Though it was unknown to gamers at the time, Fire Emblem: Awakening was something of a last ditch effort by the development team to make the tough SRPG series a sales success. Failure to do so would've resulted in the series suffering the perma-death that so many of its characters have experienced. Diamonds can only be created in high pressure environments, however, and the game turned out to be arguably the best in the series yet. Now, here we are on the brink of Awakening's successor – Fire Emblem Fates - and the big question is: how does it stack up?
In short, Fates appears to build upon everything that its predecessor laid out, while throwing in some new features that many will no doubt find welcome. Indeed, it really feels as though Intelligent Systems listened to all of the feedback from Awakening and simply tweaked the game to make an even finer final product. Though not all have agreed with the concept and pricing behind a three campaign approach, Fire Emblem Fates is shaping up to be the most ambitious and satisfying entry in the series yet.
For those of you who don't know the story, it's primarily centered around the main unit named Corrin – who bears many gameplay and design similarities with Awakening's Robin – as he or she must take a side in a bloody war between the two rival nations of Hoshido and Nohr. As if that weren't enough, Corrin is a child of the Hoshidan royalty, but has been raised by the Nohrian royalty, meaning that he or she has a stake in both sides of the conflict. While we didn't get a chance to see a significant portion of the plot, characters are written with just as much personality and charm as they were in Awakening, meaning that you'll find yourself actually caring each time you witness a unit fall in battle.
In terms of how battle mechanics play out gameplay is largely reminiscent of Awakening, with some caveats thrown in for additional strategy. For one, the Pair Up feature has been weakened a little, so as to encourage players to separate and pair units in equal measure. Basically, if a support character is standing next to a unit an attack could be triggered, but not a block. Conversely, if a support character is paired up with a unit there will be a block opportunity, but no second attack; enemy units can also make full use of the pair up system, leveling the playing field considerably. Though some will likely be displeased with this change, it forces players to think more about what characters are placed where and tosses out the method in Awakening where two characters could form a super-unit.
As for battles themselves, there are an increased amount of strategic options and objectives. On some battlefields turrets are placed on certain areas of the map that can only be used by particular character types (such as a bow user with ballistae). Turrets have great range and can do considerable damage to multiple enemies at once, but they cannot finish off enemies and any allies within the attack grid will be harmed, too. In a throwback to older entries, units can also now visit houses and buildings to warn residents that are caught in the crossfire of the battles, and players will be rewarded with helpful items for doing this. Another thing of note is that there are new mission objectives this time around. One of the demos tasked us with keeping an endless barrage of enemies away from a few specific areas on the grid for several rounds, offering up a refreshing alternative to the typical 'defeat the enemy' task.
One of the biggest criticisms of Awakening was the somewhat limited multiplayer aspect, but this has been addressed for Fates. There is now both local and online multiplayer for battles on full scale maps. It's all centered around a new feature where your character has his or her own castle. Buying things in the castle costs Dragonvein Points, which are earned by completing various challenges such as clearing stages or participating in multiplayer battles. Decorative items can be purchased, along with more practical things such as an armor smith that can sell you new gear. Practical purchases like this that yield usable items can then be upgraded to pay out for better goods. The castle should be built somewhat defensively, however, as you must defend it in multiplayer or streetpass.
Multiplayer unfolds just like your typical in-game battle would, with a few necessary tweaks here and there. Ahead of time players put together teams from their available units and select one before going into battle with the opponent. There's also an option to put a handicap on the player with the more powerful team that brings the levels of their characters in line with that of their opponent. This is much appreciated, as it ensures that a player who is considerably further along in the story won't just wipe the floor with their significantly underpowered opponent.
Graphically speaking, the same art style from Awakening is used here, though models and textures seem to be a bit more detailed and, yes, characters do finally have feet. Another thing to note is that the battle screen and map screen now seamlessly transition from one to the next with a much more dynamic camera. On top of this, the battle screen includes much more context sensitive backgrounds, as opposed to having the same background depending on what kind of tile the character is standing on.
