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Many things denote largesse.
Having your cake and eating it, too. That expression about throwing in everything but the kitchen sink.
Then you’ve got Fire Emblem Fates Special Edition.
Following the positive response for Fire Emblem Awakening, Nintendo decided to give fans of the franchise more of what they want in the most literal way possible. Fire Emblem Fates comprises of not one, not two but three different games, each with their own story and missions spread out across 20-plus chapters that unfold like a soap opera. I guess you can say it throws in the kitchen sink as well.
The approach is best captured in the game’s “special edition,” which combines Fate’s three titles — Birthright, Conquest and Revelation — in one package while throwing in some extra goodies to boot. These include a hardbound art book with more than 80 illustrations as well as a cloth pouch that’s big enough to fit one 3DS XL. That’s pretty much a steal at $80. So much so that the package sold out quickly, much to the dismay of series fans who got left out. It’s like popular amiibo all over again.
The good news is that fans can still get all three games separately, at a higher cost, of course. Fans who miss out on the special edition also have to wait till March to play the third Fates game, Revelation. The question is whether it’s worth getting all three games separately. For folks who want the complete Fates experience, my answer would be yes. That’s because unlike Pokemon variants, which throw in version-exclusive monsters but still offer what’s essentially the same game, Fates’ three titles are three different experiences. Yes, they mostly share the same overarching story and key characters, with some exceptions. At the same time, each also offer their own unique missions and take on the Fates’ tale as well as different mechanics. Let’s take a look at all three to give you an idea in case you’re deciding which adventure to start with or buy if you missed out on the special edition.
For starters, all three games have a shared beginning — pun so totally intended. You start as a member of royalty who wraps up your trainingin the kingdom of Nohr, allowing you to set out in the real world. It turns out, however, that the beloved siblings you remember growing up with aren’t your true family. Instead, you soon learn that you originally were a member of the royal family of rival kingdom Hoshido, until you were kidnapped as a child and brought to Nohr.
Once you reach the sixth chapter, you are forced to make a decision about which kingdom to side with. Pick the Hoshido kingdom and you’ll embark on the Birthright story with your blood family, which feels more like the straightforward and righteous path of the two main games. Choose Nohr and you will end up playing the Conquest storyline, which has you effecting change from within with the family you grew up with. Choose neither and you will trigger Revelation’s tale where you leave both families. So far so good, right?
Despite sharing the same world, however, the stories and missions are different for all three from the sixth chapter onward. Birthright and Conquest, in particular, will have certain members of your two families meet certain, uh, fates depending on which version you play and also have exclusive characters and classes for their respective versions as well. Hoshido’s army, for example, has a more Eastern feel, replete with ninjas, samurais and shrine maidens. In contrast, Nohr has a more Western medieval vibe. Storywise, Revelation feels like the more canon storyline of the three, providing a more comprehensive overview of the central plot as well as access to almost all the characters.
Storytelling and missions, however, are not the only difference between the three games. Birthright, for example, plays more like the previous Awakening game. This means you’re allowed to replay stages to improve your levels and amass more materials, making it an easier experience overall. Conquest, meanwhile, allows you no such luxury. For starters, you can’t replay chapters, which limits your grinding options for experience and resources. This means you’ll need to pay close attention as far as which characters to develop. Missions also typically have more objective variety outside of simply killing all enemies in the map. All in all, Conquest is the tougher game of the two, especially for folks who like to play with permadeath on. Revelation, meanwhile, combines the characters and mechanics of Birthright and Conquest, including the grinding and mission objectives for a more complete experience.
Those key differences aside, the games mostly share the same inner workings. This includes the My Castle mechanic, which offers different resources from Birthright or Conquest but esentially play the same way. Think of it as a minigame of sorts where you build up your base with various shops and quarters, which can be used to interact with your team members as well. It also has an online component where you can visit friends and vice versa for some battling or unit recon. It’s certainly amusing but not as engaging as the true meat of the game, which is the combat system.
The system has some new features, including a new weapon-typetriangle that’s now grouped in pairs. Lances and knives beat swords and magic, which in turn beat axes and bows. That rock-paper-scissors mechanic extends to weapon colors, with red beating green, green beating blue and blue beating red as far as typing advantages. The first time your main character transforms into a dragon, you’re informed that certain weapons deal extra damage because they’re able to pierce your scales, adding another layer of strategy to encounters. Durability isn't reallyan issue with weapons this time around but their material (iron, steel, silver, for example) influence which buffs and debuffs they grant. For field maps, in addition to bonuses and disadvantages provided by certain terrain, your protagonist also can use their dragon powers to interact with certain spots and change the area. These include leveling mountains of ice, evaporating rivers or freezing them.
Units also can have additional synergies in the field via positioning and improved relationships. Having characters next to each other, for example, can grant boosts and bonuses for attacking or guarding in battle. You can also pair up and combine two units into one if you’d like. Characters that have special relationships, like couples, also get even stronger in battle when fighting together. Speaking of relationships, marrying of characters allows you to produce offspring, which should please min-maxers. That’s because kids usually have improved stats, making them handy on the battlefield. Yes, I know that kind of came out sounding weird but you know what I mean. Add character leveling and the myriad classes you can aim for and there’s a lot to do in Fates. The adjustable difficulty also makes the game quite accessible to players of all skill levels.
Speaking of “weird” stuff, the decision to take out certain content has caused furor prior to the game’s release in the West. Although I certainly understand concerns purists have about such changes, it’s honestly such a minor change in the grand scheme of things that I don’t think it ruins the experience. As someone who covers business, I certainly understand where Nintendo of America is coming from given the potential blowback from leaving that stuff in. Yes, it’s preferable to play the game as its creators officially envisioned it but looking at the overall picture, this isn’t a hill that’s worth dying for as what got taken out isn’t what makes this game great. Instead, it’s the solid production values, strategy mechanics, breadth of content and improved storytelling, which I found great overall despite a few rough edges here and there.
If there’s something worth complaining about, it would be the limited quantities of the special edition, which I think is the definitive way to enjoy the game. Just based on the disappointment of real life friends as well as people I’ve interacted with online, I honestly feel bad for those who really wanted the special edition but weren’t able to get it. In addition to having to deal with a piecemeal approach for the complete Fates experience, folks who miss out on the special edition also will have to wait till March to get Revelation, which feels a bit like adding insult to injury. The game should at least have a normal complete edition with all three games, even without the picture book and pouch.Storytelling, while improved from Awakening, can still resort to tropes at times with some of the dialogue making you shake your head at times. Even with all its drama, however, the funny quips and conversations from time to time are actually quite amusing.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Fire Emblem Fates builds on the strengths of Awakening by serving up three great games while presenting improved storytelling that’s backed by impressive production values. The piecemeal approach to enjoying the full Fates experience for those who miss out on the special edition is unfortunate as it unnecessarily punishes the most loyal fans. For gamers who want more Fire Emblem, however, having not one but three games to play in Birthright, Conquest and Revelation pretty much equates to gaming heaven.
- Rating: 4.5 out of 5
- Cost: $79.99 for special edition, $59.99 each for Birthright and Conquest; $19.99 for Revelation
- http://fireemblemfates.nintendo.com/
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