With Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Fire Emblem: Engage being the most recent titles, my ongoing interest in Fire Emblem has been dwindling for quite a while. It's not that I don't like the franchise anymore, I still love it to this day, it's just there hasn't been a hype cycle for me since about 2019.

I don't hate Three Houses by any means, it's a game that I need to give another earnest try. It has a wonderfully compelling cast and a decent story that I unfortunately barely remember the bigger picture of. I would definitely recommend it for a new Fire Emblem fan, and I would say it's worth playing for sure, but it falls short for me. I think it's a good title in essence, it just has one glaring flaw.

Edelgard is my favorite lord in the entire franchise. Do what you will with that information.
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My problem with it can be summed up in about a sentence or two. The gameplay loop isn't fun enough to warrant multiple playthroughs, which is funny because it's supposed to be inherently re-playable due to path diversion.

I only finished Black Eagles, a shame it got shafted by being the shortest. I got to the very end of Blue Lions, I believe just a few chapters before the end, and I somehow lost steam. i'm sure saving over my hilda dying in a paralogue did not contribute to that whatsoever

And, well... Fire Emblem: Engage. maybe i'll come back and edit this post with a dissertation regarding engage. maybe it'll be in another post. but for now, i'm not strong enough.

I've been more and more on the go these days, and Fire Emblem is a franchise you can put down and pick up whenever. It's portable fun, and you're able to play most of the older titles with a modded 2ds/3ds. I've both emulated and played the modern titles on their respective consoles, they also just play excellently on their intended hardware, with emphasis on the 3ds titles for this sentiment.

Anyway, what originally reignited my interest in the franchise was me getting the urge to start a Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadow of Valentia playthrough. I never finished it back when it released, most likely due to Fates overshadowing it so hard for me. I remember nothing about the plot. Alm and Celica are cute, 'nuff said.

I actually ended up completely switching gears to start a Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War playthrough.

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From a design perspective, it's really good, in my honest opinion. You can get really immersed playing this game, and that's a trait that I really enjoy in any title. You're rewarded with dialogue and story beats as you make your way through the expansive map. Coming from the modern titles, the deviation from the formula I'm used to is actually kind of refreshing. It's interesting, though I'm not sure yet what I overall prefer. I'm sure once I have finished Genealogy in the year of 2035 I'll know.

So far, I think I enjoy bigger maps, but in regards to this game, I would downsize them a bit and give them refining in terms of balance.

The biggest complaint I have lies in the lack of quality of life. However, it's not so much of a complaint rather than an observation. Unfortunately, you simply have to get over it or drop the game. If you're emulating, the speed up button in particular is great for turn skips. The lack of turn skips is what can make things sluggish for me. Coming from modern titles, of course, it's going to be jarring at first. Could also just be my ADHD squirrel brain. Who knows anymore!

Ultimately, it's still very playable and they evidently learn from their mistakes. Once you're able to get used to the gameplay, I feel it's mostly smooth sailing into a wonderful experience. Genealogy rewards you for your patience.

I've been looking forward to getting cozy and playing this game at home rather than on the go. You really need to set aside more time than usual to chew through the chapters, if you're even playing more than one in a play session.

Oh! Something before I finish - this game was released in a time where video game manuals were pretty important. Compared to something like the first Legend of Zelda game*, it's nothing. However, I actually found myself having a "reason" to potentially reference the manual. You have a fair amount of units, and I couldn't remember who had what skills. I was used to that type of information being constantly displayed on the bottom screen. I also had no idea you could recruit Jamke, and the only reason I knew Arya was recruitable was because I was streaming for my best friend. Nothing seemed to really indicate either of these things unless I had missed that interaction. You are free to flame me if so.

What do you mean Fates released nearly a decade ago?

The hype cycle for Fates was ridiculous. Everyone I knew was hyped for it, even non-Fire Emblem fans. It piqued their curiosity in the franchise because it was so infectious.

Awakening didn't do too much for me in comparison to Fates, it was a one-and-done game that I was bad at. However, it introduced me and many others to Fire Emblem and its importance to the series shouldn't go understated. It just isn't the central topic of discussion for now.

I hold a lot of love for Fates, and it remains as one of my favorite games of all time. It's a very nostalgic game for me. I spent countless summer afternoons and nights playing this game alongside my closest friends.

It has ridiculous replay value, fun characters, an absolutely amazing soundtrack, and lovely art by Yusuke Kozaki. I can more than understand the shit it gets for what it does wrong because it more than deserves it, but what it does right it does fucking phenomenally.

To this day, I could easily boot up a Lunatic run of any route and manage to have at least an hour or more of fun. You have to take into accordance that fan hacks are still being worked on today. I believe there's a rebalanced Revelations hack still in active development. Hell, there's even an entire Shadow Dragon remake in Fates. I can't find myself playing Fates without UnassumingVenusaur's same-sex marriage patch. It has a lovely community that's still thriving.

afterword

If I can conquer Genealogy, I can probably revisit the other older titles as well.

I'm the type of person that likes to stay as true to the source material as possible. I also like playing in release order. I most likely, for example, will try playing the original Shadow Dragon (FE1) first over any remakes just for the experience. However, it seems like the general consensus regarding remakes vs. originals in Fire Emblem is that it's simply better to play the remake.

I'm hoping to keep this Fire Emblem kick going. I've always felt a little embarassed to call myself a Fire Emblem fan without even touching the classics while I complain about series direction. Even so, there's nothing wrong with simply enjoying the modern titles, especially with the earliest titles not even releasing overseas. Most accessibility has been made through the hard work of fantranslators.