Review: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon

Fragile Dreams is about a young boy named Seto, who is on a quest to find others in the world after nearly everyone has disappeared. After coming in contact with a young girl named Ren, she runs off and he is on a quest to find her and hopefully others. Early on in his journey he finds a Personal Frame Unit that is a talking backpack, and helps guide Seto through many of his trials and tribulations.

Fragile Dreams utilizes the Wiimote and Nunchuk and feels very polished and precise. Moving the Wiimote around like a flashlight becomes second nature after some practice. The Flashlight also helps to weaken monsters when you shine the light upon them. Having trouble with a certain part, just hold the Wiimote up against  your ear and it will tell you a hint through it's speaker. The speaker in the Wiimote is also used to sense how close enemies are to you.

The hack and slash fighting is not very robust, but the game does a good job of capturing how Seto would handle a fight being young and not too experienced. If a fight becomes overwhelming, run away and heal up at a fire or with an item. This is very key to playing the game, as it won't always be easy. Also be careful when attacking, as your weapon can break randomly, so it is a good idea to bring a back up. The first this occurred for me when I was about three hours into the game, while others may experience it earlier on.

Throughout the game you will find items that will let you reply people's memories. Collect them as you go through each level and area, and you will unlock various people's stories. All the stories play out on a personal and emotional level, and feel more than just filler. You will also have access to a shop, ran by an interesting character wearing a bunny head, when resting. The items are not always the same each time you rest.

As you progress through the game and fight the monsters, you level up and your states are automatically upgraded, so there is no managing of how to spend stat points. The game also does a good job in it's item management. Since you only have a backpack on, you can only carry a certain amount of items, so be sure to manage your inventory carefully.

The Japanese voice acting in this game is excellent. Every character's voice suits them perfectly, and their emotions are easily felt and identified with. Throughout the game, many of my favorite moments were conversations Seto has with the Personal Frame Unit. It truly feels like the Unit is a real person interacting with Seto, and gets embarrassed, happy, and even jealous. I laughed and smiled during many of these moments.

The graphics are above average, as the developers do a good job utilizing Cel Shading to really make the characters stand out from the rest of the game. While some of the enemies stand out, many are not very imaginative and come out rather uninspired.

While Fragile Dreams has a very deep story, engaging characters, and the feel of an anime, this is a game that will please a specific audience. Some gamers will find the gameplay boring and the fact it is very Japanese in style unappealing, which will hurt this game from finding a more widespread audience. If you are willing to put in the 12 hours or so to experience Seto's journey, you will be treated to an emotional story of human drama.

Michael purchased this game himself and received no considerations from XSeed Games.