First hands-on Impressions?

[Sire]

Played some more and now I am at the start of Part Three.

There was an "optional encounter" in Part Two that was a difficulty spike on Hard Mode, forcing me to use Mila's Turnwheel a lot while I tried to figure out a proper strategy so no one died. Otherwise, almost everything was smooth sailing save for the fact I ran into my first Cantor (the summoning guys). I have a bad feeling about this in future chapters, even if allies can call upon aid too...

Music, graphics, and presentation are still amazing as always. Now that I've been though Celica's route, I have to say I tend to like Alm's party a little more. Sure, Celica has Saber and Mae, but Alm has Gray, Tobin, Lukas, and even the rest of his roster like Forsyth and Python. While I love all the characters (even Leon, whose character type I am normally indifferent too), I just find Alm's party to be more likable overall.

In addition, I love the Dungeons, but the more I play, the more I begin to realize that the novelty of the "VN" village scenes is wearing off on me. I would have prefered an open ended style for villages like the Dungeon system, while keeping intact the character commentary on various objects like in the "VN" mode. (Skies of Arcadia comes to mind.) While I like VNs, as a whole it does seem a little out of place in a Fire Emblem game, not to mention it does not seem as polished as everything else.

Also, I absolutely love the Memory Prisms. Even as something as two characters talking in the woods (Foryth and Python) focused on why they are joining the Deliverance is amazing. Echoes nails down character interactions like in the GBA titles, and the voice acting sells everything - even if the support conversations may seem a little on the short side. I do love the "Echoes Base Conversations," but those are more character monologues than character interacting with one another like the Tellius games. I want to see more interaction!

Lastly, I love the maturity and humor of this title. Boey drooling over a maid offering "thanks" after Celica's party is gold, as well as Mae's and eventually Saber's reaction. They bring back the slaver aspect which does make the world feel like a darker and more realistic "medieval fantasy" setting instead of a more idealized one in the more recent titles (Awakening, Fates).

[Ertrick36]

1 hour ago, ckc22 said:

I hate the way money works as it ends up being a bunch of annoying slashing at weeds, and it feels like more enemies should drop stuff. 

There are side quests that net you a lot more money than slashing weeds ever could.

5 minutes ago, Sire said:

There was an "optional encounter" in Part Two that was a difficulty spike on Hard Mode, forcing me to use Mila's Turnwheel a lot while I tried to figure out a proper strategy so no one died. Otherwise, almost everything was smooth sailing save for the fact I ran into my first Cantor (the summoning guys). I have a bad feeling about this in future chapters, even if allies can call upon aid too...

That Cantor bit was annoying mostly because that dickhead was standing on a healing space that offered 40 avoid, so it was tedious trying to kill him without anyone dying.

And I actually found a way to cheap out the "optional" part.

Spoiler

No matter what the characters' defenses are, the enemies seem to always prioritize units that aren't standing on spaces with terrain effects over those that are.  So I just had Celica run into a forest with Valbar right next to her (and not on a forest space), and the necrodragons would just keep attacking him and ignoring Celica.  And when his health would get too low, because he's standing next to Celica, he could just use the provisions option to eat some food to restore his lost health.  Meanwhile, Celica could keep blasting those fool dragons without a care in the world.

 

[Crubat]

I'm in act 2 nearing to the end of it and I honestly love everything about it. (Not including maps but I don't hate them.) I'm gonna talk about all of my units and you can check my thoughts on each individual characters:

Alm's side:

Alm: Love how he is passionate about what he wants to do! Gameplay wise, he's gotten good level ups but that's to be expected

Gray: I love his interactions with Tobin and it's nice to have some comedy during the great story. He's good as a unit cause he's in the mercenary class though he has had bad level ups but that's expected Gray.

Tobin: Same as Gray but I also like how he's fighting for his little siblings. His base speed+Archer really helped fighting against enemies to soften them up. 

Kliff: I love how snarky he is and that's really it since I haven't heard a lot of him. I kinda screwed up not giving him a speed boost cause I forgot about spells having weight so he was slow at first but got better.

Faye: I really don't have anything to say about her but I also don't have anything bad to say about her so ;p. Made her into a Peg. Knight and she's been really good and she got a RES LEVELUP!

