Set in post-apocalyptic Tokyo, Japan, players are introduced to Seto, a young man who has lost his entire family and now lives with a man who he refers to as his grandfather, and sometimes just “The Old Man.” After the death of the old man, Seto decides to set out in search of other living humans, particularly a mysterious silver-haired girl, which means running into countless ghostly enemies and traversing the beautifully designed dark world that is post-apocalyptic Tokyo.
Fragile Dreams’s visual elements can easily be described as Silent Hill meets Eternal Sonata. The only way players are able to see is with the dimly lit flashlight Seto carries with him, but the dim lighting still allows players to view the beautiful settings. The flashlight serves as a way for Seto to illuminate paths and spot ghosts or ghouls that might be lurking about. Players use the Wii remote to control the flashlight and what direction they are looking. Then the nunchuck’s joystick is used to move Seto, and the A button allows Seto to attack enemies with whatever weapon he has on hand, or what weapons players are able to find for him.
The plot can definitely be described as unique, and there are several side quests that players can find themselves immersed in. The biggest side quests involve memory items, which are items that Seto finds on his travels that hold the final thoughts and memories of their owners before they died. Some of the memory items require players to find multiple items in order to complete the memory. It proves to keep the game entertaining and keeps players with something to do at all times.
A few of the downsides of the game involve the weapons and Seto’s carrying space. Seto’s weapons frequently break, some lasting only a few minutes and some lasting for a couple hours. If players do not have another weapon in Seto’s inventory, they have to travel back to a campfire (which serves as the game’s saving point) and switch a weapon into Seto’s inventory from his briefcase, or buy a new weapon all together. Seto’s space to carry items is very limited, causing players to travel to campfires often in order to switch stuff out within the briefcase. This is most likely included in order to show how difficult it is for Seto to survive on his own, but it can be very tedious during game play, especially if Seto’s weapon breaks right in the middle of fighting those nasty ghosts and ghouls.
Overall, I give Fragile Dreams five stars. Despite the issues with weapons and inventory, the storyline and beautiful graphics take precedence over a few minor flaws that were most likely incorporated for good reason. I recommend this Wii game to any player who enjoys roleplaying games with great plots.