Why do people dislike this game so much?

[Prince Marth]

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I've seen that a good number of people dislike this game; and I'm just curious as to why that is. Maybe it's because I'm only a few chapters into the game, but I'm rather enjoying it so far. If it's the graphics people dislike so much, I can't say I disagree entirely - the colors are rather dull, and the art style isn't too amazing, but that wouldn't be a make-or-break factor, presumably. So why is it that people dislike it as much as they do?

[MCProductions]

Two words: Gaiden requirements

There's more to it than just those, some find it to be too simple, but the gaiden requirements are what I've seen the most complaining about.

[Fruity Insanity]

Graphically, it's not bad, it's just that it seemed like a step down from sprites.

Story-wise, the game is pretty bland.

Characters are not all that interesting.

Gameplay is kinda killed by the fact that there are so many choke-points and it's easy to stall your way to victory with just one high-def character.

FE12 fixed a lot of things, though. My favorite game in the series.

FE11 wasn't bad in and of itself. It just wasn't good either.

Two words: Gaiden requirements

There's more to it than just those, some find it to be too simple, but the gaiden requirements are what I've seen the most complaining about.

The gaiden requirements were more of a complaint for the series veterans, imo, since newcomers either got them by being bad or didn't know about them.

I do agree that whole "less than 15 units by X chapter" was BS, though.

Edited March 11, 2016 by Fruity Insanity

[Jedi]

Because its so simple for the most part I think is what turns people off because of how "complex" Tellius was, although it has quite a few nice nuisances.

I think its a fairly solid title, what little story there is, is well written etc.

You can do some silly things in the gameplay via reclass and its just a fairly nice romp imo.

[Augestein]

* Random regression on things: No rescue but we have forge? Weird.

* Supports as they were from PoR and/or RD got axed. Whether you enjoyed them for the story or gameplay, this was just plain lame that they were removed.

* Some people don't like Reclass (I don't particularly like how it was executed here).

* Maps aren't balanced around some of the changes. It's clear that the generally higher stats all around weren't really meant to be a thing based on how FE1 maps are designed.

* Gaiden chapters that require you to kill your units to get them. Rather than play well, or just unlocking them as you proceed, you have to kill units. It's backwards and just stupid in general.

* The story is really simplistic despite some of the touch ups we have-- making for a rather bizarre update on the story. Marth is more vocal this time around rather than merely feeling like a walking plot device, but outside of Caeda/Shiida/Sheeda and Jeigan/Jagen, no one really has much more to them outside of their recruitment.

* If you're a balanced junkie... Well... The warp staff is your nemesis.

[Nobody]

I love this game. I think the reason so many people dislike it is the presentation. It is a pretty ugly game indeed, that is also very simple. I think this simplicity is rather an asset, though, and it has good, enjoyable maps, while also being challenging on H5, which makes me really appreciate it.

Edited March 11, 2016 by Nobody

[Prince Marth]

Ah. I was unaware of Gaiden chapters; I suppose I'm not too turned down from the game so far because I haven't really played many prior Fire Emblem games (before this, Blazing Sword, Sacred Stones, and Conquest are the only games I've played). Maybe more of the unlikable things will come up as I get further into the game; though the gameplay simplicity doesn't really bother me. I can kind of understand why rescue might not have been used (if you mean picking up units); you could really break some chapters with that (e.g. Port Warren).

So, to my understanding, gaiden requirements mean that you have to have under 15 characters to access the gaiden?

[MCProductions]

Ah. I was unaware of Gaiden chapters; I suppose I'm not too turned down from the game so far because I haven't really played many prior Fire Emblem games (before this, Blazing Sword, Sacred Stones, and Conquest are the only games I've played). Maybe more of the unlikable things will come up as I get further into the game; though the gameplay simplicity doesn't really bother me. I can kind of understand why rescue might not have been used (if you mean picking up units); you could really break some chapters with that (e.g. Port Warren).

So, to my understanding, gaiden requirements mean that you have to have under 15 characters to access the gaiden?

Yes, baring the last one which requires a certain spoilery character to be dead, and a certain spoilery item to not be obtained instead.

Edited March 11, 2016 by MCProductions

[Prince Marth]

Yes, baring the last one which requires a certain spoilery character to be dead, and a certain spoilery item to not be obtained instead.

Hm, well that's definitely not the best mechanic. Is there any real reason to do the gaiden chapters, though?

