Fire Emblem: Awakening

 3DS
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 1633 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,475 out of 1633
  2. Mixed: 78 out of 1633
  3. Negative: 80 out of 1633
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  1. Legend2099
    Mar 22, 2013
    10
    Awakening is my first game in the Fire Emblem series. I love the emphasis on strategy in this RPG adventure. The permanent death feature can be upsetting when you lose a character after a lots of leveling and relationship building, but it's one of Fire Emblem's best feature because it makes battle strategy very crucial. You must decide whether your strongest soldier can hold a line, orAwakening is my first game in the Fire Emblem series. I love the emphasis on strategy in this RPG adventure. The permanent death feature can be upsetting when you lose a character after a lots of leveling and relationship building, but it's one of Fire Emblem's best feature because it makes battle strategy very crucial. You must decide whether your strongest soldier can hold a line, or whether to risk a weak character in a pinnacle portion of a battle. I strongly recommend that all non-beginner gamers keep the feature on.

    Overall, if you like RPGs and/or strategy games, do yourself a favor and play this game!    … Expand
  2. QDog
    Mar 22, 2013
    9
    I had tried similar RTS games in the past and other than Pokemon Conquest, was never able to get into them. Fire Emblem Awakening has totally changed that. This game is gauging and addictive. The story and cutscenes add to the experience with rich graphics and a twisting plotline. However, the gameplay and the ability to build your team of characters along wtih their capabilities hasI had tried similar RTS games in the past and other than Pokemon Conquest, was never able to get into them. Fire Emblem Awakening has totally changed that. This game is gauging and addictive. The story and cutscenes add to the experience with rich graphics and a twisting plotline. However, the gameplay and the ability to build your team of characters along wtih their capabilities has you coming back for more again and again. I haven't quite made it through the entire story, but I can tell you that I will definitely be buying and playing DLC packs for this game, which is something I never do on any system.… Expand
  3. lalo139
    Mar 23, 2013
    10
    This game was just utterly amazing. I signed up just to review this game. I am not a fan of strategy RPG games but Fire Emblem has changed my mind about the whole genre. This game came as a shock for me because I would not have imagined the amount of love I have for this game. If you own a 3DS and don't own this game then that's your loss at an amazing experience.
  4. Timinator-Ozwaz
    Mar 25, 2013
    10
    Very, very easily one of the best 3DS games so far. The graphics are amazing, the story gripping, and the possibilities endless. The inclusion of "Casual mode" definitely makes the game more available to newer players, while the original mode makes each decision important, just like the previous games. I do think that the game was made a bit too easy in parts- you could recruit maxed outVery, very easily one of the best 3DS games so far. The graphics are amazing, the story gripping, and the possibilities endless. The inclusion of "Casual mode" definitely makes the game more available to newer players, while the original mode makes each decision important, just like the previous games. I do think that the game was made a bit too easy in parts- you could recruit maxed out characters via Spotpass even before you completed the game, which I think they should have waited until the end to grant you. More diverse choices may also have been a good addition, like in Sacred Stones, where at one point you had to choose to go with one or the other protagonist. Besides these, I think that a new portable Fire Emblem game was far overdue, and this is the perfect way to bring the franchise back.… Expand
  5. cyberboycoolen
    Apr 19, 2013
    10
    Amazing game. The relationships, the gameplay, the graphics.. It was quite some time ago since such a good game was released. Polished to perfection. If you like turnbased strategy, this is a nobrainer.
  6. Leo13
    Aug 19, 2013
    10
    Wow, I've been wanting this game, but I waited this long because I wasn't sure I'd actually like it. Boy was I wrong. It's my favorite 3DS game. I'm incredibly sucked in!
  7. bushidoheart
    Apr 30, 2013
    10
    This is not only one of the best games on the 3ds, but right up there with one of the best games i've ever played. It gives you great characters, amazing gameplay, a story that keep you interested, and much more. the DLC for the game is good for the price you get them at. The only problem I have with this game is there are parts that give you a choice during cut scenes but they reallyThis is not only one of the best games on the 3ds, but right up there with one of the best games i've ever played. It gives you great characters, amazing gameplay, a story that keep you interested, and much more. the DLC for the game is good for the price you get them at. The only problem I have with this game is there are parts that give you a choice during cut scenes but they really don't do anything for the story as far as I can tell. Overall though this is fantastic, now excuse me i'm on my 4th play through… Expand
  8. mike023
    Jun 11, 2013
    9
    This game takes the best aspects of the previous Fire Emblem games, and melds them into one perfect game. If you have a 3DS you must have this game. It's fun, enjoyable, and a blast!
  9. JenJen387
    Jun 13, 2013
    9
    Sadly, this is the first fire emblem game I have ever played. In result, I can't compare to the earlier games of the series.. But, I must say, this game gave me a great first impression on the series. The graphics & art work are beautiful, the characters are fully developed, & engaging storyline, in which contains a considerate amount of chapters. As a firs-timer & beginner, I believeSadly, this is the first fire emblem game I have ever played. In result, I can't compare to the earlier games of the series.. But, I must say, this game gave me a great first impression on the series. The graphics & art work are beautiful, the characters are fully developed, & engaging storyline, in which contains a considerate amount of chapters. As a firs-timer & beginner, I believe adding casual mode was an excellent way to open up the series to newcomers & those repelled due to its difficulty, perhaps including the pressure of losing units. I greatly appreciate that they extended our options as in character customization, marriage, bonus teams,difficulty, dlc, etc. I find it very convincing to play the game again to change strategy & who to pair up, also considering some paralogues may only be unlocked through marriage. The only thing that really bothered throughout my gameplay was that unknowingly.. I skipped some playable characters. I wish they'd made it more obvious or non-optional despite my stupidity for skipping them in the first place. According to my research, I missed some really good characters. But I've got to give it to them, I guess that's just another reason why I should replay the game. Lastly, I'd like to compliment on the music. It's greatly composed, totally going on my ipod.… Expand
  10. pocky
    Jul 13, 2013
    10
    A great game with great replayablity. Currently on 95 hours myself after finishing it quickly on normal and then going back on a harder setting. I still haven't got a chance to play all the free maps that keep being added that finishes off the story. What you get out of the game really depends what you put into it, there are a great wealth of characters but I found it too tiresome to payA great game with great replayablity. Currently on 95 hours myself after finishing it quickly on normal and then going back on a harder setting. I still haven't got a chance to play all the free maps that keep being added that finishes off the story. What you get out of the game really depends what you put into it, there are a great wealth of characters but I found it too tiresome to pay attention to all of them so I just picked my favorites. I had fantastic fun marrying them all off and turning their children into mutated galeforce-using super mutants, but after I did that the later levels were a tad easy, Lucina was a soloing monster. Still there are 2 more difficulty levels that I haven't played so there is that left to enjoy.… Expand
  11. Dadrik
    Apr 9, 2017
    9
    This is one of the best FE games out there.
    Huge replayability, it'll keep you busy for easily 60 to 100 hours, if not even more.
    The musics are stellar, the characters are great as well, and the gameplay is, as usual with the serie, incredible. You can adapt it to your liking as well, do you want to experience it casually ? Or do you want the classic FE experience ? Well, you can    This is one of the best FE games out there.
    Huge replayability, it'll keep you busy for easily 60 to 100 hours, if not even more.
    The musics are stellar, the characters are great as well, and the gameplay is, as usual with the serie, incredible.
    You can adapt it to your liking as well, do you want to experience it casually ? Or do you want the classic FE experience ? Well, you can chose, it's as you wish

    Graphics are nice, even though for some reason no character has his/her feet modelised.

