RF Generation Message Board

It is my honor to have been asked by Fleach and SingleBanana to bring you the modern component of our October community playthrough.

Our selection for the month is Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon for the Nintendo Wii.

[img width=250 height=352]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b6/Fragile_Dreams_US_box_art.jpg/250px-Fragile_Dreams_US_box_art.jpg[/img]

I'm excited about this game for a number of reasons, and I think it will make for a good one-month community playthrough. It supposedly clocks in at under fifteen hours, is easy overall, and fairly common and affordable if you don't already own it.

The game is a single-player RPG/survival horror hybrid released in North America in March of 2010. It was developed by Namco (Tales series) and Tri-Crescendo (Eternal Sonata) and published by XSeed in North America.

The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland in which the main character Seto believes he is the only person alive. It incorporates motion controls for using Seto's flashlight to explore and solve puzzles.

Short trailer (spoiler-free):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-xRKtgfnrs

Gameplay sample (shows some combat and flashlight use):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75IOpiq-XN0

Some of us may balk at the game's middling (at best) critical review scores, but I think we have an open-minded user base here. We know, as well rounded gamers, that it is instructive to explore games which evoked mixed opinions from the media and the public.

So let's jump in and see what happens! I have some research yet to do for setting up checkpoints (and possibly some achievements), but for now if you want to play with us your tasks are:

1. Obtain a copy of the game.
2. Let everyone know you're playing!

Thanks everyone!

Participants:
grayghost81
fleach
singlebanana
ericeskapade
douglie007

Checkpoints:
Week one: Make it out of the old mall and obtain PF's screw.
Week two: Enter Room 301 at the Hotel. Watch the cut scene and save your game just outside the room.
Week three: Obtain the Yellow Flower Brooch.
Week four: Obtain the Bird Plushie.
Week five: Complete the game.

Achievements:
1. Collect all 50 memory items.

Excited to hear what you guys think of this one. Its definitely unique!

I've been itching to play this game so sign me up!

This is the first time we're running two community playthroughs (Banana's doing the retro one). I hope people jump into that one too.

Spoiler (hover to show)

It's a spooky NES title.

Put me down to play as well. :)

Oh no, I hear crickets chirping...

Please, who else is joining us?

Fucking love this game. Been a personal fave of mine for a few years. Only the combat sucks bad but the rest of the game is fantastic and even a bit scary. Also the bit in the park searching crow can be frustrating. Game is so emotional however it's hard for me to go back. For me personally like films that do this. It's so emotional and sad at times that it maybe still years before  play again. I have not played it since 2011. The game is still with me.

No Wii have mii

i'll play if i can find a copy! it sounds interesting.

Ryudo, thanks for putting in a good word about the game itself. Stuff like that might help drum up some interest in this playthrough.

I hope this Playthrough gets more action. It's pretty quiet in here compared to the Castlevania thread.

Simon's Quest was an awesome choice. I liked messing around with that game as a kid but never came even close to the first body part. It's the perfect game for adult collectors to revisit as a group.

Fragile Dreams on the other hand is completely unknown to most of us.

I don't know. Perhaps the world isn't ready for two games a month? I'd like to go through with it anyway, even if no one joins it'll be a nice dry run I think.

The Castlevania series is nostalgic, where as, Fragile Dreams is fairly unknown. I'm excited about playing this one and from all of the reviews I have seen, it will be one of those hidden gems that people discover down the road. I may look for an intro or trailer for this game and possibly revise the post on the front page with it. Others might be more inclined with a visual.

I'm super excited for Fragile Dreams. I love games that make you think and the premise of this one sounds awesome. It's been on my radar ever since I got my Wii U so I'm itching to jump into this game.

I really like how well crafted games use the post-apocalypse setting as a way for players to explore the characters.

I've watched some reviews and it's going to be hard for me to not pop this in this weekend and get started. Are there any achievements possible? When are you guys putting up the first goal?  After watching several trailers, there is very little information regarding the storyline of this game. This is of course, something the developers did on purpose. The reviews of the game are outstanding and it appears to be one of those titles that will forever stay with you.