All in all, Fire Emblem Fates is shaping up to be a supremely satisfying strategy experience. The gameplay has been tightened up in places where it was needed and it still remains equally accessible to both newcomers and veterans. The inclusion of a full blown multiplayer mode has been a long time coming, and the new castle environment gives your character a customisable home which is a lovely place to rest between battles. For Fire Emblem fans this is all hugely promising, and for newcomers there may never have been a better time to jump in.
These impressions are based upon a press event and related preview time in San Francisco. Nintendo of America paid for our writer's flights and hotel stay.
Comments 78
I was playing this the other day, and I was glad they had feet.
I really like how the battle surroundings actually changes depending where are you in the map. Also, better multiplayer.
I stopped playing right after the chapter where you decide which path you want to take. Only the main storyline was translated, so I used this as an opportunity to 'demo' the game, which I wish I sort of didn't because I can't wait for the game to release.
My hype builds. So happy there is online, I can't wait for this. I am getting everything regarding Fates, all 3 paths and DLC, and I've got all FE amiibo ready. Bring it ON!
The changes seem like they were made for me. Sounds like I will enjoy this one much more then Awakening......now if only they would make a home console FE again.
This sounds fantastic so far! Now all we neeed is a Europe release date...
Still nothing on a European launch date?
Where are all the no censorship folks compligning about the fact that the face rubbing mini game was taken out in the west?
@faint It is? I don't mind, because I wouldn't it if was there. Could you get items in that er something like that?
Such hype. Much anticipation. Very excited. Wow.
Memes aside, I can't wait to get all three with that sexy limited ed. New3DS!
Between this, Star Fox Zero, Twilight Princess HD, Zelda U and me finally getting Xenoblade Chronicles X, this could be one of the best gaming years of my life, not to mention all the Smash Bros. and Splatoon I'll still be playing throughout the year.
There's online multiplayer?! I didn't know that! Very much looking forward to Fates though there's no EU release date yet... so playing Corrin in Smash will have to do until then!
@faint Source?
I had no idea that there was a "real" multiplayer attached this time around, that is a pretty sweet addition, esp. online. But tbh, I never really felt like MP was missing from FE games, as it was, and as such I might check it out, but I'm perfeclty fine with a great single-player campaign - on that note, I still think the microtransactions for map-packs are ... well, poor form. Sure they are optional but still, it kinda makes the whole notion of managing your experience and other ressources kind of mood, if you can just accquire endless supplies of it through paid-for maps. It's really not in the spirit of the franchise I think, but yeah, that is obviously just me.
@faint The only source for this so far is Kotaku.
I'm not saying it's not impossible, since we've seen even heavier forms of... ahem 'localizations' from Nintendo, but I rather see it from someone else before I get riled up about it.
"Seeking an Awakening in Fire Emblem Fates"
There has been an Awakening... Have you felt it?
@Seacliff @RainbowGazelle
https://twitter.com/NintendoNews/status/692053348569202693
@RainbowGazelle Everything Nintendo did an article on it from an interview with the developer and a treehouse member. Look it up.
@Seacliff when it comes to an interview kotaku counts as much as anyone else
@Spoony_Tech I clicked the souce for that news article, and it lead me to Kotaku. Any other news article I find does the same.
-Points at above post-
Again, I'm not saying anyone is wrong, in fact, I find it very believable. I just want to here this from multiple 'first hand' sources. That is all.
Awakening is my #1 3DS title so far, so I'm obvious pretty excited about this one. I hope it's as good.
It's looking good, Good,GOOD! Who cares about that face rubbing mini game. This game is going to be awesome. I am salivating. I can't wait to get all three and spread the game out for like six months.
"game turned out to be arguably the best in the series yet"
Extremely arguable, as the game is relatively weak in terms of Fire Emblem games. It has the best support system, but the actual supports are just "Okay" and the game itself is severely lacking in depth and complexity.
Just because something is popular doesn't make it the best. For example, is Angry Birds the best mobile game ever? Is Minecraft the best first person-type game ever? Of course I use these types of games because Awakening brings the series in line with these types of cheap, casual-type games.
Though, Awakening arrived at a time when the 3DS was dying for games, so I guess ANYTHING remotely decent can be seen as amazing and awe-inspiring. Like if you had been starving for days on an island, the first peanut butter sandwich you eat will taste like the best thing you've ever eaten in your entire life. In reality it'll be good, but its greatness will be heavily embellished for a long time.