Lukas: Amazing voice and love his dialogue, he's great. He's gotten knight level ups, like 2 speed level ups and a RES LEVELUP! 

Silque: Also love her voice and kinda sucks that she's all "mother mila" but her c support with Faye seems to show she likes to gossip. Has been getting multiple attack level ups which I guess is good cause of warp but no defense level ups sadly.

Clair: She looks great and her way of talking is really charming! She's gotten really nice level ups which consist of 4 stat increases so she's gonna be a great unit.

Clive: Haven't seen a lot of him but I remember him having an accent that I've never heard of and that I really like, but I think his personality might be just "for Zofia" and all. Can't say much about gameplay

Forsyth: Didn't expect him to have this kinda of voice! Also haven't seen much of his character either. Also can't say much about gameplay

Python: I like his use of the word "stud" a lot and same like the last two, can't say much beside that. Read the last two characters gameplay thoughts.

Celica's side: 

Celica: After seeing how Alm's way of handling the problem of Zofia, it's kinda cool that she has a different take on the problem, also looks like she has some daddy issues(Sorry not sorry). She's got some nice level ups but that's what you would expect from a main character.

Mae: She's a really funny character and really similar to Gray so a +1. Her thunder really saved Boey from dying against a pirate and she's been getting a lot of speed level ups so yay!

Boey: Love how he gets blamed for everything and is also similar to Tobin! He also was lucky enough to get a speed level up that prevented him from dying but I think he doesn't do the tanky mage role well so far.

Genny: Nothing much about her personality sadly. Probably gotten the most crits, also she got 2 15% speed level ups and A RES LEVELUP!

Saber: Really like how he calls Celica "lass" and not her name, I think he's supposed to be the Lukas in Celica's route. Probably the best unit I have in terms of level ups.

Valbar: I was so sad when I found out his family was killed and I feel really bad for him but it's great how he isn't showing his sad emotions in front of the army a lot. Probably gonna change him from knight since that's holding him back and I noticed he's gotten a lot of skill level ups.

Leon: He's sassy and I love it and glad he isn't another Niles. He's noticeably getting speed and luck level ups a lot which I guess  is good.

Kamui: I like that he's scared of Necrodragons and when we went to fight one, iirc he screamed! That was so funny. He's gotten bad level ups so far but myrmidon is carrying him so I guess it's okay.

Other:

Slayde: He's a better villain than Garon.

Mycen: I like his stache but that's really it. I heard you can recruit him later so hopefully he's gonna be better.

Fernand: Damn, is he really that annoyed that Alm is gonna lead the Deliverence? But I guess he is a villagercist(Not liking villagers just in case you didn't know.)

Desaix: Couldn't kill him for the Dracoshield sadly. Don't know what his motives for his actions though(Don't spoil please.)

Berkut: I LOVE HIS VOICE! And he seems to be a good villain from what little I've seen.

Rinea: Out all the characters I've seen so far, she's probably my least liked character? To be fair, I also haven't seen a lot of her but love her relationship with Berkut.

I know this was long but I want to tell everyone my thoughts about everything (and I guess everyone). Hope you liked reading my thoughts!

Edited May 20, 2017 by Crubat

[pumpkinspice48]

I'm only just starting Act 2, but I'm enjoying it so far.  The presentation's great and I love all the characters (both personality and design wise) and voice acting.  The maps could be better but the game's other aspects more than make up for it.

[Loki Laufeyson]

This game is beautiful.  Gameplay, im still working out some stuff with classes and promotion, but otherwise having fun. The dialogue and localization is great. The full voice acting is great. The art is fantastic and the story's pace is good. Lots of depth going on, and lots of world building. Only one character bothers me so far. (Im on Act 3) Faye is legit awful in her personality. Like, omg fuck off with that "i hate everyone but Alm, especially other girls." shit. If she wasnt decent a unit, bench forever. 

Im having fun and i love the spirit of FE being back. 

[EricaofRenais]

I just recruited Silque.  I haven't played for very long yet since I didn't get my game until last night, but I have to say as of right now Echoes is going to be tied with RD for my favorite FE.  I also love the fact that Alm is left handed just like I am.

