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Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Introduction
Three years have passed since
Crimea fought Daein in the Mad King's War and both countries
are still in the middle of rebuilding. However at Daein, the citizens
are oppressed by the Begnion occupational army and live their lives in
despair.
Micaiah, a mysterious silver-haired girl and member of the Dawn
Brigade,
appears to help the Daein citizens. She is considered a saviour by the
citizens, and eventually goes on to liberate Daein and return power to
the royal family, which was thought to be destroyed. However Micaiah's
tale is only the beginning of a great war that is set to engulf the
whole continent.
About the game
Path of Radiance left
off with many mysteries, such as what Ike's next trial would be and the
identity of
the Black Knight. However, Radiant
Dawn, which is a direct sequel, is set to resolve them all and
provide an enjoyable strategy RPG experience at the same time. Although
developed for the Wii, no Wii-specific features are implemented, but
this means
that Fire Emblem has
kept straight to its roots.
The storyline and
setting of Path of Radiance
is continued in this game, as a new war threatens the continent of
Tellius. As such, don't
be surprised to see a couple of old faces, although there are plenty of
new ones as well. Like all good
sequels, no knowledge of the previous game is required, but any
knowledge is a bonus. If you own a copy of Path
of Radiance though, there are a few bonuses that you can obtain
via the Data Transfer.
The gameplay hasn't changed radically since Path of Radiance, but there are
plenty of minor changes and improvements. The chapter count has
risen to 43, making this the longest Fire
Emblem game yet. New factors, such as height, help to spice up
the gameplay. The graphics, such as those of the character models, have
been improved, and the battle animations are much smoother. The game
also runs at a slightly faster pace compared to previously.
Features or changes
Data transfer
Cleared Path of Radiance save
data,
stored on a GameCube memory card,
can used to award a fixed stat boost to returning characters, as well
as
raise their weapon levels. Also Support conversations, unlocked in Path of Radiance, can viewed in a
Support library, which is helpful as a
Support viewer was missing in the previous game.
Parts
The game is split into four compulsory parts, with each part
telling
a different part of the story. Each part contains different characters,
although they all eventually meet up during Parts 3 and 4. The game
doesn't feel too fragmented, and the splitting can be beneficial,
allowing for
different characters, plots, and perspectives to be seen.
Classes
2nd stage promotions, last seen in Gaiden,
feature.
Some
characters, mostly those in Part 1, are able to promote
twice. For example, Edward can promote from a Myrmidon to a
Swordmaster,
and then from a Swordmaster to a Trueblade. Other characters already
start promoted, but they can promote again. Both promotions occur
automatically, or with a special item, like in Path of Radiance.
On promoting to the highest class, the character automatically obtains
their Mastery (AKA Occult) Skill.
Laguz
The Laguz have returned, but they function slightly differently. When
Laguz transform into animal form, their major stats are multiplied by 2
instead of increasing by a fixed amount. More importantly, Laguz are
now able to reach a maximum Level of 40. Also, when a Laguz reaches
Level 30 or
above, they can learn their Mastery Skill using a rare Satori Sign item.
Height
Being on higher or lower ground than the enemy now has a significant
effect
on battle. Being on higher ground grants the user increased damage
against enemies and much increased
accuracy. Conversely, being on lower ground greatly reduces
accuracy.
Supports
The Support system has been revamped, for better and, perhaps, for
worse. All characters can potentially support with one another,
although characters can only support one character at a time. Supports
can also be deleted, which is handy if you change your mind or find a
better partner. However a sacrifice has occured in the form of the
Support conversations. All Support conversations now consist
of one or two lines per character, and are very impersonal.
Weapons
Dark magic has retuned, after being absent from the previous game. The
magic trinity of Path of Radiance
remains, but is now backed up by the GBA magic trinity of: Light beats
Dark, Dark beats Anima, and Anima beats Light. Knives and Laguz
weapons, called Strikes, also have
weapon
ranks. Laguz cannot swap Strike weapons, but they can increase their
weapon's power and accuracy through continual usage.
Friend vs Friend
A feature that doesn't have much impact on the gameplay, but
is cool and amusing nonetheless. At certain points in the game, due to
the story's progression, two different player armies come face to
face as
enemies. At these points, the player will control one army and fight
against characters of the other army, which is controlled by the
computer. If any playable characters, as enemies, are defeated they
will still return later. Having Ike fight Sothe, for example, is now a
possibility!