Having finally reached Europe following a several month
localisation delay, the latest Fire Emblem has landed and immediately claimed
the top spot for portable strategy games. It continues down the path laid out
by previous title in the series as a turn-based strategy game where you control
individual characters across square grid battlefields.
The core gameplay is focused around fighting AI forces
across a series story driven encounters. Each character under you control has
their own strengths and weakness determined by their equipment and statistics.
At first I was worried by how detailed the statistics appeared, but it only
took an hour or so of play to get a feeling for the combat.
The first few battles introduce the game’s basic tactics.
Explaining the series’ staple mechanics such as which weapons get an advantage
over others. The tutorial is well-paced, only adding a few explanations each
time. After the opening fights I felt fully up to speed with the game and I was
happily constructing my own tactics.
Battles come in three different varieties throughout the
game: main story missions, side quests and optional bonus battles against the
undead in previous locations which are useful for some extra experience. Each
battle will last between twenty to forty minutes depending on your play-style and
difficulty level.
The dual screens are well used in the game. In battle, the touch
screen displays the statistics and equipment of the selected unit. Tapping any
element will bring up an explanation for the effects in combat. The top screen
shows the battlefield as well as cut scenes and other post battle menus.
The 3D is best used in the animated cut scenes, the anime aesthetic
looks fantastic in these moments. Sadly they are few and far between, with the
majority of the story being told in dialogue boxes and further cut scenes that
use the game engine. The game engine cut scenes stand out as being a bit
awkward as the characters appear stiff and strangely, everyone’s feet clip
through the floor. 3D doesn’t really add anything to the game anywhere else.
The battle gird is very flat even with the 3D turned on.
Combat animations are done to a high quality. Every
character has a series of animations for the weapons they can wield as well as
extra animations for critical hits and dodges. Complex sequences of charges and
dodges look excellent as the animations adapt to the characters movements,
rather than having them fixed rigidly in place. The variety will only last for
a few engagements though, so around half way through the game I ended up
turning them off to speed up the gameplay. There are plenty of other options
though. You can select to only watch specific characters animations and speed
up animations by holding the A button.
The UI presents combat information in a very clear manner.
Before you commit to any action, the likely result of the combat is displayed
allowing you to make swift comparisons and decisions. The controls are simple and
serve their purpose perfectly. Controlling units was always straight forward,
making the turn based strategy gameplay very satisfying.
Extra depth is added onto the combat as you progress.
Characters will level up and gain new abilities to use. As usual with Fire
Emblem games, a key part of the difficulty is in keeping a balanced force so
you don’t become too reliant on a single character.
And there are plenty of difficulty options available at the
start of the game, but it’s key to pick the right one to get the most from the
game; in particular the choice between classic and newcomer modes. In classic
mode, if you one of your characters falls in battle, they’re permanently dead which
can be very frustrating after becoming attached to them through the campaign. I
opted for the latter looking for a more relaxed experience. Newcomer removes
the permanent death from the game, although you still have to be careful when
using your own character and Chrom. If either falls it’s game over and you’ll
need to go back to your last save. Thankfully you can save at any point with
three game slots and two further slots for mid battle saves.
I found newcomer to be a bit lacking at the start of the
game. For the first two thirds of the game I didn’t have to worry about making
mistakes. Usually losing a character meant they would miss out on a bit of
experience, no real loss. However, the final third of the game was a real
difficulty spike and I felt justified in my choice. I had to make sure I didn’t
waste anyone’s abilities with frivolous moves. Making through some of those
battles without anyone dying would be an incredibly difficult challenge.
Creating your own character is a fun touch as they feature
as a main character in the story. Although the choices you have are really
cosmetic as your character’s class is already set. The story told through the
main missions has its moments, but for the most part it serves the gameplay by
providing battle locations. The story pacing lurches wildly as some fights are
crammed in just for the sake of having them. There are a few in particular that
could be better used as optional side missions.
The story is easily the weakest part of the game as the main
characters involved are incredibly stereotypical. After a new character is
introduced, you’ll be able to predict their reaction to events for the rest of
the game. The best writing comes from the relationships the characters build by
fighting alongside each other. Each time a relationship reaches a new level,
the characters gain a bonus to fighting side by side. You’re also treated to a
quick dialogue between them which often reveals their true character. There are
some brilliant lines and many genuinely made me laugh out loud; especially
Virion’s dialogue.
Fire Emblem Awakening offers an excellent amount of well-structured
strategy, lasting many hours even on the easiest difficulty settings. Battle
times are perfect for a portable game, giving a good snippet of gaming whilst
on the move. There are also plenty of DLC maps available to extend the game
further. A title well worth its asking price on the 3DS.