I'm going to work on the checkpoints today and tomorrow and post them asap. Still not sure about achievements but if I can come up with some, I will.

got this game 1 year ago, because of the interesting reviews in magazines... i think this is the right time, to do my first playthrough...put me in :)

I will try and find a copy of the game and do a playthrough also.

Ok just bought it on Ebay so Sign me up ill have it by oct 1st

Awesome guys, welcome aboard!

I gussied up the original post a little but with a few vids and slightly more detailed description of the game.

Johny Young Bosch is the voice of Seto. The Black Power Ranger

I added the first checkpoint.

Please bear with me. I don't have the game yet (ordered on Amazon and expected delivery is Monday).

What I'm hoping to do is play the game slightly ahead of everyone and add checkpoints as we go using some existing walkthroughs as a rough guide.

The thing is, as much as I want to map this game out completely for you all (like Banana did with CII), I also have been really wanting to experience this game with all its dramatic glory without spoiling it for myself.

So like I said, just bear with me, and let's use this thread to experience this game together as a true "community." And I'll do my best to bang out the weekly checkpoints as we go.

I hope you guys do  Lost in Shadow at some point. I find it a very good game with some rough edges. Goes on a little to long but a very fun game.  Is it Ico inspired? Maybe..is it an ico ripoff. No.

Lost in Shadow is the reason I look forward to Rain on PS3

Please note the first checkpoint has been revised.

I still don't have my copy of the game (hoping to have it today or tomorrow the latest), but SingleBanana started the game over the weekend and was nice enough to help out by providing what he assures will be a good first checkpoint.

Yeah, the run time on this game is 12-15 hours. I played a little over 3 hours to get to this checkpoint (with some thorough exploring), so that should be about right. You'll also want to do some good exploring to find "memory items," which really help with the story of the game. I also timed out a walkthrough on YouTube up to where I am and it is about the same.

I'm not going to spoil anything, but I'll just say that you'll get a little emotionally bound to the game, which is nice. The game is pretty eerie and has some great survival horror elements. Sounds through the Wii remote are pretty creepy.

having nearly the 1st october (european time-advantage ;) ) and having some time to kill, before watching NFL & the MLB Wild-Card tie-game live i think i'll fire up my Wii the next minutes for the first checkpoint...c u / read u!

got my first 3 hours: the setting itself, the exploring and the "anime cutscenes" are very nice, on the downside the controls (especially the fighting) is a bit uncomfortable. But i am not used to the Wii Remote. how this got PEGI 7 ?! it's not horror, but it's the same uneased feeling, that makes me let the Resident Evils and Silent Hills stay untouched in the collection...i like more unicorns, rainbows and sun in games... with nothing to fear ;) 
Have fun with your beginnings ! i am interested which levels you have at checkpoint one?

Alright! Looks like we're off and running. My copy of the game showed up today and I have tomorrow afternoon cleared to plow through to the first checkpoint.

I started playing. My initial impressions are that the characters are cute looking and the story has potential. Seto is very melodramatic but this an anime-style game so I can't complain. The controls, though, are going to take some getting used to.

I'll be sure to look at my level tonight, but I'm pretty sure that I'm around level 12 or 14 at this point. Yeah, the controls take some getting use to, but you be happy to know that you will be able to increase your hit range a little later.

Spoiler (hover to show)

butterfly net

 

i was level 10... but i rushed the undergound mall, not wanting to fight so much. but maybe i backtrack a little bit, now that i have the checkpoint (PF screw) and feel safe. DO YOU GUYS PLAY WITH THE SOUND WAVES "ON" in THE MAP OR "OFF"? This Speaker-Wii-Remote thing is a nice gimmick of the game.

Yeah, I like to take my time and search out all the rooms and corridors throughout the game. I probably did more boss battles than usual, but I suppose it can only benefit me later.

