""Easily the best strategy RPG since Final Fantasy Tactics""

Fire Emblem: The Path of Radiance for the Gamecube is one of those rare games that captivate you from the first scene and don't let go. A war has started between Crimea and their neighbor Daein. With more military might, Daein easily crushes the capitol and marches throughout the rest of the country. In the middle of it all are the Greil Mercenaries, lead by their valiant leader, Greil. They are suddenly thrust into the battle of good and evil and right and wrong as the war rages in their hometown.

You play as Ike, Greil's son, and a mercenary in training. You start out as a nothing in your father's shadow. As the game goes on, you gain new allies and adventure throughout the continent of Tellius to battle the mighty empire of Daein. Along the way, you meet several laguz, a race of sub-humans who are naturally at enmity with the humans, better known as the beorc. The story unfolds brilliantly in a classic narrative of good and evil, love, friendships, and acceptance. Even better, the story tackles real life issues with seemingly uncanny parallelisms.

The fantastic story is made even more meaningful by the great strategy gameplay that is challenging and unforgiving, but addictive to a fault. The basic flow of Fire Emblem: POR goes a bit like this. There are some scenes with the main characters, where they talk about current happenings and the next battle is set up. This is where we can see the excellent character development come into play, especially in a game with so many characters. After a certain point in the game where you take control of the army, the next thing you usually do is set up for the next battle. This consists of arming your characters, buying new stuff at the shops, dishing out bonus experience points, setting skills, and watching more detailed cutscenes between two characters that impacts the gameplay. Next, you go into battle, which is where all the fun begins. Lastly, after you satisfy the conditions for victory, you see some more glorious cutscenes.

The strategy element of the game is what really makes this game shine. Sure, it is difficult, but that's why it is so critical for you to plan out each map. When a character dies, they are gone. You can't bring them back to life. Main characters that are crucial to the storyline stay in the game but you cannot use them as units for battle. Thus, it is imperative to use caution and strategy to win each map with the least amount of damage.

Each map has a main boss and to win the map, you must meet the conditions of victory. Sometimes it's just to wipe everyone out, others it's to seize a location, and others it's to defeat the boss. You have from 4-15 units at your disposal, depending on which map you are playing. Each map starts with your turn and you move along your characters on a grid. The animations start out pretty lame at the start of the game, but by the end, character attack animations are just amazingly shown.

The character building is also one of the aspects of the game that made me keep coming back for more. The feeling I got from taking wimpy level one characters and building them up into a power house fighters is one of the coolest feelings I have ever felt in a videogame. FE: POR doesn't force you to use any characters other than Ike. You can just pick your favorite characters and build your team up to your liking. Everyone will have a slightly different experience playing the game, and on a second play through, you can select a whole different group of characters as your main party. It's really an RPGers dream.

Overall, the graphics aren't impressive. The anime-style portraits of the characters are great and a there are a few decent CGI scenes, but for the most part, the graphics are not textured very well. But if you are worried about the graphics, don't be. This game is not about looking pretty. The game is so fantastically addictive in gameplay and story that the poor graphics are easily forgivable.

The sound effects are stellar in Fire Emblem: POR. The battles sounds of metal crashing against metal are great, but not too important. Voice acting is rare, but in the few cutscenes throughout the game they are done well. The symphonic music adds a great touch to the classic themes presented throughout the game. No complaints there.

My only real gripe with Fire Emblem: POR is its linearity. For some gamers who are use to the openness and free will of some modern games, the linear story might not sit well. There is no exploration, random battles, or anything that you really do on your own. I wish there was some way of playing in random battles or going out on foot to explore the world. But then again, the story was so moving and I was so into character building that I didn't mind much.

Fire Emblem: POR amazed me in so many ways. I didn't expect the story to move me like no story has moved me since Final Fantasy X. I didn't expect the strategy genre to gain another gem. This is easily the best strategy RPG since Final Fantasy Tactics. Yes, it's better than Disgaea, Jeanne D'Arc, La Pucelle Tactics, and all the rest. The only minor gripes I had with an excellent game are the less than stellar graphics and the linearity. For fans of strategy RPGs this is a must. For Gamecube owners, this is a must. For anyone out there who loves a good story with memorable characters and addictive gameplay, look no further than Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.

Gameplay- 9.5
Graphics- 6
Sound- 9
Story- 10
Replay Value- 9
Fun Factor- 9.5
Overall- 10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/16/07

Game Release: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (US, 10/17/05)