Video Game Review: Fire Emblem: Awakening

Anyone else notice that Kellam is behind Chrom's knee?

War. War never changes. People change but war will always be the same...or something like that. Anyways, everyone agrees that war isn't a game nor a joke. It's a painful part of society, one which has inspired various forms of art. This goes as far as video games, with a few portraying war as it is: ugly, but sometimes needed as well. Fire Emblem: Awakening, the most recent title in the series, is one of those games. Just like previous installment  it uses war as both a story and game play mechanic.

Fire Emblem Awakening is a Tactical JRPG. It's story revolves around the Shepards, a group of “elite soldiers” lead by the prince of Ylisse, Chrom, and their new tactician, the avatar (hint hint: guess who this person is). Together, they travel the land helping their people defend themselves from attacks, as well as recruiting new members they meet along the way. 

Admit it, you can't say no to him.

The story isn't that amazing, though it does its job well. The narrative is divided into two parts: Chapters and support conversations. Chapters can either be story related missions or side missions, usually consisting of cut scenes and dialogue. Support conversations, on the other hand, are optional and unlockable conversations that you gain by having two characters support each other during battle and usually involves sillier situations and dialogue compared to the chapters. 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

Overall, the narrative is quite enjoyable and you will find yourself liking most of the characters and wishing to learn more about them.

The gameplay is, by far, the best part of the game. It's hard to exactly explain why the gameplay, which isn't that different from other Fire Emblem games (it's still a matter of rock paper scissors), is so much fun. The best explanation I have is that it's simply fun to play, as well as well planned out. The game plays very smoothly and fast, making for quick battles that are quite enjoyable to play and replay as much as needed and does not exasperate you. The new pairing system offers stat bonuses that make many characters almost unbeatable. 

Just try to touch this kid's waifu, I dare you to!

The game's just well thought out so that it's a blast to play and doesn't cause too much frustration. The creators even thought about smaller details: Class changing items are now abundant and so are transformation stones, you can save before the battle so that you can restart it faster if need be and the supports conversations have been moved outside the battle to a sub menu you can access while on the main map. It's well worth your time and money and the game play itself will make come back for more.

Now, graphically speaking, the game is great. The main units all have their unique traits and designs which make for a very interesting cast at times. A good example is Anna, a character which lives, breathes and probably even poops money. 

And you all thought I was kidding...

All of her dialogue in battle revolves around various “business” quotes (ie: saying, “Please come again” after killing an enemy). Also, since the game is on the 3DS, that means the creators implemented 3D as well. Now, many still think that 3D means something is going to pop out and hit them in the face when, it reality, 3D is used to create a nicer picture with more depth. It gives the impression that an object isn't flat and will often even produce a better image than a regular 2D image. Fire Emblem Awakening doesn't feature any “pop out” effects, but the 3D effects are very well done as far as depth goes. As well, using the 3D while in the first person view during a battle is quite interesting during scenes, especially when done with a mounted unit.

Finally, the music in the game is very enjoyable, though the chimes that play when one levels up or finds an item will sometimes break the mood of said music. You will be having this moment where you are questioning the motives for the story, if the war you are waging is worth the actions you are doing. The music is emphasizing this feeling of guilt....then, you hear the “ice cream truck” chime and it just breaks the mood of the whole chapter. It's a small little thing that still irks me, seeing as how it happens in chapters I happen to have really liked. Even so, the music is still fantastic, especially the music for the “Summer Bonds” DLC.

To wrap things up, the game is a must ownfor anyone who owns a 3DS. It's fun, charming, well executed, and will offer you a good 30-40 hours of playtime at a minimum. It's by far one of the best games for the console, as well as a great introduction to the Fire Emblem franchise.

Final Verdict: 9/10

Pros:

+Great Characters and good story

+Extremely fun

+Great Graphics and music

+Online matches let you face off against others and you can transfer characters and teams VIA spot pass

+Voice acting is great, some of the best in the industry

Cons:

-Most of the characters only speak with small quotes (ie: Henry's “SPECIAL DELIVERY!”)

-Music will sometimes be interrupted by out of place chimes, ruining the atmosphere of certain levels

-Not all characters have supports and some of the supports are generic cookie cutter ones.

-The DLC isn't that interesting overall