#my experience with the fire emblem franchise | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

starclast · 15 days

Text

FIRE EMBLEM: AWAKENING ✨✨

hey there! So...as you can guess, I've been playing Fire Emblem Awakening in these last few months. It may seem unbelievable but I never had the opportunity to play this game until now. My very first Fire Emblem was Sacred Stones, and it was not only my first experience with the franchise, but also my very first experience playing a tactical rpg. I didn't know anything about how to play so everything that happened within the first minutes of gameplay was a completely new experience for me. I still remember when I got my first support *conversation* between Eirika and Seth...my mind was simply BLOWN away by the fact that characters could interact and build stronger bonds in the middle of the battlefield 😮 Since then, I've been tryin to play any Fire Emblem I can get my hands on...and finally, thanks to my friends friend (Mr. Mystery ☝), I got the opportunity to try this one out.

I've always been curious about Awakening because a friend of another friend of mine had a 3ds with it. he showed me a little bit about it one day we visited him but because we had better things to do and a time limit for it, I couldn't catch a proper look to it. Still, I really wanted to try it out, so once I talked a little about it wit my best friend, I immediately asked her to ask Mr. Mystery if he could get it for me...and as you can see, he did it!!! 🤗 I'm still in my first playthrough but I already can see why people love this game so much. It is beautifully made, the new mechanics are polished and very enjoyable, and the characters are just SO good!! 😆😆😆

To be honest, my favorite part of all the Fire Emblem games I have played so far, has always been the supports. And every since I learned that in Awakening the support pairs can have their own children I was simply EXCITED to see it!! 🤩 I'm already in the part of the story were the child units appear and so I'm tryin to reunite them all before proceeding.

I think my favorite pair so far is Donnel and Lissa. Their support was just so really, really sweet that it made me tear up. I know that the child unit is always predetermined by the mother but still, I cant help but feel like Owain makes sense as a child of these two. (And also, its just too funny to let it slide 😆🤣) I don't know yet what other combination I may do in a future second playthrough...but I already feel like it will be hard for me to pair Donny and Lissa with someone else 😢 (Seriously now, why so few people like this pairing!?? 😭)

P.S: Mini Owain turned out really good for a first try 🤭 ...Although I'm a bit unsure if I put his mark in the right place 🤔

#fire emblem #fire emblem fanart #fire emblem awakening #fire emblem donnel #fire emblem lissa #fire emblem owain #donnel #donny #lissa #owain #donnel x lissa #donny x lissa #donissa #donerizu #why people don't like such a cute couple TT _ TT #my experience with the fire emblem franchise #mention of fire emblem sacred stones #traditional drawing

5 notes · View notes

moe-broey · 10 months

Text

ALSO when it comes to Takumi concepts I'm just posting this like I'm writing on the fridge for later but --

Something I DEF wanna explore more and maybe invent my own canon about is how, (depending on when you downloaded FEH), Takumi IS the first Hero from another world to arrive (not counting the summoner themselves).

And depending on how long it takes for the summoner to like, have the resources/get the hang of yanking Heroes to Askr, Takumi may have been the only other Hero there For A While. Which I think WOULD put him in a really unique position, where he becomes familiar with Alfonse, Sharena and the summoner, in a way most Heroes after him don't get the opportunity to.

In my head, I like to consider Takumi to be like. An honorary fourth (fifth?) member of the OG Heroes.

And it IS really disappointing for me that he hasn't really had much connection or relevancy in the broader story (esp in Book 1 where mainline characters would play big roles, like Xander) -- but also that aspect I acknowledge like. The ORIGINAL original first Hero was Virion LMFAOOOOO so it wouldn't have made much sense there anyway (IMAGINING. A world where Virion plays a major role in Book 1. Maybe that would have saved him popularity-wise, kind of Reinhart-core KSKSLKSKSK)

#fire emblem #feh #funny deeplore is i actually downloaded feh before i was into fe as a franchise and got the virion experience #and i wouldn't fully get into it UNTIL i transed my gender needed a fresh new game w no memories attached #and for the second time my sister was like. well i know a game. you could try. <- avid fe fan for years #and so (after deleting feh for space/not quite getting into it) (and after becoming deeply obsessed #changing the trajectory of my life forever) i redownloaded feh and got the takumi experience #WHICH. HONESTLY. THANK FUCKIBG GOD. no hate towards virion BUT.#LITERALLY THE ONLY COPIES OF TAKUMI I'VE EVER HAD ARE THE FREE ON AND THE RESPLENDENT. THAT'S IT.#i would have been waiting YEARS for one (1) copy of him. it would have made me DERANGED #anyways. i need to head out soon LMFAO #fe takumi

17 notes · View notes

todayisafridaynight · 2 years

Text

beat yakuza 7 last night *muffled screaming*

#spoilers #there'll be spoiler talk lmao #snap chats #ok compliment sandwich time #FIRST OFF absolutely loved this game im so pissed ill never be able to experience it for the first time again #i had no rights being scared of playing it i actually love the rpg playstyle sm- sure i love beat em up but it just feels so right for this #the cast was so cute and lovable and i adore them immensely. also why does no one mention eri ever she's so darling #and the VOICE ACTING- i had my game in english btw and on that note ichiban's VA really does make this game #he's just so passionate in every line he delivers and you can just feel the emotion in everything he says #prob helps that kaiji tang played odin/owain fire emblem before for the theatrics LMAO but seriously i loved his performance so much #on FE note though i completely forgot robbie daymond was zhao and the whole time i was like 'he reminds me of hubert or like akechi lmao'#my hunch was great LMAO GG ME but yeah the gameplay was so fun #and i just love all the little character-building aspects- like how if yo get utterly sloshed with your party everyone has a little comment #not to mention the mid-meal conversations those were so cute #ok for the parts i didnt like uh. Very Few Things like i said i loved this game and i have few complaints #its just the ending made me want to eat dry wall rgg PLEASE let siblings be happy in this franchise i swear to god #aoki was a prick but rgg i need you to stop peddling this 'anyone can change and start over' thing if youre just going to kill them #like at least with nishiki ryuji and mine there was a build up to their death- ig you can argue aoki holding the gun to his death was that #BUT ITS JUST THE WAY KUME COMES OUT OF PISS-OFF NOWHERE LIKE if he hadnt walked away and if ichi wasnt so concerned over aoki #bruh Full Rights to beat his ass and then some that made me so pissed. like i already had a feeling aoki was fucked but still #PLEASE just let a yakuza antagonist live beyond their game for five minutes thats it #he can literally be cell neighbors with sawashiro for all i care just let him live #omg wait on that note i totally called arakawa being ichi's bio dad like as soon as fucker asked ichi bout his real parents I Knew #i dont think arakawa knew but girl I Did and i howled #one last complain i have- its very small tbh- is where did mirror-face-tendo come from #i thought mirror face blew up with ishioda but alright. i guess for the sake of The Twist they couldnt reveal he was fine #still because of that he just feels so out of nowhere esp to be helping the gang #but i'm not gonna let a few nicks ruin an otherwise lovely game #i love how the og cast didnt outstay their welcome: they were in the game just enough to be justified and i appreciate that #kiryu coming out of nowhere does feel a little Out Of Nowhere esp now that he's gona be in Y8

29 notes · View notes

solidandsound · 1 year

Text

Oops! All Hours of the Day Spent on Fire Emblem: Three Houses

#so like #this is my second playthrough #black eagles -> blue lions #and i'm sure everyone debates the correct sequence of playthroughs for the optimal experience #but i'm kinda feeling now like black eagles should not be first #because here i am opposed to edelgard #but having been down her path... still knowing she's right and not wanting to fight her #i'm still so curious to see how things go #which is why the game has captured my brain (and my day)#truly cannot stop thinking about this shakespearian tragedy in the making #this is also why three houses is the best fire emblem hands down #and like... look at engage #you can already tell it will not do this to anyone's brain #sad to see such a monumental step back in the franchise imo

2 notes · View notes

balanceoflightanddark · 5 months

Text

As requested by @cobra-diamond. I hope this makes you happy.

