Interview | Namco Bandai Talks Fragile (Wii), Sequel Planned?

By Jorge Ba-oh 19.05.2009 21

The Venus & Braves team within Namco Bandai is revered amongst a select group of fans in the West because of its impressive self-titled PS2 RPG that sadly never made its way into English-speaking territories. Now that team is back, this time on Wii, collaborating with tri-Crescendo, the people who worked closely with Nintendo-owned Monolith Soft on the Baten Kaitos role-playing titles, as well as Eternal Sonata on PS3/Xbox 360. Cubed3 recently had the chance to find out more about the game, its background and the team's hope for expanding upon the idea.

Image for Interview | Namco Bandai Talks Fragile (Wii), Sequel Planned?

Cubed3's Adam Riley: What made the team choose such a relatively unusual setting for an adventure game? And why make it as a Wii game instead of PS3 or Xbox 360?

Kentarou Kawashima, Producer: The concept for the game stems back to before the Wii console launched, back in 2003. Once the Wii became a reality, it became the obvious choice due to being able to use the Wii Remote to control the in-game flashlight.

AR: What has feedback been like so far, from the hands-on at events such as the Tokyo Games Show?

KK: The representation of the ruins whilst on-stage was popular. After hearing feedback about the action and fighting in the game, we modified the gameplay to please our supporters.

Image for Interview | Namco Bandai Talks Fragile (Wii), Sequel Planned?


AR: On the game's blog it has been announced that Riei Saito is the composer. In previous games by tri-Crescendo Motoi Sakuraba was employed, whilst games by the Seven/Venus & Braves team used specific Namco composers. What was the reason behind giving a former sound effect designer from tri-Crescendo the chance this time?

KK: Originally the plan was merely for her to create the main theme for the game. However, because it proved to be so impressive, the request was made for him to create the soundtrack for the full game.

AR: What was the goal for the aural landscape? Did the artwork of environments reflect on the sound design and music style employed, or was it the other way around?

KK: The music was built around the visuals to give the best atmosphere.

AR: A recent article in Japan mentioned how a lot of work has gone into the flow of sound in the game. Can you talk about this flow and the co-existence between background music and environmental sounds?

KK: To best bring out the atmosphere in the ruins, we were extremely careful with placement of environmental sounds, their volume and in making them more realistic. When playing the game, if you listen carefully you will find you can hear a lot of subtle sound effects we have added in.

Image for Interview | Namco Bandai Talks Fragile (Wii), Sequel Planned?


AR: Many people like the solitude shown in the videos and screenshots released so far and are worried that battles would take too much time during the game. How have you balanced both the exploration and battling? And what does the combat add to the adventure?

KK: The main part of this game is the searching aspect, whilst battling is merely a method of eliminating any obstructions you may be faced with during the journey. However, we have carefully designed the battles so you can enjoy the battles just as much as exploration.

AR: Fragile seems completely unlike Seven or Venus & Braves. Who decided upon the direction for Fragile and why? And what lessons were learned from previous games that benefited the project?

KK: I decided upon the idea of Fragile completely on my own! *laughs*

Image for Interview | Namco Bandai Talks Fragile (Wii), Sequel Planned?


AR: Considering distribution and advertising is obviously not cheap, are there plans to help off-set the costs by selling official merchandise or licensing the characters for an anime TV show?

KK: This strategy will indeed be employed, as we have plans for a movie/show and a guide book (walkthrough) is also planned. In addition to this, the game's soundtrack has been released.

AR: Is it realistically possible that we will see either a Fragile sequel or prequel in the future? Or even a Nintendo DS edition of this version - would that be technically possible if some changes were made?

KK: All of these options are currently under consideration.

Image for Interview | Namco Bandai Talks Fragile (Wii), Sequel Planned?


AR: It has been said the game should last approximately 30 hours and that the time should be 'very precious to the gamer'. Can this comment please be explained - how will you make the events in the game be very meaningful for players?

