NWR's staff takes a look at the Hoshido path of the Fire Emblem Fates saga.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/42292/fire-emblem-fates-birthright-review-revisit
Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright is the most accessible Fire Emblem Fates game in the trilogy. It will hold your hand if you want it to, gold is easier to obtain and there’s plenty of time to foster relationships and marry off your army if you so desire. Question is, is this the path most of our staff enjoyed, or did they want a bit more tougher experience? Kimberly Keller reviewed all three games, really enjoying the overall experience. We’ll get to the other two storyline paths, Conquest and Revelations eventually, but until then we’ve tasked three NWR staff members with their thoughts on the Hoshido side of the Fire Emblem Fates story.
Bryan Rose, Reviews Editor: The Birthright portion of Fire Emblem Fates is the simplest version of the game. That’s not a knock, but rather a plus as it is the far better representation of what the game sets out to accomplish more than Conquest, which is a bit difficult and restrains relationships. I had high expectations for Fates, and Birthright demonstrated that not only were my expectations met, they were exceeded. Combat is more streamlined than ever, excellent writing gives depth and heart to each character, and the story has everything you want in a Fire Emblem game - heroism, betrayal, redemption, and so much more. The only con is that maps can be rather simple. Conquest does have more strategic objectives, but I prefer the more streamlined experience. My favorite part of the game isn’t so much formulating a strategy (though of course that’s the most important part of the game) but rather building relationships and see how they develop over time. If you’re like me, Birthright is probably the best choice for those who want story over gameplay. Birthright excels in that it’s the most accessible version of the Fire Emblem series to date, which depending on what you want in a Fire Emblem game, that’s either good news or bad news. But if you are new to the series and want something simple all while experiencing the full Fire Emblem presentation, this is the version to get.
Matt West, Associate Editor: Fire Emblem: Awakening was one of my favorite games on the 3DS, combining great tactics RPG gameplay with an addicting “dating simulator” that was the subject of several entertaining conversations with friends and family. Its successor, Fire Emblem: Fates – Birthright, succeeds in improving on its formula in nearly every way. With a more engaging plot, dozens of loveable and memorable characters, and the strategic gameplay that fans have come to adore, Birthright eclipsed Awakening as my current favorite entry in the series. That said, Birthright has one lingering issue that keeps it from getting a perfect score from me: the mission objectives. Of the 28 main chapters, only a couple of them have an objective other than “Rout the Enemy!” Destroying foe after foe is still fun, due to the well-balanced gameplay and tension in every map, but by the end of the game I was begging for a little more variety. That one complaint aside, Birthright is well worth the investment. I lost around 35 hours of my life to it, and I have absolutely no regrets. I just hope that Conquest offers a little more variety in its objectives whenever I get around to playing it.
Neal Ronaghan, Director: As someone who considers himself a casual Fire Emblem fan, I expected to love Birthright. The apparently punishing design of Conquest didn’t appeal to me. After playing through Birthright, I wish I played Conquest instead, as this game features a very staid design that focuses primarily on spread-out maps with the goal of defeating every enemy unit. Nuance is lacking in the majority of missions here. Fortunately, the dependable Fire Emblem strategy combat is still on full, marvelous display, though even that went through some unfortunate changes. The pairing up system is now neutered, as only one of the two characters earns experience when together on the same square. If you want to build up the support system and keep your characters at equal levels, you need to execute this awkward song-and-dance to make sure characters are next to each other while in combat. The relationships are a major part of why Awakening clicked for me, so to see them be frustrating to further in a meaningful way was disappointing. Birthright left me feeling unfulfilled, with characters I didn’t care as much about, a story that fell flat, and mission objectives and combat that felt more like chores. If the Fire Emblem base wasn’t so strong underneath all this, I never would have finished it.
Topic: Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright Review Revisit (Read 1265 times)