If you know me, then you probably know that I have a habit of talking about problematic characters like Azula. You know, the ones who have to have an inordinate amount of hatred attached to them that boggles the mind. It's just Azula is one of the most notorious of this...I guess you can say club.

The thing is...she's not the only one out there.

Spoilers for Fire Emblem: Three Houses below.

This is Edelgard von Hresvelg. Crown Princess to the Adrestrian Empire. Leader of the Black Eagles House in Garreg Mach. And quite possibly the most controversial character in the entire Fire Emblem franchise. She's been called a lot of things over the years. A fascist. A tyrant. The old "worse than Hitler" comparison. Needless to say, she's had it rough.

And to be fair, there is a reason for that. Traditionally, she's the "villain" of the story. She's the face of the enemy faction, the one you encounter the most if you don't side with her, and she ends up the final boss on the most traditional of the Fire Emblem routes. Her design is crimson red with devil horns, and she turns into a literal monster at the end of one of her routes. So by all accounts, she's the bad guy.

Except...she isn't. Not really. Let's back up a bit.

Three Houses takes place on the continent of Fodlan, which is broken up into three distinctive factions. We have the Adrestrian Empire that Edelgard is from who used to rule all of Fodlan. We have the Leicester Alliance which is ruled by a class of nobles who are only loosely united. And then we have Faerghus, a proud people with armies of knights and ruled by a king. Above them all are the Knights of Seiros who basically run things in Fodlan, keeping stability and maintaining the balance of power between all three factions from their monastery of Garreg Mach. Here, noble children from all across the continent are enrolled to learn combat and how to be a faithful servant of the Church and its Archbishop, Rhea.

Fodlan also has a strict caste system dictated by Crests. Think of them as bloodlines that grant users special abilities and the power to wield divine weapons. Those who inherit Crests are practically seen as chosen by the Goddess and enforce her will on the earth and are on top. Everyone else essentially gets trampled on, with families doing pretty underhanded things and constantly squabbling in order to make sure their family has Crests.

Enter a mysterious faction lead by their enigmatic leader, the Flame Emperor. For most of the game's first half, they serve as the ultimate bad guy. They're the face of Those Who Slither In The Dark, (TWSITD), they're the ones who hired the mercenaries who attempted to kill the student heads at the beginning of the game, and their identity is one of the driving questions at the start.

Turns out...the Flame Emperor is actually Edelgard.

Before now, Edelgard had been one of the class leaders and one of your students should you choose to teach the Black Eagles. She's...not exactly the most open person, but she's also dutiful and dedicated to succeeding her elderly father, the Emperor of Adrestria. So it comes off as a shock to many that she's revealed to effectively be the bad guy for the first half of the game. An indeed, there are people in-universe who genuinely want her head and blame her for absolutely everything that TWSITD pulled.

The thing is though...Edelgard's position within TWSITD is less of leadership and more of a weapon. You remember those Crests I mentioned earlier? Well it turns out, Edelgard actually possesses TWO which is unnatural in Fodlan. The reason for that is...well, it was the result of torturous experiments that left her in a disgusting prison and was forced to watch the rest of her siblings die. Leaving her the sole survivor. And going back to my Azula comparison, she too was conditioned to effectively serve TWSITD to bring down the Church and tear Fodlan apart.

AKA: she was set up in-universe to be the villain.

The thing is though at the end of the day...she ultimately isn't.

Her trauma isn't brushed away. It's treated with as much respect as it deserves. And she's not treated as some monster either since all of her traits established before the reveal are still present after the timeskip where the war starts if you decide to defend her from being executed by Archbishop Rhea. Mainly, she cares a lot about her allies and forces. Even giving them an out of what is certain to be a bloody path she embarks on.

And it IS a bloody path. Edelgard's ultimate goal is to dismantle the Church which seems villainous...until you realize that the Church was responsible for the oppressive Crest system that resulted in her experimentation and a ton of backstabbing and suffering in Fodlan. As bad as TWSITD are, they wouldn't have gotten as far if the Knights of Seiros practically didn't create every opportunity for them to cause chaos and destruction. She doesn't even like TWSITD too much, and only allies with them cause they're the lesser evil in the grand scheme of things, and she needs their support to stand a chance against the dominant Church. And she already HAS plans to bring them down the moment the war is over. That seen of her in the of the routes where she turns into a monster? That's her choosing to become a monster when her back is to the wall and her last ditch effort to secure a better future for Fodlan.

What's more, she actually shows more clemency and mercy to her enemies than her rivals. Imperial troops are said to be more accommodating to citizens and captured soldiers than Faerghus who have been known to torture their captives. Edelgard is willing to show mercy and is perfectly willing to let Rhea stand down, showing the same mercy that her enemies don't since Rhea was willing to execute heretics over their rebellious attitudes (practically justifying the war). And the less said about Dimitri, the King of Faerghus, the better...

So while Edelgard is coded as a villain...she doesn't really act too villainous. She shows regret over her actions. She isn't as brutal as a lot of people make her out to be. Hell, her ending where she wins the war is arguably the best for Fodlan since the oppressive Crest system is dismantled with the only resistance coming from nobles who their claims to power are challenged. Not to mention she IS willing to let territories like Brigid peacefully secede and is going to step down from her position as Emperor once things are stabilized and she finds a successor.

Sadly like Azula, because she's seen as the villain in-universe a LOT of people think she's some power-hungry monster. Even when a closer examination of her actions and character show that it is NOT the case. Which...honestly makes her special to me and a lot of people. She's the kind of character who would be demonized elsewhere, but is given a chance to tell her side of the story and NOT be the monster everyone makes her out to be. And ultimately if you play your cards right, she does get that happy ending denied to so many characters like her.

It makes it all the sweeter that after so many years of being conditioned to be the villain, presenting herself as the villain, Edelgard gets recognized as the hero and person she actually is.

#edelgard #edelgard positive #edelgard von hresvelg #fire emblem 3 houses #three houses #crimson flower #black eagles #and now you can expect more 3 houses posts in the future #*evil cackling*

122 notes · View notes

sorenblr · 4 months

Note

Now that you've completed the SMT V stream, I (and I'm sure some other folks, too) would love to hear what you think of it compared with the other main Megaten games you've played on stream. I think you've done SMT 1, SMT IV and SMT IV:A so far. Include Persona 1 too if you'd like.

And that dreadful Tokyo Mirage Sessions: pound sign Fire Emblem, too

SMTV is hard for me to discuss because there's very little about it that compels me to deeper thought. It really, genuinely bores me to think about, and anything I do have to say about it only evinces an incredibly cynical read of the series. I'll just put whatever I have left to say here, so that I don't feel the need to revisit.