KK: I think that the player will be absorbed into the game's virtual 'reality'. In this time, we hope players will experience many moving experiences, and if even one of these scenes were moving, then surely this can be classed as a meaningful experience?

AR: Considering Fragile has been in development for so long, was this originally the Sword of Legendia project that was announced for Wii before the console launched, or is that a completely different game (and is Sword of Legendia still 'alive')?

KK: Sword of Legendia is something completely different, and unfortunately we cannot disclose any further information on the on-going Sword of Legendia project at this time.

Image for Interview | Namco Bandai Talks Fragile (Wii), Sequel Planned?


AR: Apparently Munehito Yasui (the main programmer) did not like the battle element initially and wanted to make a game that only consisted of the exploration of ruins. Is this true, and can you please explain?

KK: At early stages of development we had not decided on the exact gameplay mechanics of the battles, but we always intended to add them in eventually. I believe that is where this misconception comes from.

AR: How will the battle aspect of the gameplay work?

KK: The power of your attacks will depend on the timing of your button presses, items, attack power and speed of motion. There are many types of weapons, ranging from sticks to spears to samurai swords, and even projectile weapons such as bow guns are available.

AR: How did tri-Crescendo's previous work with Monolith Soft on the two Baten Kaitos games for GameCube help with this project?

KK: Our previous work with Monolith Soft did not factor into the development of Fragile at all.

AR: Will the Venus & Braves team join forces with tri-Crescendo again on other projects in the future?

KK: I think we will work together again to develop another game. However, at this stage in time we have no projects planned with them.

Image for Interview | Namco Bandai Talks Fragile (Wii), Sequel Planned?


AR: Is the team keen to see its highly acclaimed Venus & Braves game finally be released in the West - possibly as an enhanced port on Wii?

KK: There are no plans for this to happen right now. However, if we were to bring back games like Venus & Braves and Seven, we would make them into games that fully take advantage of the features of the system they are running on.

AR: Recently Monolith Soft told Cubed3 that it was ready to work on a new Baten Kaitos game. Are Bandai Namco and tri-Crescendo willing to collaborate with Monolith Soft on this game?

KK: I am currently unable to respond to this question.

Comment on this article

You can comment as a guest or join the Cubed3 community below: Sign Up for Free Account Login

Preview PostPreview Post Your Name:
Validate your comment
  Enter the letters in the image to validate your comment.
Submit Post

Comments

Excellent interview Adam, I found it to be a really interesting and enjoyable read. Smilie

I really hope Fragile comes to Europe. The soundtrack is beautiful, easily one of my favourite videogame soundtracks.

I really really want this game badly Smilie

http://www.fanficmaker.com <-- Tells some truly terrible tales.
Last update; Mice,Plumbers,Animatronics and Airbenders. We also have the socials; Facebook & G+

Why asking \"Why Wii and not X360 and PS3?\" !? no one asks \"WHY PS3/X360 AND NOT THE WII?\" (AND THEY SHOULD), yet that\'s a stupid question coming from a Nintendo centered website, as if you\'re questioning why such game is on the wii because in reality you wanted it somewhere else. Don\'t you get it? such question made like that add pressure for the developers to develop to other platforms were they\'re not pressured on the why as if they are some mutant abnormal being (yet, there\'s NO MARKET for them in japan next to the Wii sales!)

Wii RPG\'s? bring them on? why aren\'t there more? not WHY NOT ON A HD dammit... I expect that from crappy sites such as Kotaku and x360 centric fanboys, not from a Nintendo website.

thanks

Other than that... I want the game... badly!

( Edited 20.05.2009 00:00 by raidzero )

Hey did anyone else see that the clock tower in the second picture looks exactly like the one in the game by Factor 5's game (http://www.cubed3.com/news/12305). Great interview and i hope this game does come to US

When all is bad don't look for a easy way out. Because you wont know what to do once your out

WOW, MASSIVE points for asking about Swords of Legendia!!!

