Weird weird weird. That’s how I describe the newest Fire Emblem. Fire Emblem DS is a remake of the original NES game — the progenitor of the series. I just want to clear up a few misconceptions first. This is not a remake of Mystery of the Emblem. That game was a direct sequel that included a remake of the NES game. That remake also added its own features, but also took out some characters and chapters. Fire Emblem DS does not contain book 2 — the sequel — but rather an enhanced version of the first game. Confused yet? Good.
Fire Emblem is a Strategy RPG with a long history. The gamplay is focused more on strategy and less on RPG. You move a band of warrior across a map, and fight your way to victory. One careless move could be your last. Journey back to the very beginning and see how it all began with Marth’s epic battle against Medeus, The Dragon of Darkness.
Behold Marth’s father and obscure Fire Emblem joke.
So why is this game weird you ask? Let me describe the changes in the game.
First of all, the weapon triangle is added to the game, but no magic triangle (as far as I can tell). Tons of new characters were added, but the game encourages you to kill off your party. You have to lose characters to gain the new characters. The map colors are washed out, while the battle scenes are vibrant. Class swap is silly and fun! Maji makes a better mage than Maric and Linda. Besides the out of character-ness, it’s really well done. This combined with forging presents a healthy amount of customization to the player. Hopefully, this feature will make it into a remake of Genealogy Of The Holy Wars.
Find the 2 worst mages in this line up. Hint: it’s not the guy on the left.
I think most of what I said above is pretty self explanatory, but I’ll go a little more in depth on class swap, and why it’s exciting. Unlike Fire Emblem Gaiden and Sacred Stones, growth rates are now split into class growth, and character growth. In order to get the final numbers, you must add the two together. So now, almost anyone has the potential to grow like they should, and not a healer with 20 strength and 0 magic. This doesn’t factor RNG rape into the equation. Extra precaution is added to prevent the abuse of the more powerful classes, but there is a good deal of freedom to swap as you please. I know there will be people out there who’ll enjoy playing the game with the most screwed up classes for fun.
The kind and delicate healer.
Speaking of fun, this game provides difficulty options for people of all skill level. There are six difficulty levels available from the start. The hardest difficulty will push you to the max, while the easiest mode contains weaker A.I. and mid-level saves. Granted, even at the lowest difficulty, it’s still possible to die from carelessness. I don’t know how I feel about the weird kill-someone-to-get-someone system. This is obviously done to appease those incapable of strategy, but who’s to say they won’t lose those replacements just as easily? What about long time fans, will they be pleased? Me, I don’t mind. It gives me extra incentives to replay the game. I know my first place through will focus on canon, even if I can get new characters, I will reset to remain true to the original.
The most bloodthirsty Swordmaster in the land.
Lastly, there are some unique Wi-Fi options like shops, renting (don’t know) and online battles. Let me start by saying Fire Emblem is not meant for multiplayer. Unlike the single player game, stats can play an important role in winning multiplayer. Within the game, you have to use strategy because the game designers won’t pit you against enemies with 99 in all stats while you’re at level 1. The same can’t be said about hackers. It remains to be seen how people will embrace this new feature. If cheating is rampant, then Intelligent Systems needs to go back to the drawing board. They need new ideas to apply that to online play.
I’ve been playing the game non-stop while watching the Olympics. Life doesn’t get any better than this.
Credits:
DarkTwilkitri for the face sprites.
Terranigma Freak for correction on some gameplay info.
