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Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn: Review; Score: 8.4/10
Topic Started: Oct 18 2008, 01:43 PM (436 Views)
Fayt
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Easy wins have never been my style
Full Name: Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Genre: Tactical RPG
Developer/Publisher: Intelligent Systems/Nintendo
Platform: Wii
Players: 1
Release Dates: 22 Feb 07 – Japan | 11 Nov 08 – US | 14 Mar 08 - EU
Official Sites: Japan | English

Story Preview: 3 years have passed following the events of the Mad King Ashnards War. Daein had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Queen Elincia’s army, with the aid of the Greil Mercenaries. As a result Daein are now are continuing to suffer as a result of a tyrannical occupation by the Begnion army.

Micaiah, the silver haired Maiden leads a small resistance group known as the Dawn Brigade, whom strive to release Daein from oppression. By her side always is a long time friend in Sothe, whom served under Ike’s Greil Mercenaries in the war 3 years past. The Dawn Brigade is slowly, but successfully causing the Begnion occupation to falter, and as a result the group is looked up to as Daein’s salvation and opportunity to reclaim their fallen kingdom.

The Dawn Brigade’s defiant attempt to relieve their oppression however will spark a series of events which will spread right across the entire continent…

New to the series? For those that have not played a Fire Emblem title before think along the lines of a typical tactical RPG, and put it on a large scale with using up to 20 characters per battle, and that is just the start of it. Battles takes place in phases, within each phase each of your characters will be entitled one turn, for them to perform a range of actions such as moving to a new location, using an item, rescuing/healing an ally or to simply attack the enemy. A number of other actions are also possible; some units also have the luxury of being able to perform two actions in one turn. Once you have moved each of your units the enemy’s phase will begin for them to perform the same actions, against you. (Followed by an other phase should a third party group also be involved in the battle).

This process will continue until the Victory of Defeat conditions are met, which often require you to defeat the enemy commander of seize a particular location on the map. But the game is not just limited to those particular conditions, some require you to survive for a particular number of phases or ensure the safety of a few select units. A few other battle conditions will also arise during the game to maintain the challenge in various ways.

It is not uncommon for some battles to take around 2 hours to complete - don’t worry, interim save files can be created so you don’t have to endure it all at once! However keep in mind that reloaded files work only once - this is to prevent abusing constant reloads if things turn sour, should that happen you’ll have to restart the entire chapter, potentially flushing 1-2 hours down the drain.

With careful planning of whom to move, where and when is the key to success (or failure) in battle. Thankfully the game is jam packed with tutorials each time a new element is introduced into the game giving you ample opportunity to understand how all of the different elements work, and all of which can be reviewed individually at any time during the game.

Oh, and I forgot to mention one key factor in Fire Emblem games which is quite uncommon to the typical RPG. Defeated characters remain defeated, forever, no returns - so protect every one of them at all costs. Minimizing (or completely eliminating) causalities is the key to long term success.

What major changes are there from Path of Radiance? There are a few important changes that have occurred, some reverting to more traditional Fire Emblem styles, others which are entirely new to the series.

Firstly, in Path of Radiance support relationships were fixed between certain individuals, and conversations took place during planning sessions only. This has however reverted somewhat to a more traditional Fire Emblem style, where again relationships must be developed on the battle field.

Now, by having characters spend time near one and another during battle will open the opportunity to create a support relationship between any two characters via the Support Menu pre-battle. Once established, those particular characters will be able to engage in support conversations during battle. In time (generally a chapter or two), you will be able to strengthen that particular relationship, again via the pre battle menus.

As a result, there is far greater flexibility with who can have a support relationship with, which for one such as Volke in Path of Radiance it’s a delight. Although, now you can have only one support character, as opposed to up to five should you wish to do so in Path of Radiance. This in turn means you can have up to 3 stages of support, as opposed to 5 (even if the second, or third for the matter was inferior, it can no longer happen – this is a small loss for support boosts).

