Fire Emblem series

[NerdShamer]

its another to treat characters on the same level as Hitler or situations like they are as real as current hot button issues.

But it never stops being entertaining whenever it happens, especially if it pops up an few years later

 

[Quartermaster]

Yeah while I enjoy Three Houses for the plot and cast, it had some issues (like two of the routes being the same, repetitive story beats, and some things that feel like they should be addressed even with the route justification), like no game is perfect, it just is one of the two post-awakening Fire Emblem games that delivers on both good writing and fun gameplay.

The other modern fire emblem game that does this is Echoes, and that one is one of the rare remakes that completely elevates the source material since Gaiden was very bare bones and had many limitations due to being an NES game.

I personally quit 3H after the timeskip cause it was too stupid at that point for me to care. I do have the urge to give it another shake though.

I hope by good gameplay you don't mean all the busywork in the monastery. Hell 3H regular gameplay suffers too, I played the Claude route and had like three or four wyvern riders and a nuke mage plus Byleth being OP.
The game basically had no answer to that.

As for Echoes, it has by far the best presentation out of any Fire Emblem game, gorgeous art, great voice acting, great animations and I even like the stories and characters.
They really should've deviated from the Gaiden Map design, then I would've had an urge to replay it at least once. Even the post game content isn't any better.

 

[Doctor of Autism]

I hope by good gameplay you don't mean all the busywork in the monastery. Hell 3H regular gameplay suffers too, I played the Claude route and had like three or four wyvern riders and a nuke mage plus Byleth being OP.

Yeah the monastery was tedious and pretty ass. The endgame map designs were really good especially the last few chapters in the Claude and Edelgard routes

 

[Granada Granola]

I personally quit 3H after the timeskip cause it was too stupid at that point for me to care. I do have the urge to give it another shake though.

I hope by good gameplay you don't mean all the busywork in the monastery. Hell 3H regular gameplay suffers too, I played the Claude route and had like three or four wyvern riders and a nuke mage plus Byleth being OP.
The game basically had no answer to that.

As for Echoes, it has by far the best presentation out of any Fire Emblem game, gorgeous art, great voice acting, great animations and I even like the stories and characters.
They really should've deviated from the Gaiden Map design, then I would've had an urge to replay it at least once. Even the post game content isn't any better.

Claude's route was the most entertaining one. Red and Blue Team's storyline just sucked behind a pointless grind and I never finished them. Though to their credit NG+ does speed up the grind a little and lets you recruit the units you used on the last playthrough without the grind.

The war arc was forgettable but the alliance of the 3 houses under Claude appointing Byleth king was the more enjoyable one and they treat it like the "true" route. Where you essentially hunt down the jews or "they who slither in the dark" because they were behind the war. The "war" arc was a bit less grind than the academy arc and encourages you to go explore more, but the quest maps aren't randomized at all. The 3DS games are still unmatched.

Sothis is 100% morgana from Persona 5. She didn't even try to do a different voice and that game also released in 2017.

 

[NerdShamer]

I hope by good gameplay you don't mean all the busywork in the monastery. Hell 3H regular gameplay suffers too

Some of the maps in the second half are kind of enjoyable, but I only liked the last 3 or 4 in an given route. But the main takeaway is that no matter which route you've picked, you're probably going to drop the game after you've beat one or two of them.

I played the Claude route and had like three or four wyvern riders and a nuke mage plus Byleth being OP.
The game basically had no answer to that

Yeah, this is exactly how pros break the game, btw. And to make it so funny, despite all the shit that exists in it, only the bosses have an custom set of abilities instead of seeing something random or dangerous; like an Swordsmaster with an Killing Edge and an custom set of abilities

 

[Nobody In Particular]

All I ask from a Fire Emblem story is that it set up narrative stakes and pay them off in a satisfying way, and I think Three Houses manages to get there pretty consistently. I frankly don't get why people always say "Fire Emblem stories aren't good to begin with". Like what do you even want from these games stories? Vinland Saga? Berserk? Well that's a nonstarter, you're talking about graphic novels with hundreds of chapters released over decades. Game of Thrones/Ice and Fire? Same problem, Huge Story, with the former ruined by typical corporate, designed by committee bullshit but I digress.

 

[Peru oso donas]

I frankly don't get why people always say "Fire Emblem stories aren't good to begin with".

Oddly enough the only people I've seen use that argument (and this applies to "X was never good" arguments in general) are awakening, fates and now engage fans trying to retroactively apply the repetition of their plots to older FE games (often the Kaga era ones)

 

[Nobody In Particular]

Oddly enough the only people I've seen use that argument (and this applies to "X was never good" arguments in general) are awakening, fates and now engage fans trying to retroactively apply the repetition of their plots to older FE games (often the Kaga era ones)

I mean, yeah I know it's just cope from illiterate, non-sapients. But, that's just one of those observations you keep quiet about while you ask probing questions to try and spark discussion.