Anyway, at least Fates has feet.
Pre ordered the limited edition, the wait is killing me! KILLING ME!
HAHA THE FEET. I agree Awakening is one of the best, but not thee best. Glad it rebooted the series, I would hate to be responsible for not keeping this thing alive.
@Seacliff
If it's true, I'm waiting for the uncensor patch.
i am pretty sure i am gonna get the conquest edition to start, mainly because it will be different than anything before. and maybe later over the summer i would get the other version.
What was the purpose of the pokemon-amie thingy in fates?
Other than fanservice, dunno what it did (When I played it, it filled some sort of heart meter. What does this affects ingame?)
Since it seems removed from the west, I hope that the bonus effects from that part had been reworked, if they help you in anything.
@faint
Is that true?
I love every single FE before Awakening so I really hope this won't be an another disappointment.
I hope we will soon get the EU pre-orders, this FE new style of setting and approach hooked me.
About the removals: I found some of the things pretty stupid/lame but they should haveall been spared. First, they change namez then they change dialogues then they remove parts of the game (even how futile it can be)... We are in the 2010's, the time of heavy "westernization" pasted long ago, never should we bear such doings!
"the game turned out to be arguably the best in the series yet"
A bit too much if this is is a refined Awakening. (still not finished, it seems okay without never being great)
I am still leaning towards the second SFC title as my favourite and this was the reason I purchased the first 3DS one as sooon as someone told me there was a generations system but at the time I ignored the bad scenaristic hop who introduced the system, the battle scenes who were ugly (compared to what I had been used to in the past 2D games, now we will finally get good BG ^^), the character-design (very nice, but at the same time so far away from the old ones), AND the maps who seemed so common (where were the epic maps of "Genealogy"? I was expecting more based on the 3DS power)
@Expa0 i agree - awakening was really good, but i didnt like how you could level grind and how basically the children become must use characters...
Looking good, but the concept and pricing could be an issue. We need more info.
@nickel
I really don't like the concept of the child characters because it makes perma-death even more punishing than it already was. Nowadays all my runs are no-reset runs, I just feel those are the most fun. Grinding also isn't something I do in a FE game, so the children characters are basically useless to me.
@Dezzy yes
I'm currently playing through FEA for the 6th time in preparation for FEF. I plan on buying every version and map pack available!
@BRAINFOX Dude, I'm with you, I'll gladly import a Japanese 3DS just to play an authentic version of the game...
I mean, every FE got some form of censorship in one form or another, but this is easily the most appalling change.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Maybe I'll just buy the game used. Wasn't planning to get it day 1 anyways.
@AVahne I think that it's all relative, but the fact that Awakening was such a success wasn't just a fluke.
I personally couldn't get into any of the previous games, they just felt too archaic. Awakening felt very much like a "modern" version.
@Seacliff
If you still have a 10.3 3DS or CFW, you can just unlock the region on it. The bad thing about the fan translation is how rushed it is, so you would probably be better off just learning the language for it. It's terrible that we have to do all that just to get an uncut experience, but it's at least an option.
Now if only we could get a reissue of the Special Edition.
Glad to hear it's shaping up nicely, can't wait to get it in just a few weeks!
@Mitch not sure if you're aware but the ballistae are as much a throw back as visiting map points are.
I'm honestly happy they nerfed the Pair Up mechanic which I thought to be one of the worst inclusions in Awakening. The multiplayer bit also sounds fun but I'd rather reserve judgement until I try it for myself.
I couldn't be more excited for this game. Actually, I could if there were more special edition preorders open...
I also can't emphasize how much I agree with the decision to remove that weird petting thing. It was seriously weighing on my decision of whether or not to buy/keep the game, or just play through it once and sell it so as not to have weird stuff like that sitting around for my kids. I do think it would be a perfect opportunity for DLC, however, which I generally despise. Let whoever is pervy - I mean desperate - I mean weird - I mean, whoever doesn't believe in "censorship" based upon their upside down "moral standards" pay extra money to experience the weirdness that was the petting. It doesn't belong in a game like this, but I'm not opposed to letting someone pay for it, if they want to include it. Just don't include it prepackaged in.