It's just, you know, this bloodless cultivation of recycled semiotics from Nocturne. We ragged on IV for being overly invested in derivation and homage, but it looks almost daring coming off of V. The only really original idea that it brings to the table, the notion of Nahobino as the 'true' form of these divided and depreciated myth images, is almost offensive in the way it reframes designs that at least try to approximate real cultural attitudes towards religion as lesser, enervated reflections of yet more Tokusatsu tripe. Apart from that, it's a very inert piece of storytelling. I feel like a joke is being played on me whenever the game presumes an emotional investment in characters like Tao or Yuzuru.

I generally think highly of all the little design wrinkles that were implemented under Komori's stewardship, and that owe to his experience directing the more balance-intensive affairs of Etrian Odyssey. The new utility of consumables, dampeners as a limited means of addressing weakness in party structure, the need to attend to enemy and player Magatsuhi gauges etc. All necessary supplements to a battle system that was beginning to wear thin by 2016. Only my opinion of everything that enfolds it, the exploration, was diminished on this second playthrough. The layouts are still compelling, with a novel emphasis on managing layers of verticality, but they're populated with so much idiot open-world cruft. Vending machines, chests, glory crystals, health orbs, Miman. An overabundance of piddling incentive to keep you in a state of compulsion, and which I believe contributes to the exhaustion that many players feel come Taito. I still like the Miman, but they essentially exist in a continuum with the fucking feather collectables in Assassin's Creed.

(All the colored orbs littered around the sands are the perfect wedge to that design sensibility. They're almost totally inconsequential and only worth pursuing for the feeling of having absorbed more bright bobbles into yourself. They whisper to your lizard brain so that you don't feel too unstimulated navigating the space, which is never deigned to be worth the doing for its own sake. I'm out here picking up orbs and I can't even use them to extend the duration of Spartan Rage. Videogames are fucking stupid.)

It also made me more conscious of the ways the game fails to leverage art direction against what were probably non-ideal production conditions. It's never easy to forget that you're in a world of economically distributed UE4 assets, with no less than four brilliant hues of sparkling sand and ruined structures that have largely forfeited the Tokyoite specificity of previous games in favor of the same vending machines and multi-floor apartments and office buildings repeated ad nauseam. Daat never feels more like a hostile environment than a self-conscious playground. The concept art backdrops and rudimentary 3D textures of IV/IVA, and the claustrophobic interiors of I- all more lively by far. Pretty good skyboxes, though. No complaints there.

I think the series has moved into the sort of tired self-pastiche that every franchise turns to after decades of iteration. Time and chance happened, and now it's Angus Young crawling out of his mansion and into his boy-clothes to duckwalk across the stage while his grapefruit-sized prostate wages war against him from within.

If I were to rank just the main series from what we've streamed thus far, it would be something like I > IV > V > IVA. The only sense in which TMS has it at a disadvantage is that it emulates more cleanly. I'm glad that we're done with the latter half of the series and can finally move on, but I'll never forget that big huge enormous ass...

#ask #smt #megaten #atlus #smtv #streaming knowledge

33 notes · View notes

real-fire-emblem-takes · 2 months

Note

Here a take that closer that just romhack propaganda :

Drums of War is a top three FE experience. Honestly I think I rank it first. Just raw strategic gameplay with no skill system and some very creative map, tight ressource management (what if a whole game was constructed around a Shura choice each chapter ?), and without revealing anything the story is really, really fucking good. It is with no hesitation that I said that the protagonist would genuinely be the best written character in the franchise if the game was official

The game is hard without being impossible, Evander and Connacht are my goat, and one the character theme is battle on the big bridge, go play it

(If the admin could add a link to feuniverse thread, it would be greatly appreciated, can't add link in the prompt)

seems cool :)

#fe #fire emblem #fire emblem drums of war #rom hacks

15 notes · View notes

mha-grievances · 7 months

Text

So with the way that I talk about Katsuki and MHA, you’d think that I see myself as some sort of armchair critic, someone who constantly has to pick apart everything about whatever media I consume. Oddly enough, that’s not really true. I know how to turn my brain off and enjoy something. I know how to get so wrapped up in something that I don’t notice any inconsistencies. I know how to simply allow suspension of disbelief to take over and let myself have fun. So why do I struggle with MHA?

Let me describe a Video Game I love: Fire Emblem Awakening. Awakening’s perhaps the most popular Fire Emblem game in the series alongside 3 Houses. Despite this, Awakening does have some glaring flaws. The gameplay isn’t as polished as some of the previous and newer games, parts of the story do drag on, and some lore related stuff are just glossed over. What makes Awakening such a beloved game? Well, despite the flaws of the gameplay, they aren’t enough to hinder the overall experience unless you’re an elitist. The world and most of the characters are all super charming, fun, and deceptively well written. Though the game does take a lighter tone most of the time, when it wants to take itself seriously, it will without making it seem awkward. For those who aren’t aware of Awakening, it was meant to be the last Fire Emblem title and it was meant to serve as a celebration of the Fire Emblem franchise. It does all of this fantastically. Despite a basic story and some hiccups in the gameplay, Awakening’s strong points have such a big presence that it makes the game great to play and even to this day it has a big fandom for a game that was released 10+ years ago.

MHA struggles with its tone. It doesn’t know when it wants to be good ol’ superhero fun or if it wants to be this philosophical discussion about heroics and heroes. Moments that shouldn’t be played for laughs are and vice versa. So much things are introduced into the world that when something becomes big, it feels smaller than it should be. Things that should’ve happened a long time ago only happen now and things that shouldn’t have happened persist in the story with no real reason as to why they should happen. Characters come and go, playing no real role, especially those who should have a bigger role, while characters who should’ve taken the backseat a while ago are hogging the spotlight. Some people might say that due to us following MHA in real time, the pacing may seem slower than it actually is and it’ll make a lot more sense once everything’s published and read in one sitting. This excuse doesn’t sit right with me cause I’ve read Webtoons that have weekly updates and were still able to maintain the pace of their story, where I actively looked forwards to reading the next update and seeing how all the pieces fit together. Sure, they may have had slower parts where the story’s just playing with its side characters, but even then, the story is consistently written well to the point where I’ve eagerly kept up with the journey even when my favorite characters weren’t front and center.

To look at an example of MHA’s awkward focus and pacing, let’s look at the most recent chapter. Katsuki’s alive now, and while you might think I’d focus on this, I already knew he was coming back so I’m not going to rant about that. I wanna turn my focus to AFO. AFO’s someone who shouldn’t have this much influence on the story anymore. Reason why? The series was building Tomura up to be the new big bad. Whereas Izuku was going to become All Might’s successor, Tomura was becoming AFO’s successor. Suddenly though, Hori introduces the idea that AFO can just possess people and Tomura suddenly becomes a puppet. Yeah, Tomura was being manipulated by AFO before, but he was finally developing beyond AFO’s influence to become his own villain. All that character development thrown down the drain. Sure, Tomura eventually becomes free from the possession and is fighting Izuku for his own reasons now, but AFO’s hogged up enough of the spotlight doing nothing of importance that I don’t really care for Tomura vs Izuku anymore. Keep in mind that after a ton of chapters we still know Jack shit about AFO except that he’s a power hungry person and had a brother. At this point going over his backstory would be an info dump.

