The Best Fire Emblem Game Yet

[Tolvir]

9 hours ago, Jedi said:

It feels more like an RPG overall than an FE, which isn't entirely a bad thing, its just not much of a tactics game that way.

It definitely still has strategy to it, but it really lacks a lot of what made previous FE games a strategy game. This is more like a rpg with strategy elements. I think the lack of a weapon triangle, most of the map designs, and absence of more varied objectives and conditions really are what hold it back from being as strategic as past FE games. 

I would love to see aspects of this game return in the future though. Dungeons have been such a blast, the item system is great imo, and the weapon skills, while not all that useful outside of certain abilities, can really make he weapon skill system of traditional FE mean something other than upgraded weapon use and some extra hit rate. Let alone all the story elements like full voice acting and characters saying a whole lot more in and out of fighting. 

Edited May 23, 2017 by Tolvir

[nyainou]

the maps / battles suck and are INCREDIBLY boring, the CG cutscenes are ugly and also boring, regular cutscenes are confusing when something is supposed to be happening(eg celica almost getting? hurt? trapped? by that rockslide).. there are a lot of issues like that that really knock fe:e down a few pegs for me. i wouldnt recommend it to someone just getting into fire emblem.. the blandness of the gameplay would turn them off.

HOWEVER, i LOVE the characters, and i absolutely adore the voice acting and ost. i admit that the dialogue has gotten incredibly ZzZz for me, so sadly ive started skipping them.. but oh well. also, the dungeon segments are so fun, though the controls are wonky.. 

im not done, but id give it a 6/10. fe:a is like, a 7/10 for me.. and im just biased towards fates, so no use giving it a rating! 

[Baldrick]

13 hours ago, BlizzardWolf95 said:

good voice acting, FULL voice acting...  

I'm only at the end of the prologue but that's been the biggest surprise to me. I didn't think much of it before I played it, but it makes the plot and characterisation so much more compelling.

[AbsoluteZer0Nova]

From what I myself have played thus far I do like the presentation as I feel dragged into the story though part of that is due to the voice acting which gives the game a breath of life. I like the animations of the fights but the maps... they just are really weak. They're huge in scope but here in lies one of the problems which is they can drag on for far too long. The game does feel more like an rpg than a tactical strategy game and that isn't a bad thing but... it just doesn't feel so challenging to the point where I have to actually think about what to do as I command my units (I am playing Hard mode and no not grinding). The music is good, but I honestly preferred Fates: Conquest's music and I need to compare Awakening with Echoes music to just to decide between the two and another problem I have with the music in this game is it's too consistent like at least in Fates the music was changing with each new map so it doesn't feel like it overstays it welcome and makes them feel unique in their own way. 

So in all my rankings so far are:

Conquest > Echoes > Awakening > Birthright > We do not mention this.

[bufkus]

The story and presentation is certainly a step up. And 8-4 is so much better at localizing Fire Emblem than whoever previously did it (Treehouse?). 

What this really means is that when they do get around to remaking Genealogy and Thracia, they are going to be freaking amazing.

 

[nocturnal YL]

18 hours ago, KliffIsTheOG said:

There actually IS a sound test! At the title screen, press up down left right up to unlock it. (some track names are spoilers though)

What I mean is that you can't enter the sound test, close the 3DS unit, and have the music continue playing if you have headphones (or external speakers) connected. This is a feature in many DS and 3DS games and utilities, including IS's own FE12, FE14 and Nintendo 3DS Sound.

[Godhand]

I haven't finished the game yet, but I think I've played it enough to get a general idea. It's a good game (though I don't think any FE game is bad, so...), but I would definitely not call it the best in the series. The map design is boring, dungeons are a pain to go through, I don't like fatigue, the cutscenes are awful, and though the story is slightly better than Awakening/Fates, it's been pretty predictable and cliched so far (not finished the game yet, though, so this might change). 

However, the music and character interactions are far better than what was in most other Fire Emblem games, which is a big plus. I like to see characters interacting with people other than the main character, which wasn't present in Awakening/Fates but is a lot better in this game.

Overall, it's a solid addition to the series, but not even close to my favorite.

[Armagon]

I wouldn't say it's the best FE but it might just end up being my favorite (i'll decide that when i finish the game). I'm surprised that a lot of the complaints people have mentioned haven't affected me. People say the maps drag on for too long, but i never had that problem except for Mila's Temple. Even the dreaded swamp maps, including the ones with Necrodragons, weren't that bad, because Falcon Knight Palla+forged Blessed Lance kills all the Terrors. Also, Invoke spam is a thing. In terms of music Echoes has the best FE OST in my opinion. And the story is actually a story and i like all the characters. Alm and Celica just might be my favorite Lords.

[Nitro]

Coming straight from FE2, I'm a bit disappointed in quite a few things. In particular the nerfs to stuff, but also that Hard seems to assume you're grinding, which I'm trying not to. It's next to impossible to ORKO without crits, enemies are far too bulky, and the hitrates are as shite as they were in FE2. And enemies that are supposed to be fast, are very fast. Currently in act 4, and most of the time it feels like the RNG has more influence than proper strategies, in particular when effectively all units get doubled by everything. Hell, even the knights in Berkut's second chapter could double everything not named Alm or Clair, which is likely the game telling me I should grind, but I refuse to. Grinding breaks all FE games that have it, and this is no exception. And no, arenas don't count.

I'll give credit to where it's due though. BGM, UI, and the story is very good, I like the GBA-style support system, voice acting is good for those that like that, and the overall feel of the game is nice. I enjoyed Gaiden's gameplay as a whole, but I'm not very pleased with Hard mode in this game. 

[Armagon]

2 hours ago, Nitro said:

Coming straight from FE2, I'm a bit disappointed in quite a few things. In particular the nerfs to stuff, but also that Hard seems to assume you're grinding, which I'm trying not to. It's next to impossible to ORKO without crits, enemies are far too bulky, and the hitrates are as shite as they were in FE2. 

I'm playing on Hard as well, and i never had the need to grind. If a particular battle is hard, i just retreat and come back to it, because the enemies i have killed will remain dead. Also, Supports help with hit-rates.