Game Review: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (Wii)

To further my streak of ridiculously bad video games played for review, I unknowingly selected Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon from the newest releases GameFly offered for the Nintendo Wii. This play-test follows is the wake of my review of Risen for Xbox 360, of which I am still suffering a case of shock-and-awe induced by horrendous graphics and laughable gameplay.

I cannot say my expectations were inordinately low, because your average video game reviewer such as me couldn't possibly select two back-to-back, horribly disappointing titles-right?

Wrong.

I'm starting to think the users over on the Gamefly website who voted for these latest titles are just screwing with us. Seriously, a 6.4 rating from 168 community members led me to believe that at the very least I would be moderately entertained for the duration of my play-testing of Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. Instead, I found myself staring at the screen wondering where I went so horribly wrong.

FD: Farewell is an Action RPG which incorporates traditional Japanese Anime-style characters, a Japanese inspired soundtrack, and a both awkward interface and overly simplicity storyline elements. Players take the role of Seto, a young man left alone in a world which could have been spooky if better developed, with a questionable arsenal of supplies-a stick for a weapon, anyone?-whose only companion to help him along during his journey is a flirtatious computer, which he straps to his back.

I'm not making this up.

Once again, FD: Farewell seems to borrow heavily from the themes of other fairly recent releases. I reviewedSilent Hill: Shattered Memories a few months ago, only to find the same unnerving atmosphere and creepy ghost girl theme popping up unexpectedly in Bioshock 2, which I also reviewed. In FD: Farewell, the creepy ghost girl is replaced-or so we think-by creepy ghost jellyfish, grasping hands, and possessed dogs. Eventually, we do meet a creepy ghost girl-shock of shocks-whom Seto must play hide and seek with in order to progress.

Really?

Released on March 16^th, 2010, Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon carries an ESRB rating of Teen, and is only available on the Wii platform. Gamespot was generous enough to give this video game a score of 7, which makes me wonder if I played the same unsatisfying mess. Google Products lists this title around $40, and Gamefly lists this video game with high availability; I highly recommend renting it before you buy.

The Pros:

Despite what my above comments may indicate, I did find a few perks to this title. FD: Farewell has a stunning soundtrack and satisfactory visuals, especially if you favor the Japanese Anime style of characters. Furthermore, if you're a player who enjoys mysterious, scantily clad women, you're in luck; FD: Farewell introduces just such a character in the first few chapters of game play. The other reviews I have seen indicated that FD: Farewell eventually delivers a worthwhile storyline, in true RPG fashion. Unfortunately, I couldn't commit to defeating more than 30% of this video game.

The Cons:

I was mostly disappointed in the combat style, although the available weapons at the early stages in the game did make me chuckle. Once the ghosts start pouring, players are quick to realize just how uncomfortable the combat interface is; FD: Farewell didn't manage to capitalize on the potential of the Wii-mote the way Silent Hill: Shattered Memories did. The game seemed almost mockingly juvenile in storyline, even with an ESRB rating of Teen; I was left feeling as though I was play-testing a title designed for the under-10 crowd.

The Verdict:

Ultimately, I felt that FD: Farewell could have been so much more. The video game designers needed to decide, once and for all, on whether or not this title was going to be cute and play-scary or genuinely creepy. Instead, this game falls somewhere in between authentic spooksville and are-they-serious, while lingering somewhere between the teen and child crowd. The themes are certainly too intense for the younger set, but I'm afraid the former will be just as disappointed as I was.

Sources:

Google Products, "Shopping"
GameSpot, "Your go-to source for video games"
GameFly, "Games Delivered"