AR: Considering Fragile has been in development for so long, was this originally the Sword of Legendia project that was announced for Wii before the console launched, or is that a completely different game (and is Sword of Legendia still 'alive')?

KK: Sword of Legendia is something completely different, and unfortunately we cannot disclose any further information on the on-going Sword of Legendia project at this time.

"On-going", awesome to hear! Last we heard of it was from 1UP's interview back in April 2008!

Why didn't the obvious question about it being localized pop up? Let me guess, they asked for it to not be in the interview? Smilie

Interesting interview, this was exactly something I was looking for. I'm glad to hear there are plans for a film/show, which will presumably result in an anime. Let's hope for a European release! Smilie

Adam, you restate "the game should last approximately 30 hours," but that estimate is a bit high in my opinion. I've already played once through the game, but made it till the credits within fifteen hours. I hadn't befriended every single cat (which can be considered as a side quest), but the game didn't really invite me to do so, though. If they mean that the experience of the game should last for 30 hours, that would be too low - I finished it a little while ago, but everything's still fresh in my mind. It's undoubtly one of my favorite games, although the game itself isn't that good. Sounds contradictive, I know, but you'll probably experience it yourself when playing it!

Thanks for the interview!

Hmmm this is excellent news. I heard the only real negative was that the controls for the battles were a bit off, but apparently they've been fixed according to the interview. Can't wait for this, I hope they include japanese voice acting also.

I heard that this interview was in the backlog for a while, like you were taking questions from GAF back before the game's release!

When did KK reply? Just a few days back?

The interview's been sat in storage for what seems like an age now. I was just told to hang fire on publishing it, for some reason or another.

I really hope that the talks about Fragile possibly coming to Europe go positively and that it ends up doing well enough to let the team have another crack of the whip, be it another Wii game or even something dark for DS 8)

Adam Riley [ Director :: Cubed3 ]

UNITE714: Weekly Prayers | Bible Verses

Awesome interview Adam Smilie Definitely hoping this comes to the EU

Cubed3 Admin/Founder & Designer

There is definitely an obvious question that is suspiciously absent from the interview that might just give the game away Smilie

Adam Riley [ Director :: Cubed3 ]

UNITE714: Weekly Prayers | Bible Verses
ForsakenMemories (guest) 14.04.2010#12

this game is incredibly good, the game sucked me into the story line of this and i did felt as if i wanted to drop a tear at the end of the game because i did not want the game to end, if there was to be a continuation of this game i'd say add more and more stories to it, this was ONE of THE best games i've enjoyed very very much thank you for this gameSmilie

raidzero said:
Why asking "Why Wii and not X360 and PS3?" !? no one asks "WHY PS3/X360 AND NOT THE WII?" (AND THEY SHOULD), yet that's a stupid question coming from a Nintendo centered website, as if you're questioning why such game is on the wii because in reality you wanted it somewhere else. Don't you get it? such question made like that add pressure for the developers to develop to other platforms were they're not pressured on the why as if they are some mutant abnormal being (yet, there's NO MARKET for them in japan next to the Wii sales!)

Wii RPG's? bring them on? why aren't there more? not WHY NOT ON A HD dammit... I expect that from crappy sites such as Kotaku and x360 centric fanboys, not from a Nintendo website.

thanks

Other than that... I want the game... badly!

Based on the answer given it could come to PS3 thanks to the PS Move controller.

As for "Why PS3 & Xbox 360 & not Wii?" It's because those games were designed using game engines that are too powerful for Wii. Just like MGS4 engine is too powerful for Xbox 360. And how the Dead Rising remake sucked on the Wii.

