FIRE EMBLEM AWAKENING REVIEW
By: Enzo Apacible
3DS
Strategy RPGs are more or less, unfamiliar territory for me. Given that this is my first game from the Fire Emblem series, it's safe to say that I went in with low expectations... Fine, I played the game thinking that it would totally suck. Oh boy, I couldn't be any more wrong. This not only turned out to be an amazing game, but one of my favourite games of all time!
Before I start with my review, let me just clarify that I am not a professional writer, nor a game expert. I'm not making any money from this ( *sigh* ). I am just an ordinary guy who happens to love video games. I'll give insights from an average joe's point of view, and hopefully be able to help you decide if a game is worth the purchase. So with that in mind, I think we could go ahead and start my review!
Story: 8.7/10
*Don't worry there won't be any spoilers in this section. yay!*
Fire Emblem Awakening's story is your typical cookie cutter RPG tale. A bunch of do-gooder heroes trying to save the world from a major catastrophe. Your usual cliches here and there, smothered with a bit of melodrama and a dash of humour. Again, I wouldn't want to spoil any of the details but I assure you that the core story of the game is serviceable at best.
The meat and potatoes of the story (mmmmmmm meat and potatoes) come mostly from the characters though. There are around 40+ Characters that you can potentially recruit. All of which have their own quirks and are quite memorable. Each one of them is unique, well designed and loveable.
There's this one character that disturbs me to no end though....
Moving on.....
Most of the interesting tidbits of the game's story revolve around the relationships and conversations that you build with these characters. Think of it as a "create your own story" kind of scenario. It all seamlessly intertwines with the story and adds to the games depth.
I gave the game's story an 8.7. There is nothing wrong with Fire Emblem Awakening's main story. But as a hardcore JRPG fan I've seen all of this, none of the game's plot direction and twists surprised me. But that doesn't mean that I wasn't engaged. In fact, I was engaged the whole time. Again, it was the characters that drew me in. I felt closely connected to them in a way that I personally knew each one of them.
GRAPHICS: 9.2/10
I am not a complete graphics whore, especially for handhelds, but Fire Emblem Awakening's graphics are really beautiful and works well for the games structure. There's a mixture of 2D planes for field/ world map overviews, 3D models for battle and story simulations, and occasional animations (which are exceptionally beautiful btw) I have no complaints on the graphics department. Except for one thing..
They have no feet! It's only a minor gripe, I didn't even notice until someone pointed it out. But c'mon! look at it! it's pretty disturbing! Aside from that. Everything looks great even with the 3D on. It is one of the better looking games on the 3DS and well deserves a 9.2 ...yay lol
GAMEPLAY: 9.7
As I've said, strategy games aren't really my thing. I have always found it difficult to get into Strategy games because of either their steep learning curves or the lack of fun factor that the gameplay usually provides. But the game really did an amazing job of easing my way into the game's mechanics. There was never a time that I felt overwhelmed or intimidated. I wouldn't get into details about the gameplay, but it would suffice for me to say that it works, and it works well.
I played the game on the Normal difficulty setting with the Classic mode on. Classic mode has the perma-death feature, which means if any of your characters die during battle they're gone for good. This might seem challenging (it really is) but it gives the battles a whole other dimension, wherein you have to make your every move count. Since you build your relationship with the characters, losing one could prove to be truly devastating emotionally, and gameplay wise. Here's an accurate depiction of me whenever I lose a character.
Nonetheless, I would recommend everyone who plays this game to play it on Classic mode. The game would be entirely different if you play without it. Just be ready to restart your 3DS a "bajillion" times.
Fire Emblem Awakening has solid gameplay all throughout. I clocked in at 40+ hours before I finished it and not once did I grow tired of it. It's easy to learn, robust, engaging and most importantly, FUN. It earns an impressive 9.7/10 from me.
MUSIC: 10
I believe that video game music are the unsung musical masterpieces of today. Fire Emblem Awakening's music only solidifies that claim. The whole soundtrack is such a masterpiece that words can't explain how much a love it. So here, I'm going to just let the music speak for itself
It's pretty clear that they got this form God's iPod
10 out of 10!!!
If you disagree with me
FINAL GRADE: 9.4/10
Fire Emblem Awakening is a brilliant game that is well worth your time. It has superb character engagement and development, amazing music and atmosphere. Every 3DS owner should own a copy of this instant classic, you won't regret it. :)
+ Long, meaty
+ Excellent cast of characters
+ Divine music
+ Learning Curve
+ Accessible Gameplay
- Cookie cutter JRPG tale
- Has to end :(
