Monday, February 9, 2009

Blue before Valentines - Sayonara Tsuki no Haikyo

Moon gazing in at a pond of pink water lilies is a very romantic business, however, watching the moon alone as the sole survivor after an un-named catastrophy could be very lonely. Experience a bit of blue to further appreciate the cheery pink and red Valentines day this weekend.

Seto has set off for the large red tower (Tokyo Tower?) to find the trace of humans after his grandfather, his only family and companion died. On his way, he came across a silver haired girl who was just as surprised as he was at the sight of another human being and fled from the shock.

Thinking the white glint in her hair and the sweet note in her voice the light in his potentially lonely life, he followed the girl through the underground ruins and deserted theme parks and met an array of ghosts as well as eccentric characters.

Sick of being alone? Its time to set out.


It's not the action, it's the atmosphere and story that counts in Fragile. Although the action is wonderful in my opinion, hard core action gamers may find this department lacking. I've been able to emerge from the battles victorious, with relatively few injuries.

Although none of my adversaries which I have come across have extremely damaging attacks, they were spooky. From the different species of phantom hounds, stray ghosts to strange arms that come out of walls to grab at you, you feel as if you have walked into a ghost house in a theme park as well.

Graphics and music creates a dark atmosphere that dwells more on loneliness than horror, which is suitable for the theme. Collect items to learn of the thoughts of various people before they die. From the promise a mother made to her child during the earthquake to the abandoned dog that watched as his owner left him, all these snippets interweave together to bring out the loneliness and vulnerability of Seto, and therefore, his determination to find the girl.

Everything is quiet, which makes the growls and gigglings of the ghosts more eery. Voice acting is superb, players can see how much Seto has grown up, from the uncertain, stuttering boy to the determined young man at the end.

The Japanese, however, might prove to be a bit of a challenge. While neither tutorials nor dialogue are delivered in extremely difficult sentences, players might not be able to fully appreciate the story and its atmosphere if they do not understand the language at all.

The best way to appreciate your boyfriend or girlfriend during Valentines is to experience loneliness prior to the festival. What is sweetness and warmth if you do not know bitterness and coldness.

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