18-01-2013 16:34
Preview RPGamer:
The support systems of the Fire Emblem series, which allow characters to build relationships, are somewhat expanded for Awakening. The process for advancing relationships remains very similar to previous games, with characters forging their relationships from fighting in close proximity during battles before advancing it through various events and conversations in the time between. Awakening spans two generations of characters, with party members able to marry and have children, who can eventually partake in the party's battles. This includes the player's avatar character, who can marry any available character of the opposite gender. Support levels also confer greater bonuses when utilising the new pair up option that allows one character to assist another in encounters. The supporting character may provide a boost in stats, execute a follow-up attack, or block an attack aimed at the lead character. Videos have shown how the selection of paired up characters can mean the difference between life or death in different situations, adding a further dimension to what has previously been a very strong battle system.
Fire Emblem is known for featuring a cast of well-developed characters, and Awakening looks to be no exception. While the player character is an important part of the story, Awakening's leading man is Chrom, prince of the Kingdom of Ylisse. Unsurprisingly, Ylisse finds itself in a time where tensions begin to run high following suspicious actions from its neighbour, Plegia. In charge of a group of peacekeeping soldiers, the Shepherds, Chrom works to retain calm while investigating a dark force afflicting the country. During his journey, Chrom also runs into a masked knight claiming to be Marth, the Hero-King of legends stemming from previous games in the series. It should be noted that despite this appearance, the story is very much standalone and players will not need any past experience or knowledge of events from earlier games.
The artistic style has been given a redesign and, while the in-game character models are a bit more stylised than the more realistically proportioned models seen in the GameCube and Wii games, the visuals seem impressive. Action in the cutaways for each encounter also seems to have undergone a significant improvement, flowing nicely with plenty of pleasing effects and small touches to the animations. The game still uses the familiar sprites for the tactical, although in keeping with the rest of the game, these have all been given an upgrade from the series' previous handheld entries.
Experimentation with the series isn't limited to just gameplay aspects, with Fire Emblem: Awakening becoming one of Nintendo's first attempts to feature paid DLC. The DLC contains numerous returning characters from previous games in the series, as well as extra episodes and event scenes. Nintendo has stated that DLC will be coming to Western regions upon the game's release, but hasn't yet detailed whether this content will be the same as that released in Japan.
Fire Emblem: Awakening has come at a time when the 3DS is starting to build some decent momentum. With Etrian Odyssey IV following shortly after and a new main-series Pokémon game recently announced, now may be the time many RPGamers consider diving in, and Awakening can only help further the case for the handheld. Fire Emblem: Awakening is due out on February 4, 2013 in North America, with the European release currently slated for April 2013. It will released both physically and as an eShop downl
The support systems of the Fire Emblem series, which allow characters to build relationships, are somewhat expanded for Awakening. The process for advancing relationships remains very similar to previous games, with characters forging their relationships from fighting in close proximity during battles before advancing it through various events and conversations in the time between. Awakening spans two generations of characters, with party members able to marry and have children, who can eventually partake in the party's battles. This includes the player's avatar character, who can marry any available character of the opposite gender. Support levels also confer greater bonuses when utilising the new pair up option that allows one character to assist another in encounters. The supporting character may provide a boost in stats, execute a follow-up attack, or block an attack aimed at the lead character. Videos have shown how the selection of paired up characters can mean the difference between life or death in different situations, adding a further dimension to what has previously been a very strong battle system.
Fire Emblem is known for featuring a cast of well-developed characters, and Awakening looks to be no exception. While the player character is an important part of the story, Awakening's leading man is Chrom, prince of the Kingdom of Ylisse. Unsurprisingly, Ylisse finds itself in a time where tensions begin to run high following suspicious actions from its neighbour, Plegia. In charge of a group of peacekeeping soldiers, the Shepherds, Chrom works to retain calm while investigating a dark force afflicting the country. During his journey, Chrom also runs into a masked knight claiming to be Marth, the Hero-King of legends stemming from previous games in the series. It should be noted that despite this appearance, the story is very much standalone and players will not need any past experience or knowledge of events from earlier games.
The artistic style has been given a redesign and, while the in-game character models are a bit more stylised than the more realistically proportioned models seen in the GameCube and Wii games, the visuals seem impressive. Action in the cutaways for each encounter also seems to have undergone a significant improvement, flowing nicely with plenty of pleasing effects and small touches to the animations. The game still uses the familiar sprites for the tactical, although in keeping with the rest of the game, these have all been given an upgrade from the series' previous handheld entries.
Experimentation with the series isn't limited to just gameplay aspects, with Fire Emblem: Awakening becoming one of Nintendo's first attempts to feature paid DLC. The DLC contains numerous returning characters from previous games in the series, as well as extra episodes and event scenes. Nintendo has stated that DLC will be coming to Western regions upon the game's release, but hasn't yet detailed whether this content will be the same as that released in Japan.
Fire Emblem: Awakening has come at a time when the 3DS is starting to build some decent momentum. With Etrian Odyssey IV following shortly after and a new main-series Pokémon game recently announced, now may be the time many RPGamers consider diving in, and Awakening can only help further the case for the handheld. Fire Emblem: Awakening is due out on February 4, 2013 in North America, with the European release currently slated for April 2013. It will released both physically and as an eShop downl
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