"I didn't expect even to like Fuga: Melodies of Steel, let alone love it, and honestly, it opened my eyes to just how much the anthropomorphic JRPG sub-genre has to offer."
Fuga: Melodies of Steel is a traditional JRPG and suffers from the tropes which have made the genre a meme in the eyes of many; from child protagonists to sweeping end-of-the-world narratives, Fuga: Melodies of Steel ticks almost every checkbox required to be “yet another awful JRPG,” and yet despite all of this, I found the narrative rather good and genuinely smiled and felt emotion during several key moments.
While there are better narratives to be found elsewhere, and Fuga: Melodies of Steel’s narrative is far from unmissable, I am certainly glad to have experienced it and would purchase future titles in the series without hesitation.
Fuga: Melodies of Steel has a total of three distinct endings, with twelve minor variations for the most commonly achieved ending.
While it is possible to unlock the best ending on your first playthrough, most players will find it difficult to avoid the standard ending on their first playthrough or, in some instances, the bad ending, depending on how well they have fought and which upgrades they have unlocked.
Upon unlocking any ending, players can restart the story while retaining all upgrades, character levels, and relationships acquired during their previous playthroughs; this allows players to experience other endings and try for the best ending, which sees all twelve children receive their happy ending.
This mode also introduces the turbo function, allowing players to move quickly between encounters, drastically reducing the time between battles.
At least once in each chapter, players are given the opportunity to kick back and relax with the crew of the Taranis; players can use this time to plant crops, fish for scrap, develop relationships between crew members, upgrade the Taranis, do laundry, or even go out on 2D expeditions, which see the crew overcome increasingly difficult puzzles and earn substantial rewards that can make future battles significantly easier.
While many games claim choices matter, only to give players ample opportunities to undo past mistakes, Fuga: Melodies of Steel forces players to not only grow attached to the juvenile crew of the Taranis but, in times of great adversity, select which of their crew will die to ensure the survival of the rest.
Choosing which children to sacrifice for the greater good becomes surprisingly difficult, with each crew member having unique personalities, interactions, relationships, and abilities. I believe it is only possible due to the anthropomorphic nature of the characters, which allows cognitive distance. You don’t feel so bad when you are forced to send a six-year-old to die, leaving their twin sister heartbroken.
CyberConnect2 have taken all of the usual skills, items, and abilities we associate with turn-based JRPG combat and given them new meaning by turning them into ways to wage war on a vehicular battlefield.
From heavy artillery strikes to anti-air barrages, the JRPG turn-based formula works exceptionally well for Fuga: Melodies of Steel. An already near-perfect system is only improved due to each crew member’s unique passive and active abilities in battle.
From Boron’s stronger defensive perks to Hanna’s passive and active healing abilities, each member of the crew and the relationships they form with others are vital to a successful campaign, and players who are forced to give up even a single character will lament their loss, at least during the first and possibly second playthroughs.
While I am not a fan of JRPG character tropes and certainly do not have much interest in playing anthropomorphic characters, CyberConnect2 has somehow made me care about the crew of the Taranis, from four-year-old Mei, who wants to see her grandparents again, to twelve-year-old Malt, who feels responsibility (as the oldest) for the rest of the crew. Each character feels unique and is lovingly brought to life with stunning hand-drawn artwork and, at times, emotive and adorable dialogue.
Fuga: Melodies of Steel is a role playing game developed and published by CyberConnect2, it released on 29 July 2021, and is available on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
On average Fuga: Melodies of Steel takes between 20 and 48 hours to complete.
Estimated completion times are derived from various sources and may vary based on the skill level of each player.
Fuga: Melodies of Steel supports the following peripherals:
Fuga: Melodies of Steel is rated PEGI 16+ and contains:
Fuga: Melodies of Steel is the result of several niches coming together to create a fantastic final product; however, for many people, playing as anthropomorphic cat people in a Japanese language game set in WW2-era France may be too far out of their comfort zone, and I can understand that.
However, I will say for fans of JRPG, or those who have an interest in alternative history, Fuga: Melodies of Steel is one of the best titles released in 2021, a year that gave us some of the best JRPGs since the late 90s, and I fully recommend it.
We found Fuga: Melodies of Steel to be a good game, meaning it is likely to be enjoyable for most players, despite having a few areas that could be improved upon.
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