There’s also the issue of AFO’s character in general, and that’s being a physical obstacle for the heroes. Now, there’s nothing wrong with a character existing solely to be a physical obstacle, but you have to pace them well or else they end up like AFO, a character who somehow not only knows everything that someone can and will do, but also whip bullshit out of his ass that keeps him around longer than he needs to be. There’s nothing wrong with an OP character but AFO’s an example on why OP characters have a bad rep. It only gets worse when you remember that he should’ve stayed down so many times but for some reason he refuses to exit the story. All Might beats him and he’s still plotting. Tomura rejects him, he acts like it doesn’t matter. All Might tries to take out AFO with him, somehow AFO was able to counter that. AFO should’ve handed the spotlight to Tomura, but he instead persists on stealing it all for himself.

Anyways, I just wanted to rant some more on MHA’s pacing. Thank you all for reading 😂.

#bnha critical #mha critical

47 notes · View notes

hopeymchope · 6 months

Text

Just me loving all over Fire Emblem: Engage

Years after being so thoroughly disappointed and even angered by Fire Emblem: Three Houses — which, it must be said, is deeply popular and incredibly successful because that's how it goes for me — I've found myself loving Fire Emblem: Engage. I put off playing it because the online reception was so "meh," but I needn't have been so worried. My deep affection for the series is back.

Play as Aquafresh OR Pepsi!

The two biggest reasons I'm happy? Well, FIRST, my biggest complaint about Three Houses has been... not cured, unfortunately, but still significantly alleviated. If you want to remain adequately leveled/competitive in taking on strategic battles, you still need to do a bunch of side chores that amount to "running around your home base doing boring shit" between each fight. BUT. 1) The sheer amount of those chores is significantly less now, and 2) all the blind guesswork has been removed from increasing Support levels. You'll never be trying to helplessly guess what to say at some fucking teatime or in some classroom conversation where every response seems valid, nor will be you making your best guess on what food to serve people. Because the game just fucking tells you the kind of gifts or food each person likes! (And tea events/random interstitial convos are blessedly absent.)

SECOND, however? It's the quality of the writing. Yes, I know people have complained a ton about the writing in "Engage," but in my experience, they're primarily complaining because they felt the story is so simplistic. And, sure — I get that. There's so much emotional drama built into the setups of the last three games (Three Houses, Echoes, and Fates) that this tale seems rather bog-standard by comparison. The overarching story of Engage can be boiled down to a tale as old as the franchise itself — essentially "Evil Dragon gonna Do Evil." There are also some aspects of the worldbuilding/subtextual implications that don't quite make sense. But I'm not talking about the overarching plot when I praise the writing here — I'm talking about how the characters possess more detail/facets than usual, and the dialogue/banter between characters is so damn fun.

A woman I feel completely normal about.

I don't even quite know how to explain it. Maybe the humor is just more to my taste, but I've laughed so much more at this one. And by the same token, maybe I'm just digging deeper into these characters because their dialogue is endearing them to me. But after playing the past four games before this one (yes, I started with "Awakening" like some Filthy Casual, I'M SORRY), I don't recall any other game featuring characters with so much detail to them. In Engage, many chracters possess more than the usual "two noteworthy personality traits/talents" that are typically found in FE's enormous casts. I'm talking about people like Citrinne, Lindon, Yunaka, Clanne, Ivy, Gregory... I can easily say like FIVE things about each of them. And yes, I consider this to be an important step forward.

Okay, so: I like the dialogue, I like the characters, I don't like all the side busywork, the overall story is bland. (The Fell Xenalogue's story is kinda sick though?) But hold up, what about the actual MEAT of the game — the core gameplay of having strategic battles? That's not usually a problem, mind you. But how'd it go this time around?

WELL. I'd argue we've got some of the best maps and best ways to optimize characters that we've ever had. There are still some lame straightforward corridors in here, but by and large? You get a lot more freedom in how you lure enemies to you, how you can split up and flank them while simultaneously attacking from the front, how you can now disarm (or "Break") them during one turn so other allies can attack more easily/do more damage — it's pretty rad!

One of the earliest maps to make me go "Oh cool."

There's even a main theme with lyrics, and although it's never gonna be the inescapable earworm that "You are the ocean's gray waves" became, it's not shabby either.

I've put over 80 hours into Engage so far, and although I'm finished with the main story, I'm not yet finished unlocking stuff. There's a lot to love here. I'm just happy to be back.

#fire emblem #fire emblem: engage #video games #fire emblem engage

20 notes · View notes

legofrans · 4 months

Text

Fire emblem tier list based on my own personal enjoyment of the games. Don't ask what happened to the colors I'd like to know too. Tiers are ordered.

Obviously heavily biased towards my own tastes, but also to the expectations I had going into each game. This is in no way intended to indicate the actual quality of the games.

Short thoughts on my experience on all the games below. It adds up to a pretty long post.

Fates: I originally played it back in late 2016. Dumb as I was, I thought "oh hey if I just play revelation it'll kind of be like I get to experience both routes right?"

Well it turns out revelation sucks ass. I got to the final chapter but Soleil (I had an affinity for lesbians back then. Wondered why that was) got countered with a 3% crit, I ragequit, and I haven't touched any of the games since.

New years resolution is to play conquest. I've heard good things about it's gameplay so if I go in with 0 expectations for the story I think I'll be able to enjoy it.

Dark dragon and the blade of light, as well as Gaiden, have several problems that can be very neatly summarized: they're old. Not much here in terms of story to comment on.

. . . Engage. Let's start with the good: the gameplay is fantastic. One of the best in the series. Most games add some unique spin on the formula to make it their own, and for most it works out well. Engage takes that and goes above and beyond. Smashing weapons (forgot the term) is a fun addition. Engaging is also a really interesting strategic aspect. Skill management is really, really good. (although I wish weapon durability had also been a part of it.)

Problems start coming with the story. It's pretty much a stock standard Fe story. Evil dragon gets resurrected, we gotta stop him. This is considerably less interesting here than with Marth though. Marth was kind of a nobody (crown prince of a minor country but who is keeping track) while Alear is like. The Divine Dragon. Everyone knows them and loves them and is willing to bend over backwards or the nearest countertop for them. It just does not make for an interesting story for me.

There's also the Emblems! As said, fantastic gameplay addition. Story wise they first make no sense. Secondly, if you're going to put some of the most beloved characters from a franchise in a game, you should make sure they represent how they were in the game. Engage kinda falls flat here imo.

Then there's also the artstyle. I dont think Mika Pikazo is a good fit for fire emblem. It works for a few characters, but overall it leaves me wanting something else. Especially for the Emblems, I don't think I like how any of them look except like Roy and Camilla.

For most of the games in the series I can genuinely say that my critique comes from a love of the game. Im not sure I can say that in regards to Engage. It definitely comes from a love for the series as a whole, but I think engage is the only entry in the series which I actually dislike.

Shadow Dragon! Not too much to say here. It's Marth! You girls know Marth right?

The plot and gameplay are both very basic, and not much to write home about. Marth being s bit of an underdog makes him more interesting than Alear. The reclassing is interesting in concept, but I never really got into it.

New mystery of the emblem is kind of just more of the same, but with a larger cast and everything is happening again. It kind of works.