If you are a completionist, you might want to check out this site:

Spoiler (hover to show)

List of all memory items: http://www.gamefaqs.com/wii/944059-fragile-dreams-farewell-ruins-of-the-moon/faqs/63735

Well, I was finally able to get started tonight. I'm about an hour and a half in. I stopped right after beating the pack of dogs. My bamboo sword broke. Hope I get something better soon. I guess the weapons breaking kind of eliminates grinding a bit?

I love PF.

The light mechanics are a little wonky at times but the combat is not nearly as bad as I thought it'd be based on what I'd read. I like that you can hold the WiiMote up to listen to PF.

Kind of wish the subtitles could be turned off.

The game is really good so far, it's like Tales meets Silent Hill with a dash of Alan Wake. I can't wait to get back into it tomorrow night.

Oh I also like that the save points are all two feet away from each other, I hope it stays like that.

I just got the key to the mall from the ghost girl and I'm only level 2. I did avoid some battles, especially the dogs in the subway.

Am I far behind and under leveled?

Because of the weapons breaking, i had 2nd and 3rd weapons in my "inventory", which was sometimes so full, i couldn't pick up some finds anymore :(

Nice comparision to the mix of the three other games Grayghost81.

In PAL-Version the subtitles can be turned off in the Start-Screen> Options.

Yeah, the weapons breaking is very annoying and something I would probably change in the game. I do like the concept of limited inventory in terms of making the game more realistic, but the many different shaped and mystery items don't really allow you to pick up enough or determine what to throw away. Only being able to view some items at the campfire is kind of silly, since you have a flashlight. I know that some are happy with the save points and yes, there are many, but there are too many for my taste. I put in another 3 hours last night and it seems that the save points are a little better spread out later. Perhaps this is an initial feature to help people get use to the game. The merchant is a little annoying; wish you could just choose when he visits.

I know I am sounding fairly negative, but just pointing out some things I would change about the game. I am still really enjoying this game 6+ hours in and am captivated by the storyline. The memory items are a very nice touch.

I agree with all those points, except for the breaking weapons. I like that feature. Adds a bit of a sense of consequence to your actions. For example if weapons didn't break you could run around fighting enemies like it's nothing and leveling up super fast.

The merchant reminds me of Les Claypool.

Couldn't quite make myself get to the checkpoint. Got to the part with the crumbling floors and had to call it a night.

Is the merchant showing up random or are there conditions? I've only seen him once and I'm on my last bamboo sword.

He's showing up fairly often for me. Probably because I don't have any money.

My feeling was the merchant would come up, every 2nd time i got to a bonfire. What's with playing with the cats (if it doesn't spoiler anything)? did something special happen to anyone of you, because i didn't notice anything? Maybe it's just a virtual substitute gimmick for the real-life cathair-allergics...

I couldn't figure out the cat thing either, I got the cat toy but I couldn't get any cats to do anything about it, despite trying on multiple ones.

Eric, I checked out the options menu and there is in fact an option to turn off subtitles. Thank you.

I wonder if going to the same bonfire over and over again until that chicken-headed creep shows up would work. I really need a weapon.

Yeah, continuing to go to the campfire should work. I just wish there was some sort of option to visit him each time you go to the campfire. Those cut scenes with him get a bit redundant. I haven't figured any thing out regarding the cats yet either...

Confirmed. It does work.

Hit the first checkpoint. Level 7. Now that I know I can 'make' the merchant show up I suppose a little grinding actually is possible.

Check my progress after the first check point. I was at lvl 12.

So based on our conversations about the levels at the first checkpoint, where I was only level 7 with about 8,000 yen and you guys were all at least level 10 or more, I felt I needed to get up early today and have a little grind session...

[img width=256 height=260]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1d/Grind_Session_Coverart.png[/img]

No, not that kind of grind session.

After thoroughly exploring the first section of the amusement park I discovered a pretty nice loop for grinding. From the first bonfire, I went up the stairs and hung a right to the grassy area with the two rides. There I killed the three pants ghosts and the three dogs and looped back around to the bonfire to save, stash or sell items (the pants ghosts dropped a lot of waters, not only a strong healing item but a great sell to old chicken-head at 6000¥ each).

