Making the tank a little more comfortable
The launch of Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 is coming up in May, and CyberConnect2 has dropped a new patch for Fuga: Melodies of Steel to smooth things along for anyone new to the series. The patch consists of some substantial quality-of-life changes that should address bigger issues not rooted in its core design.
The most important change is probably the “retry option.” One of the core mechanics of Fuga: Melodies of Steel is the soul cannon, which allows you to load a child into it and fire them at any enemy for an instant kill – even bosses. The downside is this prevents you from reaching the “true ending,” because what brilliant monster uses children as ammunition? The retry option will allow you to start over from chapter 7 with all your stats retained, which means you won’t have to play through the entire game again to fix your “mistake.”
Another nice addition is the ability to play using “turbo mode” without having to beat the game first. Essentially, this speeds up gameplay if you don’t care about things like atmosphere and pacing and just want to get to the end. The tank in Fuga: Melodies of Steel is a bit on the slow side, so I’m definitely not judging. It’s nice that this option will alleviate things for those who don’t need to experience the feeling of being in a lumbering giant iron death machine.
Lastly, CyberConnect2 has added binoculars, so you can check the enemy status from the formation screen. This is a pretty small change, but it will be easier for you to pick your crew without having to back out of the formation menu.
The patch notes also mention “the automatic harvesting of crops before each intermission” and “a total UI navigation overhaul.” Neat.
Labor of love
I’m very excited for Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2. The first game is excellent, and I wasn’t expecting a sequel. The “Little Tail Bronx” series, which includes 1998’s Tail Concerto and 2010’s Solatorobo: Red the Hunter, has never sold well. The fact that CyberConnect2 continues to pursue it points to it being a labor of love for its veteran developers. I’m hoping that the Fuga games will catch on and lead to ports of the previous games in the series.
The 1.50 patch for Fuga: Melodies of Steel drops today. Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 is coming May 11, 2023 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Switch. There will be bonuses in the sequel for anyone who owns the first game.
