We’re just a month away from the arrival of Fire Emblem Awakening, the next chapter in one of Intelligent Systems most beloved franchises. I had the chance to spend some time with the game earlier this week, and while it’s clear I only scratched the surface of what the new adventure has to offer, the scope and polish I witnessed has me champing at the bit to get my hands on the full game.
Here’s why…
A World of Mystery
Awakening starts with a bang - and by a bang, I mean a battle and a mystery. You play as a customized avatar who acts as Lord Chrom’s right-hand man. Lord Chrom is one of the kingdom of Ylisse’s shining heroes and the leader of the Shepherds, a group of soldiers sworn to protect the land from their Plegian neighbors. We start off with a gloriously animated cutscene, featuring some beautiful, anime-inspired artwork, the same you’ll be treated to during the battle animations and character interactions. In this cutscene I caught a glimpse of whom I can only presume is the game’s main baddie, Validar, as well as a powerful a bit of magic, which left my avatar somehow altered… and mostly amnesiac.
And with that, we have the makings of a promising Fire Emblem adventure.
You win this round, Validar.
While I only saw a small bit of the game, the story has already proven quite intriguing. What happened to the main character and the person he was with? What kind of magic was used on him and how will it come into play later? Can you trust yourself… or are you somehow under the bad guy’s control thanks to his magical assault?
The story certainly has potential, but it wouldn’t be a Fire Emblem game without an array of characters to fall in love with. Chrom seems to fit the hero bill quite nicely - noble yet kind, dreamy blue hair, knows his way around a sword. A stern soldier named Frederick plays the battle-hardened skeptic. He’s not quite so sure they should trust your amnesiac self, and given the circumstances it’s hard to blame him. The last character I met was little sister Lissa, who acts as… well, basically just the adorable little sister who delights players with her fiery personality. It’s not a bad start, and just like in past games, you’ll have the chance to meet and recruit a ton of other characters as the story progresses.
To Battle!
An exciting aspect about Awakening is that it’s easier than ever for those new to the franchise (or to strategy RPGs in general) to jump right in. In addition to varying difficulty levels - Normal, Hard, Lunatic and, for those who beat the game on Lunatic, the painful-sounding Lunatic Plus - you can also choose to play the game in Casual or Classic mode. Casual mode means that fallen team members return after battle, rather than remaining dead forever (a la classic FE gameplay). Casual mode also allows you to save anytime you want, even in the middle of a battle. Fire Emblem faithful will likely never touch this mode, but it should prove a wonderful tool for those who just want to breeze through the game to see the story, or are still testing the strategy RPG waters.
Take that, Plegian!
A few other cool additions include the new battle camera, which allows you to switch from the traditional third person perspective during battle animations to a first person view, all with a tap of your stylus. More exciting, though, is the class system. There are more than 40 classes to choose from, each with its own set of skills. The cool part is that a character can learn skills from one class, then switch to another class without losing the skills they’ve already acquired. If you spend some time leveling up in various classes, you should be able to craft yourself a rather well-rounded fighter - the possibilities are endless, and I can’t wait to see how creative you can get in skill combining.
Lots More to Come
As mentioned, I only sampled a small portion of Fire Emblem Awakening - but there’s plenty more to come. Main campaign aside, I’m told there will be plenty of additional challenges to extend the adventure (and add even more depth to the story). The game is also set to make use of the 3DS’s StreetPass feature to allow players to exchange data and even recruit each other’s custom avatars to their teams. SpotPass will also be utilized to send out new maps, characters, items and so on.
Make room for Marth.
Then there’s the DLC. Lots of it. Nintendo will be releasing a new map each week for a few months following Fire Emblem Awakening’s launch. The first one will be free of charge for a limited time, and will allow you to recruit the franchise’s first hero, Marth, to your team (Fire Emblem fans, rejoice!). Playing through these DLC maps will give players access to new characters, new story elements, and rare items to aid in their adventure. If the game’s Japanese release is any indication, don’t be surprised to see other familiar faces from Fire Emblem’s past make DLC appearances as well.
Fire Emblem Awakening hits both store shelves and the 3DS eShop on February 4 - and from what I’ve played, it can’t come soon enough. A demo is set to arrive on the eShop on January 17, and while I haven’t had a chance with it yet, there’s also a local multiplayer mode for those who want to face off against their friends.
Here’s hoping the rest of the game is as exceptional as the beginning - if so, prepare to sink a lot of time into Fire Emblem’s 3DS debut.
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