The story was completed and reasonable efforts were made to find as many items as possible.)
Developer: Namco (Project Fragile) / tri-Crescendo
Publisher: XSEED Games
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Released: March 16, 2010