[JasonMendez]

Not really. I've only ever seen people do the last chapter by having that specific character die so that they can get a rare weapon.

[maybe]

Hm, well that's definitely not the best mechanic. Is there any real reason to do the gaiden chapters, though?

it's so you have a decent unit if you fuck up and most of your units are dead

the one he mentioned is so you can beat the final boss if you fucked up and missed both things that would make it easier

[Prince Marth]

it's so you have a decent unit if you fuck up and most of your units are dead

the one he mentioned is so you can beat the final boss if you fucked up and missed both things that would make it easier

Ah, so the gaiden chapters are hardly useful unless you get your units killed, then? Excluding the second one, in which you miss the items and whatnot.

[maybe]

Ah, so the gaiden chapters are hardly useful unless you get your units killed, then? Excluding the second one, in which you miss the items and whatnot.

yeah, I'm pretty sure the intention of them is just to give you someone extra if you lose a lot of units

the game already gives you extra units if a lot of yours die so this is just sort of adding onto that

the last one is just if you manage to fuck up really really badly in which case the final boss is nearly impossible unless you get the extra character

[Prince Marth]

yeah, I'm pretty sure the intention of them is just to give you someone extra if you lose a lot of units

the game already gives you extra units if a lot of yours die so this is just sort of adding onto that

the last one is just if you manage to fuck up really really badly in which case the final boss is nearly impossible unless you get the extra character

Ah, alright; hopefully I won't have to deal with that, then. So I imagine it's far from an integral part of the game, then? If that's the case, I don't see why it'd warrant disliking the game so much.

[Shadow Mir]

Ah, alright; hopefully I won't have to deal with that, then. So I imagine it's far from an integral part of the game, then? If that's the case, I don't see why it'd warrant disliking the game so much.

I just think it's terrible game design in general - look at, say, the Elibe saga, which rewarded you for completing side objectives or finishing chapters quickly. I don't see why they couldn't have just done that instead...

As to the question, it feels overly simple, for one, particularly compared to the titles that directly preceded it. Second, looking at the series at large, it just feels like a disappointing step backward (given that the original was nearly 20 years old relative to SD's release date, I'd have expected a better job at trying to modernize it - as is, SD just feels outdated).

Edited March 11, 2016 by Levant Mir Celestia

[Phoenix_Kensai]

I think my main problem with Shadow Dragon is, overall... well, it feels old. I haven't played the original myself, so I'm not sure if that's a fair complaint (I know it did touch up some things and modernize the mechanics), but it seems like a rather barebones remake of the original. I don't think it's a bad game, by any means, but it felt a little lackluster compared to newer games in the series. I thought it was kind of simplistic and lacking in interesting characters and story elements.

I did like the gameplay a lot, though. Hard 5 was probably one of the best challenges I've had in Fire Emblem, though I admit I didn't entirely know what I was doing. I don't think I used class changing at all.

The game did make me want to give the original NES game a try, too. From what I've read, the mechanics were kind of weird in places, but I get the impression it was pretty good for its time.

[dondon151]

I just think it's terrible game design in general - look at, say, the Elibe saga, which rewarded you for completing side objectives or finishing chapters quickly. I don't see why they couldn't have just done that instead...

because they were experimenting with a concept and it turned out that people didn't like it

it's really that simple

[Enaluxeme]

For me it's both the gaiden chapters and the sprites.

I would have liked if you could gain access to the gaidens by playing in a very good OR bad way: it would have helped bad/new players without pissing off veterans.

For the sprites, I don't mind the art style, but I hate that every class has a single color, changing only the hairs for characters in the same class.

I don't dislike the story at all, since it's still a remake of a very old game, and adding more story or character development would have meant changing too much IMO.

... Also why are falcon knight only accessible through the e-shop?

[eclipse]

The game is easily breakable, thanks to certain quirks. The growth rates are also relatively low (barring some exceptions), and there's a lot of things under the hood that someone won't pick up normally.

Still, it's a ton of fun, and it's listed as a favorite for a reason~!

[The Geek]

Shadow Dragon is very much a mixed bag. It was my first FE so I have a certain fondness for it. Graphically, the face sprites make everyone look like they're made from plastic while the battle sprites look more like they're just graphically updated versions of the sprites from FE3.

