Note: Mild spoilers ahead for Fire Emblem Fates Birthright and Conquest. You've been warned.
No matter which path you initially took, Fire Emblem Fates' two campaigns left a number of open questions around what's really happening in the world. Where did all those shadow enemies come from? Who is Azura, really? Why didn't the titular Fire Emblem make an appearance? And what's up with being able to make babies with your alleged birth siblings?
You've got questions, and Fire Emblem Fates' DLC campaign, Revelation, has answers. Yes, even to the baby thing.
Fire Emblem Fates hangs its hat on one crucial player choice with three potential options early on in the campaign. So much so, in fact, that two of the options are sold on their own as alternative versions of the story: Birthright and Conquest. It's a fun idea that had real impact on how the game played. Birthright's "new-school" approach to the Fire Emblem formula offered a path with bountiful resources and straightforward objectives as you took up arms with your blood siblings of Hoshido. Siding with your adoptive family in Conquest brought an old-school take on the series' gameplay that brought the challenge via seemingly insurmountable odds and objectives to cause this writer to break into a cold sweat.
In our Fire Emblem Fates review, we pondered which of these paths the series would take going forward. Having completed Revelation, we're pretty confident that Intelligent Systems won't have to betray either side. Revelation strikes an interesting balance between Birthright and Conquest's campaign styles for a veritable cornucopia of Fire Emblem goodness.
Revelation's choice has player-character Corrin striving for peace between the two families by refusing to side with either. This plan blows up spectacularly and immediately — instead of uniting the kingdoms through their sheer love of their favourite sibling, Corrin is branded a traitor by both sides and is forced to go on the lam to survive.
A number of the broader story beats were pretty much constants between Birthright and Conquest — a major switcheroo, one character's cartoon villainy, the Sage's quest, etc. — and Revelation also hits some of these same notes, underscoring the game's theme of fate versus choice. Some of these constants emerge in Revelation as well, but the story told here isn't afraid of going its own way — with a title like "Revelation" you'd expect a few fiction megatons, and the tale does go deeper into the lore and history of the world. By the time Revelation has shown its final hand, you'll have a greater understanding of the scope and severity of the conflict between the two kingdoms and how it fits in with the rest of the world of Fates. We appreciate the scale of Birthright and Conquest's tales, but Revelation's broader view of the world has the opportunity to dive into all the cool stuff bubbling under the surface.
There are few allies willing to fight with Corrin for the first few missions of Revelation, as their choice to not side with either family made them virtually no friends. This narrative is smartly not wasted by the gameplay and sets the stage for initial missions that are straightforward in objective but challenging in execution — with only a handful of units at your disposal, you have to be more deliberate and cautious when engaging enemies. The mission design will do you no favours as it throws new map-design challenges and novelties, too. Even the most veteran of Fire Emblem players will find the opening chapters of Revelation testing their skills.
Really, Revelation's map and encounter design is a clear step above that found in Birthright and at times even eclipses Conquest. Some maps will restrict visibility in some way, forcing you to go down paths that you can't tell what's on the other side or unblock areas where the number and type of enemies are initially obscured. Others might include moving platforms to navigate or locked doors in need of keys. These new wrinkles help keep Revelation fresh and exciting, even if you're feeling a little fatigued of Fire Emblem after just finishing back-to-back playthroughs of Birthright and Conquest (like we did — holy moly, that's a lot of Fire Emblem). Some of these map quirks were so refreshing that we wished we had seen more of this kind of stuff in the other two campaigns.
While Corrin starts this campaign low on units and resources, that won't be the case for too long. As the campaign goes on more and more allies from both sides eventually come around to trusting Corrin's vision. You'll be rolling deep with siblings and characters from both sides about halfway through, which can at times feel overpowering. Sibling units like Ryoma, Xander and Camilla were heavy hitters in their respective campaigns, and having them all together on the battlefield will allow you to completely steamroll the opposition at times. Of course, you don't have to send your most overpowered units into battle every time, but the option is almost too tempting to pass up — not just for the pleasures of victory, but because it's just darn fun to see them paired up with each other. By the end of the campaign, though, you'll need all the help you can get: the challenge ramps up considerably thanks to stronger and greater quantities of enemies that can do you right in. It's important to have not just strength but depth to your roster by that point, so having a varied line-up is not just helpful but downright necessary.