    One of the best games of 2013, if not the best.    … Expand
  12. janic
    Dec 11, 2013
    10
    Take this from someone who has never played a Fire Emblem nay never played a Tactical RPG or JRPG for that matter before: I love this game. It's one of those games that are so perfectly crafted and streamlined that you can enjoy it even without being into the genre. Some highlights in short:

    *Amazing looking cutscenes *No grinding required *Great characters *Great humor: Not many    Take this from someone who has never played a Fire Emblem nay never played a Tactical RPG or JRPG for that matter before: I love this game. It's one of those games that are so perfectly crafted and streamlined that you can enjoy it even without being into the genre. Some highlights in short:

    *Amazing looking cutscenes
    *No grinding required
    *Great characters
    *Great humor: Not many games get chuckles out of me repeatedly
    *No big tutorial, you're thrown into the action with some pointers, the rest is learning by doing
    *Plenty of information is displayed very efficiently
    *Lot of options in battle. You can fast-forward or 'skip' turns and just see the results or completely autoplay turns
    *Intelligent Systems thought of everyone: Noobs like me or veterans who prefer hardcore mode

    With a lot of games I at least partially ask myself: 'Have they even played the game themselves?'. With this one, it's like someone played the game a 100 times and kept nitpicking until every flaw was erased.    … Expand
  13. Justkallmekai
    Nov 24, 2013
    10
    Wow this game is amazing. It has a ton of content, great game play with complex battles, and great story. The visuals are amazing especially with the 3D on. The music is phenomenal!!! The characters are great. They have funny, serious, ect. Personalities. Play this game if you have a 3DS. Definitely the best game on the 3DS.
  14. klaptrap
    Jan 5, 2014
    10
    Fire Emblem Awakening is an absolutely spectacular video game that deserves at least a glance from any and every 3DS owner or potential owner. This was my first Fire Emblem game and I must say, I was blown away with how much I fell in love with this game. For this review I'll cover the story, game-play, visuals and atmosphere.

    Fire Emblem Awakening's story is typical Japanese role    Fire Emblem Awakening is an absolutely spectacular video game that deserves at least a glance from any and every 3DS owner or potential owner. This was my first Fire Emblem game and I must say, I was blown away with how much I fell in love with this game. For this review I'll cover the story, game-play, visuals and atmosphere.

    Fire Emblem Awakening's story is typical Japanese role playing game fare. It has plenty of drama and intrigue along with a few plot twists for good measure. There's nothing spectacular in the actual plot, but the character development is something to be commended. By the end of this game you will find a good handful of characters that you'll truly connect with and care about in the heat of battle.

    Awakening is a strategy role playing game with turn based combat, experience points and a level up system. The game is filled with different classes of characters, different types of attacks and rules for each unit on the field. I like to think of it as a very deep game of chess where a pawn is more than just a piece, but is a character that you've followed and watched grow. This aspect of the game is truly endearing and adds to the game in so many ways. The game also features a relationship building system where units can be married and have children. This adds to the game greatly as you can pair units with whoever you want whether your goal is stat gains or just watching a fun pair on the field of battle. Everything is done very well and each facet of the game feels very polished. Game-play is an enormous strength of this game.

    Awakening features four different art styles all in one game. There are the hand drawn images of each unit, the 3D units used in battle animations, the 2D sprites used on the battle field and the 3D renders used in cut-scenes. The cut-scenes are absolutely breathtaking visually. Certainly some of the best visuals on the 3DS. The 2D sprites are charming and fit their role extremely well. The 3D units in battle animations may lack feet but they do their job and are certainly not ugly by any means. The hand drawn art is also very impressive. The graphics of Fire Emblem Awakening are the best of the series and probably the best of the 3DS.

    The atmosphere of Fire Emblem is very interesting. The game is set in a dark fantasy world filled with time travel, zombies, knights, mages and flying horses all wrapped up in a Japanese artful flare. The music is well orchestrated and can really set the mood well. Although the game is very serious at times I've found myself laughing out loud in between battles due to the great character interactions.

    Overall Fire Emblem Awakening is easily a top five game of 2013 and is my personal favorite 3DS game yet. I highly recommend it to anyone that owns a 3DS. If this review hasn't swayed you enough to make a purchase, I understand, but please take a look at this game yourself, it deserves that much. I highly recommend the free demo on the eshop for current 3DS owners.

    Score: 10/10    … Expand
  15. RadicalMADMAN69
    Dec 2, 2013
    10
    This game is definitely my game of the year. It has the best graphics on the 3ds, the gameplay is so addicting, and the story is awesome. The characters are amazing and well developed, it has so much content that is will keep you busy for months, and the wireless features always keep me coming back. There is not a single negative comment that i can say about this game, even if you don'tThis game is definitely my game of the year. It has the best graphics on the 3ds, the gameplay is so addicting, and the story is awesome. The characters are amazing and well developed, it has so much content that is will keep you busy for months, and the wireless features always keep me coming back. There is not a single negative comment that i can say about this game, even if you don't like strategy turn based rpgs you should give this game a go. i recommended it to 6 of my friend who don't really like the genre and they are in love with it and can't put it down.… Expand
  16. Gollygeeanelite
    Dec 5, 2013
    10
    FE:Awakening will have you hooked. I neglected school work after purchasing it because the story drove me to have 4-5 hour binges. It is by far the best game on the 3DS because it appeals to so many different genres. The difficulty modes are perfect and even normal difficulty will have you carefully planning out your moves. Nothing feels gimmicky and animations are smooth.

    I don't know    FE:Awakening will have you hooked. I neglected school work after purchasing it because the story drove me to have 4-5 hour binges. It is by far the best game on the 3DS because it appeals to so many different genres. The difficulty modes are perfect and even normal difficulty will have you carefully planning out your moves. Nothing feels gimmicky and animations are smooth.

