Swordplay and magic, tactics and strategy, drama and plot twists... If these are the elements you are looking for in your next gaming experience, Fire Emblem Fates should be at the top of your list. A Nintendo 3DS game that took the industry by storm in 2016, Fates has quickly become a classic. Whether or not you are familiar with the strategy roleplaying game genre, if you have not tried this critically acclaimed game, you are seriously missing out. With this Fire Emblem Fates review, we will help you see what all the buzz is about and figure out if this is the game for you.
In this article, we will provide you with a comprehensive Fire Emblem Fates review, along with reviews of three other titles. We will discuss their stories, their strengths, their weaknesses, and much more. By the end of our Fire Emblem Fates review, you should have all the information you need to make the right purchase for your next gaming adventure.
Comparison Table
Fire Emblem Fates Review
Fire Emblem Fates is a recent Nintendo 3DS entry in the famous Fire Emblem series that originated in Japan. Fire Emblem has been a leader in the increasingly rare genre known as SRPGs, or strategy roleplaying games. These games take place in fantasy settings, in which sword fights and magic abound, and they play out on a grid, not dissimilar to a chessboard. Players take turns maneuvering their troops through the playing field to defeat their opponents in tactical battle simulations.
Fire Emblem Fates is a mini-series composed of three different games: Birthright, Conquest, and Revelation. The three games take place in the same world with the same protagonist. Each game starts out the same but takes the story in a unique direction. By playing all three games, the player can walk through three alternate realities with diverging plot points and different casts. This Fire Emblem Fates review will cover the three as a whole.
Fire Emblem Fates revolves around a character named Corrin (who can be male or female, depending on the player's preference), a young warrior caught between the warring kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr. The story begins just as war is about to break out between the two kingdoms once more, and Corrin must choose between three options: support Hoshido, side with Nohr, or take on an alternate, middle path. Each of the three games represents one of these diverging choices.
Product Specs
Fire Emblem Fates is a game for the handheld system Nintendo 3DS. Each of its three separate parts boasts over twenty hours of gameplay. Together, they provide a collective campaign lasting over 80 hours.
Fire Emblem Fates represents the best that the strategy roleplaying game genre has to offer. The three games feature turn-based combat taking place over complex grids. Players must move their characters like chess pieces on a board and use magic and medieval weaponry to defeat opposing armies.
Players can choose between various difficulty settings, including one in which character deaths are permanent. Regardless of your familiarity with the genre and your motivations for playing the game, the developers provide players with enough options to fine-tune their gaming experience to their preferences. If you want to breeze through combat and simply enjoy the story, the game offers an easy mode that even young children could handle. If you want the ultimate challenge, the game has a number of ways for you to ramp up the difficulty and raise the stakes.
Combat in Fire Emblem Fates is based on the series' famous Triangle System (similar to Rock, Paper, Scissors). In this system, lances overpower swords, axes beat lances, and swords outmaneuver axes. Players must this system of rules, along with several others, to guide their tactical decisions.
A unique feature in Fire Emblem Fates is the all-new castle mechanics. Outside of battle, players spend the bulk of their time in their own customizable castles. Players must manage various resources to build and decorate their castles according to their personal preferences. They must build structures, facilitate character interactions, and take care of their troops' development.
The "My Castle" mechanic also features a multiplayer element. With an Internet connection, players can visit the castles of other players all over the world. They can even wage battles against other players, who, in turn, can do the same to you.
Pricing
Each entry of Fire Emblem Fates sells for around $40. Altogether, the three games total around $120.
How It Compares
We picked a couple of similar products available on the market to see how they compare.
- Two kingdoms are on the brink of war. Whose side will you choose?
- Torn between two families, you're an heir of Hoshido, raised by Nohrian royals.
- If you walk the path of Conquest, you must fight to change your misguided kingdom from within.
Price
$$
Each of Fire Emblem Fates' three parts sells for $40.