I sold my soul to Sony for a PS3...
Miles Hikari (guest) 09.05.2010#14

I haven't played much of the game since i got it last week because of school and all. roughly ive done about an hour and a half. but from what i have played, i'd say this is a true hidden gem among games, esspciely here in the US. in fact id say its up there with Skies of Arcadia. the game play is smooth and easy to get used to, the games responds very precisly, the music and sound fits perfectly to the locations and atmosphere. the story has me begging to play more, and the art style is unbeleivably beautiful. this game is the closest thing to survival horror ive ever played and its definatly a great way for me to start enjoying the genre. if you have a wii then i highly recomend this game

Skylar (guest) 27.06.2010#15

I enjoyed the game a lot, although I do hope there will be a sequel because the game itself left out a lot of information pertaining to the answers of some vital questions. Like who created Crow and PF? Did Crow ever figure out what he was looking for? And the blue crystal that Set got in the beginning of the game...that I believe was part of the AI and his "grandpa" was one of the scientists who helped develop the project Shin tried to finish in this game. Oh! And the merchant, what was up with him? Like who made him and why was he so intent on making the "princess" awake even though she was dead?

Then there is Seto's narration in the end. It said they spent countless summers...and then he was alone again. So did that mean something happened when Ren died or got lost again? And by the sound of his voice and how he said he was fifteen at the time during one of his narrations, I'm guessing that there is some kind of storyline for when Seto is older. And the mask creature he kept fighting. Who made that thing and it's not completely gone since you heard it's voice at the end before Shin and Sai disappeared...

So really there are questions that would work well for a sequel. I was not expecting for Crow to die though. PF i understood since she was a little talking box, but Crow was an epic character and I wasn't expecting him to die in such a wierd place so unexpectedly during the game.

So in the sequel (if you make one) please bring Crow back! Smilie


But none the less I found the game enjoyable. I definitely got a few chills here and there playing it.

Dark_Ace (guest) 29.06.2010#16

I defintely agree with Skylar and Hikari, the gameplay is absolutely amazing for a survival horror. Skylar did point out a few things that I got to thinking after I finished the game. Personally I think its kinda sad that when you beat the game, you can't start a new one with all the items you got the first time. Now I gotta find all those memory items again! Smilie Lol
Still, I like how you guys had the Extras feature where you could watch the videos again. That's rather handy considering sometimes in a game during a cutscene you can't pause and you end up missing important scenes.

None the less, I know it must take a lot of work to make a video game. So even if there is no video game sequel, at least do a movie sequel. I'd like to see like a teenage Seto kick that mask thing's floating head. Smilie

Awesome game though! Looking forward to hearing about it more if they do make a sequel. If anything I think a sequel would be more appealing than a prequel. So my advice to you guys if you make a video game sequel would be to keep the Extras feature with all the videos, just add more gameplay time. That was really the only downfall. Maybe add more bosses, just make the weapons more durable. I swear I got frustrated when I'm running around with ghost dogs chasing me and I have a broken bamboo sword. Lol

Yup, that's if you make a game sequel. Movie sequel, have a blast with it. Just make sure to answer those questions that Skylar pointed out! I swear it's killing me to know what happens with Seto and Ren.

HauntingTwilight (guest) 10.09.2010#17

Interesting review.I really enjoyed the game,quite one of the most beautiful games I played...even if I cried ALOT at most of the death scenesand was emo for a month...SmilieSmilie.Anyways, excluding the battle and a few minor control issues(and that hell of a suitcase storage )Fragile Dreams is a very interesting game,and if you actually DO make a sequel(or prequel...)I hope you fill in some of the missing plot holes that Skylar here mentioned(and I agree with Skylar about bringing Crow back...at first I HATED him,but I guess after I thought he 'died' by falling I realized he wasn't so bad,but thanks to him I got allergic by the word 'batteries'...Smilie )
-------------
Oh and if anyone is reading this,there IS a manga on what happens after the red tower,but unless you're willing to buy the manga or know Japanese don't bother looking it up online because it's not even scanned yet...so um I ranting a too much so please regard what I saidSmilie^^;

Fragile_Warrior (guest) 21.09.2010#18

Twilight I thought the same thing with Crow when I first met him xD He was such an ass but then he sorta grew on me.

