Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon As Spoiled By The ESRB

Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon was rated T for teen and the ESRB embellished why the game got the rating. Unlike other descriptions, this probably won’t make you laugh. It does point out things you may not be aware of such as the kinds of weapons Seto can use and a plot point.

Before reading any further, please note this is loaded with spoilers.

In the post-apocalyptic ruins of Japan, players control Seto, a young survivor who sets out to save a friend and prevent a villain from destroying the last remnants of the human race. With the aid of a flashlight and a ghost named Sai—she wears an open jacket with a "flesh"-toned bra—players explore dark passages, city ruins, dungeons, and ominous amusement parks and hotels.

Players sometimes encounter hostile animals (e.g., wild dogs), robots, and terrifying ghosts along the way. The creatures tend to attack, so players must defend themselves rightly: wooden swords, butterfly nets, and sticks can be used to strike at the enemies; cries of pain—sometimes unsettling shrieks—are heard when enemies are defeated. In one sequence, pools of red plasma (evocative of blood) surround a room’s two air ducts; the plasma substance is more prominent in the adjacent chamber, where the viscous fluid floats in glass casings (lava-lamp style) and settles on the ground.

During the course of the game, the central character will encounter another wandering survivor of the apocalypse: one of their meetings involves a prolonged, deep kiss, which surprises and unnerves Seto ("But that was my first kiss ever!") but leaves the older fellow nonplused ("Well then, I guess that makes me your number one buddy."). Players can unlock a special narrative by finding items hidden throughout the game; the storyteller sometimes references alcohol and cigarettes (e.g., "He said all we do anyways is smoke cigarettes," "A cigarette was lit," "the smell of pungent alcohol," "The last owner of this place died from alcohol poisoning" and "I think you’ve been hitting the bottle hard lately.").