LogFAQs > #900582904

18. Fire Emblem Awakening
Original Release: 2013
Year Played: 2014
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Platform: 3DS
Favorite Character: Lon'qu

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That's a wrap for 2014. FE:A was a game that was easy to pick up and play, and so I was able to get into it quite easily after playing the demo and being impressed by it. The gameplay feels so refined when compared to the previous entries. Honestly though, I loved the ability to disable perma-death, as it made my frustrations with the previous entries and frequent auto-saving due to a no holds barred RNG go away. I know, I know, it makes the game easy, but it's still a fun game regardless and actual strategy is still often required.

One of the coolest changes here is the music that plays in the map screen. Whenever you go into battle, the music changes to a more bombastic version (by adding instruments) of the map theme, rather than a new theme altogether. The latter made the previous entries' battles feel entirely disconnected and I would often turn them off altogether, so it's nice that they thought of this new thing that makes battles seem seamless. The music is fantastic, too, by the way.

FE:A suffers due to its rather shoddy storytelling that starts off strong and then meanders off. The first 10 or so chapters tell a compelling plot about three kingdoms embroiled in war. Honestly, there's so much great plot here that you wonder what the rest of the game will be like when you realize you're barely even a third of the way through. Unfortunately, the second third of the game focuses on an entirely new subplot that takes up around 10 chapters. This subplot, involving the war with the Valm kingdom, is disconnected from the overall plot involving Plegia, and unfortunately it drags on for way too long before we get back to the good stuff, but by then it's too late. FE:A also suffers from the same issues that plague the rest of the franchise's storylines. The bad guys are bad, the good guys are good. It's black and white. All the villains look like villains so you know who they are and they have no redeeming qualities to them. All the playable characters are pretty much Heavenly souls. FE:A tries to add some depth to its storyline but, like the other games before it, all of it falls flat.

There's a cool time travel mechanic which allows you to group pairings together to open up side missions where you can recruit the couples' children, who turns out to be some of the more powerful characters. Choosing who to marry to whom is one of the highlights, and each of the support conversations are pretty cute. Dunno why, but I choose Maribelle. There's also plenty of side missions. All in all it's quite an expansive game, and by the end you'll have so much to do and you'll want to do it all in order to be ready for the final few maps. The game also allows you to pair characters in battles to build their support and turn them into unstoppable killing machines...sometimes. I liked that feature too.

FE:A manages to turn down the frustration of the earlier entries but it does have a few glaring issues. I haven't played Fates. I want to, but I no longer own a 3DS. These games are fun to get into, and if I don't focus my brain on the irritating or cringeworthy things in the series, I begin to love the games for what they are. FE:A happens to be my second favorite installation in the franchise next to Sacred Stones (yes, I liked SS). But I really, really, really want to play Fates.