Skylar did make some nice points, a sequel would be nice. I sat there looking at my TV for a good ten minutes after I beat Shin with my mouth open before I was like, "That's it!?"

Personally I hate cliffhangers...cause then I'm impatient to see what happens next. I can thank Kingdom Hearts for all of that.

The game was indeed interesting and enjoyable. One thing kinda confused me though...what was up with the cats? like...is there even a reason to get a cat toy and make them come to you? .__."

I'm not usually a fan of horror games, but this one definitely made me enjoy it. This is like the second horror game I've ever played. Eternal Darkness was the first and that scared the crap out of me >_<"

I'm hoping you guys will make a sequel(or prequel...I'd want a sequel just because I would like to see an older Seto <3 ).

Great job on the game though.

HereIcoomeO_o; (guest) 31.10.2010#19

I really hope you make a sequel(or prequel however you like it of courseSmilie)There was was a BUNCH of plot holes that got left out in the end...I was "THAT'S IT!?!"when the credits rolled..Smilie xD
But it made me VERY depressed on how most of characters died(especially Crow's scene...I didn't get over it for weeksSmilie...)The only 'main' problem for me is that when my weapon broke(which was often)I was defenseless and then 'here I cooome~' started kicking me in the ass(all the enemies scared the crap outta me though...you should have heard me scream from the top of my lungs as I nearly jumped out of my skin when something popped outta of the girl's bathroom...O_O and those dolls makes me really depressed because they kinda remind me of...:c.)A bunch of comments are agreeing with Skylar and I'm one of them Lol.He/she makes some really nice points that would be interesting to explain if you were to make a game...but I do beg of you to make a sequel/prequel*gets down on knees xD*plot holes usually make me inpatient and this really makes me eager if even a rumor if a rumor starts leaking out...
.But of course do what you like ^w^ <3

Crow (guest) 05.11.2010#20

I really love this game because of all the exploration, gripping plot lines and moving story. Smilie I really really hope they make a prequel or a sequel because both would be amazing. I hope this isnt going to be one of those video games that are amazing but go dead because no other games are made Smilie

E t e r n a l GHOST (guest) 28.06.2011#21

So this game I just recently finished playing after I saw it when I wandered through Gamestop. I'm an anime nerd and this was an anime styled game and so it caught my interest. Never did I think that playing it though would leave me terrified, yet wanting more >_>"

It definitely seems that Skylar had indeed pointed out a lot of things people are agreeing with. Good for you Skylar!

Prequel wise, I'd say it would probably be interesting to see maybe like have the gameplay take place when Sai was in the labs and such...I mean we don't know a whole lot to really go on if there would be a prequel, and honestly what would it answer that a sequel couldn't answer also?

In a sequel we could learn everything to a prequel, just a matter of where to time the moment to reveal those pieces of information. Besides, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to have like, flashback moments or something during the sequel gameplay.

I personally enjoyed the game even though it was a completely random game I pulled off the shelf. And it's surprising now a days to even find a remotely good wii game because now everyone is going into the xbox and ps3. However with the developement of Wii U, I'm not sure if you creators of the game might have something up your sleeve for Fragile Dreams 2 for the Wii U...which I hope wont be the only system cause I'm poor and only have an xbox and a pre-owned wii ; n ;"

So...*gets down onto knees and begs* please make a sequel! Just don't make it for the Wii U only! Think of the poor kids who can't afford things! ; 3 ;
I'd buy the game if it came out for the wii alone, but this new Wii U has me scared with what I'm going to do with all my games :/

Subscribe to this topic Subscribe to this topic

If you are a registered member and logged in, you can also subscribe to topics by email.
Sign up today for blogs, games collections, reader reviews and much more
Site Feed
Who's Online?
Insanoflex

There are 1 members online at the moment.