I really got carried away at this point. I kept telling myself that I would stop at x level or when this or that weapon broke. After a two hour session I am now at:

Level 19 with 111,780¥ not to mention five waters in the briefcase.

Now before ya'll say anything I understand this was a tad pointless. The level cap is 35 and the game is 12 hours long for crying out loud. Like I said, I just got caught in a loop and couldn't stop myself. I do feel like I tightened up my combat skills a little too, for what that's worth.

Anyway, time to find that punkass Crow.

Oh yeah, the second checkpoint is up. Thanks again, SingleBanana!

I wanted to play last night, but my Wii U decided to do an update and man do those updates take forever!

Feeling a little overwhelmed that everyone is at such high levels and I'm only level 2 with no money.

It'll be easy to catch up buddy. My total play time is still under five hours.

Just reached Checkpoint 1 and am at level 8 with a whole whack of money. I guess the beginning is very sparse in terms of action.

The controls are easier to handle now that I've spent about 3 hours with the game.

Is death a major theme in this game? Seto does talk about his grandpa a lot and the scene when

Spoiler (hover to show)

PF's battery dies

played out very dramatically.

If I had to guess, I'd say that it is. Seems to be a kind of a post-apocolyptic setting, so it's inevitable.

I didn't have a chance to play yesterday, so my Super-Seto from Saturday morning is still ready to rock. I gotta hit it up tonight.

How's everyone else doing? You chipping away, Fleach?

Doug, are you still with us?

Yep, still slugging away. I'm at the carnival place and just met Crow.

Going to tackle more of this game on Friday.

Is anybody playing on Wii U? The newest update allows Wii games to be played on the game pad and the Wii Remotes even work with the game pad! It's so cool!

this is a great game, I just got a Wii U so I need to see if my transfer save works... will be sad if its gone.

Good morning Fragile Dreamers! How is everyone doing with the second checkpoint? I'm still working on the third but I'll have it up by the weekend.

I'm really enjoying the game, though I got snagged last night on a part I didn't know how to beat, and in this particular instance I blame the game design. But in general this game has been very enjoyable.

I wasn't sold on this game right away, but now I'm really into it.

It's the only game that gives me chills whenever those ghosts and enemies materialize. Horror/thriller games tend to have me on edge, but there are downright spooky elements to Fragile Dreams.

I haven't started Checkpoint 2 yet, but since it's a long weekend here in Canada I shouldn't have to worry about falling behind.

gonna make it from  1st to 2nd checkpoint tonight...around spooky-hour :)

The third checkpoint has been posted. At about 2.5 hours the distance between the second and third checkpoint is a little less than we're used to, but we're past the halfway point and will have plenty of time to finish the game.

I was playing ahead and I found you will get to a point where you have to play with a cat to proceed. After much frustration I checked out some message board threads about how to play with the cat. It's very easy and there's no point getting frustrated about it so I thought I'd share.

Spoiler (hover to show)

Get as close to a cat as you can without it running away. Have the cat toy equipped and press A repeatedly to make Seto swing the cat toy.

ah, the cats...finally! that is good to read. i went to room 301 and saved some minutes ago :) when i startet at checkpoint 1 i didn't use any weapons anymore..so nothing could break :) but now equiped with the broom the fighting and overall controls have gotten much better. had to look up, how to sneak up behind CROW exactly. I LIKE THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE HOTEL very, very much - it reminds me of Silent Hill, but has a nice summer breeze feeling. played around 8 hours overall now, having level 18 and no money problems. looking forward to next week and hope you enjoyed the Hotel with the "girly guest", too.

Thanks for checking in Eric! I also liked the hotel a lot. It had a good flow and not too many frustrating parts. I really like Sai as well.

I also had to look up how to sneak up behind Crow. That was very poorly explained (kind of like playing with the cats!).