All debate aside, I'm having a very difficult time deciding which side I'm going to go with. I thought for sure it would be Hashido, because they obviously look like the "good" guys. However, there seems to be some real emotional connection between the protagonist and his adopted siblings, who all seem basically good and want to change things. I might have to go with them out of some weird loyal feelings I have towards a bunch of characters.
@bro2dragons AAAAAA-MMMMMMMENNNNNNNNN
Seriously - I can't believe the amount of great titles — albeit time consuming titles — coming to 3DS this year. Holy crap am I excited and my fire for Nintendo is reignited. I have so much stuff on preorder and in my backlog that I can hardly focus on my real life.
I'm turning 30 this year. One might say that I have the nostalgia fever. I can't wait to play all this stuff on my Pokemon 20th anniversary 3ds!!!
I still haven't jumped on the FE hype bus, mostly because I don't really get it to be quite honest. Hype is a seriously dangerous thing, I was burnt on Smash 4, Xenoblade X, MGSV, I've learned my lesson not to get s*** crazy anymore.
Still, I'm happy FE fans have another game I guess
Man, the wait is almost over, but it feels like it's taking forever to get there. The wait will be very worth it in the end, though I have a feeling I won't be able to finish other games on my backlog for a while due to this game potentially eating hundreds of hours of playtime like Awakening did.
@MitchVogel I really recommend you to try out the GBA Fire Emblem games, FE8 to be specific. It's an amazing game to play after finishing Awakening (and in my opinion the better game) and it is great for non Fire Emblem veterans, after all, it was my first. After that I would probably try out Fire Emblem 7 and Fire Emblem 6 afterwards. The sad thing is is you want be able to replay Awakening afterwards because Awakening is really far from being better than any of those games sadly.
It's disappointing that the EU region still doesn't have a release date for this (I'm betting between April and July for us), but I can't wait to play it. After all it's a new Fire Emblem!
@AVahne I have to say I agree. For me, Awakening is probably the weakest of the games that I've played. I'd say for me the strongest was probably Sacred Stones which I got to play thanks to the ambassador program. Awakening just seemed shallow and I think the pairing up system made it a little too easy for me and removed a layer of strategy (except lunatic mode, haven't cracked that yet).
I can now rest knowing that the characters have feet (Actually, I wasn't bothered by this at all).
In all seriousness, I can't wait for these games to come! I'm planning on grabbing Conquest. The NA release date is so close, yet so far away....
I'd buy this in a heartbeat if I can find the special edition. I think we'll see a restock though.
@Zup Please for the love of all things holy avoided Lunatic. That mode is so freaking unbalanced it'll make you want to crucify the devs of Awakening for making such a terrible hard mode that you would think a JRPG designer amateur would make instead of a multi million dollar them. It's not like Awakening doesn't already have terrible map design, the incredibly unbalanced lunatic mode plus that will make you feel like you're playing a slot machine of a game. I didn't even freaking touch Lunatic + mode without grinding.
i can't wait to try the game out. im already liking the features that i saw in the NA site, like Online (which is pretty cool)
funny enough, this well be my first Fire Emblem game tbh.
The feet are what sold me on this.
Really like the series but did we really need another rep in Smash? And let the argument ensue...
Wait.....the article doesn't explain whether the game is built so that you need all the three games to enjoy the entire story.....that's odd as I was wondering if that will be the biggest issue that Fates will have.
Also, this is what? Birthright or Conquest? Are they both balanced well interms of single player?
@FJOJR Yes! More Fire Emblem plz!
Can you guys say anything about the difficulty levels in the two campaigns? There was a Kotaku article a while ago that said the two games had very different difficulty levels due to the fact that you couldn't grind in Conquest (I think). I'm still not sure which version I want, and I would like more information on the differences - aside from Light Side/Dark Side and the two different same-sex marriage options.
@MitchVogel
There were plenty of factors that contributed to Awakening success:
A) Heavily simplified gameplay. The game was easy to get into, so many people who've been intimidated by the series before can try it now. This comes with the loss of depth and complexity, so the game feels too much like a generic SRPG with slight FE flavor.