    I don't know why you are still reading this review. You should be buying this game instead.    … Expand
  17. pinball123
    Nov 8, 2014
    10
    Amazing game. Must play. Everything in this game is well produced and fun. The story is epic and well written. The gameplay and battles are fun and a great challenge. My only complaint is that they didn't have a sequel waiting for me when I finished this!
  18. guitarguy001
    Mar 23, 2014
    10
    I already did a review for this game, but i felt like it did not do it any justice. This game is hands down one of the best RPG's ever made overall and is one of my favorite games of all time. It surpassed Pokemon Platinum as my favorite RPG (and that my friend is very difficult).

    This is by far the most accessible game in the series. I am a first time Fire Emblem player and i know the    I already did a review for this game, but i felt like it did not do it any justice. This game is hands down one of the best RPG's ever made overall and is one of my favorite games of all time. It surpassed Pokemon Platinum as my favorite RPG (and that my friend is very difficult).

    This is by far the most accessible game in the series. I am a first time Fire Emblem player and i know the others have perma-death that you can't turn off. Awakening gives you casual mode and difficulty levels to make the game easier for new players and it works like a charm. The gameplay is a bit tricky to get used to at first for a newcomer but for veterans it's immediately accessible and it's awesome how you have to strategically place your units so that they can win the battle and not die.

    And speaking of units, the best thing about this game is just how well developed and written the characters are. Every single character is memorable. Chrom is a badass, your unit, regardless of gender, is very well thought out and is really well spoken. I could talk about every character, but i'd spend hours talking about each one. The marriage system makes the character all the more engrossing and engaging and they have children and with all the possible couples you can make, this game will give you hours, upon hours, upon HOURS of content. I have over 30 hours and i have yet to pass the first playthrough AND i have created a new game with a new Avatar. Another thing, even on Normal Casual mode, you will absolutely hate losing characters in the game. Thats how fleshed out they are.

    The visuals are great. The in-game graphics look good but the rendered cutscenes look stunning and gorgeous. The score is among the best scores of 2013, alongside Metal Gear Rising. Id Purpose, Devine Decree and Don't Speak Her Name are among the best tracks of any score i have heard in a video game and of 2013.

    Fire Emblem Awakening is a masterpiece within the realm of RPG and strategy. A great story with fantastic visuals, soundtrack and gameplay with one of the best cast of characters i have seen in an RPG and in a game in general. An absolutely mesmerizing experience and for me, it's one of the best games ever made.    … Expand
  19. SophieR
    Jan 9, 2014
    10
    I have been a fan of the Fire Emblem series for a long time, and I was not disappointed when I played through Awakening when it was first released. It is still one of my favourite titles on the 3DS, and one that I play almost on a daily basis.

    The gameplay is fantastic and offers a variety of options to welcome both new and veteran players; difficulty levels and Classic vs. Casual    I have been a fan of the Fire Emblem series for a long time, and I was not disappointed when I played through Awakening when it was first released. It is still one of my favourite titles on the 3DS, and one that I play almost on a daily basis.

    The gameplay is fantastic and offers a variety of options to welcome both new and veteran players; difficulty levels and Classic vs. Casual consequences. This also gives more freedom in how to enjoy the game; if you are a player who only has a limited amount of time to dedicate to the game, you can still complete the story without worrying too much about losing a few fights here and there between units.

    The class system is fantastic as usual, and the option of infinite leveling as well as summoning opponents from every previous game gives veteran players a wealth of content in order to maximize their units and refine their characters as much as they'd like. The street pass option is also one of my favourites; fighting a passerby's team and comparing your team to those around you offers plenty of incentive to continue leveling up outside of or beyond the main story.

    The DLC is also very well made and beneficial, however it is in no way necessary to complete the story or maximize the units as mentioned above.

    The support and marriage system is very innovative, and highly useful in combat. It also adds to a player's connection to the units in the game as they grow together through the story, combat, and levels helping each other out on the way. Although the conversations between characters and the marriages can be rather cheesy or unbelievable in certain cases, it also adds in a comical balance to the dramatic gameplay that keeps the game fresh and fun throughout.

    Finally, as always, the story, cutscenes, voice acting and graphics do not fail to disappoint. It is well told and fully developed, with additional difficult challenges available for free with a wireless connection.    … Expand
  20. Michael-5
    Mar 11, 2014
    10
    Best SRPG ever made, why? It's just so damn polished and packed with content. From the pre-rendered cinematics, to the 3D effects, to the whole support/marriage system, to the skills/class system, to the extra features such as casual mode (which makes the game so much more accessible), this is just one of the most well thought out RPG's I've ever played.

    It's also really long, I    Best SRPG ever made, why? It's just so damn polished and packed with content. From the pre-rendered cinematics, to the 3D effects, to the whole support/marriage system, to the skills/class system, to the extra features such as casual mode (which makes the game so much more accessible), this is just one of the most well thought out RPG's I've ever played.

    It's also really long, I finished the game in 75 hours with all the side quests, and some DLC. Never have I put this many hours into a hand-held game since the original Pokemon/Advance Wars came out.

    On a technical level, this game is just mind-blowing, when a flock of birds flew past my screen I nearly dropped the 3DS is shock thinking ants were walking on my screen. Graphically this is the best game in the series.

    As a game, there were no compromises made, and Intelligent Systems clearly learned how to make a good formula after all this time. You still get the same 25-40 hour Campaign, but you also get another 25-35 hours of paralogue quests. Character recruitment only occurs in paralogue missions, so you can never miss out on that super unit. Plus now there is a casual mode, so you don't have to pull your hair out when your favorite character dies on the last turn in a level.

    This game is just insane, it's the reason why I bought a 3DS, and after the Chrono Trigger & Front Mission (for me) remakes on the DS, I would argue this is the best hand held game ever made. Which means yes, it's better then the original Pokemon

    This game is now After the Chrono Trigger & Front Mission remakes for the DS    … Expand
  21. Killua
    Apr 10, 2014
    8
    This review is for Fire Emblem Veterans who are craving a challenge!
    FE: Awakening is a great introduction into the Fire Emblem series, but lacks in proper difficulty. Let me rephrase, FE: Awakening can be quite difficult, but difficult in the worst kind of way. From the start the game quickly establishes it's Rock, Paper, Scissor combat system, punishing players for being careless or not    This review is for Fire Emblem Veterans who are craving a challenge!
    FE: Awakening is a great introduction into the Fire Emblem series, but lacks in proper difficulty. Let me rephrase, FE: Awakening can be quite difficult, but difficult in the worst kind of way. From the start the game quickly establishes it's Rock, Paper, Scissor combat system, punishing players for being careless or not predicting their enemy's movement range.

