PixlBit

Once in a while, a game is released that breaks the mold of normalcy to create an experience that goes beyond that of gaming. Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon is an exceptional example of a rare experience that immerses a player in a world full of conceptualizing humanity at its greatest, and at its worst. It sugarcoats nothing and depicts some of the most blatant representations of realistic tragedy located in a sadly beautiful world. It's a game full of complexities that aims to take itself seriously, and succeeds wholeheartedly.

Saying that, I find it saddening to think that the average gamer will not appreciate the experience the title has to offer. The game is more like an interactive journey through a world devastated by disaster in which there are few humans still alive.

Players will take the role of Seto, a young boy who lived with a man he referred to as his Grandfather, and is now all alone after the old man has passed on. As he sets out on his own he comes into contact with a silver haired girl who has the most beautiful voice he has ever heard. As she runs away from him, he vows to pursue and find this girl so he will not have to be lonely. Along this journey he will learn about friendship, experience loss, overcome fear, and much more. As stated before, the game bears it all and players will witness many adult issues, for example suicide, throughout the game.

When it comes to gameplay, Fragile Dreams is equally as complicated. It has the combat and strategy aspects found in a good action title, plenty of exploration among fantastic locales as one would expect from an adventure title, and Seto will level up as he gains experience like an RPG. Though conceptually all the elements for great gameplay are present, the execution could have used some serious polish.

The first time that players are able to control Seto, they will quickly realize that his movements are far from smooth, especially when in tight spaces. However, this factor has more to do with the flashlight that he carries, rather than his actual movements. Since controlling Seto requires combined cooperation from the Nunchuk and on-screen flashlight pointer, there are a few troublesome issues that arise from this arrangement. First, when trying to turn Seto, if done too quickly the reticle will get lost on screen, either sending Seto spinning around or into a quick 90 degree turn when players return the reticle to the screen. Secondly, when in tight spaces (and players will be in a lot of them) the flashlight tends to go a bit berserk, bouncing around as though the holder was convulsing. This, of course, makes navigating certain areas a bit problematic considering they need the flashlight's beam to see where they are going. Though issues where the beam doesn't quite focus right have more to do with the lighting effects themselves during certain times rather than control.

Thankfully the issues become less noticeable over time, and they aren't very difficult for players to adapt to. Since the issues are only very prevalent when confined to tighter spaces, they aren't that big of an issue considering the expansive areas that players will get to explore.

The locations that players will travel to are without a doubt one of the highlights that Fragile Dreams has to offer. While most games take you to interesting places, it’s rare that a game offers you the feeling of being in a truly expansive universe. Everything just fits in Fragile Dreams; the progression never feels as though the player is being thrown into random locations, but rather it's as though you really are traveling through a deserted world. Train stations lead to malls which lead to underground passageways to theme parks, so on and so forth. Not to mention that the environments are simply gorgeous, giving Fragile Dreams some of the best art direction seen on the Wii. Every location contains amazing detail that adds to the bittersweet tone of the game, such as a child's drawing on a wall and awfully worn movie posters.

As players traverse the many different locales they will be preoccupied with two main goals: defeating enemies and finding items. When it comes to defeating enemies, they are quite simple at first, as are the player's choices of weapons. Later in the game players will encounter many new types of enemies, some which require unique strategies, and a whole new arsenal of weapons that range from long bows to golf clubs. These weapons can either be found or purchased when saving at a campfire, from a very interesting…thing wearing a chicken head that is missing an eye. Having such a wide variety of weaponry gives the gameplay some complexity and a sense of strategy, although to be honest there are few enemies that will give players any trouble. This fact makes leveling up quite simple, which increases Seto's HP as well as his strength.

As players defeat enemies, or explore areas, they will usually pick up items, that when examined reveal the memory of the deceased individual who was its owner.

Regardless of the great gameplay, Fragile Dreams is most memorable for its storyline and message. Fans of anime will not only see a correlation between the art style and characters, but also the deep emotional situations that Seto is forced to experience and overcome. Fragile Dreams goes to great lengths to elicit specific emotional responses, whether it’s fear as players traverse deserted dark pathways or sympathy for Seto who loses his companion just as he makes a friend. While most games are driven by their gameplay, Fragile Dreams is driven by its fantastic story.

To put it bluntly, Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon is neither for the casual gamer, nor those who see little-to-no merit in storytelling. Rather, it is for those who understand that a video game doesn't need to revolve around big guns, HD graphics, or innovative gameplay to be wonderful. For gamers who can appreciate and understand the serious themes and messages that are presented within this title, Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon has the potential to become one of the most memorable games that you'll ever play.