[ckc22]

There are some really cheap maps though. The one where a certain party member is an enemy that you can't kill but she can teleport wherever the fuck she wants, move, and attack after that is pissing me off because I've almost been done with it twice now when she decided to teleport and crit Alm. 

[Tryhard]

The game is pretty great and I feel somewhat vindicated as a Gaiden fan. The presentation, music, voice acting and localisation dialogue in general is all great. The plot is serviceable if somewhat standard FE fare and has decent worldbuilding.

The hangups for people are going to be the gameplay and map design even if they enjoy things like the dungeons. I like the addition of things like the weapon skills, it makes sense with magic taking HP. I think the game will be looked at favourably in general by people, but I expect to see the same criticisms levelled at the game which I can't really deny. The maps are not good, and the gameplay can be somewhat tedious at times.

3 hours ago, Loki Laufeyson said:

Only one character bothers me so far. (Im on Act 3) Faye is legit awful in her personality. Like, omg fuck off with that "i hate everyone but Alm, especially other girls." shit. If she wasnt decent a unit, bench forever. 

She's pretty much like Malliesia from FE3/12 (though Malliesia had much less dialogue) and like her is somewhat played for laughs. I can't say I particularly enjoyed or was impressed by that since it seems both of them are purposely designed to be immature and unlikable.

[Ertrick36]

1 hour ago, Loki Laufeyson said:

Only one character bothers me so far. (Im on Act 3) Faye is legit awful in her personality. Like, omg fuck off with that "i hate everyone but Alm, especially other girls." shit. If she wasnt decent a unit, bench forever. 

I'm also on Act 3; currently at the Forest Crossroad.

I don't particularly like that either, but seeing all the comparisons to Tharja and Camilla made me realize something.  I actually appreciate her more than those two because she doesn't have any shameless fanservice to hide her flaws.  Granted, both the other characters have a little more to them than their obsessions (Tharja especially) while Faye... doesn't, really (as far as I can tell up to this point), but I at least know the game isn't gonna pretend she's not as bad as she actually is.

I think ultimately, I like Tharja most out of the three (though that isn't to say I like her all that much), Faye is in the middle, and Cowmill should go to the infernal equivalent of that "farm" in the sky all farm animals go to when they get too old.

Though I of course have encountered more characters, and I'm liking them a lot, too.  I like that even after the first Act, the villagers and Clair are still getting a fair amount of involvement with the story.  Same with Saber and the mage rivals.  Palla and Catria at this point were a given, but I'm just generally glad to see them interacting more.

Spoiler

And even they recognize that Est being captured is a running gag.  Lampshady, but in a fun kind of way.  You almost forget that Grieth probably intends to sell Est as a slave, or that something else dark and disturbing might happen to her while she's in his clutches.

 

5 hours ago, Crubat said:

Desaix: Couldn't kill him for the Dracoshield sadly.

Git gud son

Seriously though, I know it is possible to defeat him at that point (you could in the original, anyway; there was even dialogue if you did), but it's extremely difficult to do so.  Not just because he's a tier-three unit in a part of the game where most enemies and allies are tier-one, but also because you gotta avoid defeating Slayde, since that triggers his retreat, and you gotta deal with everyone else as well.  I'd wager on Hard mode, it's downright impossible without a little bit of grinding.

Also, I doubt there's much more to his character than what's been revealed up to that point.  I'd say don't go in expecting some earth-shattering revelation about him.

And I believe the correct term for Fernand is "snob", or "classist".  His presence I believe is to help exaggerate the whole class struggle between nobles, knights, and peasants.  I think his disdain for peasants and serfs could've been better characterized and justified.

Spoiler

For example, he could have hated the villagers joining the war because they aren't educated enough to know how to efficiently engage in warfare or to even have "proper" opinions on the politics behind the war, instead of it merely boiling down to some tragedy that happened to him.  This particularly works because Alm actually was educated in the art of war by Mycen, so there'd be a bit of dramatic irony (or he would just doubt the level of education Alm received).

It also helps that pretty much all the villagers joined for mostly casual reasons.  Gray just sorta was like "why the hell not?", Tobin was in it for money, Kliff did it for casual scholarly purposes, and Faye just has a crush on Alm.  None of them were particularly fighting because they wanted to free Zofia or because they wanted to oppose the tyranny of Rigel.