If there are two things that Shadow Dragon absolutely did well, it's the writing (not the plot, two different things) and the soundtrack (the OST in this game is one or if not the best in the series).

[Axie]

I like the face sprites, the style of the battle animations (they could be a little more dynamic though) and I think the dull-ish colouring fits the game. I also like the way the DS games do reclassing, even though the redundancy of the magic classes was stupid.

It's just that... the gameplay and story are so clearly old? The writing is great but it's not enough to add meat to those bones. Without supports, what was a big and varied cast for its time became a bunch of mostly disposable and empty characters. Reclassing/forging/etc were also not enough to truly modernise the gameplay which feels too straightforward even without warpskipping or sedgarandwolfskipping. Etc.

It's a fun game, but in the same way all those remakes/ports of Final Fantasy I are fun, you know? It should have never been marketed as a main series game, or it should have been more modernised, like FE12 (which is in my opinion the closest to flawless FE has ever been, and yes, including the Avatar). Of course FE12 benefits from a much less archaic source material, but really just adding some support conversations would do wonders for FE11 already.

[Etrurian emperor]

What Shadow dragon offers is....pretty good actually. Taken on its own I had a decent time with Shadow Dragon but the game doesn't stand on its own and suffers for it.

Chances are that Shadow Dragon isn't your first Fire emblem game, its much more likely that you played Smash, got into Fire emblem through the GBA games and finally got a chance to discover the world Marth came from. Because you most likely already played the other Fire emblem's the things that shadow dragon DOESN'T offer are bound to stick out.

Compared to the games that came before it Shadow dragon has shallow mechanics, missing features, no supports, a barebones story and the only characters with any personality are Hardin and that one bandit who coined the name ''gaggles''. If you're used to more then that is a massive downgrade and that's bound to create a feeling of disappointment.

Being a remake of the first game doesn't justify the missing content and actually makes it worse. This was the chance to expand on the original game and that chance wasn't taken.

[Sasori]

I'm a bit more mild on Shadow Dragon then I used to be. I replayed it recently and actually had a lot of fun. The gameplay is solid, Marth gets a lot of charactirisation and the map narations are amongst the best in the series.

My original complaints still stand though. What story there is, is good, but there simply isn't enough with no supports, a great deal of the cast being mute and the clear stage scenes are almost always extremely short.

Shadow Dragon being more of a remake also made it miss many features seen in later games such as rescue, map objectives and stuff like that. Reclassing is the only new feature and I don't really like the way Shadow dragon handled that.

[Prince Marth]

Ah; I can understand the "mute character" complaint; it's something that definitely could've been added. I suppose I just have a soft spot for the game - I'm not entirely sure why, but I really like Marth, and the general story of the game (maybe I'm romanticizing it a bit in my mind?). That being said, I can understand why it might feel a bit lackluster, too (though again, with things like rescue, I imagine that chapters like Port Warren would be made infinitely easier with it). The game definitely is a rather simple in comparison to prior Fire Emblem games, though I think it still has a nice feel to it.

Graphic design definitely is not the best, in my opinion, however; I don't really consider the dull graphics "fitting", especially when most other Fire Emblem games have had rather vibrant and colorful appearances.

...I still don't quite understand reclassing, however. It's definitely interesting to see and understand all of these perspectives, though!

[eclipse]

Reclassing goes like this:

1. Every time your character swings a weapon, or gains a level, they gain weapon EXP/stats. These go into a character's personal pool.

2. When you choose to reclass someone, it takes the class bases (so loads of speed for swordmasters or lots of defense for generals), and adds them to the character's personal stat pool. Weapon levels are calculated in a similar fashion.

3. Growth rates work similarly - every class has its own growth rate and every character has their own personal growths. The latter tends to be low, unless you're Caeda's speed.

Confusing? Here's a concrete example:

POPE WENDELL is pretty fast for a Sage. That's due to his 8 personal speed. So, what happens when THE POPE is reclassed to Swordmaster? His 8 personal speed is added to the Swordmaster's 13 base speed, resulting in a whopping 21 speed on THE POPE. Granted, he's not going to kill anything of note (he's reliant on the Swordmaster's 5 base strength and the one extra MT thanks to C rank swords), but it's really funny.

There's all sorts of hilarious combinations available, like Cord the Dark Mage, Horace the an Hero, and Pegasus Knight Maria. . .wait, don't do the last one unless you like torturing yourself.