Thoughts on Fire Emblem Fates

By Harry Sheridan June 24, 2015

 

When it comes to upcoming game releases, there are few that I’m quite as excited for than the latest entry in Nintendo’s popular strategy/rpg series: Fire Emblem Fates  (known as Fire Emblem If  in Japan). Over the last few years, I’ve played several of the games in the series, but it wasn’t until I played through Awakening that I became a big fan and advocate of the series. Considering the imminent Japanese release of the game, I thought I’d write about my thoughts on Fire Emblem Fates.

 

 

Story

One of the things that I’m excited for the most in Fates is the story. Rather than your typical “Good Guys vs Bad Guys” routine, Fates is giving us a story revolving around a war between two nations, the Hoshido and the Nohr, where your Avatar character can fight for either family depending on which version of the game you bought (Fates is being released as two separate versions, being “Birthright” and “Conquest”, but more on that later). Personally, I love the idea of having the story split like this because it creates the prospect of a much more complex story than we might get otherwise. The “Birthright” storyline follows the Hoshido family, who seem to be fairly typical Fire Emblem protagonists, while the “Conquest” storyline follows the Nohr family, who seem more akin to typical Fire Emblem antagonists. Personally, I think that it’ll be very interesting getting to see Fates’ story from two very different perspectives and believe that this is a very welcome addition to the series that promises to change things up from previous games, while still keeping true to the spirit of the franchise.

 

 

Characters

While I haven’t seen much of the individual characters, I do have a few general thoughts that I thought I’d share. I’m very glad to see that the character designer from Awakening, Yūsuke Kozaki, has returned to the series for Fates. I feel that he did a top-notch job at creating a cast of characters whose designs felt unique and memorable (Except for Kellam, haha) and based on what I’ve seen of Fates so far, I think it’s safe to say that I’ll likely feel the same about the new cast of characters. Additionally, I think it was an excellent choice to make the Avatar character also be the game’s main character. It feels like natural progression after Robin’s (Awakening’s Avatar character) central role in Awakening’s story. Additionally, additionally (sorry), I’m really glad that Nintendo decided to gives players the option of having their Avatar partake in a same-sex relationship. Despite how weirdly limited and rigid the option is (male-male relationship is only available in “Conquest”, while female-female relationship is only available in “Birthright”), it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

 

 

Versions

Okay, so this is where things get a bit shaky. I have very mixed feelings regarding the two physical versions of Fire Emblem Fates. My initial reaction upon hearing that the game would be split into two versions was one of sadness and disappointment. I didn’t want to shell out double the cash in order to experience the entirety of Fire Emblem Fates (and that’s not counting the third DLC story that’s coming after the game’s initial release). Sure, Pokemon releases multiple versions of all of their games and I’m usually perfectly fine with that, but this is a very different scenario. While the differences in Pokemon versions are fairly unsubstantial (a few different Pokemon here, a few different items there), the differences between the two Fates versions are huge! Each one has a totally different story that I’ll be forced to miss out on depending on which version I choose to buy. Suffice to say, I was not happy. However, with some time and thought, I’ve come to accept the different versions. After all, it’s not like they’re each half a story. Each version is a full-blown Fire Emblem adventure, clocking in at around the same length as Awakening. After coming to this realization, I’m confident that each version will be well worth the $40 (each) that they’ll set me back.

 

 

Overall Thoughts

Ever since Fire Emblem Fates was first announced in a Nintendo Direct, I’ve been incredibly excited for the day when I get to play it. Awakening is still one of my favorite 3DS games (which I’ve played through several times) and is one of the few games I consider I true staple of the 3DS library. Seriously, if you own a 3DS and don’t have Fire Emblem Awakening, you should go try it out. Anyway, despite my initial reservations about the split versions, I’m 100% excited for Fates' release and will no doubt buy both versions of the game upon release (because I’m a slave to Nintendo (send help)). 2016 cannot come soon enough.