Fire Emblem

"The Fire Rages on with a bright future!"

This is my second game review.

Opening Thoughts
Fire Emblem is probably the best strategy/RPG game out there for the Gameboy Advance. Stealing my biased view of Advance Wars 1-2, Fire Emblem is a masterpiece that finally made its way over from Japan to the shores of the United States. Having amazing strength in almost every category, Fire Emblem will always be an anticipated series. From the graphics, to the sound, and up to the amazing way of game play with RPG elements mixed with familiar strategic elements, Fire Emblem dominated the world of strategy gaming.

Graphics 10/10
For a portable game for the Gameboy Advance, Fire Emblem proves to have some of the most realistic and medieval type of graphics that suit its form of gaming which takes place back in the sword and shield age. With vivid characters and sprites in battles, the battles are more enjoyable to watch, as each character has an individual sprite like none other and a unique way of performing a deadly critical blow. With the option to change the background to a solid picture during a battle, players can focus easier on the fighting and not the field of battle in the background. The field of battle is remarkably done, with good texture and character sprites. Enemies are easy to distinguish because of their bright red color and your allies are easy to distinguish because of their dark blue color. Villages and castles are well set up and look as realistic as a game can get for GBA. With amazing colors and sprites, Fire Emblem has unmatchable graphics.

Music and Sound Effects 10/10
The sound and music of Fire Emblem is very memorable and fun to hear and listen to. This is the kind of quality a veteran gamer should expect from a long-going series such as Fire Emblem. With over a hundred different music selections that always fit the game situation well, gamers do not tire of hearing the music again. If the situation is dark, a dark song will play; if the characters are worried, frustrating music tends to play, and so forth. The sound effects are also way above par in the fact that there must be at least thousands of sound effects. The sound effects are even enjoyable to hear when an axe is slamming against a lance, or a critical attack wipes another enemy out. With amazing sound quality, Fire Emblem is definitely the kind of game that you would hold up to your ear in car trips to the music...only to be ridiculed by others. Good job Nintendo on great sound!

Plot 10/10
Wow...the greatest plot ever known to man. I read a lot, and plot is a major factor to me in anything...a novel, a movie, even games. I will say this, this plot could have been a prize winning novel, believe me. It starts out with (possible spoilers) a lone girl on the plains named Lyn. She gets in a quick skirmish with some local bandits and with your (the tactician) help, she beats them. She then proceeds to go claim her throne that is held by her evil Uncle, Lord Lundgren. On the way, she meets several people with different fighting ability. Along the way is encountered thieves, fighters, nomads, mages, bards, and even generals and mounted horsemen, each with unique statistics and weapon wielding abilities. After defeating Lundgren, players embark on another journey...with Eliwood and Hector, the real heroes of the game. For all the people who are interested how Roy is woven into this master plot, it does show at the end of the game that Roy is Eliwood's son. With Eliwood and Hector, things get much more difficult as a power hungry druid named Nergal wishes to unleash horrid dragons upon the world and become a ruler of the universe. When Eliwood's father is killed in Nergal's horrible wrath and cruel and twisted plans, Eliwood sets out to bring justice to the world...and save it in the midst. With several plot based surprises along the way, I promise you that this plot will meet your needs if you are looking for a decent and above par plot.

Title Screen 10/10
I would usually not give a rating on a title screen for a game, but Fire Emblem makes an interesting exception. Upon waiting a few seconds when the title appears, the stats and names, plus character sprites, of all the different types of units, playable and non-playable. This is somewhat helpful and unique that the defense, attack, speed, luck, and other stat averages for all the units are posted in the title page. It can be fun also just to watch the unit's attacking sprite. A very clever idea.

Game Play 10/10
The finest point in the entire game is of course, the game itself. The game is controlled by you, and you are the tactician. Clicking on a unit opens his range of travel. A unit can be used once per turn with special exceptions, such as a bard blessing you to go twice in a turn. Each unit has a certain amount of health and when it is depleted down to zero, the unit falls and realistically cannot be recovered at all throughout the entire game. Money is found through certain side quests and can be used to buy new items and weapons at the shops throughout the massive world. Units can also support each other through a series of conversations to increase each other's fighting skills when they are standing parallel to each other in the face of battle. Certain enemy units an neutral units can be recruited to be allied units by talking and certain cities and towns can be visited to recruit new allies as well. There is a fine rock, paper, scissors type of fighting that Nintendo has masterfully created in this masterpiece that works with weapons like this. Swords beat axes, which beat lances, which beat swords. In the same view, dark magic beats anima magic, which beats light magic, which beats dark magic. Archers have increased ability against winged units such as Wyvern Riders or Pegasi, but the winged units can cross water, as well as pirates can.

Completing certain obstacles throughout the course of the game allows you to embark on side quests, which usually earns you certain items and weapons more special than the average one. An important type of item are promotional items. In the game, killing or hurting units gains experience for a unit, and a hundred experience levels them up, increasing their stats. At level ten, a unit can change and be promoted to a higher rank with usually some special advantages. An un-promoted unit can go as high as level 20 and a promoted unit can gain another 20 levels. An example of a promotional item is a Guiding Ring, which promotes any un-promoted magic user to their promoted class, like Shamans, Monks, and Mages. Certain units have special abilities like an assassin can do an acclaimed one-hit KO and thieves can steal items from enemies. Fire Emblem presents a masterfully made way of gaming unique in its own way. There are several different modes of game play. Even after defeating the game once, a new mode with certain un-played levels is opened to play, and with the sound room and great replay value, this game lasts at least an awesome fifty hours of enjoyable game play!

Also, the different climates and weather statuses add to the difficulty of the game, as rain, snow, and mountains make things more difficult. Using correct strategy and tactics, challenges can be overcome. One of the best things about Fire Emblem is it can be hard, but it never is impossible.

Overall 10/10
Overall, what can I say? This game is the perfect example of a wonderfully made game by Nintendo. With balanced graphics, sound, plot, and game play, Fire Emblem is definitely one of the most elite GBA games ever to come into the hands of men. From the Dread Isle to the Port of Badon to the Dragon's Gate, this game will not disappoint you at all!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/23/05