By the time you've finished Birthright and Conquest, you'll have spent dozens upon dozens (upon dozens) of hours with each family and their respective allies and gotten to know them pretty well. Having this knowledge makes forming Support relationships between units even more fun — just pair up some unlikely allies or mismatched personalities and allow them to interact with each other. It's fun stuff to see Sakura be intimidated by Xander's strong leadership qualities, or watch Takumi and Leo be total jerks to each other. The game's excellent writing really shines in these moments and makes for a very nice payoff after getting to know everyone separately.
Out of all three campaigns, Revelation has the most to do outside of the main story missions. Its overworld matches the features of Birthright, allowing you to grind out Challenge missions to boost your unit levels and supports, or simply to continue enjoying the fun of Fire Emblem Fates' gameplay systems. As well, My Castle has a buttload of stuff at your disposal: whether Hoshidan or Nohrian, everything you could build in Birthright and Conquest is also available here. Invasion mode players will have the best opportunities for building a robust fort here. All in all, if you're going to spend significant post-game time with Fates, Revelation is quite possibly the best place to do so.
So, if you're picking up what Revelation is putting down, the big question is at what point should you pick it up? The game itself recommends you not venture down this path until having finished Birthright and Conquest, and we're inclined to agree. Playing the other two campaigns first will give you the most context for stories and characters, greater appreciation for the changes in gameplay, and the story told here includes spoilers that run the risk of undermining your enjoyment of those narratives if you haven't gone through them already. Revelation offers cohesion and closure to this story and so should be enjoyed last.
Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation does an excellent job at tying together the multitude of threads in this massively ambitious entry in the franchise, all while carving out its own lovely niche in gameplay and setting. Revelation's varied mission design and firm challenge is an excellent continuation of Birthright and Conquest, and offers a wholly satisfying conclusion to this story. Plus, getting the entire gang together for a huge third game is a blast. Revelation is simply required playing for Fates fans.
Comments 59
Let's hope Nintendo release enough Special Edition packs in the UK and not create an unnecessary shortage. And at a price equivalent to the US price (allowing for taxes).
I'm still on Birthright.... Like halfway through the story. Need to finish recruiting all the children, then I'll finally bust out the rest of the plot to move on to Conquest, then Revelation.
@NewAdvent Well you can't grind in Conquest, but the game is a lot more challenging so you'll probably be restarting missions over and over again. I'd say about 25 hours on casual for conquest. As for birthright, my girlfriend beat it in 40 hours with most of the children. But yeah, each game seems to be Awakening size in length. It only took me 20 hours to beat Awakening because I forgot about the kids. But it took me 25 hours to beat Conquest with half of the kids.
Can't wait, this was day one buy the moment I heard of its existence.
@NewAdvent
It took me 30 hours roughly for each Birthright and Conquest; nearly 60 hours so far. When Revelation drops I'm expecting another 30+ hours to invest. Totally worth the price and replays are a must.
Question for all the long time Fire Embelm fans, can I jump in to this game or do I need to play the others first? Is it all the same world/story?
Very hyped for that EU special edition! @Mr_Zurkon Birthright is your starting point it's aimed at players who started with awakening and new players in general I think you'll enjoy it! Most fire emblem games story don't link and fates is brand new so it doesn't really relate to any of the other games (dlc and amiibo do but that's for another day) Don't play conquest first as it's aimed at old time fans haha
@DoctorOverbuild awesome, thanks for the info especially which campaign to play.