    I played the game on Classic Hard. As the game progresses, enemies start spawning from off-screen or from fortresses, gaining a turn immediately after their arrival. This was fine towards the beginning, but the game precedes to try to increase the difficulty of the game by spawning more in-battle enemies right next to my units at a time. This was a bit of a slap in the face for me because I am not able to predict which enemy/weapon that will spawn, making the rock,paper,scissors aspect established in the beginning a sort of crap shoot.

    On top of that, the game tells me exactly how much damage I will do and will be done to me, which prevents me from making any mistakes. The challenge of the game immediately dissolved when I realized that I could easily gauge who would win by comparing unit's ratings.

    I love the pairing system but it gave me little incentive to ever split my paired units apart. I just put the stronger character in front and let the weaker character make the last hits.

    Another gripe i had is that some of the terrain was incredibly dull. No joke, there were some maps that were essentially flat plains with a few bushes here and there. This is just lazy. That being said, the game maps really excelled when the battles were indoors, forcing me to change my tactics.

    So why do I give this game an 8? Because it's a fantastic game, I would just enter it with low expectations for the die hard FE fans who crave a challenge    … Expand
  22. teshime
    Jul 15, 2014
    10
    I bought Fire Emblem: Awakening on a whim one day, and as a series newbie, I really didn't know what to expect. I was then pleasantly surprised to find I'd bought one of the best games I've played in recent years. The graphics and CGI cutscenes are incredibly stylish, and as someone who has always fallen flat with turn-based strategy games, I was amazed with how quickly I engaged with andI bought Fire Emblem: Awakening on a whim one day, and as a series newbie, I really didn't know what to expect. I was then pleasantly surprised to find I'd bought one of the best games I've played in recent years. The graphics and CGI cutscenes are incredibly stylish, and as someone who has always fallen flat with turn-based strategy games, I was amazed with how quickly I engaged with and got the hang of it. To more seasoned players I can see how it may come across a bit repetitive and simple, but that simplicity gives it a lot more accessibility, which a wonderful game like this should have.
    The story is interesting, and will appeal to anyone who likes a good fantasy narrative spliced with sorcery and dragons. Also, along the way in the adventure you build a band of beautifully designed, engaging characters who fight alongside you. There's also the support system, which is the icing on the cake; there's lots of lovely character development to discover as the characters get to know each other, not to mention the chance to marry them all off (which I really enjoyed)!
    In all seriousness, this is one of the best games for the 3DS so far, and you won't regret buying it!    … Expand
  23. ACM3PTS
    Sep 23, 2014
    10
    This game is a masterpiece, it was my first time playing a fire emblem game and I think its worth buying a 3ds just to play this game. It has an amazing and engaging story, great character development and a deep and rewarding combat system. The art style and music are amazing too, and all the customization options are incredibly vast. Fire emblem games have a feature in which if a unitThis game is a masterpiece, it was my first time playing a fire emblem game and I think its worth buying a 3ds just to play this game. It has an amazing and engaging story, great character development and a deep and rewarding combat system. The art style and music are amazing too, and all the customization options are incredibly vast. Fire emblem games have a feature in which if a unit dies, it stays dead for the rest of the game, but this time there's a casual mode for newcomers to the series. It changes the perma-death mechanic so that fallen units come back in the next chapter. I do not recommend playing in this feature, even if you're new to the series. I feel it changes drastically the experience of the game, but not in a good way. Anyways if you're planning on buying this game you should also consider buying 3 of the DLCs: Future past trilogy, Rogues and redeemers trilogy and Apotheosis, they're all great and add to the experience.
    But by far the greatest thing about this game is how much replay-ability it has. I have spent over 710 hours of gameplay on it and I'm still playing, and I'm not planning on stopping any soon.

    PS. I didn't like RPGs in general until this game opened my eyes.    … Expand
  24. TheTokenFemale
    Sep 21, 2014
    10
    One of the best games I've brought this year. The Graphics are beautiful and actually look good in 3D (A rarity for the system in my experience) and the gameplay is engaging. It's difficult in places and I've gameover'd my fare share of times whilst playing on difficult but I don't find it frustrating in the way in would have with some other games.
    I really enjoyed the support    One of the best games I've brought this year. The Graphics are beautiful and actually look good in 3D (A rarity for the system in my experience) and the gameplay is engaging. It's difficult in places and I've gameover'd my fare share of times whilst playing on difficult but I don't find it frustrating in the way in would have with some other games.
    I really enjoyed the support conversations to the point where I would play random encounters with weaker characters not only to level them up but to try different support combos so I could see all the conversations.
    My one complaint would be that the ending felt and bit rushed and the game a little too short for my liking, however this is made up for by the sheer replayability of this game and some half decent DLC which isn't badly priced and is fun to play    … Expand
  25. anginesu
    Dec 20, 2014
    10
    If you ever asked how 3D could be interesting, check the cutscenes for this game. The art is awesome, so is the voice acting (can be hilarious at times) and the way you interact with the characters. Making your "avatar" have a significant importance may shock some hardcore fans, but the story is still consistent and makes the gameplay practically flawless if you play as any Fire EmblemIf you ever asked how 3D could be interesting, check the cutscenes for this game. The art is awesome, so is the voice acting (can be hilarious at times) and the way you interact with the characters. Making your "avatar" have a significant importance may shock some hardcore fans, but the story is still consistent and makes the gameplay practically flawless if you play as any Fire Emblem game should be played: classic with the hardest difficulty available. Of course, some of the most intriguing aspects of other FE games are back, so don't think casual mode is a new thing that "destroyed" it. It's perfect to make the franchise more mainstream, making more people like the genre, and thus, loving the finest features it has.… Expand
  26. Davidcon12
    Apr 23, 2016
    10
    An absolute triumph of a game. Whether you have been with the series for years or this is your first encounter with Fire Emblem this game is everything you can ask for. The Tactical Role Playing gameplay is as refined and enjoyable as ever with the standard weapon triangle system giving an in-depth strategical element to the game. It looks great for the system and has an amazingAn absolute triumph of a game. Whether you have been with the series for years or this is your first encounter with Fire Emblem this game is everything you can ask for. The Tactical Role Playing gameplay is as refined and enjoyable as ever with the standard weapon triangle system giving an in-depth strategical element to the game. It looks great for the system and has an amazing soundtrack. The story and characters of this game is where it truly comes alive however. The story has everything from lighthearted moments to tragic moments and the characters are incredibly developed and will either make you love them or love to hate them. The support system also gives you more reason to care about these characters and gives an added layer of strategy to the game. Overall and amazing game and one of the best on the 3DS.… Expand
  27. citizenerased
    May 9, 2013
    5
    I've invested 20 hours into this game so far on the Hard setting and here is my take. It is way too easy and repetitive and unfortunately I have little drive to pickup this game to play now, which is a shame because the first few hours contained so much promise. The one negative review that presently exists nailed the issue on its head there's no reason to use 80% of the characters youI've invested 20 hours into this game so far on the Hard setting and here is my take. It is way too easy and repetitive and unfortunately I have little drive to pickup this game to play now, which is a shame because the first few hours contained so much promise. The one negative review that presently exists nailed the issue on its head there's no reason to use 80% of the characters you obtain since the main party levels up so quickly. Due to this you will not experience an enormous amount of text and back story between these characters since you will never use them. The game is repetitive battle after battle with little variation. Yes, the graphics are nice and the story is decent although VERY typical JRPG fare. After you've promoted your main characters to their master ranks and leveled their weapons up to the top rank around the 15th hour there's not much else to experience except for the tepid storyline.