Console
Nintendo 3DS
Genre
Strategy Roleplaying Game
Graphics
Considering the limited graphical power of the Nintendo 3DS (at least when compared to non-handheld consoles like the PS4), Fire Emblem Fates has surprisingly beautiful graphics. The artwork is drawn in the clean style of Japanese anime. The game's cinematic sequences are gorgeous, especially when the Nintendo 3DS's 3D feature is turned on. Scenes involving combat are skillfully choreographed as well. While the main highlights of Fire Emblem Fates are its story and gameplay, the graphics represent the best of what the Nintendo 3DS can achieve.
Overall Rating
Fire Emblem Fates is a must-have title for any Nintendo 3DS owner. Nowadays, strategy roleplaying games are something of a dying breed. As such, veterans of the genre will find a lot to enjoy in Fates, and gamers who are unfamiliar with the genre will be hard pressed to find a better entry point.
The game has a masterfully arranged soundtrack. Its story, while somewhat reliant on common tropes in anime and fantasy, tackles many interesting ideas related to the nature of warfare and is, at the very least, always interesting. Its characters are charming and full of personality. Their interactions are, by turn, hilarious, heartbreaking, and inspirational. The combat is challenging and intellectually stimulating. The graphics are, for the most part, clean and gorgeous.
One particularly excellent aspect of the game is its multiplayer component, which the series has previously underutilized. Fates is the first entry to successfully facilitate online interactions and battles. It is an exciting indication of what's to come in future Fire Emblem titles.
Fates is a three-part game that has a lot to offer. Anyone with a mind for strategy and an interest in fantasy will find a lot to praise.
PROS
CONS
- Animated sequences combine hand-drawn style visuals with computer graphics
- Enhanced widescreen presentation, new jobs and new characters
- Challenge friends in head-to-head battles with the multiplayer function
No Fire Emblem Fates Review is complete without mention of Final Fantasy Tactics. Final Fantasy Tactics is a strategic roleplaying game released in the US in 1998; however, it is still hailed as one of the best in the genre. The game is available on a number of systems, including the PlayStation, the PlayStation Portable, the PlayStation Vita, PC, Android devices, and Apple devices.
The game takes the traditional turn-based combat of Final Fantasy but adds a strategic twist to it by having battles play out over a grid. Players must maintain and develop their armies and lead them through a challenging campaign against opposing armies. The game allows players to manage their soldiers' equipment and skills and use them in creative ways on the battlefield.
Final Fantasy Tactics takes place in a fictional medieval kingdom called Ivalice. The story follows the adventures, woes, and triumphs of a character named Ramza Beoulve, a cadet who finds himself caught in a political and military conflict called The Lion War. The plot involves two opposing political factions vying for power over the kingdom. The player follows Ramza and his allies as they learn the true nature of the war and work towards bringing peace back to Ivalice.
Price
$
Final Fantasy Tactics sells for around $15 today.
Console
This game was originally released on Sony PlayStation but has since been re-released on the PlayStation Portable, the PlayStation Vita, PC, Android, and iOS.
Genre
Strategy Roleplaying Game
Graphics
At the time of the game's release, its graphics were impressive. Today, they are certainly outdated, but not so much so that it would distract the player from their enjoyment of the game. In fact, there is still a great deal to appreciate about Final Fantasy Tactics' graphics, such as its beautiful animations and its unique art style. As long as you are not going into the game expecting the lifelike graphics you would find on a PlayStation 4 Pro, you can find a lot of beauty in the title.
Overall Rating
There is a reason why fans of the SRPG genre are still raving about Final Fantasy Tactics, a game that came out in 1998. The combat system is incredibly deep and complex, offering a stunning amount of customization. Players will find that every single playthrough is unique because of the countless choices they must make and their subsequent consequences. The story is rich and mature, diving into topics like inequality, class, war, and politics. While not as accessible as modern Fire Emblem games, Final Fantasy Tactics is a must-play for any fan of strategy.
PROS
CONS
- A New Beginning: His vengeance against the gods of Olympus far behind him, Kratos now lives as a man in the lands of...