B) Fast Forward Button. This is actually one of the very few things I liked about the game. People can enjoy the battle animations while also having the option to speed them up to save time.
C) Mainstream anime influence. From the characters to the "story", everything feels less like a Fire Emblem game and more like a mainstream, dare I say, generic anime. Which is great for many people. The Japanese love that kind of thing and many of the westerners who enjoyed this game are probably in that camp as well. Fire Emblem has always had a manga-like appeal to it, but the writing and world building has always been pretty good. The same can't be said about Awakening.
Anyway, that's just some of the reasons why I believe the game was successful.
Believe me, I'm glad that the series has been "saved". As in, the IP known as Fire Emblem can still be used to generate profit for Intelligent Systems and Nintendo. As far as I'm concerned, the amazing, beloved series known as Fire Emblem is pretty much dead and has replaced by a friendlier, newer series that operates under the same name.
To be honest, I'm kind of fine with it now. Gaming no longer belongs to the gamers, and it was just Fire Emblem's time to go. Time to let an old friend go (though replaying old games is always an option!).
Personally I'm just waiting for "Fire Emblem" to cross over to mobile as I am also a mobile gamer. The series is now perfectly engineered for bite-sized play and go experiences and thus is almost completely mobile-ready. Just add in a stamina system and make it free to play and they'll be good to go. Also have a buy option for people who want to bypass stamina complete.
EDIT: About your point on which games being "modern" and which games being "archaic", I would say the Famicom and Super Famicom games are indeed a bit archaic. However, the GBA games were relatively well designed despite being slightly simpler than the Jugdral series and still hold up very well today. The Tellius games though, Path of Radiance is kind of stiff in terms of animation quality and mechanics since it was attempt to return to console-style FE games after Shouzo Kaga left IS, but I feel Radiant Dawn is the most advanced, robust, and modern of all recent Fire Emblem games (except for the support system).
@Socar As far as I can tell, only the third path really matters. The White and Black versions are pretty much alternate stories.
Only getting Fates if I can get the Special Edition. I didn't preorder it back in November, so may be screwed out of it... I wonder if it will appear physically anywhere at all?
If only it was releasing in Europe..
I think I will play Birthright first, then Revelations, and finally Conquest.
I wonder what the DLC maps will be this time around.
@AVahne FE is not the only series to have suffered that.
What is better, to remain a niche series, or embrace a wider audience?
From what the game offers, it would be the first, but for the business standpoint its obviously the latter.
It seems they got around that by creating different versions (more money for them). I wonder if Conquest is as hard as people claim, and how it compares to previous entries.
Supposedly, Awakening was going to be the last in the series, so I wonder if they mellowed it on purpose.
When I tried introducing FE back then, most of the complains I heard were about the difficulty (Mainly perma death) Some actually got past that and enjoyed what the game had to offer, but they too few.
@AVahne I find your constant proclamations that Fire Emblem is now a casual series to be rather pretentious. This is a series that has always been varied and experimental in gameplay. There are times where some games feel like reboots especially if you go from Thracia to Binding Blade or Radiant Dawn to Shadow Dragon. For how often you speak of Awakening's gameplay, I find Shadow Dragon to be even more basic and more simple. It's a remake of an NES game, they arguably could have done more. However, I still found the experience satisfying and engaging.
You seem to scoff at and almost disregard all the genuine intricacies added to Fates and just stick to this "casualization" narrative. Ever been to /r/fireemblem? That place has quite few people who own the Japanese version of the game while also having played almost every entry in the series. They can respect the game and consider it worthy to stand among previous entries.
Please announce a European release date! I need that special edition So excited for this game.
@Chaoz
I can attest to that. As I am sort of a foolhardy person who selects the most difficult mode from the get go (yea...), I selected Lunatic mode for my first playthrough -_- I had played the demo multiple times, and helped my sister when she played on hard, but the unfairness of this mode is on another level.
Spawn attack reinforcements (I know its on all difficulties), completely unbalanced stats and giving enemy units tons of skills just to make the game a LOT more (cheaply) difficult.
Still on chapter 18... And I refuse to grind on DLC. The Risen are even worse.
@AVahne
Yes, Awakening had to make a lot of sacrifices to make the series more accessible.