    I need to say I am absolutely shocked at the amount of poorly written positive reviews for this game that do not highlight these critical flaws in the game. I can only hope for the day Metacritic introduces some standard of quality for their user reviews. How can only ONE negative written review exist for this game that is the only review that points out something so glaringly obvious.

    Disclosure: Gamer of 25 years, played hundreds of RPG's on PC, (S)NES, PS, etc.    … Expand
  28. Evangellist
    Feb 12, 2013
    10
    I can surmise Fire Emblem Awakening with a sentence: BUY THIS GAME RIGHT NOW! Fire Emblem Awakening, is my most anticipated handheld title of this year, yes, I looked forward to this game more than Pokemon: X and Y. I'm a longtime fan of SRPG's, seeing as Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite game ever, I love the genre, and I am extremely happy Fire Emblem Awakening sold so well, it showsI can surmise Fire Emblem Awakening with a sentence: BUY THIS GAME RIGHT NOW! Fire Emblem Awakening, is my most anticipated handheld title of this year, yes, I looked forward to this game more than Pokemon: X and Y. I'm a longtime fan of SRPG's, seeing as Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite game ever, I love the genre, and I am extremely happy Fire Emblem Awakening sold so well, it shows that people still love SRPG games, and it was also proved last year with XCOM, a game that was fine if you got past all the glitches. Fire Emblem Awakening, is nothing of the sort, it just seems to get better the more I play it.

    First off, you can create your main character, which is a nice plus in these games, and you can pick your battle attributes. Whether you want to specialize in Magic, Defense, Attack, Health, all that, and you can even pick your wekaness as well, which is nice. In true Fire Emblem fashion, the game is also very difficult, and has a permadeath mode, which, in my opinion, is the best way to play the game.

    I would tell you about the story, but pretty much eveything that ever happens in the game is intrical to the plot, but trust me when I say, this game is highly cinematic, as well as entertaining. The game doesn't have full voice acting, but still does have some to make it cinematic, the cutscenes, as well, are beautiful, this is one of the best looking games on the 3DS. The games presentation is very well done, the story and characters being rich and well-developed, no problems there. The UI is outstanding, not confusing for new players, yet complex enough for you hardcore fans to get. Also, it has a unique system in which you can actually get married to another unit. It basically means when you combine units you make one hell of a super unit, couples unite! You can also have children that can become units as well, and have a unique appearance based on their parents, it makes for a really cool, unique experience.

    The mechanics, as per usual, are stellar. You can mange your units, equipment and weapons at the hub of the game, and give them new equipment and such. There are several classes of charcters, so each new party member is useful in his/her own way, making the game add a nice spice of variety. You can also change for primary and secondary weapons/magic in the game in combat, so you can adapt to strategy. When you attack an enemy, it plays a little cutscene, and you actually see the enemy get hit, and you take hits as well. The game has the best SRPG engine of any game I've played, and it shows. I've alway wanted these games to have more flourish to them, and seeing your troops actually attack the enemy, and vice versa. The game does a great job of keeping you invested, showing you eveything that happens makes it much less static, which is a problem with other SRPG's, even my favorite.

    To sum it all up, I can say this. This is the best Strategy RPG to come out in years, since Final Fantasy Tactics. If you love strategy, or strategy games, this needs to be an instant purchase for you. The game has so much polish, you can tell a lot of thought was put into it. In fact, I will admit wholeheartedly this game is better than Final Fantasy Tactics, which isn't easy for me to admit. To give you an idea how good it is, this game is a SERIOUS contender for Game of the Year, in my book. I know its only February, but trust me, it really is that good. So far I'm loving it, I know you won't be dissapointed if you buy it as well. This is the BEST handheld game I've played since Dragon Quest 9, and its even better than that! The game is so rich, deep, and full of playability, customization, and a great story that 3 hours in, gets REALLY good.    … Expand
  29. danech10
    Oct 25, 2014
    7
    Awakening has proven to be a very divisive game amongst the Fire Emblem fanbase. Players new to the series seem to appreciate many of the new features that have been added, while series vets find that their presence has come at the cost of other key components such as mission variety, map design, and balance.

    Ultimately, whether or not you will enjoy this title is dependent very much on    Awakening has proven to be a very divisive game amongst the Fire Emblem fanbase. Players new to the series seem to appreciate many of the new features that have been added, while series vets find that their presence has come at the cost of other key components such as mission variety, map design, and balance.

    Ultimately, whether or not you will enjoy this title is dependent very much on your own expectations. If you're less familiar with SPRGs, or if you prefer a more open-ended take on the genre a la Disgaea or Final Fantasy Tactics, then you'll find plenty to enjoy here. If you are a long time fan of Fire Emblem, however, you will likely be let down by what's on offer in Awakening. Personally, as a new player to the series myself, and with a minimal history in the genre (about 8 hours of Valkyria Chronicles), I found the Pair Up features to be somewhat distracting in a way that seemed to undermine the core of the game.

    It's worth pointing out what this game does well aside from its gameplay. The level of polish and amount of content is terrific, the 3D cutscenes are stunning, and the potential for replay-ability is certainly high. I found the story, and some of the characters, to be pretty bland.

