Fragile Dreams is a really beautiful game. When I say that I’m not just talking about the graphics although the game is certainly polished in that area. For me this is one of those games which will stand out in your memory as this generation of consoles is replaced by the next. This is especially true with this title being on the Wii which isn’t blessed with an abundance of stand-out titles.

A post apocalyptic setting surrounds the main character, a young boy named Seto, who feels alone and is possibly the last human in the world. You guide your character along his journey in search of survivors. The adventure is a perilous one and if he’s to reach his final destination Seto must defend himself from a variety of ghosts and hostile creatures. Seto will meet, and uncover the story surrounding, some interesting characters on his travels.

The main visuals are three-pronged. The graphics you’ll see through most of the game, as you explore the environments, are really nice. There are real-time cutscenes which allow you to witness your surroundings in slightly more detail. Last but by no means least are the beautifully drawn cutscenes which wouldn’t look out of place in a a full length anime. With its weak graphical capabilities, compared to the more powerful PS3 and Xbox 360, the Wii will always struggle if it attempts to go head to head with the competition. Fragile Dreams, and the beautiful Okami before it, shows what can be achieved when developers show a bit of artistic creativity.

The music in this game is really nice and elicits a happy reaction or adds a sense of danger when required. Voice acting is also of a high standard especially the Personal Frame which for a while is your sole companion. The Personal Frame reminded me of GlaDos from the wonderful Portal, has an interesting personality, and is for me one of the best things about the game.

On your travels you’ll come across a variety of mystery packages. While in darkness you struggle to make out the contents of the package and must sit by a camp-fire to help with visibility. This doesn’t make any sense as you’re carrying a torch at the time but I’ll let that one slide as mystery packages remind me of the ‘lucky bags’ I used to buy as a kid. Good times. The item you find in each mystery package is accompanied by a short conversation from the memories of the previous owner. These short and often emotional tales reminded me of a similar story-telling technique, which really impressed me, in the RPG Lost Odyssey. It’s a clever way of connecting the player to historical events in the game world and is used in the likes of Fallout 3 and Dragon Age to great effect.

Using the nunchuck thumbstick to move your character and the Wii-mote to look around feels quite clunky to begin with but once you become used to the controls it’s not too bad. The array of weapons have a different damage rating but I found reach to be the most significant factor. There is a tendency for enemies to gang up on you and swinging a weapon with a greater range, such as the butterfly net, will give you some protection as well as hitting more than one foe at a time. The number of items you can carry at any one time is restricted by the space you have in your backpack but this can be upgraded.

I will end this review as I started it. Fragile Dreams is a beautiful game. If you own a Nintendo Wii and enjoy watching anime this is the perfect game for you. It’s hard to put a finger on the reason but this feels a little different from other games. Things may seem unusual in the beginning but don’t let that put you off. I’m confident those who stick with this game will not regret it. One last thing, which could be most important of all, there are lots of seriously cute kittens wandering around in this game. Kittens are great. Just saying.

9/10

Other TTB Posts Like This One

• Review: Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun (Wii)
• Review: Sam & Max: Season One (Wii)
• Review: Rune Factory – Frontier (Wii)
• Review: Sam & Max – Season Two: Beyond Time and Space (Xbox 360)
• Review: G-Force (DS)