LogFAQs > #936462962

Mystery of the Emblem is actually pretty easy to understand (Gaiden is as well, it's just super archaic), and Genealogy's more obscure mechanics are generally not essential to understand at first, though it has a lot of special events that can be missed, some of which are easy to find out (since the game lists who can talk with who), some of which...aren't (random peninsulas sometimes contain cool items if a specific character goes to them). Thracia is really the big offender of having a lot of stuff the game is clearly balanced around you using being unexplained in the game, which probably contributes to its reputation a lot - it can be very difficult on a blind playthrough, but if you actually know how it works it's pretty easy for the most part (barring chapters 4, 4x and 5, which are tough no matter what).

Less balanced is a good way to put it though. The older games definitely tend to expect you to abuse your strongest options to get by in ways that the later games either don't do (the GBA games) or only do on higher difficulties. On the flip side, they tend to give you really, *really* strong options, such that if you do abuse them you don't have a very hard time - the first five games are overall among the easiest in the series, especially to an experienced player.

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