    It's hard to call Fire Emblem: Awakening a bad game, but it may be a disappointment to long-time fans.    … Expand
  30. DarthSidious63
    Apr 28, 2013
    8
    Fire Emblem: Awakening is one of the best games for the 3DS but only if you like the genre of turn base combat and micro managing the soldiers under your command. The is no exploration except for picking places on a map. It is also a costly game for buying extra content.
  31. PhazonJuke
    Mar 13, 2013
    10
    Thiswas my first Fire Emblem game and woah was it an incredible experience. The cutscenes are phenomenal and show off the games gorgeous art style. Battles are fun and tense. Menus and item management is simple, clean, and elegant. Character dialogue is funny, and compelling. The story is wonderful and the game itself is a blast to play. You'll be amazed at how attached you get to yourThiswas my first Fire Emblem game and woah was it an incredible experience. The cutscenes are phenomenal and show off the games gorgeous art style. Battles are fun and tense. Menus and item management is simple, clean, and elegant. Character dialogue is funny, and compelling. The story is wonderful and the game itself is a blast to play. You'll be amazed at how attached you get to your characters, Everyone should play this game, its that good.… Expand
  32. HeeresJ0hnny
    Feb 11, 2013
    10
    After spending countless hours in the first two GBA Fire Emblem games, I freaked out when I heard there was a new one coming out. This game is easily the best 3DS game and should be a candidate for Game of the Year (if they include handheld titles). The gameplay is far from revolutionary, but it's Fire Emblem. you know what you're getting into. Fans of the series will feel right at home,After spending countless hours in the first two GBA Fire Emblem games, I freaked out when I heard there was a new one coming out. This game is easily the best 3DS game and should be a candidate for Game of the Year (if they include handheld titles). The gameplay is far from revolutionary, but it's Fire Emblem. you know what you're getting into. Fans of the series will feel right at home, but there are lots of little improvements, tweaks, and additions that make the game practically perfect as far as a turn-based RPG goes. You can now create your own character as well as form friendships and romantic relationships that actually feel real between the characters. The game looks amazing and the 3D effects are stunning. In short, I cannot like this game anymore than I already do. The only reason I put the game down is because my arms fall asleep from holding the 3DS up. If I didn't have a 3DS, I'd buy one JUST to play this game. If you have a 3DS and you're a fan of RPGs, you'd be a foolish fool not to buy this game.… Expand
  33. soren40
    Feb 24, 2013
    10
    I didn't know what to expect when i heard about a 3ds Fire Emblem game but this is easily the best game of the franchise. You can play as characters from every FE game via SpotPass and dlc. Everything in the game is solid and well executed. I believe this is the best 3ds game to date. If you like RPG's or strategy games i would definitely recommend it.
  34. Espeonater
    May 31, 2013
    10
    I never heard of the fire emblem series until I played SSBM. and even after that I never played a fire emblem game. One day I saw a demo of this game for free and I decided to try it and man did I feel like I was missing out! Fire emblem awakening is incredibly addicting, fun, and the most important thing in RPGs, an experience.
    The story starts with u waking up in a field from a    I never heard of the fire emblem series until I played SSBM. and even after that I never played a fire emblem game. One day I saw a demo of this game for free and I decided to try it and man did I feel like I was missing out! Fire emblem awakening is incredibly addicting, fun, and the most important thing in RPGs, an experience.
    The story starts with u waking up in a field from a nightmare. You are greeted by chrom, a sheperd who shows incredible determination and comppassion toward all his other fellow sheperds. You awaken with no memory, yet u somehow know chrom's name? You then discover that the great kingdom Ylisse is under attack by Pledgia, a kingdom that only seeks to spread chaos.You also have to deal with these zombie like creatures called the risen. So being a person who just lost there memory, ur the perfect canidate to be these shepards tactician. Oh well video game logic. The fire emblem series is a tactical style RPG fantasy game. You begin a turn by moving a unit forward to the enemy. If your in attacking range of them you can attack them, however if they are also in attacking range they cant counter and attack u too unless of course u kill them. In the second turn, the enemy does the same. One of the biggest differences in Fire emblem has over most other RPG's is that once one of your teamates are defeated they are gone forever and can't return. This makes the game more challenging as u can't do something very reckless. One reviewer here complained this game was too easy and to that I say bull. I still to this day can't beat lunatic+ because if u aren't prepared u r going to be annihilated. If someone out there has actually beaten this mode, message me because I really want to know how. However that's what makes this game so addicting for me. I just for some reason can't stop trying again and again no matter how many times I fail. But for those intimidated by a challenge shouldn't fear because thanks to the new difficulty levels, and the option of turning the permanent death system on our off, this is a game suited for anyone, fire emblem fan out not. And I'm very thankful for this because it made it a lot easier for me to get more into this franchises. I could go over everything thing that I liked, but my favorite thing in this game has to be the support conversations. These things not only helped me in battle, but they also help to make every single play through different from the last. Also, the dialogue between these characters is probably some of the best and most entertaining.
    As for problems or issues there aren't that many to go over. The only thing I can pass off as a big con is the fact that the story isn't all that great. Yeah it's a good story, but nothing more than that. Most of the characters didn't take the events very seriously and most of the twists in the plot were very predictable because they were either foreshadowed, or your logic assumed that would happen. However story's in games isn't the selling point for me most of the time, so I don't find this a turnoff as most other fire emblem fans do. The rest of the complaints I have are just left in nitpicks like oh Roy, Martha, and Ike aren't in the story and the characters battle models are very innacurite." The only one of these nitpicks that really gets on my nerves is the voice acting. The voice actors in this game don't say much other than a few words and grunts which can get annoying when u here them over and over. I am aware u can turn it off, but the problem I have with this, is the fact that such great voice actors were just wasted. But these flaws don't put a candle into all the great aspects of this game.
    Fire emblem awakening is incredibly fun, has great visuals and sound, a ton of replay value, and the best part is u can take this game anywhere! If u have a 3ds and are going on vaction this summer, then buy this game and you will be able to entertain yourself for that whole car ride or flight. I haven't tried out the DLC, and I probably will not because I don't like to buy very much DLC, but for those who want even more play hours into this game, there u go. I can't give this game my highest recommendation because of the lag luster story, but for what it is I give this game a 9.6 go buy this game now our at least try the demo in the Eshop.    … Expand
  35. TemplarGR
    Sep 10, 2016
    10
    Great game, one of the best on the 3DS, and one of the few system sellers it has, as it is a game which can compete with other platforms, if you disregard the graphics for a second.