They could've also applied Clair's ignorance of the lower class to Fernand.  Maybe he hates villagers because they complain about struggles that the nobility and knights don't see/recognize, much like how some rich people in the real world don't recognize (or refuse to recognize) the struggles ordinary people go through and even resent the poor or middle class when they speak out about their problems or try to impose solutions to those problems through a representative government.

 

4 minutes ago, Tryhard said:

She's pretty much like Malliesia from FE3/12 (though Malliesia had much less dialogue) and like her is somewhat played for laughs. I can't say I particularly enjoyed or was impressed by that since it seems both of them are purposely designed to be immature and unlikable.

I can see that, though I don't particularly remember Mallesia outright saying (let alone repeating several times) that she'd kill for Marth.  But yeah, the concept is pretty much the same.

Incidentally, Faye seems to be well suited for cleric, due to her receiving a spell list that's pretty good for the role clerics are supposed to serve and being the only one who can become a cleric without a villager's fork aside from Silque.

Spoiler

Also, don't their character arcs ultimately end the same way?  At least in the Japanese version of Echoes, where she comes to accept Alm not reciprocating her feelings, much like how Mallesia comes to accept and even adamantly supports Marth and Caeda's relationship...

 

[Armagon]

4 hours ago, Loki Laufeyson said:

 (Im on Act 3) Faye is legit awful in her personality. Like, omg fuck off with that "i hate everyone but Alm, especially other girls." shit. 

Ehh, i've seen much worse personalities (Peri). Also, the bolded part, that is factually incorrect. She's never shown to hate anyone. Was she rude to Silque? Yes. But being rude and hating someone are two different things.

I'm at Act 3 as well, and honestly, Faye has really grown on me. While we don't see it much, we can tell she and the rest of the Ram Villagers are good friends. And then her Act 1 Base "Conversation" made me like her more, because

Spoiler

she talked about what she loves about Alm (his bravery) and how he's always been her white knight in shining armor, especially on the day Alm saved her and the rest of the kids from Slayde. You know, when he punched Slayde. That was actually pretty great.

Basically, while Faye is obbsessed with Alm, the signs show she actually genuianly loves him and isn't just lusting after him, unlike a certain Plegian Dark Mage.

[Cute Chao]

I've finally reached Leon and the like. I was really nervous about his characterisation, because I really don't like 'camp' when it's too over the top and in your face. It's just too much for me. However, they seem to have got Leon spot on, imo. He's hilarious, his voice is great, and I love his interactions with his comrades. I wish I can remove the air kiss thing at the end of his battles but, eh, minor gripe there. 

Faye's been removed from my party. I was starting to like her since she doesn't talk about Alm as much in battles but getting stronger and everything, but then her supports and promotion speeches grated again. I tried, but urgh... sorry, just won't be liking her -.- 

I've also fallen completely for Saber. He and Lukas vie for top spot on my 'who do I love the most in game'. He has an amazing voice, and he's just great all round. He completely stormed the desert fortress for me! Lukas remains another favourite. He's just so calm and collected. I wanted to punch Fernand for being mean to him in his stead, since he wouldn't. Ahhhh, he's great :D 

I am a bit bored of the amount of women being kidnapped or close to it, though. Stupid Est, Mathilda, Clair, Silque - Catria and Palla attempted (why don't they just fly away? They're on freaking Pegasi and up a mountain!)... probably even more. It's getting a little dull in that respect, slavers or no. I was actually glad to rescue Jesse. It felt a bit different to at least have a male captive to rescue. His story was hilarious, too ^.^

Apart from that, I've enjoyed the more adult themes. Boey and Saber's love of the maid, as mentioned before, was just hilarious, and everyone's interactions just feel so great. I was a bit disappointed to have no supports between Clive and Clair, and it'd be nice to have a support between Faye and any of her villager friends (was Kliff her brother? If so, definitely him), to maybe get the conversation away from Alm so much. Also, Genny should've had some support with Celica, Boey or Mae... someone :/ Plus I wanted more Deliverance conversations... But then, I've always loved supports, and with the voice acting, it'd be great to have more in general.

