SUPPORT US ON KO-FI!
It almost seems inconceivable that Fire Emblem made its debut in 1990; the series has only had a true Western presence since 2003, when Fire Emblem for the Game Boy Advance became the first game in the series to launch outside Japan. In truth, the series had become popular in the West a couple of years before then, when Marth and Roy were included in the Super Smash Bros. Melee character roster in 2001. Interest in Fire Emblem was ignited once again worldwide because of it, and it wasn't long until the series made its official Western debut. This still leaves more than a decade of missing Fire Emblem games to be discovered, however, but fear not: the series' history - and its bright future - is reflected with absolute affection in Fire Emblem: Awakening.
Games in the Fire Emblem series are turn-based strategy titles; in Awakening, players take control of an army led by Chrom - the Prince of Ylisse - and an avatar, who is gendered and designed by the player at the beginning of the game. Its story takes place over a number of different maps, each one part of a chapter which allows the story to progress. Initially, your group will consist of only a few members, though you'll have the opportunity to recruit new members as you progress, while others will join you automatically. Characters begin in a specific character class, which lays the formation for their statistics as well as the weapons and items they can use. For example, a Tactician can use swords and magic tomes, while Lords can wield swords and lances; mages have high magical offense, while Knights benefit from incredible defense despite being slower on their feet.
Each character can hold five items on their person, including weapons, healing items, stat boosting items and more besides. One weapon is equipped for use when being attacked by enemies from the opposing army - by default, this is the weapon most recently used - while you'll be able to select and use any of the items a character is holding during your own turn. Before attacking, you'll be able to view the enemy fighter's equipped item and the resulting attack, accuracy and critical hit statistics, which will vary depending on the weapon you choose to attack with. There are benefits to attacking with the right type of weapon, as a weapon triangle dictates which types have an advantage over the others; although each weapon has a different attack stat regardless, wielders will have a better chance with a sword against an axe, with an axe against a lance, and with a lance against a sword. There are others as well - archers have an advantage over most flyers, for instance - so it's a great challenge to have a varied army to ensure you can work effectively against any enemy.
When you're not taking part in the main story, Fire Emblem: Awakening gives you plenty more to be doing in the meantime. There are a few side stories to take part in, which can provide you with more experience to level up your characters and can often include new characters to recruit as well. It's also possible to summon classic Fire Emblem characters and their armies to the world map, giving you further opportunities to gain experience and new recruits. There are dozens of classic characters - all of varying strengths - to summon to the world map in this way, available as free distribution material alongside special weapons and multiplayer maps.
One of the most important aspects of gameplay outside the main story is the support system, which can positively affect your performance in battles quite significantly. Support systems have been included in previous Fire Emblem games, but Awakening expands on this by allowing characters to take part in a huge number of support conversations with other characters. In battle, two characters who are standing side-by-side may team up against a single enemy and this will help to boost their relationship; while on the world map, you're able to run support conversations between two characters who are close enough, with their support ranking growing from C-rank to B-rank and eventually A-rank, boosting the chances of them teaming up in battle. This also includes a marriage system, as two characters of opposite genders may be able to achieve an S-rank support relationship, which will result in greater benefits throughout the game.
The variety in the game's numerous maps is very impressive; with each map requiring different tactics, there's bound to be something to suit every player. You might prefer maps that take place in open areas, resulting in more of a skirmish than a strategic assault, but the maps that take place in castles and other arenas should be right up your street if you prefer the latter. Certain maps also have different terrains or atmospheric conditions to be dealt with - such as mountains, deserts, or fog - which will need your full attention when putting together your team for each battle. For example, characters on horseback won't fare well in the sand, while airborne riders will have a much easier time in mountainous regions. Certain character classes also provide a greater line of sight, allowing you to see further afield when your vision is impaired.
Of course, the ability to assign a suitably varied team in each battle is made far easier when you have a larger pool of characters to select from. At first, you'll just have to roll with what you've already got, but you'll find it easier to make more changes the further you progress in the game. By defeating enemies and gaining experience, your characters will level up, with their maximum being level 20, but it's possible to use items called Seals to upgrade classes or change them completely. For instance, you can use a Master Seal to upgrade a level 20 Knight to a level 1 Great Knight, providing significant stat boosts and allowing the character to continue to gain experience; a Second Seal can also be used to change a character's class altogether, which can be useful if you're sorely lacking in characters of a certain class. As we've already noted, there's also the option to recruit classic characters by summoning them to the map and defeating them in battle.
One of the more unforgiving aspects of the Fire Emblem series is the fact that characters will leave your barracks for good should they be felled in battle, as they will die or retire as a result. To draw in new players, Awakening introduces a Casual mode in which characters will return if they are defeated during battle, allowing newcomers to retain every character they've recruited for the entire game. You'll still be able to select Classic mode if you want the challenge of holding onto your players, while a number of difficulty modes are also available to choose from when beginning a new game. The challenge of previous Fire Emblem games is probably best reflected in playing Classic mode with the difficulty set to Hard; however you choose to play the game, you'll find a very sensible difficulty level that never jumps around, aided by a considerable number of ways to improve your team outside the main story.
Throughout the story, you'll be treated to a number of cutscenes to allow the story to progress, including a number of highly impressive FMV sequences. It's clear that a great deal of effort has been put into Awakening's overall visual presentation, which also include full battle sequences for the first time; even the classic characters have been illustrated by some of the series' past artists exclusively for use in the game. Its equally impressive soundtrack includes some excellent battle themes and a fantastic rendition of the series' main theme, which can be heard in the opening visual, further improves the experience. There is humour to be had in the game, particularly in the support conversations, some of which are worthy of engraving; most of these come from Tharja, a Dark Mage who has a less than healthy obsession with the male avatar.
Sometimes, it's a relief just to see a beloved series get a new entry, though in some cases it can be more disheartening to see a new game that doesn't get localised for whatever reason. Sure, Fire Emblem is effectively a mainstay in the hearts of Nintendo fans after its notable international debut and its place in the Super Smash Bros. series, but after the second Fire Emblem title for Nintendo DS - a remake of Super Famicom title Mystery of the Emblem - failed to launch outside Japan, there was warranted cause for concern with Awakening. Fortunately, it launched worldwide, starting a shining new era for the series that had been given little fanfare on Wii and Nintendo GameCube.
The most wonderful thing about Awakening is the work Nintendo and Intelligent Systems have put into it to ensure that anybody can play it. The introduction of a Casual mode to ensure your army doesn't get decimated is sure to bring new fans to the series, while there is still enough of a challenge - if not more than ever before - for veterans of the series, and indeed the genre as a whole. Fire Emblem: Awakening is a beautifully presented game with a substantial amount of content that can - and, we're sure, will - cater to the wider Nintendo 3DS audience as well as the series' loving fanbase. Bring on the next one.
