Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins Of The Moon

Frail Dreams:
Farewell Ruins of the Moon

Northward American Box Fine art

Japanese title

フラジール～さようなら月の廃墟～ (Fragile: Sayonara Tsuki no Haikyo)

Developer(southward)

Namco
Tri-Crescendo

Publisher(s)

Namco Bandai Games (JAP)
Xseed Games (NA)
Rising Star Games (PAL)

Platform(due south)

Nintendo Wii

Realese Date(s)

January 22, 2009 (JAP)
March 16, 2010 (NA)
March 19, 2010 (PAL)

Genre

Part-Playing Game

Way

Single-histrion

Ratings

CERO: A (JAP)
ESRB: T (NA)
PEGI: 7 (PAL)

FragileDreams JAP Cover1.jpg

Japanese Box Fine art

FragileDreams EU Cover1.jpg

European Box Art

Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (フラジール～さよなら月の廃墟～, Fragile: Sayonara Tsuki no Haikyo) is a part-playing post-apocalyptic take chances game for the Nintendo Wii. The game was developed by Namco Bandai Games and Tri-Crescendo and released by Namco in Japan on Jan 22, 2009 before being released in North America by Xseed games^[1] and in Europe past Rise Star Games.^[2]

The game follows the experiences of a 15-year old boy named Seto who sets out into the earth following the death of his flagman. After a mysterious apocalypse flesh is left near extinct, and with a hopeful step Seto braves the world in search of other survivors similar himself.

Plot [ ]

Fragile Dreams is set in the near-future, where an apocalypse has left humanity dwindling and cities in ruin. The game drops the player in the worn shoes of Seto, a immature boy. In the game's opening, Seto narrates how his "grandfather," an old man that he lived with, died at the stop of the summertime. He buries his gramps, and from that moment on he is truly alone. Seto decided to prepare out in search for other survivors in the ruins of Tokyo, marker the outset of the game'southward events.

Setting [ ]

The game is set in abased areas of Tokyo and the surrounding land. Many of the locations the player ventures into are dark, with lilliputian to no lighting, and in a decrepit state, owing to the disappearance of mankind. Much of the settings are faithful recreations of real-globe locations, especially the tunnels and utility systems underneath Tokyo. Aside from desolate ruins, Seto also visits more colorful locales and the game emphasizes the beauty of overgrowth and the natural sky later on the disappearance of humans.

Characters [ ]

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Seto: A xv-year-old boy who has little feel of the earth outside his home. After the quondam man he lives with passes abroad, Seto travels alone searching for survivors like himself. Following clues from a letter left by the sometime human, Seto heads east towards a shining red tower. In the English language version, he is voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch. In the Japanese version, he is voiced by Houko Kuwashima.

Ren: A silver-haired girl whom Seto first encounters sitting on a aging subway entrance, singing beneath the moonlight. Whilst walking through ruins, Ren playfully draws colorful doodles, looks for abased treasures, plays with stray cats, and lives a carefree life. In the English version, she is voiced by Danielle Judovits. In the Japanese version, she is voiced by Miku Yoshikawa.

Personal Frame (P.F.): A portable computer that Seto carries on his back. Having been abandoned for a long fourth dimension, she was happy when Seto rescues her and helps guide him through the ruins. She loves having conversations more than than annihilation else, and dutifully serves Seto to her fullest. The English voice is provided by Nicole Karrer. in the Japanese audio, she is voiced past Umeka Shōji.

Sai: The ghost of a young woman, bored of wandering the abandoned hotel she died in. She comes along with Seto out of curiosity, just later on shows that she has a connection to what brought about humanity's demise. In the English language version, she is voiced by Karen Strassman. In the Japanese version, she is voiced by Ryo Hirohashi.

Crow: A mischievous and straightforward boy. Though he remembers null of his past, he refuses to despair and remains cheerful. In club to notice his birthplace, he relies on only a single photo. Though he and Seto get off to a rocky get-go, they soon become friends. He is voiced by Steve Staley in the English language version and past Mie Sonozaki in the Japanese version.

Chiyo: A bratty little girl Seto encounters in a decrepit hotel. She hovers, ghost-like, barring Seto's progress and requesting seemingly impossible tasks earlier trusting him. She is voiced by Laura Bailey in the English version and Chiwa Saitō in the Japanese version.

Seto and PF at a blaze with the Merchant.

The Merchant: A mysterious man who trades in various goods. Ever merry, he collects lots of sparkling things. He is most notable for the large craven head he wears on his head, where only his red optics are seen through the oral cavity. He is voiced by Dave Wittenberg in the English language version and Tomohisa Asō in the Japanese version.

Shin: A researcher from days long past. Seto hears this man'southward menacing vocalisation ordering Ren to render to him. Simply what is his connection to the silvery-haired daughter, and how does it relate to the disaster that wiped out humanity? He is voiced by Troy Baker in the English version and Toshio Furukawa in the Japanese version.^[3]

Gameplay [ ]

Seto fighting some enemies in an underground tunnel

Master article: Fragile Dreams Gameplay

The gameplay of the game is, in a sense, a hack-and-slash gamble game, where the actor has to journey from expanse to expanse defeating enemies that announced and fulfilling objectives. Many elements of the game take on a role-playing attribute, such every bit feel points, leveling up, weapon types, and collectible items. In addition to weapons, Seto is armed with a flashlight to reveal the mode and collaborate with the environment.

Items are scattered across the game's globe, highlighted by the glow of fireflies flying around information technology. Some items serve a specific, immediate purpose, but the majority of the items that can be found are Retentivity Items, objects that hold the memories of people and help clarify the game'due south plot and the disaster that occurred in the past. Additionally, well-nigh items are picked upwards as Mystery Items and must exist brought to a Blaze, the game'southward save indicate, before they tin exist identified.