@Mr_Zurkon Yup Revelations actually has spoilers for the other 2 so I'd recommend playing that one last, Play conquest ok casual if you're new as if not you may find yourself losing units too quickly but see how you go with Birthright! I didn't read the review to avoid spoilers so I don't really know anything about it hha
I skipped a majority of the article to avoid spoilers (haven't played Fates yet). I definitely wish that there were more Special Editions out in the wild, as what I did read seems to indicate that this is the definitive experience. I'm not a retail download fan, otherwise I would be playing this after Conquest.
I got the Special Edition so I'm already done with Revelations. It's definitely the best path out of the 3 IMO. What a spectacular title.
@Detective_TeeJay Since you've finished it, are you willing to sell me the special edition cart? You can keep the other goodies.
@zool Good luck with that. The Special Edition sold out so quick over here in the States. Of course, the eShop for all of the games are the same. You just don't get the swag which isn't much, but still. It would have been nice to had it all on one cart.
@leo13 I would never sell this game; I love it far too much, sorry... not to mention I'm still playing it even though I'm done with the main story. Making kids, gonna do other runs eventually on harder difficulities...also there's so much DLC coming. I already got the $20 season pass for that!
Probably won't bother with Fates, because SE will get sold out faster than the page will load when the news about pre-order will come out. Scalpers and Nintendo FTW.
Good games released in May that will probably overshadow this one.
@NewAdvent
I'm 48 hours into the Birthright campaign and am just starting chapter 19, out of 27 Chapters. If you do the math, that's roughly 2/3 so multiply by 3/2 and we get almost exactly 70 hours like your Awakening playthrough.
JUST FOR BIRTHRIGHT.
This is a truly gargantuan game.
"Really, Revelation's map and encounter design is a clear step above that found in Birthright and at times even eclipses Conquest. "
Eww Gods no. I mean, glad you liked it and all, man, but Revelation's got some awful map designs. Chapter 10 alone competes for the worst, most tedious map I've ever experienced in any FE game. Chapter 7 is a slog, Chapter 6 on Lunatic is just a matter of knowing an obscure fact the game never tells you (non-mounted units can walk on some water tiles). Way too many of the early maps are worse versions of maps copied from the other routes, and the late-game maps focus on stats over strats, featuring gimmicks that add nothing but waiting time.
"Even the most veteran of Fire Emblem players will find the opening chapters of Revelation testing their skills."
It'll test your patience, yes, but not your skills.
I bought the special edition and I'll play Revelation eventually, but right now I'm my first Nohr campaign (Hard Classic). And I don't know, but this may be my favorite Fire Emblem yet (played every single one but Gaiden), the details on the battle animation is superb and finally a battle animation that is better, on every sense, than the amazingly one on GBA entries.
I don't know I'm just so happy with this game that I can't describe how much I'm liking!
Sounds pretty good. I'll wait & see how my time goes with Birthright first though if I pick it up in May, providing the wait til then hasn't killed off any excitement I've got left for the game too.
Otherwise I'll just stick with Stella Glow - my copy came eariler today & already sunk in 4 hours. Just been fantastic so far.
@Mr_Zurkon Fire Emblem Fates can be played without any prior knowledge of Fire Emblem, the games are set in their own world. I suggest picking up Birthright first, followed by Conquest then Revelations if you like the game.
I just finished my first run of birthright and am working on my first run of revelations (I started conquest but I think my current attachment to the birthright characters made me a little annoyed at the conquest story) soo good. I love the maps, almost all of them have some crazy quirk to up the ante even as the enemy army descends upon you. I think that the Fates Trilogy has beaten out the Telius duology as my Favorite Emblem series. The Elibe duology is still my second favorite series due to nostalgia (that and I recently replayed both of them).
@Dave24 You should still totally get it though! This game is huge! It's easily one of the best, if not the best game available on the 3ds.
@NewAdvent Yes you're gonna get months and months of play time out of this entire package. This is a AAA handheld game in it's truest form. It almost seems as big as a console game at times.
