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I love Thracia 776


AwakeningNoob
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My first post here so hello! 

As my nick suggests I come from the Awakening generation of FE lovers. At the beginning of this summer I finally finished playing through Revelations and happened to watch Fates LP from Mangs. This combined have inspired me to make a deep dive into the history of Fire Emblem. After some trial and error I decided to start with FE4 (which was also awesome!) and then jumped into FE5 as it was connected plot wise and was infamous for its brutal difficulty. Today I have finally completed FE5 and I am absolutely in love.

Disclaimer: because I have limited time to play, plan to go through all Fire Emblem games, and heard about the brutal, sometimes unfair difficulty of FE5, I made a conscious decision to play with a Walkthrough to get a maximum out of my run (the game kicked my ass anyway...). I WISH I had the chance to play it years ago, go at it blind, fail miserably at first and then replay it over and over until I could beat it.

Even with ridiculous 1RNG, overpowered staves, overdone ballistae, and general game design set on screwing the player over at every step and turn, this game does so many things well I'm having trouble believing it was made 20 years ago. I think I was most impressed by how game mechanics blended perfectly with the setting - escape/defend chapters , capturing enemies for equipment, all perfectly representing a guerrilla group going against an empire. The gameplay was an impure bliss (because of the stupid stuff) to the point where sitting half an hour in battle preparation screen was as enjoyable as the map itself.

Technically this game is also a gem. The graphics, art direction, music, sounds, animation - everything works together so well. Heck, I prefer this over the low res 3D models from 3DS games, anytime. I actually wish they stayed with stylized 2D or 2.5D instead of going 3D. The music playing during most of the escape chapters is by far my favorite one - I will never forget the insane tension of chapters 4-7.

I hope this game will receive an Echoes remake - all it needs, in my opinion, is 2RNG and a bit less staves/ballistae shenanigans (without going into *ekhm*WARP*ehkm* details).

In short, I love this game, I think I will return to it eventually weather it will get a remake or not.

Edited by AwakeningNoob
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Glad you enjoyed the game!

I do think Thracia is one of those games thay you need to go in blind to really appreciate the game design (as in they really wanted to kill you), but you were brave enough to even try it ^^

For better or worse, I feel like Thracia is probably the most complex game, besides maybe Radiant Dawn. If you are interested to see how that path follows, I would suggest trying TearRing Saga if you haven't done so.

That game isn't half as balanced or hard as Thracia, but you can tell they had fun trying all sorts of things.

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Thracia's fun, I like going back to it and see what else I can abuse. Next time you play, you should try stealing some Sleep Swords and Blizzard to get weapons you didn't think you could get. One time I made Asvel reach A rank in Thunder and gave him Ambush. He'd slaughter everything that came his way before they could attack him if he held a Tron spell.

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There're, like, two translation patches folks are working on for Thracia that I'm looking forward to.  I've heard less than good things about the current completed patch, but as I really enjoyed Genealogy I want to be able to enjoy Thracia in its intended package as well and follow our boi Leif's story.  Plus, I love this theme:

Spoiler

Since you've already dipped your toes in the Japan-only titles, I'd also recommend Mystery of the Emblem if you haven't tried it yet.  It's not quite as difficult, nor is its story quite like what you'd see in the Jugdral games (it's simpler, and the original Mystery doesn't have a lot of character interactions), but it's great in its own right, especially Book 2.  Playing Mystery of the Emblem pretty much feels like a heroic romp around the world, killing a bunch of bad guys and making new friends in many different places.  Like a classic adventure story... only more violent.  Also, it's one of the first games that Tiki appeared in as well as Marth (technically it's a mix between a remake of the first game and a proper sequel), so it's got legacy.

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11 hours ago, AwakeningNoob said:

Even with ridiculous 1RNG, overpowered staves, overdone ballistae, and general game design set on screwing the player over at every step and turn, this game does so many things well I'm having trouble believing it was made 20 years ago.

Well funny thing that, it was actually made 19 years ago. A nitpick, I know, but Thracia is more recent than it seems (it came out just two years before the Gamecube).