The enemies are a menage of animals, ghosts, demons, and robots. Their presence is indicated when ominous music begins to play in the background, however, enemies only have a express range and will not attack Seto exterior of their areas. In addition to common enemies, dominate fights also occur forth Seto'southward journey. Enemies also present a take a chance to obtain items that can exist used or sold to the Item Merchant for money to buy other items. However, every weapon has a chance of breaking while being used, a hazard that can quickly plough the tides of battle.

Fragile Dreams also makes considerable use of the Wii Remote speaker, using it to indicate the location of enemies, project environmental sounds, and provide directional clues.

Development [ ]

Frail Dreams was developed past the team at Namco Bandai Games that was responsible for the Playstations 2 titles Venus & Braves and Seven. Director and producer Kentarō Kawashima did not originally create the game for the Wii, equally he adult the concept in 2003 earlier the Wii'due south release.^[four] ^[5] Kawashima wrote the chief plot for Fragile Dreams, with the residue of the events being handled by sub-scenario writer Gingitsune.^[6] Upon revelation of the Wii Remote, the console became the natural selection for the flashlight control Kawashima intended. In addition to the primary story, Fragile Dreams contains 22 brusk stories in the form of Memory Items, which were written by different writers and fans. ^[7]

Composer Riei Saito carefully crafted the sounds of Fragile Dreams to complement the atmosphere of the game and the dilapidated yet captivating environments. The game's opening and catastrophe themes, Hikari (光, calorie-free) and Tsuki no Nukumori (月のぬくもり the moon's warmth) respectively, were performed past Aoi Teshima. Xseed Games besides released the North American version with a dual-language pick (containing both dubs in Japanese and English), and then as not to interfere with the original game designer's vision.^[8] Promotion for the game included two trailers that are available for viewing subsequently completing the game. Pre-society bonuses were also given for both Japan and Due north American releases, and included a CD of select game music

Reception [ ]

In the first week of its Japan release Fragile Dreams sold 26,055 copies, making information technology the second all-time-selling game of the week.^[ix] The game currently has a score of 67/100 (based on 41 reviews) on review aggregate site Metacritic.^[ten] Japanese gaming mag Famitsu awarded the game a score of 31 out of twoscore.^[11]

Praise was given to the game's melancholic atmosphere, detailed environments, surreal monster design, and music. Michael Lafferty from Gamezone portrays the game in a more positive calorie-free, stating "While the story is intriguing, what really brings this game domicile are the beautiful graphics and amazing audio. The emotional elements – like a haunting loneliness that pervades the globe, the despair resonating in the voices of the characters – are clearly in identify and Fragile Dreams' development team, Tri-Crescendo, has plant the right mix for a game that is truly a wonderful experience."^[12] Dylan Snyder of Gamer Limit agreed, awarding the game a score of 9 out of 10.^[13] Bitmob writer Jasmine Rea called the game an "experience rather than a game" and likened its emotional impact to that of Isao Takahata's adaptation of Akiyuki Nosaka's novel Grave of the Fireflies.^[14]

Criticism largely came from the gameplay of Frail Dreams, which, in many reviewers' perspective, was not balanced with the game's outstanding mode. Matt Casamassina from IGN gave the game a score of 6.7 out of ten, stating "Fragile Dreams is a great example of a spectacular concept whose execution could have used a footling more thought and time."^[15] One common complaint of the game revolves effectually the final acts of the game, which involves sparser storyline per gameplay ratio, and involves walking through linear endless tunnels, every bit opposed to the more open environments seen in the game'south beginning acts. Many players found these terminate-game sections to exist on the tedious side. The game's storyline has been contested due to how vague it can exist at times. The game'due south developers mentioned they had thoughts of making a sequel, which may explain why the game's story may have been somewhat vague for a possible sequel to answer questions.

Regardless, Frail Dreams is considered by many to be a cult archetype of sorts.

References [ ]

↑ IGN Game Data
↑ Ishaan (June 28, 2009). "Nintendo Power Sheds Light On Delicate'south Exploration". Siliconera.com. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
↑ IGN: Fragile Update
↑ Riley, Adam (xix May 2009). "Interview: Namco Bandai Talks Frail (Wii), Sequel Planned?". Cubed3.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2011. Retrieved xi June 2009.
↑ Namco Bandai Games Inc.; Tri-Crescendo Co., Ltd.. Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. (Xseed JKS, Inc.). Scene: staff credits. (16 March 2010)
↑ Gingitsune (14 March 2008). "Fragile通信第8号". Namco Bandai Games Inc.. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
↑ Parkin, Simon. "Fragile Dreams Review at Eurogamer". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
↑ IGN: Pre-E3 2009: Delicate Coming to America!
↑ Tanaka, John (January 30, 2009). "Mario Tennis Tops Japanese Charts". IGN.com. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
↑ "Fragile Dreams reviews at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
↑ jahiggin (January 14, 2009). "Famitsu: Review Scores". PureNintendo.com. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
↑ http://wii.gamezone.com/gzreviews/p38342_02.htm
↑ Snyder, Dylan. "Delicate Dreams review on Gamer Limit". Gamer Limit. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
↑ http://world wide web.bitmob.com/articles/in-defense-of-fragile-dreams-farewell-ruins-of-the-moon
↑ Casamassina, Matt. "Delicate Dreams at IGN". IGN. Retrieved 2010-07-25.

External links [ ]

http://fragile.namco-ch.net/ Official website (Japanese)
http://www.fragiledreamswii.com/ Official website
Delicate Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon Wikipedia article