What is the human condition? What does it mean to have a “soul?” How do we fill this hole inside each and every one of us? These questions are existential in nature and ones we typically do not care to approach or adequately solve. It’s scary. Who really wants to deal with these questions and many more like them on a daily basis? There is one game that is braving those questions: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon.
Fragile Dreams follows the tribulations of a young man of about 12 or so just after the apocalypse of some sort has, literally, terminated 99 percent of the human population. All that are left are cats. Furthermore, Seto lived with “grandpa,” and he just died right before the game begins, so Seto sets out to find someone, anyone, so he will longer be alone. Early in his adventure, he meets a mysterious girl named Ren and is immediately smitten with her. So here is the question: Who is this girl, and what happened to cause the world to be destroyed?
The great part of the game’s plot is how handles everything. It’s approached with such delicate compassion that the hard questions are not only palatable, but they are what make the game intriguing. The plot is advanced through not only cutscenes, but also through memories. You see, there are several objects Seto can “hear” the memories of their former owners. It matters not if the being was human or animal.
Graphically, Fragile Dreams is downright beautiful. The game exudes this dark, ambient and downright lonely feel, which clashes with the beautiful twilight seen in the background. One area has the sun rising (though you’ll never see it in motion), and it is downright neat. The areas are unique, ranging from underground mall ruins to an amusement park to a hotel. Seto might be considered a bit too much of a “pretty boy” by many people’s standards. It is also a bit difficult to tell which spots can be traversed, though the automap function helps.
So how does this “odd” game play? It is essentially a hack-’n’-slash type game. You hold the Wii-mote with one hand and the nunchuck in the other. The A button makes Seto attack, and his health bar is in the upper left-hand corner. You kill monsters and level up; although it doesn’t make Seto physically stronger, it does increase his endurance. And the game encourages you to run back to campsites to restore health, identify items and occasionally purchase/sell items from a weird traveling. The d-pad is hot-keyed to the map, equip function, status screen and inventory. Inventory space is at a premium as each and every item takes up so many squares. It isn’t too bad, but it does make things a bit trickier than they should be. Thankfully, you can store items in his suitcase whenever you’re at a campsite.
The problem with this system is multilayered. First, the camera system is a bit off. You have to rotate it by having the pointer on the edge of the screen. This wouldn’t be bad if the game locked onto monsters for you. Unfortunately, there is no way to do so, and it makes playing more difficult than it needs to be. Second, your weaponry will randomly break. Did I mention this occurs without warning? Some will last for a fair amount of time, while others will break after a few swings after being found. I never really cared for this mechanic as it makes things more frustrating than it should be. So in order to compensate for this, I had to carry multiple weapons. But space is limited, and I need that space for healing items plus a few other things. Third, money is rare in the beginning of the game. So it is not uncommon to be running around using an item that has no attack power or just avoid fights. But you need to fight in order to find some money, items and ultimately survive the stronger monsters that appear later in the area or in the next location. Also, the game has a slight tendency to leave you directionless, wondering where you are supposed to go or how to complete a task.
Sound design wise, everything is rather decent. There are the usual game sounds: swipes, footsteps running across the ground, the crackle of fire and ghostly moans. Music is also present, though the game prefers ambiance over tunes. This is not to say the music is bad. In fact, it’s pretty good. It has this eerie feel to it that emphasizes the environment. Sound also comes out the Wii-mote when necessary to solve some of the problems and also doubles as a warning for when monsters are around. Voice acting is also one of the highlights here. Seto obviously starts as whiny kid with social and self-esteem issues. Crow taunts him and ultimately mellows out. Ren has emotional issues. These characters’ personalities truly shine.
How you rate Fragile Dreams: Fragile Ruins of the Moon depends on how you look at it. If you look at it completely from a technical perspective, it is a solid game with some flaws. The controls are not as strong as they should be, and there are fragile weapons and occasional lack of direction. If you look at it from a creative perspective, it is a game that has a lot to say about the human condition. It has more soul than the queen of soul herself. In that regard, it is a massive success. I do admit this is not a game for everyone considering the controls and existential nature. It will probably be a rental for most gamers. Regardless, you can find this at your local game store for about $20, and that’s the proper price for it. So say farewell to the moon and prepare for some serious meditation time.
