Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi

"One of the best strategy games ever!"

Out of all the strategy games I've played, this is one of the best (along side with Advance Wars and such). I first learnt of this game while playing SSB:M and kinda liked using Roy. So I checked the game stores for a ''Roy'' game, and I found this!

Although it's (so far) in Japanese, I managed through it using my basic knowledge of games and Japanese. It was very easy at the start, but some chapters made me play them for hours. However, despite its difficulty, I liked it. (What's the use of buying a strategy game that's easy?)

The Hard Mode, Sound Room (Music Mode) and Trial Maps appear after you beat the game. In hard mode, the enemy has increased statisitcs. In addition, your statistics would lower, this making the game extremely hard, even a bit on Chapter 1, otherwise easy in Normal Mode. The Sound Room lets you play music from the game, and you can be able to see a few extra artwork in that as well.

The trial maps allow you to use your finished game's/games' characters to complete a certain mission on a certain map. Of course, these won't be the ones you've already done. It would be different, and probably much harder than you might usually think. Each time, up to 9 times, you beat the game (fully, no save on last chapter than finish that one) you get a character to use on Multiplayer and Trial Maps ONLY, with better statistics at their level (usually they are bosses or NPCs that you met but can't control).

This game has one thing that most other strategy games have not. It give the user the choice of different weapons, has stat level up items, promote items, as well as other items to help with the quest. Not only does it allow you to choose different weapons to attack with that the character has with him/her, the stats greatly change every single fight's result.

How many games do you know that allows you to recruit enemies, allows you to fight in arenas, increase weapon usage levels to allow the unit to use better weapons, has terrain advantage, AND at the same time providing you with a considerably good story and game-play? Not a lot, I think.

The arenas add a great deal to the game, allowing characters to increase weapon usage levels, experience, and gain money. The enemies' level and stats are based on the unit/character's stats, so the arenas are NEVER too easy at all. But be careful, as you can die in there, so gie up if you can't win (press B, and after the NME attacks, you quit and leave the arena). However, the best part about the game are the unseen things.

The hidden shops, concealed items, sudden enemy recruitments, give you a shock when you are unprepared. The hidden shops provide you with rare promote items and stat-upgrading items, obviously at a heavy price. The look just normal terrain, so you have to search it out. On the desert map, there are hidden items all over the place, but you have to be lucky as they are hidden and you have to be near/on a specific square in order to acquire it. Most un-buyable items are hard enough to get (in chests which you must open with a key or use the theif's ability), but the desert map just increased its difficulty.

Almost every chapter, there are enemy recruitments. Sometimes, there is a hint from the boss or another conversation that there are recruits coming. However, sometime they just appear after and event or trigger. If they catch you off-guard, they may slaugther a big part of you group. Sometimes, he recruitment may contain a character (usually the one with a face instead of the army's symbol) that you can recruit or make neutral, or both.

With the legendary weapons, NPC and enemy recruitables, gaiden chapters, AND a long-run history throughout the Nintendo systems, this is one game that shouldn't be missed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/08/02, Updated 07/08/02