LogFAQs > #905017346

Mac Arrowny posted...

(Radiant Dawn is my favorite)

Excellent taste. RD's about the only Fire Emblem where I feel the plot/setting actually adds to my opinion of the game. PoR's not bad for setting up some of that same good stuff but it really fumbles the last third of the game or so.

On the map mechanics discussion:

Rain/snow are terrible mechanics because you have no control over them and they just grind gameplay to a sluggish mess for a while. There's a reason they never came back despite the fact that FE8 otherwise copied over almost all of FE7's mechanics.

Hinoka's map is much more interesting because it puts the control in your hands. You can activate the dragon vein when it's most beneficial for you to do so. You can, also, if you wish, just ignore them entirely, and rely on a mix of your own fliers acting proactively and your ground units baiting enemies into losing fights. Yes it's a mechanic to learn, but it's much more interesting, and it puts choice squarely in player hands.

Narratively the structure of Hinoka's map is also very satisfying. You're fighting a dragon-blooded pegasus knight commander on her home turf who uses dragon veins to bolster the tactical options of her own soldiers, but are given a weapon to counter this so that it isn't just "by the way here are some OP fliers for you to fight". It makes you really feel like you're breaking into the enemy's stronghold.
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