11 hours ago, Slumber said:

Welcome to the enlightened(And very handsome) club.

It is a well known fact that Thracia fans are the most physically attractive of all Fire Emblem fans. 

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Wow, FE5 will become already 20 years old next year.

Despite its age I consider this game as supermodern regarding game mechanics. I love the idea of capturing, new mission objectives, staff chains or fatigue even if latter needs a better execution. Most of the mechanics are either loved or hated, I love them just for the try. 

Thracia 776 is the basis for FE of today, and this deserves to be honored!
It's a masterpiece for its time and definitely deserves a remake to get some mechanics fixed.

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Since Genealogy was a big game for me just because of the story, I had to pay my respect and give a try to Thracia. It's a shame there's not a patch out there which is a complete translation and a nice menu to feature with. Also I felt the game ridiculous at Chapter 2 already, when I reached the boss - seems like none of my squad members could damage him, and then I noticed my biggest turnoff: 10 bonus defense from boss tile. Are you kidding me? This is Chapter 2... Chapter 2.

This is probably not a fair judgement from me, and I'm thinking about giving another chance to this game. I mean I heard people love this game, and it's also difficult - but hey, I completed Binding Blade on hard mode, I'm not giving up on a fair challenge. I just need some time to get ready for it again.

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7 minutes ago, Garlyle said:

Since Genealogy was a big game for me just because of the story, I had to pay my respect and give a try to Thracia. It's a shame there's not a patch out there which is a complete translation and a nice menu to feature with. Also I felt the game ridiculous at Chapter 2 already, when I reached the boss - seems like none of my squad members could damage him, and then I noticed my biggest turnoff: 10 bonus defense from boss tile. Are you kidding me? This is Chapter 2... Chapter 2.

This is probably not a fair judgement from me, and I'm thinking about giving another chance to this game. I mean I heard people love this game, and it's also difficult - but hey, I completed Binding Blade on hard mode, I'm not giving up on a fair challenge. I just need some time to get ready for it again.

I wouldn't worry too much about those bonuses. For the most part, killing enemies isn't difficult in Thracia. Getting to them without casualty is.

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3 hours ago, Jotari said:

It is a well known fact that Thracia fans are the most physically attractive of all Fire Emblem fans. 

This has indeed been documented extensively over the years. Even I couldn't believe it at first, but what can you do, rules of the universe and stuff.

1 hour ago, Garlyle said:

10 bonus defense from boss tile.

It doesn't affect their resistance though, and Leaf's sword deals magic damage from afar, same for Evayle's fire sword. Beyond that, crits multiply raw attack instead of damage just like in Genealogy, meaning they can beat high defense with ease. Admittedly, the game tells you none of that.

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2 hours ago, Jotari said:

I wouldn't worry too much about those bonuses. For the most part, killing enemies isn't difficult in Thracia. Getting to them without casualty is.

Unless I need to rush a chapter, this is not going to be a headache for me. (no wonder why Ch.14 is my least favorite chapter in Binding)

46 minutes ago, Cysx said:

It doesn't affect their resistance though, and Leaf's sword deals magic damage from afar, same for Evayle's fire sword. Beyond that, crits multiply raw attack instead of damage just like in Genealogy, meaning they can beat high defense with ease. Admittedly, the game tells you none of that.

That sounds promising, I'll keep that in mind for my next playthrough. I remember seeing a video somewhere, Eyvel was an early boss killer. Still, I like when I have multiple options to approach a fight.

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8 hours ago, Garlyle said:

Since Genealogy was a big game for me just because of the story, I had to pay my respect and give a try to Thracia. It's a shame there's not a patch out there which is a complete translation and a nice menu to feature with. Also I felt the game ridiculous at Chapter 2 already, when I reached the boss - seems like none of my squad members could damage him, and then I noticed my biggest turnoff: 10 bonus defense from boss tile. Are you kidding me? This is Chapter 2... Chapter 2.