This entry and Shadow Dragon could kind of go either way, but ultimately the Gaiden chapters are enough of an interesting addition to put new mystery ahead.

Three houses was a pretty fun game! But I don't think it's a good fire emblem game. there's a lot I could say about the monastery and the class system, and the skill system and the grinding and the completely uncapped levels! I have a hard time considering it a mainline entry.

In short, around 70% of the game is either grinding or non-FE gameplay and I didn't enjoy that. What's more, I started with CF, and that route is straight up unfinished.

Three hopes isn't here because it's not a mainline entry but unironically enjoyed it more than Three houses.

Binding Blade! Good game. Good FE too. Pretty basic plot, but it's good enough. I'm not at all fond of the "true ending" stuff and also there's the hitrate issues for everything that's not swords. Roy as a protagonists is also one of the weaker ones in the series I think. Sorry man.

If I had played fe6 before 7 & 8 I'd probably have rated it higher. But all the GBA games are good, and everything that's C-tier and aboveis something I'd recommend.

Genealogy of the holy war is a very different fire emblem, but unlike 3H it is still distinctly Fire emblem. I didn't have much in terms of expectations going into this one. It has a lot of quirks, both good and bad.

The typical story formula has a very nice twist on it this time and keeps things interesting. Which is good since the story is one of the biggest draws, since the game offers a bit less in terms of challenge when compared to the other games in the series.

The gameplay quirks are very interesting, such as weapon kills, but because some units are extremely heavily favored in this game, it only ends up mattering for very few units or if you go out of your way to use other, worse units.

Shadows of Valentia is a game I really would've liked to put in high A-tier. It is probably the best remake of a game I've ever played.

But it's too faithful to the original. My problems with Gaiden were not just that the graphics actually hurt my eyes and that the menus were confusing and everything looked kind of weird. The maps. . . . also kind of suck.

There's too much weird terrain with too powerful bonuses. There's also too much open field. Enemy starting locations feel random. Many maps have one chokepoint to get through and that's all the features there is to it.

And then there's the story. One problem with having the script be about 300 times that of the original is that you can fit so much more misogyny in there. And they did.

Thats the negative stuff out of the way let's go to the positive. The class system rules. I'm a big fan of promotion bonuses going to a class base stat instead of adding flat numbers. The magic system with learned spells and HP cost is also really cool.

The weapon system is also great, with being able to promote certain weapons into other things with special features and skills. I like it! It's interesting! Items are kind of whatever though.

Radiant dawn is a mostly fantastic game with two very big problems and one major nitpick. The latter is that there's true ending bullshit again.

The problems are: the new support system. It's boring. Less opportunity for characterisation for everyone that's not a major player in the story.

The later chapters are also just a slog to get through. If you've been in the Fe fandom for a long time you've probably seen memes about RD enemy phases. It is like that.

Good things! The bonus XP system! It's fantastic. Being able to almost pick which stats you want a unit to grow in if you know what you're doing is great! Makes it so practically every unit can be good.

They did kind of screw over Laguz units though. And the Renning bullshit pisses me off so bad.

Blazing blade is a very good game and was many peoples first FE game. I don't have many thoughts on this. If Blazing blade was a dish it'd be bread dipped in olive oil. Simple. Fantastic. You don't need much more.

Awakening was also the introduction to fire emblem for a lot of people. According to some it saved the franchise, according to others it killed it.

Personally I had a lot of fun playing this. It has many well designed chapters, and a simple and fun skill and class system. Though, it has some issues in overleveling and access to grinding. The pair up mechanic is also somewhat of a double edged sword, which I really like. Do you want one stronger unit, or multiple strong ones? It's interesting! . . . . Until you get to A support or unlock dual guard+ at which point there's just one correct choice.

I really liked how silly the writing in awakening got. Very funny script, and a lot of memorable characters.

Mystery of the emblem turns 30 in a few days, and looks surprisingly good for its age. I started playing this a few months before three houses came out, and I had already played all the other games in the series ('cept fates) at that point. I had low expectations considering how bad DD/Gaiden felt to play, but mystery of the emblem feels almost good to play.

I don't miss weapon level being a stat like all the others. But I do miss the starshards (growth modifiers my beloved) and the very funny again staff.

S tier :)

Sacred stones was the first turn based strategy game I ever played and I've been hooked since. No, real chess does not count.

It has a really good tutorial, it's not that difficult of a game, and it has a very simple and easy to follow plot. It's definitely the best game to play if you want to get into fire emblem.

Chapters are well designed, the graphics are charming, and the characters are too.

Again, all the GBA games are very good. There's not too much to say here.

Path of Radiance features several of my favorite characters in the series. Titania, Ike, Soren, Lethe, Jill, "Eat rock" guy, Leanne, and Lucia.

This is probably the best the series ever got in terms of writing. It breaks of from the typical "oh no the evil dragon is being revived" formula and manages to have a plot that feels much more centered on the characters, which I love. The base conversations really help with that.

It's not just the story that's phenomenal the gameplay is also really good. The skill system is a bit limited, but the decisions feel all the more impactful because of it.

The class system has a pretty unique twist in that your units are promoted by leveling past level 20 this time around. The bonus XP system also helps a lot with that, although the Bonus XP system this time is just random stats, unlike in Radiant dawn.

While not the game I enjoyed the most, it's definitely the game I recommend the highest.

Thracia 776 is almost infamous in the fandom. Its known for being one of the hardest, if not the hardest game in the series. It has a lot of peculiarities, like capturing, leadership stars, movement stars, movement growths, magic and resistance being the same stat, stealing equipped weapons, forced dismounting, no Langes indoors, FUCC, Infinite duration statuses etc. . . Theres a lot going on.

But most of it is really good. And more importantly. Almost all of the bullshit goes both ways. Sleeping enemies sleep permanently. Enemies can capture your units, too.(which also has strategic value since it halves their stars) Your units have leadership stars. The fucking thief staff.

It also features one of my favorite mechanics, the crusader scrolls. It's essentially the same thing as the starshards but this time around they also help preventing crits. The modified growths together with thracias extremely low stat caps means effectively every unit can become very strong. Though there's still FUCC, movement stars, and skills to consider. All units are not created equal.

Thracia also has one of my favorite narratives. It is the smallest scale conflict (except Lyn mode) in the series and it makes for a very interesting change of pace. It's not a grand heroic adventure, but just about Leif trying to live to fight another day.

And that is also pretty well reflected in the gameplay. Thracia introduced both Escape and defense maps. It would've been a very different game if it had been all rout and seize maps.

All in all though, the game does at some points feature some actually unfair and unfun things too. Xavier's recruitment. 24x's warp tiles. Ch.4 if you don't know. Going into Thracia completely blind is a decision you'll have to make on your own. I tried doing that and had to hard reset upon hitting chapter 4. Then I opened a guide, and honestly, I don't regret it. But you should play the game if you haven't. It's good.

Also here's a tier list on how good of a game I think every game is, while trying to be impartial.

#fire emblem #long post #fire emblem path of radiance #fire emblem thracia 776 #fire emblem awakening #fire emblem mystery of the emblem #the rest dont need to be tagged i dont think.