Secondly, the three levels of promotion have returned, as opposed to just the two in some Fire Emblem installments. As with Path of Radiance they remain fixed for class changes, you cannot pick which class you wish to change to which you could in Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones (GBA) for example. Although personally I don’t find that a weakness at all, having to pick what class you wish to become was rather daunting at times, particularly when you start to wonder “if only I picked that class instead” a few chapters later…

Next, you will notice the game has been separated into ‘parts’, and there is also now a narrator, with a voice actor who summarizes the current events of the continent as each battle unfolds. It gives it a truer story feel, and increases the awareness of what is happening as the game unfolds.

One last change worth noting is that light footed characters (non mounted units) will now have the ability to climb small gaps between castle walls, mountains and anything of that ilk. You, and of course your opponent have the ability to protect these locations with relative ease, or in contrast find difficulty removing any units from these positions. A distinct leverage advantage applies, with a noticeable difference in your ability to hit and damage your opponent, considerably favoring the unit holding the higher position.

Otherwise, a vast majority of Path of Radiance elements still exist, such as Bonus exp accumulation, ability to forge new custom weapons, ability to track enemy movement/attack ranges and so forth.

Breakdown

Story: Typically I’d rate this much lower in Fire Emblems, but I’d have to say this is the best story yet for a Fire Emblem title. The story is full of twists and turns, politics, alliances forming, and breaking as the game progresses. For the first time it feels like the country truly is at war, not just one army against another. It is both frustrating, and brilliant. The only problem is it actually feels a little too long, some parts seem as though they are more to extend the game as opposed to contribute to the story. Over all though I believe Radiant Dawn has achieved a rare ability to make the story as enthralling and enjoyable as the superb game play itself. 8.5/10

Gameplay: This is where Fire Emblem titles often excel, and this is no exception. The basic mechanics of the game are nothing short of pure genius, and unsurprisingly remain relatively unchanged from Path of Radiance. The battles themselves are a joy to be a part of, and can also be rather frustrating at times if you don’t plan ahead well. But it is that very element that gives you a true sense of satisfaction every time you complete a chapter. 9.5/10

Graphics/Sounds: The graphics and in game music is quite similar to Path of Radiance, there are no significant alterations here. Mind you, there is no need for it either – everything on offer is more then adequate. Providing you don’t expect some drastic improvement here there is little to be disappointed about.

The soundtracks to the battles are excellent and intense, although after a couple of hours in one battle they may become a little repetitive. The graphics themselves won’t blow you away by any means either, but worry not; Fire Emblem doesn’t really need to anyway. 7.5/10

Replay Factor: Die hard fans could easily find several replays, where you could try to tactically approach battles differently, review the story, or to simply turn up the difficulty for an even greater challenge. If you enjoyed it the first time, you’ll likely enjoy it a second time as well. 8/10

More casual players of the series might find one playthrough more then enough though, a full playthrough of a Fire Emblem title itself can be quite a task after all, particularly to those not overly familiar with the system.

Rent or Buy? If you enjoyed Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GCN) then there is no reason to hesitate, get yourself a copy immediately and you won’t be disappointed. However, if you are new to the series I would definitely recommend renting it for a few days to get a taste for yourself first. Some consider Fire Emblem titles to be an acquired taste due to its complex, yet beautiful gameplay.

Also, I would recommended playing play Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GCN) before this if possible, it’s not a requirement by any means. But should you be able to do so you’ll maximise your potential enjoyment and appreciation of the game as a whole.

Final Thoughts: Personally, I think it’s the best Fire Emblem title yet, the gameplay is as gorgeous as ever. But it’s Radiant Dawn’s ability to make the story more complex and invigorating which really takes the cake, as far as I’m concerned, the best just got better.

Final Rating: 8.4/10

*This review is based on my personal opinions from my own experiences with the game, which is the English PAL version.
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Freyjadour Falenas
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Fellpool
I like this game,huge fan of fire Emblem as well,have all the FE that are in U.S,finished them all execpt this one.It's so hard in some parts,if you make a mistake,you really can pay the price.
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