Still loving the game ^.^ 

[UNLEASH IT]

The gameplay is a bit of a slog to be honest. I really like everything else though. 

At the very least, since she doesn't have much dialogue in the story, Faye won't have people writing dissertations defending her character, like with Tharja and Camilla. Well at least I hope she won't.

[Tsak]

Second first impressions. SABER IS THE LITERAL GOAT. decided to quick promote him to dread fighter. He destroyed the bow fort, Sonya's stage, and Greith's fort. Cant upload the finish screen for Greith's cuz of the size limit. This is also on hard/classic

[Dualazi]

A little ways into chapter 3 so far, so a smattering of initial thoughts I suppose.

Cons:

- Map design is really sub-par. I've probably been spoiled by conquest, but so far every single map has either been a sprawling expanse or 1 or 2 important chokeholds. Random encounter maps in particular are pretty egregious, as you start so close it's basically just both sides rushing each other immediately.

- Difficulty so far is way too low. I didn't start on hard because I hadn't played the original version and was unsure of what mechanics were different, but no fight so far has been even remotely challenging. 

Pros:

- Visuals are fantastic. Art design is on point and the combat animations themselves are quite good.

-While I miss the weapon triangle, the abilities from items mechanic is still really cool and many of the items are really impactful. 

-Plot might be predictable but is well executed.

- Voice acting is surprisingly good, even for bit parts. 

-----

So far really enjoying the title, and I hope it remains this good through the rest of the acts.

[Tolvir]

10 hours ago, Tsak said:

Second first impressions. SABER IS THE LITERAL GOAT. decided to quick promote him to dread fighter. He destroyed the bow fort, Sonya's stage, and Greith's fort. Cant upload the finish screen for Greith's cuz of the size limit. This is also on hard/classic

Saber is easily the best unit on Celica's side for me as well. He single handedly took on Archer fort and won. He had Kamui with him and Atlas as an archer behind those two, but Saber killed most of what was in there. They only cleaned up what was left.

 

On the other hand, has anyone had a character die yet? So I didnt know this, but apparently characters react to each others deaths in the summary screen. From what I have heard, one of them that happens is if Catria and Palla die, Est will scream in the summary screen. Forsyth will also react to Python's death, Leon to Valbar, etc. Its both really cool, and heart wrenching at the same time.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

I have to say I was very sceptical about this game since I liked neither FE2, nor FE for the (3)DS in general.

After completing Act 1 I was positive surprised about this game because it's quite different to a regular FE game.
It feels rather like a classic RPG (like Shin Megami Tensei) with exploring dungeons, talking to people and searching for stuff.

The gameplay is very simple though. Weapon triangle doesn't exist and weapons have infinite weapon durability. Of course these are mechanics overtaken from the original, but I prefer having a FE game with complex mechanics.

As simple the gameplay is (unfortunately), as detailed the plot is. I guess it's the text-heaviest FE game I've played yet. You learn a lot about all the characters. It also has more VA than FE13 + 14.

As for someone who prefers gameplay over story, Echoes definitely won't become my favorite part.. But comparing to previous parts it has a MUCH better story.

[Armagon]

20 minutes ago, Tolvir said:

On the other hand, has anyone had a character die yet? So I didnt know this, but apparently characters react to each others deaths in the summary screen. From what I have heard, one of them that happens is if Catria and Palla die, Est will scream in the summary screen. Forsyth will also react to Python's death, Leon to Valbar, etc. Its both really cool, and heart wrenching at the same time.

In terms of characters that actually die, Faye, Kliff, Silque, Genny, Leon, Python and Luthier have died for me. Obviously, i used the Turnwheel every time, but i gotta say, just the death quotes alone are heart-wrenching. They're all fully-voiced and you can feel the emotion. For instance, Faye and Genny were on the verge of tears while Kliff was regretting not seeing more of the world.

Also, Python's death quote went something like this: "you better start building a coffin. Heh, i can't even take dying seriously."

Oh and yes, i've had Alm and Celica die too. There's no Turnwheeling out of that.

Also, story time. That one battle in Alm's route of Act 3, the one with all the Arcanists, the last Arcanist on the map "killed" Lukas. Then Ike came in and killed the Arcanist, ending the battle, preventing me from using the Turnwheel to save Lukas. I had to restart the map.