- Second Chances: As mentor and protector to a son determined to earn his respect, Kratos is faced with an unexpected...
- Midgard and Beyond: Set within the untamed forests, mountains, and realms of Norse lore, God of War features a...
God of War is a PS4 title offering over forty hours of fast-paced, third-person combat. It follows the adventures of Kratos, a man living in the lands of Norse Gods and monsters. The game takes players on a journey in which they learn about Kratos' complex past and inner demons and travel through a dark, mythological world filled with Pre-Viking Norse lore. Compared to previous entries in the series, this game includes a stronger emphasis on exploration and discovery. Players will find that there is much more to the game than slaughtering monsters with Kratos' famous ax.
Price
$$$
God of War retails for $60.
Console
God of War is available on the PlayStation 4.
Genre
Action/Adventure
Graphics
Graphically, God of War is a modern marvel. While playing, it is easy to forget that you are playing a game and not watching a live-action movie.
Overall Rating
God of War generated worldwide acclaim the instant it came out, and it is easy to see why. The graphics are extraordinarily lifelike and fluid. It takes place in a huge world filled with secrets and gorgeous landscapes to discover. The story is also fantastic, with tons of character development in both Kratos and his son. Combat is challenging but highly addictive, with countless different maneuvers and combos for players to learn and experiment with. While God of War is of a different genre, it holds its own in this Fire Emblem Fates review.
PROS
CONS
- Revamped Battle System
- Mini games: engage in Playstation Move compatible bathtub Shiatsu and massage mini games
- LE contents feature blow up character doll heart shaped compressed towel and artbook.
The Record of Agarest War 2 is a strategy roleplaying game and the latest in The Record of Agarest War series. Unlike its predecessors, it features a new, revamped battle system that takes place on a grid, similar to Fire Emblem Fates and Final Fantasy Tactics. This entry to the franchise also comes chock full of mini-games compatible with the PlayStation Move, such as bathtub Shiatsu and a massage mini-game.
The story revolves around a fantasy world in which demons and monsters run rampant after a catastrophe called the Day of Light. It follows an amnesiac character named Weiss and a mysterious woman named Eva, who refers to herself as an Agent of the Divine. From Eva, Weiss learns that he is intricately involved in the Day of Light and its aftermath. In The Record of Agarest War 2, players come along Weiss' journey to learn the nature of his involvement and put wrongs to right.
Price
$$
The Record of Agarest War 2 is available at a few different price points, depending on whether you want to get it on the PlayStation 3 or on PC and whether you want to opt for the Limited Edition or not.
Console
PlayStation 3 and PC
Genre
Strategy Roleplaying Game
Graphics
The Record of Agarest War 2, while nothing special in the graphics department, at least has an endearing art style and fluid animations. The game is easy on the eyes, but most players will find its visuals forgettable in the end.
Overall Rating
The Record of Agarest War 2 is a solid strategy roleplaying game that many fans of the genre will enjoy. Whether or not said fans will play all the way to the end, however, is another matter entirely. The game's combat is perhaps its strongest aspect, and unfortunately, it becomes stale in just a handful of hours.
Players of other SRPG titles will find that Agarest does not offer anything particularly unique. There is little beyond the rudimentary to explore in the combat system. On top of that, the story is mostly predictable and heavy-handed in its use of cliches.
There is no getting around it, especially considering this is a Fire Emblem Fates review. Agarest simply does not compare.
PROS
CONS
Conclusion
We end our Fire Emblem Fates review by awarding the game a score of 3 stars. With its three different cartridges, the game has something to offer to every gamer. The combat is deep and complex, with tons of options for player customization. Players looking for a challenge will find it (though the difficulty can be lowered), and with its huge, charming cast, they may find it hard to stop smiling. If you finish the game hungry for more, we recommend you try out the rest of the series and consider exploring the other titles mentioned in this Fire Emblem Fates review.
Last update on 2023-03-31 at 20:43 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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