Game Review: "Fire Emblem" (GBA)



Stat:
Score:
Notes:
Graphics
9
Fire Emblem's graphics are similar to those seen in both Advance Wars games for the most part. When on the field of battle, units are represented by little sprites with very simple animation and are different colors based on alliegiance (Blue is the player, Red is the enemy, Green are NPCs). This simplistic animation works well given that Fire Emblem is a Turn Based Strategy game. However, once a battle between two units initiate, a small little cutscene of the two units, now much larger and very much more detailed, comes up on the screen. The foes strike and strike back at one another until the fight either stops or one of the units falls. These attack animations are goregously done and each individual character has a specific look about them. The in-battle Spell effects are also beautifully rendered, from the simple Fire spell all the way to the mighty Excalibur and Eclipse. The only spells that are more beautifully rendered on the GBA are those from the Golden Sun series. Even out of the battlefield, graphics are impressive. There are renderings of many of the characters who pop up and talk to each other and even to the player. These pictures are animated with a fair lip sync to what comes up in their word bubbles, and lend a more fufilling visual experience to the story. Intelligent Systems took realtively simple graphics and made the undeniably gorgeous.
Play Control:
10
Conisdering the game is moved around by a cursor and menu system, complex controls don't exist. Fire Emblem is incredibly easy to navigate and is extremely easy to understand when it comes to selecting options.
Sound:
10
The music in Fire Emblem is masterfully arranged and is not only pleasing to the ears, it is also very catchy. Almost every last tune is a joy to listen to and every last one of them gives a full experience to what's going on in the game. The sound effects are also top notch. Intelligent Systems paid very much attention to detail; even the hoofbeats of the horses sound different on the varying terrains in the FE world. There are no sound effects that are grating and no outright annoying music, allowing this category a perfect 10.
Value:
10
There are SEVERAL different ways to complete Fire Emblem. In each map you can only take so many units from your army, leading to an incredible customization in strategy. You can create an army of calvary or rely on a cadre of powerful spellcasters if you so wished. Not only that, there are a total of three campaigns with two difficulty levels each. The first campaign is the tutorial campaign, but the second and third follow Eliwood and Hector, respectively. Each campaign is different and presents its own unique challenges even on the basic difficulty. However, Fire Emblem also provides a Hard Difficulty, which not only creates more enemy units, it makes them more powerful and better equipped. This will allow you to play through the game at least a few times to get the full experience... and even then you might not have had enough. Fire Emblem also sports a simple linked play which involves simple battles between people with up to five units apiece. Unfortunately, unlike Advance Wars there is no strategic element to it.
Gameplay:
10
Sit down, the Gameplay Element could take awhile. Fire Emblem, without a doubt, has the most depth to any GBA game to date. It is considered to be a Turn-Based Strategy RPG, and it nails every aspect of both genres. The strategy in this game requires you to be flawless, careful, and cunning. Most of your units are highly specialized in something and generally do well against certain opponents. As well, your units are equipped with various weapons, which you must either purchase or find. Each weapon has its strengths and weaknesses among their type, and each weapon type is weak against another. The Weapon Triangle you must live by in this game goes like this: Swords beat Axes, Axes beat Lances, Lances beat Swords. Generally, whoever has the appropriate weapon has the advantage. However, it is not always so... some weapons, such as the deadly Lancereaver Sword REVERSE the weapon triangle; the Lancereaver is strong against Lances but weak against Axes. There are many more weapons with many other effects that can change the outcome of a fight. Spells work in a similar fashion. Movement and attack range all come into play as well; archers can't attack units next to them, but swordsmen can't hit a unit that's not in their face. Ballistae, Longbows, and long range spells further round out distance combat.

As for the RPG element, Fire Emblem delivers in spades. After a character fights in a battle, they gain a certain amount of EXP. When the character reaches 100 EXP, they Level Up. These level ups are vital for the survival of the characters later in the game. When characters level up, a random number out of 8 statistics level up by one. Average level ups often have three different stats being raised. However, you may get lucky on some level ups and get as many as seven of the stats levelling up at once. Unfortunately, it also works in reverse and you might only get one stat levelled. As the stages go on, the value of these good level-ups become apparant; eventually if a unit levelled up poorly, it will find itself completely outclassed by the mightier foes you must face. This adds quite a bit of RPG luck to the game, but it makes for interesting twists in how strategy is played out.

Each character in Fire Emblem, from simple Archer to mighty Lord, all have unique and individual personalities. Every unit you get IS a character. For example, the cavalier Sain is a well-meaning and powerful knight, but he has this thing for hitting on every beautiful woman he sees. As well, the archer Rebecca is out to find her long-lost brother. Every character has a story for the player to discover, and whether it is important to the plot or if it's just a little bit of information about how they tick, it's a welcome sight. Furthermore, if specific units spend time on the battlefield around other specific units, a new option called "Support" comes up. These support conversations give further depth to how certain characters interact with each other. You can see anything from intense rivalries arise, to true love being formed through these optional little conversations.

By now you may be wondering: If my characters are so rounded, there must be a drawback, right? Well... Fire Emblem's most devious feature has not yet been revealed, though it would be wise to prepare yourself. Death in Fire Emblem is permenant. If one of your units falls to the blade of an enemy, that unit is gone for good. There is no way to revive the unit at all. No resurrection, no revive, no Water of Life. This is war; and war has its costs. When a unit dies, not only do you lose access to its abilities and items, you lose a person. and a friend. It's not like Advance Wars where you could sacrifice a Tank brigade to deal a hefty blow to the enemy. In fact, death is so costly in FE that many players restart the entire map when they lose a unit. Why restart the map instead of just turning the game off and resuming from an earlier point? Well, Intelligent Systems added a system where the game tracks every move of every unit and AutoSaves after each action. No cheating and hoping for a miss for you players out there. If you want to undo a screwup, you have to start all over again. Thus, your strategy must be flawless. Remember, the very lives of the characters Intelligent Systems created is in your hands.
Overall Rating:
10
Never before has such an engrossing strategy game been released on a console in the United States. This game is truly a masterpiece and is a MUST buy for anyone who owns a GBA. Solid in every respect, Fire Emblem is a true classic and deserves respect from all. Long live Intelligent Systems!


Individual Reviews:



There is no game out there that hooked me faster than this one on the Gameboy Advance. Not even Golden Sun grabbed my attention as fast as Fire Emblem did when I picked it up for the first time. Incredible in every aspect, innovative, and amazingly deep. Now this is a video game!
Simply amazing. There are dozens of ways to play through the game, and with multiple different campaigns and difficulty levels, you will be taken for hours. This game is no doubt worth the money you pay for it.
Though I'm typically not one for thinking games, I have to say this one is fun. A great game, and it is fun to watch the spells going off.
You know, its these kinds of games that make sitting through all those action games worth it. Difficult, addictive, and outright fun, this is the kind of game any strategy buff would enjoy. The depth is amazing. I cannot get enough of this game.
I can say only one thing: Holy Crap.
*Wearing headphones plugged into his GBA* Don't bother me! I'm listening to the music.
Complex as the Dickens, but as addictive as potato chips or peanuts. I love it.
I think Triad said it all earlier. This game's not coming out of my Gameboy for quite some time.


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