I actually played for a while today. I think I'm pretty close to the end and I have a good candidate for week four's checkpoint.

I know we have small group here but I want to thank you all for sticking with it. Let's keep going!

I act all didn't have to look up anything about sneaking up on Crow. I got lucky while running around that area and was prompted with a message to

Spoiler (hover to show)

hide in the teacups

.

I also though the hotel had a great atmosphere. Not a fan of the poltergeist ladie though.

I'm behind but not that far away from where I should be. I just made my way to the hotel. The way things are going I'll be nipping at everyone's heels just slightly behind them.

Crow was an interesting character, but he had many annoying moments when he taunted you. Personal opinion here, but a game shouldn't annoy players.

These aren't complaints, just things I thought the game could have done differently.

EDIT

Might just be me, but this game doesn't control as nicely using the Wii Remote on the Wii U game pad. Left accurate maybe?

Fleach, don't worry, You'll catch up if you put in a few solid sessions.

I finished the game last night. I have a solid checkpoint for week four that will come this weekend. I don't think I got all 50 memory items but I certainly wasn't trying.

For an action-JRPG with motion controls this game was actually solid as hell. Yes, there were moments where I got frustrated but they were minimal.

Enjoy the rest of the game everyone. There are some really cool moments coming up.

I agree Fleach, the Crow character was interesting, but that part of the story (i.e. the chase) was rather long, drawn out and boring. The rollercoaster was a neat idea, but the controls made that area more difficult than it should have been.  Still trying to figure out what these masked bosses are, but I guess that may come with time.

Overall, I think the controls are pretty decent. I do get tangled up on a few occasions, but I quickly right myself. Still have not started on part 3...... this has been a crazy few weeks for me, but I will finish.

Without revealing any spoilers, does Crow's backstory get fleshed out?

I'm enjoying the game so far, but motion controls are deal breakers at time for me. My impression is that the idea worked on paper but didn't translate as well to the game.

I've some time to play today so hopefully I'll get myself caught up.

Somewhat ;)

You should have gotten some backstory if you made it to the hotel. From what I understand, you will come across Crow again in the game.

So far all I know about Crow is what he revealed when he showed Seto the photograph. It's foggy since all he really said was that he wants to find the place in the picture. This and...

Spoiler (hover to show)

That the majority of his lines are right of the pirate book.

This afternoon I made it to Room 301 and met Sai. My Wii Remote started going all wonky so I stopped playing.

Anyone else think Sai is the girl from the Torn Photo memory item?

Fave companion in the game! Just wait you will find out a lot more later.

How is everyone doing with the week three checkpoint? I forgot to mention this but after the checkpoint you'll have to play a teensy bit more to get to a bonfire, but I know ya'll would have figured that out.

Will we be ready for week four by tomorrow?

My reading week starts Monday so I'll be able to power through the rest of the game.

Currently, I have to retrieve the star for kimono-girl (I forgot her name) so I'm not overly far behind.

It's a little late because of the site outage, but week four's checkpoint is up.

How's everyone doing? Haven't heard from anyone except Fleach in a while and he's been a little lagging.

didn't have the time at the weekend, but i will resume from checkpoint 2 (maybe) directly to 4 on tuesday or wednesday... don't want to force myself into gaming mood, when it just isn't there :)

Hot dog! I'm ahead of Week 4!

Where I'm a now... let's just say it involves heavy metal. Got to do some grinding in order to get passed this section.

@Eric: I totally understand that feeling. I hope you get back into it just in time to blow through to the end by next week. It's definitely worth finishing.

@Fleach: I knew you'd catch up!

Ok everyone, I added the final checkpoint, which is obviously to finish the game. I'd appreciate if I wasn't the only one to get through to the end ;)

I put the following stuff in spoiler tags but I promise there are no story spoilers in there, just some insider info about finishing the game.

Spoiler (hover to show)

Getting to the bottom of the dam is kind of a pain in the ass, but after that it's pretty much smooth sailing all the way to the end of the game.