    Great production values, very nice story, good gameplay, tons of content. This game is one of the best purchases you can make if you own a 3DS. If you like strategy games, tactics, SRPGs, this is a no brainer.
  36. Vanpire73
    May 9, 2014
    7
    Fun TBS game, but honestly it's pretty overrated. Sacred Stones was the only other one I played in the series. Permadeath seemed to carry much more wight in that one, as you couldn't farm for helpers at your leisure. At the end of the day though, most of the additions were welcome. As far as story goes, who gives a f*ck. It's a lame RPG story I'm guessing. I don't play strategy gamesFun TBS game, but honestly it's pretty overrated. Sacred Stones was the only other one I played in the series. Permadeath seemed to carry much more wight in that one, as you couldn't farm for helpers at your leisure. At the end of the day though, most of the additions were welcome. As far as story goes, who gives a f*ck. It's a lame RPG story I'm guessing. I don't play strategy games for story.… Expand
  37. midipon
    Apr 26, 2014
    3
    I wanted to like this game, I did...but it doesn't hold up. Your grind to survive on the flat, tedious maps, grind to marry your bland team mates off, grind to get skills, etc etc etc! But then it doesn't even pay off. The game is too short for you to fully enjoy what you've done with your team, but its not like it matters much anyway since the characters and story are boring and harp onI wanted to like this game, I did...but it doesn't hold up. Your grind to survive on the flat, tedious maps, grind to marry your bland team mates off, grind to get skills, etc etc etc! But then it doesn't even pay off. The game is too short for you to fully enjoy what you've done with your team, but its not like it matters much anyway since the characters and story are boring and harp on its black and white morality. There are much better games out there.… Expand
  38. BitterSpud
    May 17, 2017
    4
    Well technically functional and with competent presentation, the elements that go into making fire emblem awakening wind up creating a mediocre game in terms of look, sound, and story content. This could be forgiven if the game wasn't a dull game-play experience as well, providing little in the way of a structured challenge at normal and hard difficulty, and relying on cheap tricks andWell technically functional and with competent presentation, the elements that go into making fire emblem awakening wind up creating a mediocre game in terms of look, sound, and story content. This could be forgiven if the game wasn't a dull game-play experience as well, providing little in the way of a structured challenge at normal and hard difficulty, and relying on cheap tricks and poor design on lunatic and higher. If you want a good story and compelling characters, look elsewhere. If you want challenging game-play, look elsewhere. If you want to munch on a game equivalent of pringles, go nuts. However, pringles are unworthy of critical praise.… Expand
  39. KmowXIV
    Jun 19, 2016
    0
    I have been playing Fire Emblem since the second game in the series. Not the second localised one, the actual second game on the Famicom. Seeing this... Destruction of a franchise I hold near and dear to my heart, and then to see people praising it... Well, it was enough to make me give up on this series. So... Where do I begin?
    The plot is garbage. It feels like 3 stories glued together,    I have been playing Fire Emblem since the second game in the series. Not the second localised one, the actual second game on the Famicom. Seeing this... Destruction of a franchise I hold near and dear to my heart, and then to see people praising it... Well, it was enough to make me give up on this series. So... Where do I begin?
    The plot is garbage. It feels like 3 stories glued together, with plot holes ridden throughout, as well as feeling like less of an SRPG and more of a Visual Novel. Characters can barely be called such, all of them have a single personality trait, and that's it. It's sad when Fire Emblem 4, which came out almost 20 years ago, has more developed and 3-dimensional characters.
    The gameplay is departure from even the previous game, and has so little strategy, that the closest you get is a game mode where people write guides on how to do exactly everything. When the beauty of Fire Emblem comes in the customization. Seriously, If you want a good Fire Emblem game with a Mature story (something people who praise this game claim it has), go play Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War.    … Expand
  40. Yackole
    Apr 30, 2017
    4
    Overall, this game is somewhat lacklustre. If it is compared to older Fire Emblem games in the series, this doesn't come anywhere near their level of quality. Most of the appeal of this game is the fanservice, which isn't what should be focused on in STRATEGY a game. The early game map design is pretty spot-on, but as the late game approaches, get ready to say hello to a bunch of bland,Overall, this game is somewhat lacklustre. If it is compared to older Fire Emblem games in the series, this doesn't come anywhere near their level of quality. Most of the appeal of this game is the fanservice, which isn't what should be focused on in STRATEGY a game. The early game map design is pretty spot-on, but as the late game approaches, get ready to say hello to a bunch of bland, empty grids. The gameplay falls short in every aspect, with constant "rout the enemy" or "defeat commander" missions that get old real quick. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance had great variety in map objectives, where sometimes certain squares needed to be defended from the enemy for X amount of turns, or escape all units from the map. They had depth, which I cannot say for any of the Awakening chapters. Let's not forget about Lunatic and Lunatic+, as they create fake difficulty by simply increasing the enemies' stats to a point where success in the early game is up to RNG. All strategy is lost and you have to rely on the aforementioned RNG and grinding all of your units to be gods. This game certainly didn't receive such positive reviews for its gameplay, so I am grading it based on that, and a solid 4/10 seems about right.… Expand
  41. gabriot
    Mar 27, 2016
    3
    This release of call of dut- I mean Fire Emblem brings *shock* nothing new to the table yet again in this tired franchise that everyone somehow loves. This particular installment garners praise from fans and critics alike. Why? I have no idea.

    Where to begin... The difficulty is just a joke. You play on normal mode and it's too easy unless it's your first time ever playing a game    This release of call of dut- I mean Fire Emblem brings *shock* nothing new to the table yet again in this tired franchise that everyone somehow loves. This particular installment garners praise from fans and critics alike. Why? I have no idea.

    Where to begin...

    The difficulty is just a joke. You play on normal mode and it's too easy unless it's your first time ever playing a game like this, you play on hard and it just isn't fun at all. On hard there is pretty much zero strategy, your only option is to just go all in on a few OP characters and literally never have anyone else fight (or else they just get one shotted from ANYWHERE).

    Some of the missions are so horribly designed that there is literally nothing you can do on the harder modes unless you just keep reloading when rng doesn't go your way (looking at you paralogue #2). Oh and they were kind enough not to include a restart mission or restart game option, you know something that games have had since the early nineties - so to add to your frustration you have to hard reset the game each **** time **** strikes during a mission (which is FAR too often).

    Same classes as EVERY other fire emblem game, same exact class progression as EVERY other fire emblem game, same awful dialogue and awful storyline as EVERY other fire emblem game, and same exacty party makeup from start to finish as - you guessed it - EVERY other fire emblem game.