 

[Sneak 'n' Snore]

I mean, yeah I know it's just cope from illiterate, non-sapients. But, that's just one of those observations you keep quiet about while you ask probing questions to try and spark discussion.

I really wonder why they can't just go "yeah the story sucks so just skip it to get to the good gameplay".
The vast majority of Fates Conquest fans agree on this and will give out this recommendation for others but Engage fans feel really compelled to die on their hill that Engage's plot is "funny and self aware".

Since we're talking about stories here, Radiant Dawn's plot feels extremely overhated and I don't even think the blood pacts are that egregious. They are a blatant plot device but I don't see how they're supposed to ruin everything that happened before or after late act 3. Seeing Daein's struggle after the war from the previous game or Elincia's arc still stand strong on their own.

 

[NerdShamer]

but Engage fans feel really compelled to die on their hill that Engage's plot is "funny and self aware".

I blame the voice acting. Idk, first third or so of the game is more or less framed as an comedy; but after an certain point, everything just felt so bland that one could say that the devs were filling out an bingo card when they wrote it.

 

[Sneak 'n' Snore]

I blame the voice acting. Idk, first third or so of the game is more or less framed as an comedy; but after an certain point, everything just felt so bland that one could say that the devs were filling out an bingo card when they wrote it.

I can see it, with Vander going "huh?" when Alear tells the group to run away or the way they introduce Alcryst for example. Then the writers lost whatever focus they had.
But as a whole I don't think even the best voice acting could salvage the lukewarm at most script. Even the "funny" scenes didn't really stick the landing.

 

[Nobody In Particular]

I can see it, with Vander going "huh?" when Alear tells the group to run away or the way they introduce Alcryst for example. Then the writers lost whatever focus they had.
But as a whole I don't think even the best voice acting could salvage the lukewarm at most script. Even the "funny" scenes didn't really stick the landing.

Everyone in Engage talks like they've been lobotomized. Every link in the chain from script writer to Voice Director suffered a malfunction and Engage was the end result. There's really nothing to salvage in terms of its story or presentation.

 

[Sneak 'n' Snore]

There's really nothing to salvage in terms of its story or presentation.

The character designs themselves are an over designed mess but one thing I'll give Engage's presentation are the animations, it has easily the best combat animations of any 3D FE.

 

[TheDarknessGrows]

Is Engage the one with a laughably bad story but really good mechanics?

 

[Sneak 'n' Snore]

Is Engage the one with a laughably bad story but really good mechanics?

It's either that or Fates but specifically the Conquest route since the others don't bother to make use of those mechanics in an interesting way.

 

[Leaf Wage Slave Jr]

Is Engage the one with a laughably bad story but really good mechanics?

The best description I have for Engage - the gameplay itself is great, and has enough there mechanically for my autism to really dig into/go out of my way to try and break. The Story, however, makes me want to suck start a shotgun, and the localization did it no favors.

I forced myself to finish that game out of spite, and if I ever replay the damn thing I'm skipping every cutscene.

 

[NerdShamer]

The character designs themselves are an over designed mess

Well, they went with someone who was known for overdesigning shit, so it wouldn't be that big of an surprise to see an assassin who's dressed as an fashion model.

but one thing I'll give Engage's presentation are the animations, it has easily the best combat animations of any 3D FE.

Again, the bar is fairly low, even if you deliberately exclude Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. Outside of SoV and Engage, it's more or less an case of them being kind of decent than outright terrible. 3H was mildly better, but there's something about it that felt kind of lifeless.

 

[TheDarknessGrows]

The best description I have for Engage - the gameplay itself is great, and has enough there mechanically for my autism to really dig into/go out of my way to try and break. The Story, however, makes me want to suck start a shotgun, and the localization did it no favors.

I forced myself to finish that game out of spite, and if I ever replay the damn thing I'm skipping every cutscene.

Are the endgame classes actually worthwhile instead of five versions of the same thing, like Three Houses had?

Can I meld and merge classes to make gods?

Is the game worth buying?

 

[Peru oso donas]

Are the endgame classes actually worthwhile instead of five versions of the same thing, like Three Houses had?

Can I meld and merge classes to make gods?

Is the game worth buying?

Unlike 3H where the easiest solution was to steamroll everything with wyverns and a few mages, Engage actually does incentivize class variety quite a bit, as the rings have specific effects depending of the class type that wields them.

 

[TheDarknessGrows]

Unlike 3H where the easiest solution was to steamroll everything with wyverns and a few mages, Engage actually does incentivize class variety quite a bit, as the rings have specific effects depending of the class type that wields them.

That is cool. Three Houses really annoyed me with class progression. It made zero fucking sense why my archwizard lady suddenly forgot every magic spell simply because she decided to ride a horse into battle. And so on.

It's a school. I am a teacher. My students cannot think laterally. I am a failure.