[Sunsurge]

Well, I'm in love with this Fire Emblem game.

I loved Awakening (despite the criticisms), because for what it was, I loved the story, and the characters, because it was just fun all the way through. I laughed out loud and I genuinely played a long time after I finished the main story.

Confession, I STILL haven't finished Fates. And going into it, I expected the story to be bad so I just went in expecting nothing. But I didn't expect it to be AWFUL. And so I just couldn't get through the game. Conquest is left somewhere on Ch. 21, and Revelations at Ch. 20. I managed to power through Birthright, but that was only a modicum better because Birthright main character isn't totally awful.

So I was really, really, REALLY worried about this one. But it has been spectacular to me, thus far! I just got Clive and a couple others, but one I LOVE that it's fully voiced. I think Fates might have been better had it been fully voiced because if I just READ through Gray's lines, I don't think I'd like him that much. But somehow, his delivery, and listening to him, makes me LOVE him when I don't think I would have as much.

The story is generic thus far (and predictable), but fun! And this is not knowing anything about this game from the original or the pre-release stuff because I just didn't have any hype for this game. But man, I'm really liking it. And I don't hate some of the mechanics like I thought I would. Such as Mages losing HP. Mages are my FAVORITE characters to play (hello Robin), and so I was worried that I wouldn't be able to play them as much, but it's much better than I thought.

My only main complaint is I really, really LOVED branching promotions, and having a wide swath of classes to choose from. And I hate feeling so limited in that regard.

[LFM]

It's an unusual game but in a good way. The Majora's Mask of the Legend of Zelda series? I'm at the start of act 4 and the presentation, dialogues, characters, voice acting, (battle) animations, villians(!), music and story are just superb. The game got so much charm. Quickly becoming my favorite FE game if it keeps this up.

Minor grips are the wonky controls + camera in the dungeons and the random encounter maps (especially if you move Celica on the overworld map so that the enemies are attacking Alm --> enemy phase, no battle preparations and fighting 3 units on a large map).

Edited May 21, 2017 by LFM

[Folt]

Up to the start of Act 2 so far, and I can say I do like it. Not as much as either Awakening or Fates, or Sacred Stones for the matter, but it's pretty neat. Went with canon promotions for Alm's male Villagers and made Faye a Cleric. Honestly, having a second healer is a godsend in this game compared to other FEs.

Being the OCD I am, I somehow managed to get all my units in Act 1 up to their final tier class through battling Terrors + Kliff as a Lv. 9 Sage, and both Faye and Silque as Lv. 10 Saints. I then went to retake Zofia castle, and because I could hit Desaix twice with Sagittae (from Kliff) for 11 damage per cast, and could Warp/Rescue him in and out, I got to see the (in)famous "body double" speech from Slayde (who promptly retreated, the asshole) and snagged a swaggy Dracoshield which went to Faye. With 20 Resistance and even higher Defence, she's not going to get killed by anything for a loooong time.

Storywise, I like it so far. I also like the characters, about as much as I liked the Awakening and Fates cast (which means I like them a lot).

Gameplay-wise, I'm kinda fond of the stuff that sets it apart from the other FEs, including the Arts, the different spell lists, and the "cast spells by spending HP" thing. Unfortunately, grinding in this game is quite a bit more boring than it is in Sacred Stones, Awakening, and Fates, mostly due to the dungeon maps I've seen being small, empty maps (good thing I got grinding for the Act 1 units out of the way for now), but the gameplay stuff unique to Gaiden has kept me from being too bored with them.

Art-wise, I love Hidari's artwork (not as much as Kozaki's, but Hidari's art is better than the other Fire Emblem artists). Model-wise, they don't quite reach up to the quality of the models of the other 3DS games up close, but most of the time, you're not seeing them up close, so that's really a minor complaint.

Music-wise,  so far it's pretty great. Almost on par with Fates.