This is interesting. It took me a while to realize this, but Nohr is clearly based on Western Imperialists, while Hoshido represents the "peaceful" homeland of Japan. Everything from the culture, weapons, classes, gems, and food items available are divided among Western options for Nohr (and a few characters from Nohr who defect to Hoshido in Birthright) and classic Japanese options for Hoshido. The Dark and Dawn Dragons also match up with the Dark Ages and the Land of the Rising Sun. Even their underwear reflects this when you strip them down in the Accessories Shop!
@Lizuka Can you even get Revelation without buying one of the other options first? You may need to buy Conquest first and then switch to Revelation as soon as possible. While the DLC shop isn't open until after the first path exclusive mission, I think you can still buy the extra paths from the main menu before then. Can anyone confirm that?
The way these games fit together puts me in mind of Shining Force 3. I don't want to read the review for fear of spoilers but can someone tell me do your actions in the first two games affect the progress of revelation
Twilight is giving a great side track. I will get there.
Kind of what I was expecting, sounds like statistics are more important than strategy. Based on the gameplay changes, not a huge surprise. Seems like Shouzou Kaga's best works still trump even this. Oh well, it's a solid effort by Intelligent Systems. Good, but not brilliant.
I'll keep waiting for the appearance of more special editions. Until then, I have a backlog to tend to...
@Morph Oops, I forgot that the answer itself is a spoiler... Just delete the other one if it appears in your inbox!
This might sound dumb, but would it be ok if I played Birthright and then Revelations or do I ABSOLUTELY have to play Conquest as well? I really don't plan on getting Conquest.
@Senpai_Bruh Yeah, that's absolutely fine. A lot of people (including myself) aren't going to bother with both initial paths.
@BulbasaurusRex Ok thanks! I really meant in terms of story, but I probably won't get Conquest anyways (at least not until a LONG time)
Nohr will always be harder and Hoshido will always be easier It does not matter which one you play. Choosing the Hoshido path with the Conquest will not result in a Hoshido playthrough of Conquest difficulty.
cant wait to play the third path that leads to the real ending and the ultimate boss
@Senpai_Bruh you choose which path on chapter 6
@Manjushri $80 for a cartridge vs. $80 for a cartridge + download. Where exactly is the much bigger profit margin?
@Mr_Zurkon You can jump in, but it won't make as much sense, it would spoil the other two games, AND you would still have to own one of the other two games to play this (you can only get as dlc)
I wouldn't suggest it
I remember Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep on the psp had 3 seperate (lengthy) stories on the one game disc. Those were the days! (Was only 6 years ago)
Looks like my headstart is gone.
Couldn't really get around to playing Fates much due to the accursed real world, so I still haven't gotten around to finishing Birthright :/
When does this release? I am almost through birthright but I haven't started conquest.
@Senpai_Bruh That's what I meant. You don't need to play both initial paths to understand the story to play Revelation, just one is fine.
@SetupDisk tomorrow
@BulbasaurusRex at least revelation path leads to the real final boss and better ending
Well i can't wait for the special edition to arrive as i got the call yesterday that i would be able to pick it up when the time comes in june
@NewAdvent I finished Birthright on hard in about 30 hours, but a good ten of that was screwing around in multiplayer. I bet i could do it in 15 hours on normal and maybe 22 on hard. Conquest on Normal is going by very quickly, but on both, I didn't bother with most of the kids- I'll get those while completing the DLC. Full, 100% completion of all DLC, and unlocking all kids, especially if i do each DLC with each faction, will likely take about 130 hours.
@Manjushri Definitely. I bought all 3 games digitally for $67 on launch, and have been having the time of my life. Some people just don't like Fire Emblem enough to actually...play Fire Emblem. For the rest of us, however, its the most fun in a game I've had in ages!
@Morph No, each game is a restart of the scenario (the three roads are like parallel worlds diverging from the same origin point).
