Three Cool Things About the Three FUGA Games
Three Cool Things About the Three FUGA Games
A tale—tail?—of passion projects.
Last week, we kicked off preorders for CyberConnect2’s FUGA: Melodies of Steel. That’s all of the FUGA: Melodies of Steels. Or should that be “FUGA: Melodieses of Steel”? However you write it out, the thing to know is that it’s a great trilogy of games set in one of gaming’s longest-running ongoing universes. Those in the know already understand what the FUGA series is about and what makes it great, but for those not versed in the deepest of CyberConnect2 lore, here are three key points to be aware of.
1. FUGA is the Earliest Entry in the Little Tail Bronx Timeline
Nearly 30 years ago, back in the early days of CyberConnect2, the company created a game for PlayStation (the original one) called Tail Concerto. Eventually, Atlus picked up Tail Concerto for U.S. localization, and players who took the time to look beyond the shiny distraction of the new Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 consoles discovered one of the most charming and likable works to be found in the vast PS1 library.
Tail Concerto became the launching point for an interconnected world of adventures known as Little Tail Bronx. Presumably “Bronx” because the retro stylings of the game world (designed in the spirit of Studio Ghibli by legendary manga artist Nobuteru Yuuki) called to mind late-19th century photos of New York newsboys and brownstones. And “Tail” because the people inhabiting the world were dogs. Also, the dog-people controlled mechanical combat suits. You know. Standard fare.
More than a decade after Tail Concerto, CyberConnect expanded the Little Tail Bronx saga with a mobile action-RPG called Little Tail Story and a DS adventure called Solatorobo. FUGA and its sequels, which arrived about a decade after that, continue the saga... or rather, they set the stage for it. FUGA takes place about a thousand years before Tail Concerto and Solatorobo, which in turn take place thousands of years after the world that we live in today.
Confused? No worries, because...
2. We’ve Got the Expanded Lore
Being a long-running passion project, the Little Tail Bronx saga has been percolating in the minds of its key creators for a long, long time. Several of the leads behind Tail Concerto—most notably Takayuki Isobe and Hiroshi Matsuyama—played key roles in designing the FUGA games as well. And, binding it all together in the long gaps between games, they’ve fleshed out the universe through multimedia projects.
One of those projects, a manga, is included in the FUGA trilogy Collectors Edition—appearing here in print for the first time ever! Previously only available as in-game DLC, the manga presents an expanded telling of the games, filling out crucial details and downshifting into low gear at times in order to expand the narrative behind certain in-game elements. You can certainly enjoy the games on their own, but the manga is a vital companion piece to the trilogy.
3. In Fact, We’ve Got the Whole Shebang
Now, those who prefer the a la carte approach can pick up each entry in the FUGA trilogy individually on every platform they could desire. The console releases each come with the full games plus all available DLC material on disc or cartridges, while the Steam version ships as downloadable codes. (Note that the DLC items containing Tail Concerto and Solatorobo material were not able to be included due to licensing issues, but you can still download them.)
But who on earth is collecting games yet only wants one title out of an interconnected trilogy? FUGA: Melodies of Steel 1-3 tells a single tale that unfolds over the course of the three chapters. So you might as well get all three games in the Slipcase Bundle, which doesn’t just come in an attractive, shelf-friendly box—it also costs bit less than picking up all the games a la carte.
(Or, you know, just go all-in and get the manga, an art book, a soundtrack set, and assorted other goods.)
Oh, by the way—did you know that this is the first time FUGA has been published physically on any platform besides Switch? That’s a bonus cool thing for you to enjoy.
3.5. But What is the Whole Shebang?
For those just arriving at the world of FUGA, welcome! It can be a little harrowing here at times, but you’ll find it emotionally rewarding as well.
The entirety of FUGA: Melodies of Steel plays out through a giant super-powered battle tank called Taranis. In Tail Concerto and Solatorobo, the world consisted of self-contained islands hovering in the sky; here, a millennium before those events, you’ll find an equally self-contained world inside of Taranis. As the tank roams the landscape, it also serves as a home to a group of children who take refuge inside of it while also operating as its crew. A battlefield (not to mention a battle tank!) is no place for children, and the FUGA story certainly wrestles with that fact... but, at the same time, you’ll quickly find that the world outside of Taranis is no friendlier to kids.
Taranis has the power to protect its occupants, but its greatest ability comes at a terrible cost, and players must reckon with the cursed nature of the tank’s power in times of desperation. This is made even more difficult by the fact that you spend time roaming the tank’s interior and getting to know the children inside between battles. Long story short, FUGA and its sequels are games that look sweet and charming, but those outward appearances are just there to put you off your guard so that their gut-punches land even harder. But it’s worth it!
Why not find out for yourself? The FUGA: Melodies of Steel trilogy is available for preorder in all its permutations through June 14.