10 notes · View notes

smash-64 · 5 months

Text

2023 Game of the Year Countdown #6 Fire Emblem Nintendo GameBoy Advance, 2003

Never thought I’d actually be able to enjoy an old school Fire Emblem game since I only came into the franchise since the 3DS and I thought it’d be hard to go back to the more simple (or sometimes even archaic) gameplay. But I was surprised by how fun the combat was and I wasn’t distracted by a huge, convoluted story, either. It’s a fairly simple story with simple gameplay and I really enjoyed it. I’m definitely glad that the newer games allow for fallen characters to come back, but I can see why players developed the habit of always being perfect in battle, as well as why they'd prefer to stick to a tougher way to play.

Flyers are just as much fun back then as they are now, although they feel a bit more flimsy than in newer games. Marcus might have been my absolute favorite because the man is a complete mountain. Cannot defeat him. I would drop him in the middle of a huge enemy group and he’d take out every single one of them. He might be a better enemy turn unit than even Petra in Three Houses.

While the story isn't as complicated as later FE games get, I still found myself really liking the dragon characters. I've never been a big fan of fantasy stories like Lord of the Rings, so knights and dragons were never my favorites. But I have been a huge fan of all the green haired FE dragon characters from the very first game I played. Not quite sure what it is about them, but I just enjoy it. So it was cool to see them in this early entry in the series as well.

Music is pretty basic, and the GBA can’t exactly pump out great sound, but the classic FE theme is easily recognizable. The little visuals and portraits are also cute and reminiscent of the SNES when it comes to pixel art.

I do miss some of the more in-depth character development and high quality music that we get in newer games like Three Houses, but it by no means ruins the experience to go back and play the older games. I’m going to seek out some of the other more classic games soon enough, specifically the ones on handheld consoles.

#game of the year #goty #countdown #fire emblem #gba #gameboy advance #nintendo

13 notes · View notes

arkus-rhapsode · 7 months

Text

So I know I’m a bit late on this, but I’ve been mulling this over for a bit and with the recent VA actor strike talk I kinda came to some realizations. So you probably have heard something about Charles Martinet, famed voice actor for Mario retired. Being replaced in the upcoming WarioWare/Mario Wonder games. Now there were a lot of people giving their thanks to a man who has been the voice of a gaming icon for generations a proper send off, but something had really got me thinking. Charles Martinet is a celebrated VA for his work in a Nintendo franchise. Nintendo the company that isn’t really known for vocal performances.

Nintendo is many things in the gaming industry, but something that you’ll notice that even in the modern era, there really aren’t that many games nintendo puts out with voice acting as a prominent feature. With games like Pikmin, Splatoon, Animal Crossing etc, all having “actors” there’s still a big use of nonsense words. Even Mario while there was voice acting in it still used very brief phrases and words. Or even some games that are still silent experiences like Pokemon.

Now there is a few exceptions to this in terms of Nintendo franchises, Fire Emblem has been a murderers row of talent of the VA industry for years. And while British actors aren’t as well known stateside, the Xenoblade games are fully voiced narrative games. Games like Zelda have only now begun to include bigger named VAs in their works like Matt Mercer, Kate Higgins, and Chris Hackney.

But these come off more like outliers. Fire Emblem is a second party series that only in recent entries really started using well known voice acting talent and direction. And while Xenoblade Chronicles is wonderfully acted, it’s still a lot of unknowns in the broader voice acting scene. And as mentioned previously, Zelda is only now beginning to add fully spoken voiced talent in their games, yet even that game isn’t fully acted outside of certain cutscenes with a fallback on Twilight Princess style jibberish when engaging with characters. I don’t say this to diminish any of the work done by these actors, I’m just observing that when you think about their roles in comparison to Nintendo’s brand, it’s not that prominent.

For the sake of comparison, narrative heavy game publishers like Naughty Dog, Insomniac, and BioWare are no stranger to beefing up their games with well known VAs working in the California scene. And it makes sense why these publishers were targeted when VA’s proposed their own strike. But in that list Nintendo-one of the big video game publishers in the world-was left off.

So what does this mean, what was the point of this ramble? Well I think it really speaks to in my opinion the work Charles Martinet did. To consistently be the voice of a franchise for so long and so popular that everyone knew who they were. To be a well known actor for most of their work in a Nintendo game. The most popular Nintendo gaming franchise. A company where the acting talent/voiced narrative cutscenes is not really part of their selling points. I think that it’s very impressive of one VA was able to have so much of an identity given all of the hurdles.

Im excited for the new voice of Mario. And while im not going to make any predictions on how nintendo will deal with voiced narratives content in the future, I do think it is a testament to how this very old school approach to game presentation can still be effective.

#Rhapsode rambles #nintendo #mario #mario wonder #charles martinet #voice actors #fire emblem #xenoblade #zelda

18 notes · View notes

namig42 · 2 months

Note

random OC ask: if your OC inexplicably had access to real-world media, what character would be their favorite? what character would they unreasoningly despise? why?

Alright, I'm gonna speed round their favorites, then I'll come back in another post with the ones they loathe.

Also hello, sorry I took forever to respond, I have been on vacation and also got a pretty ring from my new fiancee (I have been saying that word too much lol)

My OCs Favorite Fictional Characters!

Wyndolyn

Wyn would adore Zarya from Overwatch. She would see the badass buff babe who talks about hugging like Siberian bear and want to be just like her. (This is absolutely not based on real life experience.)

Helena

Mizu from Blue Eye Samurai. Helena would think that she's sooo cool and complex, finding comfort in someone who isolates themselves still managing to find connections in the world. She would also buy a sword and cosplay as her.

Dahlia

Aang from ATLA. She'd love Aang's goofy, playful nature and his whole character arc, from a kid running from his duties to a powerful bender that finds a way to maintain his beliefs, no matter the obstacle.

Dahlia would love the Avatar series, and since she grew up so sheltered, she'd have no idea that it's actually a super popular show that there's a huge community for. She'd definitely bring it up in conversation thinking that she's introducing something cool and new to people, then quickly learn how many people have loved the show for years and be pleasantly surprised that she can just gush with people.

Vero

Vero would be a big fan of musicals and classic films. She strikes me as someone that would resonate and admire Veronica from Heathers a lot, and when she learns about the musical version of Heathers? Forget about it. She's learning all of Veronica's parts in a day.

Sahed

Sahed is definitely a DnD and LotR nerd that has the lore memorized from both franchises. He has all the books and a bunch of art, posters, and figurines of his favorite character Smaug that would clutter up his room. Smaug would also inspire him to become a scaley, just sayin.

Sahed would also love the Fire Emblem series, and his favorite character would probably be someone like Tharja (practices curses on her own daughter) or Arvis (the main antagonist in FE4 who wipes out a whole army with one meteor shower).

Velora

Velora is a cozy gamer for sure. She'd love building her island to perfection in Animal Crossing and marrying every townie in Stardew Valley. Though she'd optimize her gameplay and romance everyone in town, her favorite character in Stardew that she would always come back to would be Shane. She likes being able to help him and earning his affection, since it always seems really genuine during his supports.

Gardon

Gardon would love a conflicted father archetype like Joel from The Last of Us. He would gravitate towards flawed characters who find some redemption in the world, and Joel is the epitome of that.

Lin'rai

Lin would love Marceline from Adventure Time and ship Bubbline so hard. Her dream girl is very similar to PB, and she sees a lot of herself in Marcy. She'd also be a Steven Universe fan who relates a lot to Pearl and simps over Rose Quartz, even though she knows how problematic Rose is. Mystery Girl from the episode "Last One Out of Beach City" would also be high on her crush list.

