Fire Emblem: Awakening Game Review

Before I begin, I have to tell you this game is without a doubt AMAZING. It is a must play and is the most successful Fire Emblem game in the West so far. Past Fire Emblem Games have made a debut in the United States but they usually are not that successful. But let me tell you I am glad that this game is the most successful in its franchise here, because it so outstanding. I hope you’ll enjoy this review as i constantly gush over how beautiful its characters, story, and game play over all are in general. This game is a must play and if you don’t own it right now go to your local Gamestop and just throw your money at the cashier until you get your copy.

The Story: Fire Emblem Awakening has a very good story, but it’s not perfect. Its very entertaining but even through your first run through the game you start to see occasional plot holes in the story. The game starts off with you fighting a creepy, tall man with a royal blue haired lord named Chrom. You and your partner duel with the creepy lad and end up defeating him. However, in doing so, your fellow lord is defeated as well. After this, Chrom, his sister Lissa, and his knight Fredrick find you laying in a field and wake you up. You then fight a couple of bandits and win their trust as a result. After the little scramble, you then join their group and gather more units as you proceed with the story. During this time, a mysterious young man named Marth starts to become more and more involved with the game more than you think. Several parts of the story are also accompanied by some really well done CGI scenes that you’ll be sure to enjoy.

The Characters: One of Fire Emblem: Awakening’s strongest points is its characters. Each character is very unique and there’s going to be a handful of them that will grow on you. Each character ranges from a silent, distant girl you just want to hug to the most energetic dragon you’ve ever seen. Although some characters get more development than others, even the plain old cute characters with little back story will get you cheering them on while you move them in the battle field.

And guess what, you can even marry them and have babies.

The music: Unfortunately, this is the games weakest point in my opinion. The music is fine, nothing ear bleeding, but it’s not very memorable. I can’t every see myself buying the game’s soundtrack and listening to it while I draw similarly to what I do with other video game music. Even the out realm battle music/risen battle music gets old as you hear it repeatedly when you grind your unit’s levels. But hey, at least the OST’s album cover looks nice right?

 

 

 

The Gameplay: Fire Emblem Awakening is certainly a very fun game. It is a strategic RPG and is similar to the Disgaea franchise. If you don’t like strategic RPG though, then this game might not be for you. You’ll have to constantly be on the map to grind your units so that you can keep on excelling at the already difficult game on its easiest level.

When you’re facing an enemy, you’re units will automatically placed on a location on the map and you’ll be asked to complete the objective in order to finish the level (usually either killing everyone aside from yourself or just killing their commander). The game is very strategic (hence, strategic RPG) and you’ll often find yourself re-classing your units so that they’ll get the equip skills you want them to have. The movement of the characters on the map is pretty smooth and when you select your character, you’ll be able to see all the locations they’ll be able to move to and the enemies they can attack. If you unit can heal, you’ll see all the areas they can heal too. The sprites are also pretty cute as they lay on the map waiting for your commands.

The Verdict: Overall, this game is one of the best games I’ve ever played. It is one of my favorite games and throughout an overall combinations of the categories above and my own personal enjoyment, I give the game a rating of 9.1/10. It was definitely worth the money and I look forward to more games the Fire Emblem franchise will release as I replay the game for a third time.