(http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3600/hzffragilewiiboxart01mg5.jpg)
... God I hate compression artifacts ... X(
Release Dates: January 22, 2009 (JPN: Fragile: Sayonara Tsuki no Haikyo); TBA :'( (NA & EU)
Developer: tri-Crescendo
Game & Art Design: Seven [Venus & Braves Team]
Publisher: Namco Bandai Ltd.
Producer: Kentaro Kawashima
Genre: Ruin Exploration Action RPG
[spoiler=Wiki Info, spoilered due to size.]General Info
Fragile: Sayonara Tsuki no Haikyo (フラジール ~さよなら月の廃墟~, Furajīru Sayonara Tsuki no Haikyo?, lit. "Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon") is an upcoming role-playing video game for the Nintendo Wii. It is being developed by tri-Crescendo and the team at Namco responsible for PlayStation 2 RPGs Seven: Molmorth no Kiheitai and Venus & Braves. It will be published by Namco Bandai Games.
The Fragile website was fully opened on November 26, 2007. The game is to be released in Japan on January 22, 2009; no date has been set for its release in the other regions as of yet.
The theme song for this game will be sung by Aoi Teshima. The song is called, "Hikari".
Overview
Fragile is set in a post-apocalyptic near future world that has lost its light and is covered in a dense fog. Almost all the world's population has vanished, and the cities have been left abandoned. The game places the player in the shoes of Seto, a young boy.
Seto wanders the world, searching for survivors and the answers behind the disappearance of everyone else. Seto also searches for a mysterious girl named "Ren." In his quest he must deal with ghosts and demons that lurk within the ruins of the abandoned cities. Despite this, the producer of the game insists that Fragile is not a survival horror in the same vein as Silent Hill, rather it will focus on "human drama".
The world of Fragile will be filled with objects, sketches and short stories for the player to examine. Each artifact holds the memories of its former owner, and offers back story and hints to the player. A competition will be held where readers of gaming magazines can send in their own sketches and short stories to be included in the game.
Characters
Seto: In this ruined and dying planet, a boy, Seto, travels alone in the stillness. He is searching for survivors like himself somewhere in the crumbling world.
Ren: A lonely girl sitting on a lurching steel frame, singing beneath the moonlight. Walking in the ruins, playfully drawing large graffiti, looking for treasure, meeting with cats, she is a lonely, young girl.
Sai: The bodiless consciousness of a young girl wandering the ruins.
Crow: An amnesiac boy. However, he refuses to despair, remaining cheerful, mischievous and straightforward. In order to find his birthplace, relying only on a single photo, he continues traveling.
Personal Frame: From his back, the gentle voice of the Personal Frame guides Seto. Having been alone for a long time, waiting for someone to come, it was happy when Seto replied.
Cho: The bodiless consciousness of a small girl.
Item Merchant: A mysterious man who trades for various goods. Always merry, he appears before Seto. He collects lots of sparkling things.
Sin: A "genius scientist" whose brilliance has earned him envy from his colleagues; he apparently has difficulty communicating.
Gameplay
The Wii Remote is used as an aid in exploration. Seto has access to a flashlight, controlled by the Wii Remote, to illuminate his surroundings as well to solve puzzles and interact with the environment. The flashlight is also used to uncover hidden enemies and can act as a weapon against them. Seto also has access to a metal detector that the player can use to find various items hidden on the ground, as well as a microphone that picks up sounds through the mini speaker. Hidden enemies can be detected this way by picking up their sounds.
Some of the objects the player finds can be used as weapons; these include a stick, a bow, a crowbar, and a small hatchet.
[/spoiler]
Jericho's Notes
Every now and again, a game comes around with a premise so interesting that it sticks out in my head as being a must have without even thinking of the rest of the game. Fragile is the most recent example of this. With a moody atmosphere, presentation and setup, I was way beyond hooked. Then, as more and more details started to pile up on the game, I felt justified in falling into the hype (if you can call it hype). If you all need to know more about the game, I've included a link to all posts regarding it and it's developments from Wiifanboy.com (don't say anything XD) and I could also direct you to the main site for any moonspeakers we have here. XD
Also, be sure to hit the screenshot gallery, because the level of effort put into this game artistically is nothing short of amazing. I am dead serious.
Final note, please for the love of gaming, don't dismiss this game right off the bat due to it's somewhat cliched premise and setting. The gameplay is what's different here and it shows. It's also complimented by the story that was chosen for it.
Links & Trailers
- Fragile Main Site (Namco-Bandai JP) (http://fragile.namco-ch.net/)
- December 26th Video - HQ Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzZ3EVWmAvs&fmt=18)
- December 26th Video - Dengenki Feed HD (http://dol.dengeki.com/movie/asx/081226fragile.asx)
- Fragile Complete info - Wiifanboy.com (http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/tag/fragile/)
- Wiki Info (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragile:_Sayonara_Tsuki_no_Haikyo)
- Gamekyo Gameplay Video #1 (http://www.gamekyo.com/videoen13881_fragile-new-video.html)
- Video #2 (http://www.gamekyo.com/videoen13882_fragile-new-video.html)
- Video #3 (http://www.gamekyo.com/videoen13883_fragile-new-video.html)
- Video #4 (http://www.gamekyo.com/videoen13884_fragile-new-video.html)
- Video #5 (http://www.gamekyo.com/videoen13885_fragile-new-video.html)
- Video #6 (http://www.gamekyo.com/videoen13886_fragile-new-video.html)