Just read the last paragraph to be sure not to spoil myself but YAY! I just can't wait for this to come to Europe.
@Rei ah right thanks for that, maybe they can go the connected scenarios route next time
Well, it sounds like Intelligent Systems has some idea with how to make Fire Emblem from now on. I suspect that Fates will eventually be remembered was the game where they were trying to sort out how to mesh the Awakening style with the classics.
@Salnax If it is true, then thanks God. I feared they could simply fully embrace the Awakening "style" for the 3-5 next games.
Revelations better than the other two so far. Honestly I'm extremely dissapointed in this title. Three fire emblem games and I spent more time in a play through of Awakening than all three Fates games. Radiant Dawn also. Boring characters, terrible story, worst writing in a FE for sure, and tacked on features just to clone awakening. The maps have better objectives and some creative ideas but none are memorable. Idk most dissapointing game I've played since DkS2. I didn't even care about the supports in this.
Seeing as this is best played after one or both of the others, I wish it was the hardest path go the three, since going from Conquest to this is a step down. Also makes sense that story wise, that if you aren't choosing a side you have to drag yourself along with whatever bunch of rag-tag gang of misfits you can cobble together.
Also this is the "obvious choice" if it were just a choice in-universe and not also a gameplay choice. This is the compromise where you don't have to pick a side and help everyone get along. So if you want that happy end for all you better earn it with punishing difficulty!
Thanks to all for the advice and input on which campaign to play. I splurged on a new 3DS and picked Birthright today. @marsgreekgod thanks Mars. I got it today and can't wait to play it.
Fantastic!
I finished Birthright a few days ago, and I'm on Chapter 27 in the Conquest campaign now. I tried to buy the special edition but I was too late by the time I got enough money, they'd sold out. :/
I look forward to the explanation of why you can marry your Hoshidan siblings, because honestly, it creeped me out too much to even do do it(even though I really like Sakura's character). I married Camilla, and I still sometimes kinda cringe when she calls the avatar her brother in the Conquest campaign.
I absolutely loved the Awakening vibe of Birthright(challenging, but with grinding levels) of Birthright, and I was actually really pleased with Conquest too. I'm the type of guy who always plays on Normal in games, so I was intitally cautious of Conquest's difficulty. I gotta say, it is at times brutal(The last 5 campaign chapters I've played, I was down to my last pair of units by the time I won. Here's a hint: THE NOHRIAN SIBLINGS ARE YOUR FRIENDS. SEND YOUR CHILDREN INTO COMBAT TO DIE IF IT MEANS YOU CAN KEEP THE SIBLINGS ALIVE.), it's really rewarding when "Stage Complete!" flashes on the screen. If I had to replay one of them, I'd definitely choose Conquest. I'm also glad the avatar dying in combat doesn't mean game over, like it did in Awakening.
I was originally skeptic Fates would be better than Awakening, but it is, without a doubt. Characters, maps, story, weapons, cutscenes, support conversations, everything is better this time around.
I'm really intrigued by Azura... Like, seriously, never before has a video game character interested me more, except for maybe pre-Lucina Marth in Awakening.
This has been such a great ride. I haven't been this glued to my 3ds in some time and I am steadily buying games for that system. But this FE has pretty much made itself a permanent fixture on my 3ds. Starting to think its just a FE machine.
@BlastRadius You are only related to one character in the game (Excluding Mikoto of course) the support dialogue explains it depending on who you talk to (Hinoka flat out explains it) and you are given a full explanation if you s rank one of them.
Camilla just has a Sibling complex for Corrin. As she doesn't treat the rest of the siblings the same way. Basically she is Corrinsexual with a sibling kink thrown in. She along with one other person surprised me in not being samesex options because if you look at their dialogue they really don't care.
@Morph it was definitely Shining Force series that made me interested in FE series.
@Ryu_Niiyama Ah, okay thanks. I've never viewed any S rank conversations with the Hoshidan siblings.
I married Kagero in Birthright.
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