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Post by teddykongcountry on Jul 10, 2017 14:38:10 GMT
Recently, I came off a kick through the newest Fire Emblem Echoes and I was especially drawn to it because it was such a deviation from the Fire Emblems we knew and loved (supposedly) while retaining the traits the series has become known for in recent years.
What I like so much about this game is that it's very reflective on the series' strengths and limitations and tries to address them. The narrative is well-conceptualized with a focus on essential questions that govern the central adventures and character recruitment.
Additionally, notice the s in adventures. There're two central characters whose paths you follow both of which have strong identities that are easy to gravitate towards. The reason this is worth noting is that at any given time, you can choose whose narrative you want to play towards rather than breaking it into two (if not three) separate games as the previous iteration did. Both stories intersect nicely and you can even do neat things like forward equipment from one troupe to the other which is vital in a game where you forage for as few items and equipment as are available.
One of the major drawbacks is that the game is artificially inflated in several segments. One of the major ways this happens occurs halfway through the game where you meet units that spawn lower-level units that are still fatal to some of your units (including witches, necrodragons, etc.). The issue here is that frequently, those generative units are centered on grid-squares with terrain bonuses far away from your unit and that means you'll be fighting a disproportionate number of units for every battle making the battles last upwards of 30 minutes.
As stated in the video though, Echoes compensates in several regards and does find ways to continue to challenge you throughout the game especially in the form of terrain barriers / hazards. Through the game too, you won't lose the sense of charm from each of the individual characters.
All in all, this is a star in the Fire Emblem lineage that continues to prove that the series is going nowhere but up. For that reason and many more, I give it five star emblems out of five!
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Post by Imperial Khador on Jul 10, 2017 22:26:02 GMT
Heh, thanks teddykongcountry. Was going to get around to posting a thread about this at some point, but the game has been taking a while  |
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Post by teddykongcountry on Jul 11, 2017 1:46:53 GMT
My pleasure Khador! Apparently the game is a bit divisive in the community and I can see why. If I were playing this game on the permadeath mode, I wouldn't stand a chance.
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Post by Imperial Khador on Jul 11, 2017 2:22:14 GMT
Yeah, I would definitely say the Cantors, as they are used in the game, are a mistake. If they summoned a set number of enemies, that would be one thing, but it seems to be based on number of enemy units in the field, so the more normal enemies you kill, the more the cantor can summon at one time. And although their summoning spell uses significant amounts of HP, they're usually placed on healing tiles. Might as well allow them to summon with no HP cost. I find with Celica's group, I often have Genny just spamming Invoke, and someone else healing her, so her phantom soldiers divert the attention of the summoned hoards. Battles in Celica's path in particular turn into a lengthy, grinding contest of attrition, all because of what could have been a neat enemy class used sparingly. That said, aside from that, I've really been liking the game |
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Post by ModeratorNumber2 on Jul 11, 2017 13:47:12 GMT
Added.
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stratogustav
Supreme Overlord
Warrior with Bandana
Posts: 7,460 
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Post by stratogustav on Jul 11, 2017 17:08:47 GMT
I'm jumping into the Fire Emblem franchise when Fire Emblem Warriors comes out. Since it is going to be Omega Force I'm sure it will have the gaming mechanics I like in a game. Then later I'll probably get into both of the Heroes games that are supposed to be very similar. Way to go for Nintendo for letting us participate in a franchise that was pretty much exclusive for RPG players. The series is getting a lot of love. Nintendo even gave them their own Direct presentation. Also, the series has been heavily featured in Smash Bros. and with Amiibo.