---

Okay, this took way more thought than I anticipated, but this all tracks pretty well.

My partner saw Vero being into Heathers and went, "really??" He didn't think Vero would be a Veronica/Heathers person, but when I asked what he thought she'd like, he was like, "I don't know, I just didn't get Veronica vibes."

Useless. I can't wait to marry this dingus.

6 notes · View notes

fe-leading-ladies-bracket · 1 year

Text

AKA: What if the golden apple was thrown into a Heroes summoning portal?

Fire Emblem has had a long and interesting history, and so it is time we honor the ladies that helped shape the franchise into what it is today! Public opinion is always quick to swift and turn when it comes to the gals, so when I tried to on my own judge who among the cast were the most popular fan favorites, I struggled to pin down any one answer. So we're going to decide who is the fairest among the war criminals with the totally accurate and scientifically sound experiment of a good old fashioned tournament bracket!

When it came to deciding who to pool for this contest and how to seed it, I looked at three main characteristics

Lord or Main Character Status

Impact on the Plot

Popularity with the Wider Fanbase

Rather than pick all my faves who are totally the best, I wanted to choose characters who served as the "face" of their respective games/worlds and give each entry a reasonably balanced amount of representation without having to default to friendly fire right off the bat. I also have not played every game and so often had to rely on fan discussions, Heroes rep, and whose art fills the tag to determine that flagship status. As a result I had to leave out some absolutely iconic gals and create brutal round 1's that absolutely break my heart. So if you are sad about some of these matchups, me too girl, know I tried my best to seed this in a way that would create an exciting contest

Voting criteria is based around popularity. If you want to take into account how important, well-written, or historical a character is, that is all well and good. But if you just want to vote for the hottest lady, that is your prerogative. At the end of the day, we can only measure who tumblr's favorite blorbo is, not who "deserves" to win, so follow your bliss.

Round 1 starts May 12, 2023 12:00PM EST, each match gets its own post, that will be tagged #FELLpolls

In addition I will create round specific posts under the same hashtag linking to each match. Each match will run for exactly 24 hours, with the next round starting another 24 hours later

Please keep it civil, it is ok to get competitive and root for your faves but any violent or self-harm threats directed at other fans, myself, or the speaker in question will result in a block. I don't care if it is clear exaggeration or said jokingly, I'm the person having to read all y'all's comments and I do not need that in my life

22 notes · View notes

fireemblems24 · 2 years

Text

Azure Moon Review

My final review! I saved the best for last.

FYI AM, CF, VW, and SS were all my first route since I played them back-to-back one "in-game" week at a time.

Before I started playing, I was the least interested in Azure Moon, but to say it came back with a vengeance is both a pun I'm proud of and an understatement. If asked to rank all four routes, I'd struggle choosing #2-4, but #1 I'd write as easily as my own name - Azure Moon. AM takes the best advantages of what Three Houses excels at while minimizing its weaker areas, uses 3H's narrative structure to the best advantage, and avoids issues other routes run into. It's not without fault, though, so I'll start with those first.

Like Crimson Flower, Azure Moon bit off more than a Fire Emblem game can currently chew. The genocide of Duscur is not given the attention, resolution, or weight it deserves. Like Fire Emblem Elibe series's genocide of Sacae, it takes an incredibly serious topic and uses it as a background tool for plot and character backstory rather than treating it with the seriousness such topics demand. With Duscur, things get even stickier and ickier because one of the "good countries" rather than the war mongering one did it. At this point, I think FE should quit including genocide in its storylines unless they hire the Tellius team to write it.

Permadeath also kept AM from living up to its fullest potential. AM has the most tightly knit group of characters, but those bonds are limited in their narrative potential because of FE's (in)famous permadeath feature. This forces the plot to revolve around a small handful of characters and has hamstrung the storytelling throughout the franchise's history. It's felt the hardest in AM, though, because of how intertwined the cast is.

The portrayal of Dimitri's mental illness has also received mixed reviews. I've yet to see a mentally ill character get universal praise, likely because mental illness is such an intensely personal experience. There are valid critiques like the harm of associating mental illness with violence while others praise AM for not romanticizing mental illness and not giving Dimitri a happy ending because he's "cured" but will achieve happiness and success despite his ills. Narratively, some claim his turn around happened too quickly. Here I both agree and disagree as AM did lay down the proper narrative beats to set up for the plot-turning point for anyone paying attention, but I do think it could've been improved.

However, AM is still, overall, the best written route. There are many, many subjective reasons this route ended up my personal favorite, but I'm going to stick to somewhat more objective (though still debatable) points. So I could endlessly gush over how the Blue Lions are all my babies, but I won't do that here. And for anyone reading wondering if I see AM objectively the best because of subjective reasons, I can only ask, what came first, the chicken or the egg? (I don't know) The strength of AM's writing let its characters flourish in a way other routes did not. Because of that, did I like them better? Going into this, Dimitri was my least favorite lord - but boy did that change once I actually engaged with the game's writing. Personal preferences are what they are, but there are undeniable aspects of AM that are superior in terms of pure story construction compared to the other routes.

AM emphasizes what Three Houses excels at while minimizing the weak spots. It's widely agreed that character-writing is one of FE3H's biggest strengths. Every character in Three Houses is both unique and reads like a natural result of the world and situation they lived in. Supports are often engaging and varied, adding layers of interest to even the most minor of characters.

AM takes more advantage of the characters than other routes. Character conflict and development drive story beats in AM far more than the other routes. Dimitri gets the most fleshed-out and focused-on character arc among the various leads, the Blue Lions have the most connected cast and thus have the highest number of complicated and complex relationships, minor Blue Lions get the spotlight in various chapters (Ashe and Sylvain in the pre-timeskip), and just about everyone has some piece of the overall plot tie-in to their personal arcs (such as Mercedes dealing with Jeritza or Annette with Gilbert). Because it's the most "personal" and intensely character-driven story, AM takes the best advantage of the game's strong suits.

This character-driven focus extends to the route's antagonists too. The poorly written and cartoonishly evil TWSITD are side-lined and killed off almost by accident. Instead of them, a mindless zombie, or Rhea randomly going evil, Edelgard is the main villain, and is far more interesting. Her dispute with Dimitri is ideological, personal, tragic, and compelling. Because of this, she's humanized in a way the other routes' antagonists are not, making the conflict with her more engaging in comparison.

It's a pattern AM continues to follow through on - making the best of what's there. AM is the only route that utilized the Flame Emperor reveal and the time-skip. In the other 3 routes, these two story aspects fall flat. No one really reacts to the Flame Emperor reveal or seems to care - even Byleth and the Black Eagles. In AM, it's an emotional highlight that greatly impacts important characters. AM also takes the best advantage of the time-skip, as it's the only route where things actually happened during the 5 years Byleth wasn't around rather than seeming like everyone inexplicably hit pause until Byleth came back.

Byleth also functions as a character and a self-insert well in AM. You, the player, are allowed to express frustration with the cast - unlike elsewhere. There is plenty of romantic teasing with Dimitri, but Byleth also functions just as well as a mentor. It gives the player some choice in how they want to view the relationship while maintaining an emotional and important relationship between the two. Byleth is also a bit more active here than elsewhere, taking direct actions that help flesh them out as a character.

