joe randel's art dump

So I just got done playing Fragile Dreams on the Wii and I thought I’d put down some of my thoughts on it.

Over all, I thought this RPG was very beautiful in sight, sound and story, but to sit and call it game isn’t how I’d properly describe it.  It focus’s more on thoughts and feelings than any thing else I’ve played.  The combat is quite light and gaining levels and becoming more powerful is totally not the main focus.  No, I’d call this more of an interactive story with game elements, and that’s fine by me.

You play as Seto, a 15 year old boy who has set out to find other humans in what’s left of Tokyo after his Grandfather passes away.  You come across, and startle,  a silver haired girl who runs from you.  But being the lonely boy that you are, you give chase and begin the adventure to find friendship is this big empty world and find out what exactly happened  to all the people.

The biggest game element in this is searching and collecting.  You get a special stone that allows you to read/feel the emotions and thoughts of objects left behind by previous owners.  By hunting these object memories out you’ll piece together events that lead up to the disappearance of people and hear some very touching stories.  These are very special elements during the adventure and was very excited to hear the next one I would find.

As mentioned above, being alone in the world is the main theme in Fragile Dreams, so when ever you meet someone new it quite a thing.  It can also be very sad when you have to part ways with your new friend.  The environments are very moving, beautiful and totally give the feeling of isolation.  Creepy, long forgotten areas make you wonder if this is what the world would really look like if people disappeared.   The music is the game is also fantastic and matches the “alone” feel of this world.  I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been more moved or in love with music from a game before.  So much so that I even got the soundtrack to the game and listen to it at work.

This game isn’t for everyone.  It’s not combat heavy and requires the player to look and experience the environment and story as they go.  This might bore a lot of players.  Also, like most anime (at least, the ones I’ve seen) there are plot holes that are huge and questions at the end that you don’t seem to have answers to.  Maybe with a second play through I’ll get those answers.

I remember finding the trailer for this game a long time ago on a Japanese game site before it was release.  I fell in love with it immediately.  After playing it… I’m still in love.  Even with the flaws that I’ve found with it, I still love the experience I had playing it.  So much that I wonder what happened  to the characters after the game ended.  I think I’ll always at Fragile Dreams and hope that I can give people the same experience too one day.

BUY: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon $46.99 – Wii