Awakening might be the game that saved the series from fading out into obscurity but I would also remember it as the game which filled the series with generic (not good) anime stereotypes. The children system was definitely a weird addition (although I still like Owain), and the combat has become simpler. The maps are less diverse and the game mainly tries to get us by spamming reinforcements on tons of maps... I also have mixed feelings on the support system.
Even the story is not THAT special, although I have yet to reach the 'twist'.
I agree that the fast-forward button is the main addition which the series needed since a long time.
Calling it the best game in the series would be highly subjective. The game is still great but nowhere the best.
The Tellius series would probably remain my favourite the way the series is progressing. Fates might have a great story, but the continuation of Awakening's annoying (in my opinion) elements would probably detract (slightly) from my experience.
Now to see how much the game is changed in 'localization'. I still intend to purchase all three routes though.
Edit: I still wouldn't FE on mobile >.<
"Now with feet"
Lol!
Pre order'd both because I had a hard time deciding(leaning towards conquest tho) but I'll defiantly give FE another shot. Didn't really like awakening but can't judge the whole series
So amped to for this game, should replay through Awakening beforehand
I am waiting until the special edition becomes available for pre-order.
@RatKing64
Uhh.. Dunno exactly where you live, but the special edition was already available for pre-order a while back and sold out in an instant everywhere.
At this point you probably need either some connections to game stores or just pay the insane scalper prices if you haven't pre-ordered it already.
Awakening was almost perfect. It will be hard to top. Im still not quite convinced.
For a post closer to the topic at hand.
I can't get mad at Awakening, since it was the game that saved the franchise. But when I played it, I felt like I was playing a watered down Sacred Stones with FE4, Shadow Dragon, and a few of the GBA games mechanics thrown in. It gave of this feel of being 'Tricks of all trades, master of none'. Though I understand why they did this, if this was the last FE game they would want it to appeal to all the previous fans each game in the series. This game seems a lot more focus on what it wants to be (outside of plot), and does the 'appeal to everyone' trick much better. Veteran fans can pick up Conquest, while fans who want something closer to Awakening or games it borrowed specific mechanics from can get Birthright.
People compare this to Pokemon, but it's not that in the slightest. This, if anything, reminds me of the Zelda Oracle series. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I felt Zelda Oracle of Seasons had level and item designs that focused more on exploring and combat, while Ages focused a bit more on complex Puzzles with a bit more plot and dual world thrown in. Putting the two games together would average out the elements that makes a Zelda game a Zelda game.
I have to agree with those above who some called elitists. Awakening felt more watered down than the previous 5 handheld releases; 3 GBA and 2 DS releases. US & J of course... What hurt for me was the poor excuse of a multi-player on Awakening. What was that supposed to be all about? Played it and still don't quite understand it. I have hopes for a real online multi player entry this time around. If it can be done with chess, it can be done [right] here.
"Diamonds can only be created in high pressure environments, however, and the game turned out to be arguably the best in the series yet." - stopped reading right here. Awakening was a mess.
Well, it's difficult to judge Awakening against the rest of the series accurately when you've only played through the second half of the entire series, no? Without playing through Mystery of the Emblem, Geneology of the Holy War, Thracia 776, and Binding Blade, one cannot understand the meaning behind why people harshly criticize Awakening.
It wouldn't hurt to know the concepts of what Gaiden introduced to the series, either. (Including multi-tier and branching promotions, a refinement of the weapon triangle, a multiple perspective storyline with differences of leadership and direction between commoners and nobles, the ultimate antagonist's true motives not being what they seem throughout the game, an epic musical score, and level grinding map points; just to name a few)
"The inclusion of a full-blown multiplayer mode has been a long time coming."
Actually, multiplayers been with the series for a great deal of time going all the way back to the time of Fuuin No Tsuragi (Binding Blade). Even Online Multiplayer can be traced back to Shadow Dragon on the DS and its sequel New Mystery of the Emblem with the online ruleset being eerily similar to that of Fates. So "full-blown" multiplayer has been with the series for a great deal of time, its only due to the fact that Awakening was limited by time that we haven't seen it since 2010.
Oh come on, I was looking forward to dominating noobs online ._.
That's part of the fun in any multiplayer.
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