The final boss is very easy no matter your level. It's a case of having patience and simple pattern recognition.

no, no Grayghost, don't be afraid, you won't be the only one in the pantheon of fragile dreams-finishers :) i managed to play until the top of the dam. So i hope i am only few steps away from checkpoint 4. this was a lot of ladder climbing and lonely straying through empty corridors until here. but now i know why the critics praised it. it made me sometimes wonder, what i would do if i really would wake up in such a deserted place:very nice touch of the scenery - now i will definetely remember this game for a long time.

Eric, your profile picture is very appropriate for this game. What a coincidence.

EDIT

Add me to the list of people done with the game. I beat it last night. It's a bummer that I finally mastered the control scheme so close to the end. It would have been a much more fun game had I grasped the systems earlier.

Overall I really enjoyed it. It's not perfect, but it succeeded in sending shivers down my spin during the tense moments.

Ready to the discuss this game. :)

YES! I also finished the game now. i left more and more enemies behind me without attacking them towards the end.  i have over 50 items (besides weapons and medicine and stuff) but i don't know if they are all memory items? took 17,5 hours in all...but i am a slow gamer, always afraid of missing something on the way :)

@Fleach: I noticed this, too at the beginning of the game with all the cats.

Also ready to discuss.

FIY: i found this site, where a lot of pictures could have influenced the game:

http://www.boredpanda.com/abandoned-places/

Congrats on beating the game Eric. Thanks for staying with us!

That gallery is cool as hell. Pripyat was used in COD4: Modern Warfare.

Ok I'm gonna say at this point since three out of five of us have finished the game and I'm not sure about Doug or Banana's likelihood of finishing it this week, we can wrap up this playthrough by discussing the game, including plot spoilers, the ending, etc.

I really enjoyed this game a lot. I do feel like certain elements weren't fully explained but I actually like that.

Sai was my favorite character. I think that her relationship with Shin lacked the dramatic impact that the writers probably wanted and I wish Shin was introduced a little earlier. Combine that with how easy he was as a final boss and Shin really falls short as the main villain.

As Sai started to grow on me, it made me think of PF and it really had an emotional impact, like "The companions in this game are neat, I really like Sai, hey remember PF? Whatever happened to her? Oh yeah...:("

The environments in this game, as Eric alluded to, are brilliant. I loved the amusement park and the hotel. The underground bunkers were awesome and the never-ending-hallways really added to the sense of desolation that the game conveyed so well. I liked that when you came out into daylight in the Hotel section it was almost shocking.

Let's see...what else? The voice acting was above average, especially the memory items, where they needed to be good.

Overall great game, very unique. I'm glad to have experienced it with you guys.

I liked how Sai knew what Seto was getting himself into without revealing anything. I suspect she was the girl who dreamed of being a ballerina (from the torn photo memory item). Having spent a lot of time with her made it easy for Sai to become a favourite character.

The post-apocalyptic setting using actual locations was really neat. I liked the stylized Japan.

I liked how this game left me with many questions like how did Seto survive the mass wipe-out? How did PF know about the events that happened before the game's start?

I also liked the refreshing daylight scenes. They were a warm welcome from the eerie darkness of all the other scenes. The lab was probably my favourite setting.

Being able to cross this game off my list is great and it was fun to share the experience. If anyone wants to chat about the game I don't mind going on Skype or PM-ing to discuss. Feel free to PM me your Skype info if you wish.

Hey, I just wanted to thank you guys again for making my first time hosting a playthrough very pleasurable. Even though it was a small group, the discussions were great, and the game was really fun. Thanks for going out on a limb with me and playing a more "niche" game. I hope it was as rewarding for you as it was for me.

Now, won't you all join Fleach and me in blasting through Sao Paulo in Max Payne 3?

i think you summed up the game really well so i can only approvingly nod my head. the ending film/credits had also a nice tune. thank you - it was a fun experience.

sorry i missed out on this one! it sounds like a great game, i'll pick it up eventually