While all of this is part of what made AM's story so strong, the biggest success AM had was its willingness to engage with negative emotions and take risks. Three Houses often seems at war with itself - wanting to be both a serious war story where things aren't black-and-white, but also unwilling to make the player question their choices. This results in some odd emotional dissonance and mood whiplash. AM took risks other routes shied away from by prioritizing telling a story rather than making the player feel good. This escalates the conflict and allows for greater character development.

While far from perfect, AM ended up the best-written route in Three Houses because it uses 3H's narrative structure to the best advantage and avoids common pitfalls other routes fall into. While it may have started out as the route I was the least interested in, it ended up my absolute favorite.

#fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #azure moon #fe3h #fe16

136 notes · View notes

ghostlymonade · 11 months

Text

Three Hopes, The Best Way to Experience Fódlan

That might be a pretty bold statement, especially given the rather lukewarm response most Warriors-style spinoffs inspire in fans. However, I'm here to tell you exactly why I think, (writing-wise anyway), Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is the best way to experience the world of Three Houses. Note: This post will be based on my playthrough of the two Blue Lions routes for the most part, both for brevity and fairness!

I’m assuming if you did choose to read more, you’re familiar, at least in passing, with Fire Emblem. But for those who don’t know, a brief summary: the Fire Emblem series is a longrunning tactical RPG franchise which finally found a well-deserved audience with the thirteenth game, Fire Emblem Awakening. Since that overwhelming success, Fire Emblem has been cementing itself, game after game, as one of Nintendo’s exclusive heavy-hitters. And I would argue the entry that truly brought Fire Emblem to its current status is the first Switch title, Fire Emblem: Three Houses. While it retained many of the popular features of prior games, there was a notable tone shift. This was Fire Emblem’s big Switch entry, and it was definitely a bold swing. Fódlan feels storied, complex, and rife with intrigue in a way I haven’t really found a Fire Emblem setting to be since the Tellius duology. At every corner, there’s more to learn, and you can feel the weight of that history bear down on everyone in the Officers’ Academy. While there are definitely aspects of Three Houses that feel rushed or glossed over, few would argue the worldbuilding isn’t up to snuff. Where I feel Three Houses misses the mark somewhat is two key aspects: the character writing and trajectory of the story. These sound like huge, thorny issues, but hear me out; Three Hopes does it better. Everyone who’s played both games is certainly in consensus that Hopes learned from its predecessor in some important ways (namely, no more spending three hours between levels running around the monastery), but I rarely see discussed how the writers handled Three Hopes’ story, and I think I can guess part of the reason...

Ah, well. I can’t force anyone to play it through, but I would argue the writing of Three Hopes is a lot more thoughtful than most give it credit for, and that between the two games, it’s the better way to experience the excellent world of Fódlan. We’ll go through two key issues that I, and quite a few others, had with Three Houses, and how they’re tackled in Hopes. What do you see in him, girl?

Despite Byleth having the approximate appeal, charisma and personality of a damp sock, all of Fódlan falls over itself to tell them how amazing they are. It’s been a recurring problem with the player avatar in recent Fire Emblem games, but I argue it feels more egregious with Byleth than any other. They’re the Ashen Demon, a mercenary with inhuman skill. They’re a capable professor, there’s something about them that draws in all three lords, instantly... Lacking any demonstration of the why or the how in action, it feels like the worst kind of player pandering, almost nonstop. And what bothered me most was the talk of Byleth’s mercenary prowess, constantly. Given we never see them in battle acting like their Ashen Demon namesake, I hated hearing every single character in supports and cutscenes speak of their mercenary prowess with such quivering awe. So when this trailer dropped?

Consider me hyped. And the game’s intro did not disappoint. Not only did we see Byleth earning their title, I also appreciated the intro truly establishing Shez as a mercenary. They’re part of a company, they actually talk about having to work for a living...it’s still the Fire Emblem brand of mercenary, complete with Honour™️ and hard limits on what they’ll do, but they felt more of a mercenary in the first ten minutes of Three Hopes than Byleth did in ten hours of the first game. And that persists throughout the game, too. Shez talks about sleeping outside, about the reality of working a job where people can die any minute- for lack of a better term, they show a real mercenary attitude. Behold, My Edge-elgard! (Credit to Kotor for the meme)

Three Houses has a tone issue, at times. What I definitely enjoyed was its refinement of the fledgling idea that Fates played around with: War sucks, actually, and it sucks for everyone because these are real people killing each other. Having three nations that aren’t ‘The Nice Ones’ and ‘Nightmare Before Christmas-themed War Crimes’ certainly helps, and I think introducing the player to each nation through getting to neutrally meet and grow close to some future key individuals before they launch into any huge conflict is a much better setup than Fates’ attempt to make Nohr’s leadership seem less evil through Corrin’s family being nice...to Corrin. However, I believe that at times, it swung a bit too far into Angstland, and lost its way home. Azure Moon is a great example of this, often feeling as though things get worse, then they get worse, then they get worse. Contrast this with Azure Gleam, the Three Hopes route. While war does, indeed, still suck, there’s a distinct feeling that things can and will get better, so long as the team can pull together and keep fighting. They have victories and losses. One moment that particularly stuck out to me was this conversation with Felix:

He’s always critiquing Dimitri to his face, but it’s clear that Felix holds a lot of concern for him, even if he conceals it as purely being concerned about the future of Faerghus. And Dimitri does need that voice, to an extent. When you look at the rest of his circle: Dedue will die for him and follows Dimitri more or less anywhere, regardless of what he does or the reason why. Sylvain and Ingrid both know he’s been through a lot and try to take it easy on him. Felix is the only member of this close circle who seems willing to say anything negative to his face. In this sense, you could say Dimitri has the healthiest circle of any of the three lords. Claude has a goofy group of chill friendos, and Edelgard has Hubert, who is ride or die no matter how often she tries to kill God. It was a sweet little moment, and a fascinating insight into where Felix sees himself in this group. Azure Gleam is full of this kind of thoughtful writing, and it makes playing through the darker periods of the story feel like it’s worth doing, rather than giving the impression that the only good choice is to put the game down and take Byleth’s horrible influence three million miles away from these poor kids. I don’t just say that for comedic effect- it’s tacitly implied by the two games’ radically different stories that Byleth chasing support ranks and engaging in waifu-motivated war crimes is part of why Three Houses ends up so much darker than Three Hopes. Shez has a distinct, headstrong personality, and they aren’t afraid to offer their opinion. Not falling down a canyon for five years helps. In a sense, the two issues play into each other. If Byleth was better defined as a character, it might be easier to understand and believe their motivations throughout the war arc especially. If the war arc finds its way out of the angst, even for a day trip, it’s easier to believe Byleth can have a real, positive impact on how things turn out. This is a big part of why I think Three Hopes is the best way to experience Fódlan. The title is, admittedly, clickbait-y, as I think Three Hopes truly shines in the context of having played Three Houses first. But when taking both games together, it’s fascinating to see how differently things can go, when the writers had a chance to explore their world from a new angle, and I for one, look forward to seeing more of this alternate timeline style writing in Fire Emblem in the future! Hey, they’re already doing it in Heroes.

#fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem three hopes #game discussion #fódlan #fe3h shez #byleth #fe3h

14 notes · View notes