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Cervantes
Off-Brand Transformable Robot
A former Incompetent Evil Commander (XP: 2423)
Posts: 2,820
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Post by Cervantes on Jul 12, 2017 15:34:28 GMT
Man, I still have to get into this series. It looks great, too bad I never have much time for RPGs nowadays.  |
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Post by teddykongcountry on Jul 12, 2017 16:09:42 GMT
Personally, I found the cantors a drag especially early on in the game but the turnwheel helped immensely and the mages' ability to disregard terrain bonuses was also useful. I also found some equipment that increased the range for my archer and for magic so those proved crucial not just in defeating cantors but in my finishing the game. To be certain though, those are issues and that's part of my problem with distributing ratings is that I found the game perfect for what it was so I gave it a 5 but to many others, this game could range in the 2 - 4 range for the aforementioned. All the same, I was really happy with my playthrough and I don't tend to play RPGs through to the end whether I want to or not. stratogustav - that definitely seems like an entry that will be more suited to your tastes as opposed to mine. I've tried the Dragon Quest Heroes game and thought it was pretty meh but I understand why people prefer that style of gameplay. Cervantes - Is it a series you want to get into? Personally, I think it's worth it but how well do you think you can stand up to permadeath? The 3DS versions make it optional but the past entries force you to manage your team after you lose units and personally, I have a really hard time with it. |
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Cervantes
Off-Brand Transformable Robot
A former Incompetent Evil Commander (XP: 2423)
Posts: 2,820
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Post by Cervantes on Jul 12, 2017 16:56:05 GMT
teddykongcountry - It does look appealing, so I intend to at least play the 3DS games in the future. While permadeath would make it hard, I think it's a cool mechanic for a second playthrough - so I would probably turn it off for a first one, then on for a second, harder one. This makes the 3DS entries more approachable than the older ones. The only SRPG with permadeath I played was Valkyria Chronicles, and I would repeat a battle if one of my characters was lost, so I'm not the best person to just accept a character's optional death. 
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MeleeMonk
Cartoon Pony Wrangler
Part-time gamer, full-time environmentalist, and member of PAPO (People Against Palm Oil)
Posts: 3,651
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Post by MeleeMonk on Jul 13, 2017 2:19:26 GMT
I'm a huge fan of the pre-Awakening FE games (mostly for the art direction), and I've heard that Echoes is a throwback to that. I might have to check this one out.
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MeleeMonk
Cartoon Pony Wrangler
Part-time gamer, full-time environmentalist, and member of PAPO (People Against Palm Oil)
Posts: 3,651
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Post by MeleeMonk on Oct 20, 2023 13:47:15 GMT
teddykongcountry - It does look appealing, so I intend to at least play the 3DS games in the future. Cervantes, you MUST NOT play the 3DS FE games! They are NOT faithful or worthy sequels to either the advanced era (Binding Blade-Radiant Dawn) OR the Shouzou Kaga AKA "classic" era FE games (Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light-Tharcia 776) Fire Emblem games! Modern day Fire Emblem (Awakening-present) is what happens when you westernize (i.e. focus group test) a franchise: you lose most if not all of the exceptional, creator-driven traits that make a series (in this case, Fire Emblem) stand out. Trust me, there is NO reason for a hardcore JRPG fan & anime fan like you to play the 3DS Fire Emblems over the classic entries in the franchise. I would say the 6th gen ones are the ones you should start with, then try either the 5th gen ones (if you can find ways to play them) or Radiant Dawn. That's how I would do it. The problem is that most of these are very difficult to get a hold of, as they command high prices on auction sites and second hand markets. It's definitely worth it, though. I payed $75 for my copy of Radiant Dawn, and it's one of the greatest games I've ever played in my life. I spent over 250 hours on my first playthrough, so to say these classic FE games have longevity is an understatement. Oh, and they have phenomenal replay value, too. I can't speak for the other FE games, but once you beat Radiant Dawn you unlock new characters that were just NPCs before and can play through the game again with these characters and experience new story lines and character interactions that aren't featured in the first playthrough. It's amazing that Intelligent Systems went to such an extraordinary length to put so much detail into such an already absurdly detailed and lengthy game. Radiant Dawn, what an awesome game. It's one of those games that will change your life. Hands down the best game that nobody played of 2007. I have an eye for classic Fire Emblem and can assure you that The Binding Blade, The Blazing Blade, The Sacred Stones, and Path of Radiance (which I also own) are worthy Fire Emblems, too. And everything before Binding Blade is OG Fire Emblem goodness, so obviously they're certified classics. Play any of those instead. |
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