That's really mostly an early game problem. The game doesn't fuck around tossing promoted units your way early, but your army far outpaces what the game tosses at you as far as raw stats go. Enemies really don't get much stronger from about chapter 5 onward until the very end of the game.

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Looks like I have a post limit/timer of some sorts as a new user to I am going to bundle my replies into one post.

17 hours ago, Ertrick36 said:

There're, like, two translation patches folks are working on for Thracia that I'm looking forward to.  I've heard less than good things about the current completed patch, but as I really enjoyed Genealogy I want to be able to enjoy Thracia in its intended package as well and follow our boi Leif's story.  Plus, I love this theme:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Since you've already dipped your toes in the Japan-only titles, I'd also recommend Mystery of the Emblem if you haven't tried it yet.  It's not quite as difficult, nor is its story quite like what you'd see in the Jugdral games (it's simpler, and the original Mystery doesn't have a lot of character interactions), but it's great in its own right, especially Book 2.  Playing Mystery of the Emblem pretty much feels like a heroic romp around the world, killing a bunch of bad guys and making new friends in many different places.  Like a classic adventure story... only more violent.  Also, it's one of the first games that Tiki appeared in as well as Marth (technically it's a mix between a remake of the first game and a proper sequel), so it's got legacy.

Yup, once I saw the available translation patch I decided to play the game in Japanese. :D Fortunately I can read Japanese at a basic level. And I actually plan to play FE 1 through FE3 next before moving onward to newer games - I kinda want to see how the series evolved over the years and take the learnings from former games to the newer ones rather than hop between generations.

11 hours ago, Garlyle said:

Since Genealogy was a big game for me just because of the story, I had to pay my respect and give a try to Thracia. It's a shame there's not a patch out there which is a complete translation and a nice menu to feature with. Also I felt the game ridiculous at Chapter 2 already, when I reached the boss - seems like none of my squad members could damage him, and then I noticed my biggest turnoff: 10 bonus defense from boss tile. Are you kidding me? This is Chapter 2... Chapter 2.

This is probably not a fair judgement from me, and I'm thinking about giving another chance to this game. I mean I heard people love this game, and it's also difficult - but hey, I completed Binding Blade on hard mode, I'm not giving up on a fair challenge. I just need some time to get ready for it again.

If the difficulty is the main stopper for you then personally I think it is fair to approach Thracia with a walkthrough - combat the unfair difficulty with unfair advantages basically - especially if the story is your main objective. This game will prove difficult even with a walkthrough so you will get plenty of challenge regardless.

9 hours ago, Cysx said:

This has indeed been documented extensively over the years. Even I couldn't believe it at first, but what can you do, rules of the universe and stuff.

Wait.. this was not just a joke? :O 

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2 hours ago, AwakeningNoob said:

Wait.. this was not just a joke? :O

Not at allyesitwas! Though the data has been lost to time, unfortunately. How very tragic. But hey, we're out there enlightening the unknowing, so naught is lost.

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Ah yes, the old "Thracian Fans are irrefutably the hottest and sexiest people in the universe." I too cannot find that study, but I do recall what was said on it. You see, the reason they are so beautiful is that the map design seeps into your pores, and it's sheer greatness affects you as a person. In addition, Thracia has by far the best looking characters in all of FE, have you seen my man Marty? That boi is looking like a snacc 24/7 (gods that hurt to write). I'm sure someone has that study somewhere, just need to find the right fellow.

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6 hours ago, DarthR0xas said:

Ah yes, the old "Thracian Fans are irrefutably the hottest and sexiest people in the universe." I too cannot find that study, but I do recall what was said on it. You see, the reason they are so beautiful is that the map design seeps into your pores, and it's sheer greatness affects you as a person. In addition, Thracia has by far the best looking characters in all of FE, have you seen my man Marty? That boi is looking like a snacc 24/7 (gods that hurt to write). I'm sure someone has that study somewhere, just need to find the right fellow.

Now it finally all make sense as I did think that map design in Thracia was fantastic and put Awakening/Fates to shame. Avatars where really nicely done, too. Now, whether yours truly's mug can live up to that legacy is a topic for another day...

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