Closing Comments
Fragile Dreams is a great example of a spectacular concept whose execution could have used a little more thought and time. I love the premise, the setting, some of the characters, and the production values. The story is engrossing. Exploring the lush, beautiful environments in search of clues is fun. The flashlight controls and effects are really impressive. Even combat, in dire need of a lock-on, is functional. It really does have a lot going for it, and you'll see that reflected in the scores below. And yet, some of the design decisions and gameplay conventions are exceedingly tired and frustrating. The unnecessary, uninspired fetch quests, blatant backtracking and awkward item management system distract and subtract in a big way from what is otherwise a quality experience. If you fancy yourself an addict for Japanese adventure games, you will want to experience Fragile Dreams. But with some glaring issues that really overshadow the gameplay experience, there's just no way I can glowingly recommend the title, as much as I had hoped I could.
| Rating | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| out of 10 | click here for ratings guide |
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| 8.5 | Presentation A great concept brought to life. Beautiful visuals and cinematic. Intriguing story. New English dub and Japanese original. |
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| 8.5 | Graphics Looks really good. Strong character designs and beautiful, lush environments to explore. Great flashlight effects. Large world. Tech holds up. |
|
| 8.5 | Sound Moody, atmospheric soundtrack. Also, Xseed has included both the original Japanese dub and a new English re-dub. |
|
| 6.0 | Gameplay Character and flashlight controls work fine. Combat needs a lock-on. Some fun exploration moments, but also some really tedious, boring fetch-quests and backtracking. Old, dated, design hurts. |
|
| 6.0 | Lasting Appeal A half-dozen hours or so and you'll be through the main adventure. There's unfortunately not many reasons to return. |
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6.7 |
OVERALL |