[RennacIsUnderrated]

One of the best FE titles Ive ever played, Ive never been so engaged in the story and characters and the game on hard mode feels so much like a real strategy game unlike Awakening and Fates which were embarassingly easy. Id give it a 9.5/10 better than Fates and Awakening but not quite as good as Path of Radiance or Rekka no Ken

[warchiefwilliams]

It is without a doubt the most... unique fire emblem I have played, but I am enjoying it all the way through so far. Here are a few thoughts from me:

Good:

• The voice acting added a lot more than I thought it would, and I do hope that they continue giving all future games full VAs.
• The artwork feels a lot more toned down compared to the other 3ds titles. I like Kozaki's work, but his outlandish designs got a bit... annoying at times. 
• While I do prefer fates's soundtrack, the modernized gaiden songs are still pretty awesome.
• No real complaints regarding the characters, except one (see Bad section). I do like how the game actually has some of the non-plot characters occasionally chime in (usually Tobin/Gray for Alm and Mae/Boey for Celica) with their two cents on the situation and will call out their leaders if they feel they are making a poor choice.

Bad

• The grind can be tedious at times, but when is grind not tedious?
• The camera doesn't always cooperate in the dungeons, which makes it a bit difficult to find enemies unless they find you first.
• While it is clear that Faye isn't as bad as certain other stalkers tag-alongs, her personality begins and ends with Alm, which I consider to be a bit of a waste.
• Supports are a welcome addition, but I feel that some are a bit.. limited. I would like to know more about Silque beyond just her attempts to gossip with Faye and what she says in base conversations.

Ugly:

• This game is ancient and it shows. While I do think that it is a good thing that they didn't mess too much with the core of Gaiden, that game remained obscure for a reason. Modern graphics and some new mechanics help to make it a bit more accessible, but it still took a bit for me to get into the swing of things.
• PSA: Keep an extra eye on your mages. While magic using HP to cast helps to compensate for its increased strength, it does mean that your mages can go from very healthy to almost dead in a single round of combat. 

 

A final aside, does anyone else think that clerics are a bit too strong compared to regular mages? In my playthrough both Silque and Genny are capable of one-shoting most bosses with nosferatu (assuming they hit, their hit chances are kinda low). It just means that I can flood the field with illusions and still keep my clerics healthy by attacking careless foes.

[Thinks Their Own Way]

So far the good news is that even on my older system (2DS) it does run well, no lagging so I'm happy, I just recruited Clair so as of now... I like it better than Awakening. When I say I don't care about story in video games, I really don't care about story in video games... characters are fine, not spectacular... I like them enough, no L'Arachel's so far (my least favourite FE character ever). My only problem from a gameplay perspective is that it's really easy if you know anything about Fire Emblem (especially normal mode). If I had to rank it so far it's:

1. Fates
2. Sacred Stones
3. Shadows of Valentia
4. Awakening 
5. Blazing Sword

[Tamanoir]

Well, I knew I'd love this game since it was announced (since I liked Gaiden), but I really enjoy it.

Presentation is near-perfect. The VA really adds Something to the story (it being really good helps.) Gameplay Wise, it's really the Gaiden feels. Vene the Dungeon adds to this. It's stranegly addictive.

I don't have as much compain as the others about the villages, since it makes traveling around more practical (I also prefered P3P system to P4). The low res spritesmakes it feels quite unfinished though. Especially when you accept a quest (they're not voiced, and you can't see the character face.) Quests really seems like a last minute addition, actually (no voice acting, and no way to keep tracks of them.)

I'm at the beginning of chapter 3 so far.

[Etrurian emperor]

13 hours ago, Dualazi said:

Cons:

- Map design is really sub-par. I've probably been spoiled by conquest, but so far every single map has either been a sprawling expanse or 1 or 2 important chokeholds. Random encounter maps in particular are pretty egregious, as you start so close it's basically just both sides rushing each other immediately.

The map designs are really uneven this time around. The vast majority of the maps seem a bit like ''filler'' maps to me with just a huge plain without a cutscene or boss to give it some context.

But some maps have solid designs behind them if you ask me. Grieth's fortress for example has plenty of things going for it. You got a large structure with two entrances, several archers and mages hidden behind walls that grant avoid bonuses, a couple of enemies also approaching from outside the wall, a summoner at the very end of the map and a pretty decent boss.

Desaix fortress is also pretty good with both you and the enemy being able to make use of the choke point stairway, a pretty challenging boss at the top of the stairs and a captive getting attacked to force the player to press on.