    If you enjoy throwing full priced triple A money at games like Call of Duty and Madden that re-release the same game for a decade, or if having to only really play the game with 3 different character classes since every other single one gets one-shotted no matter how "strategic" you try to be (really the only strategy in this game is praying to the RNG gods you don't get crit'd) then THIS is the game for you! Such a good game, right up there with all the greats, TOTALLY deserving of a 9+ score! Thanks everyone for leading me to believe this was an actual good fire emblem game for once, I'll never trust you again.    … Expand
  42. thehonestwalrus
    Jan 9, 2018
    0
    Beautiful music, artwork, and story. Only flaw is the small section of filler.
  43. Nightshroud
    Apr 12, 2016
    0
    Thanks to the good reviews I decided to try the game expecting to be a really nice game, but sadly the reality was another, this game is full of grinding, and the worst of all, is just the kind of grinding that doesn't reward you at all, the maps are very awfully designed and it hasn't any replay value, so thanks for making me throw 45€ for this BS.
  44. RightEOThen
    Mar 19, 2013
    4
    I love Fire Emblem.
    I just want to preface this review by saying that I love the series and that Fire Emblem 7 (just called Fire Emblem here in the States) is my favorite game of all time. The problem with Fire Emblem Awakening lies in the way it drifts so far from what Fire Emblem should be. Fire Emblem is a series of some of the best strategy games of all time. Games with near perfect    I love Fire Emblem.
    I just want to preface this review by saying that I love the series and that Fire Emblem 7 (just called Fire Emblem here in the States) is my favorite game of all time. The problem with Fire Emblem Awakening lies in the way it drifts so far from what Fire Emblem should be. Fire Emblem is a series of some of the best strategy games of all time. Games with near perfect linear game design, compelling (if not a little dry) stories, and a flair for inventing new concepts for other strategy games to follow. And all of it is placed alongside one of the best systems of strategy combat in history, forcing a player to face up to the real possibility of losing their soldiers.
    But Fire Emblem Awakening does not do the series proud.
    Some of the hate I have for Awakening could be grounded in its divergence from all things Fire Emblem, but I dislike it even more because it tricked me into thinking the whole game would be as good as the first couple chapters. Fire Emblem Awakening does away with the linear style of old Fire Emblem games. At first, this was exciting, but later on I found it made the game devoid of challenge as ranking up your team is far too easy when the battles never stop. There is no point in trying to include weaker characters, no point in trying to form a solid team, and no point in playing on permadeath mode anymore, because the game never actually ends. Sure, there is a final level, but it doesn't matter when you consider that there is no end to the fighting. The game is built for casual mode, which might as well put the nail in the coffin of a series that defined itself as a linear series that had games with a set end. You worked to build a team strong enough to win the war, and lost comrades on the way. But now, every comrade lost is just one less character available for the infinite fights after the end credits roll. Losing a character isn't something you can just keep on without, as their is so much more game to play.
    Of course, the combat is still good despite the poor design, leaving the developer to work on a good story. Unfortunately, the story is an overdone JRPG story featuring a cast of about five relevant characters. The danger in the story isn't real because none of the characters take it seriously. They carry on with their laughably unfunny single trait "personalities" and their pointless conversations while the world falls apart around them in a sea of enemy blood. Now, I realize that Fire Emblem games of the past haven't set the world on fire with their stories, but they at least had some serious enough moments in them to make the world threatening danger somewhat believable.
    Now, the counter argument might be that all of this fits the tone and theme of the game, and it does. But the problem with Fire Emblem Awakening is that it just isn't a Fire Emblem game anymore. Its more comparable to Final Fantasy Tactics than Fire Emblem.
    And as such, it shouldn't have spent time trying to be a Fire Emblem game.
    To sum up this admittedly long winded review, Fire Emblem Awakening is not a Fire Emblem game. If you want to see a good Fire Emblem game, their are about 10 other games in the series (excluding the dull Shadow Dragon) that have not only aged well due to their great combat and well done stories, but that also qualify as Fire Emblem games in feeling, design and execution. Its a sad day to see an IP be turned around and made into something completely different, but I hold out hope that the inevitable next Fire Emblem game gets it right.    … Expand
  45. RyanA
    May 10, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I don't mind the story mode, the graphics, the music, the cutscenes, and most of the story. What I find stupid is that there seems like a lack of different types of character, then therefore, the weapons usable by each character; I liked Radiant Dawn, they weren't as general as characters in this game, instead of a paladin, there are ax paladin, sword paladin, lance paladin, even bow paladin. This added a layer a strategy, so that you had to have one character attacking a specific other one, making sure that it is a good idea after that. In Awakening, you can beat a large number of enemies with one character because of the number of different weapons this character can use. This isn't a problem for most of the game, until you need to get Priam, which you need 30 characters leveled up. This brings me to my next problem with this game, leveling up, boring and tedious, realizing more effective ways to level up characters all of the time, eventually using one character at a time. This is when I sometimes get annoyed to find the best level for the specific characters, sometimes finding the weakness of your character, forcing to search more. I say that it is tedious and boring because you have to kill every single one of them. I may be the only one that thinks this way, but in call of duty and most other first person shooter games, you learn how to go into the fray of a battle and shoot to kill whatever comes in sight. In this game, for this part of this game at least, you have to kill everyone on screen, so you're trying to find the best way to kill your opponent. A counter argument that may come up may be "there risen, it doesn't matter, it's pretty much zombies, things that should be killed," I'd say "what about when you fight against things that aren't risen?" Well, I can't really think of something to replace it, to get the amount of experience you need without using DLC, which adds more money to that $40 I've already spent on this game. People I noticed mention multiple art styles as a positive thing. I look at the appearances (the 3D characters) and art styles. Do they look similar? NO, THEY LOOK STUPID, the Black Knight for example, he's supposed to a have a helmet to mask his head. Guess what. No helmet, and face is see able, this is similar for most (if not all) of the SpotPass/DLC characters. Overall, 6.3/10, it's pretty pathetic it was beat out by both of the Rabbids Games on the 3DS.… Expand
  46. megabear
    Jan 3, 2018
    0
    I've been playing for about a week and below are my impressions:

    Pros:
    - Solid gameplay
    - Good graphics
    - Good OST

    Cons:
    - Cheesy/weak story
    - Poor English voice acting

    I personally found this game to be a great disappointment after having read so many positive reviews.
  47. Hypie
    Oct 6, 2015
    0
    To make it Short the Title Fire Emblem: Grinding would be more matching. Like Midipon already said you grind levels, skills, some boring marriage stuff but it's not rewarding at all...
  48. vahn
    Apr 7, 2016
    7
    I got this game when it launched but I only recently managed to finish, wanting to pick it up before Fates release...but since the new Fire Emblem game is a cash grab I promptly cancel my preorder (in europe it's coming out next month!) and I barely had any reason to continue this game. I explain why in a bit.

    For starters, I won't lie: I tried this game because of the newcomer mode,    I got this game when it launched but I only recently managed to finish, wanting to pick it up before Fates release...but since the new Fire Emblem game is a cash grab I promptly cancel my preorder (in europe it's coming out next month!) and I barely had any reason to continue this game. I explain why in a bit.

    For starters, I won't lie: I tried this game because of the newcomer mode, which doesn't permanently kill your units. I never liked that cheap gimmick because it's just an artificial difficulty rather than a real tactical one: in games like Valkyria Chronicles and Final Fantasy Tactics you could lose your units forever too, but you at least had the chance to save them before they died. In FE this is not the case and now, being able to play the game without that cheap gimmick it's actually a lot of fun!

    The Presentation is amazing: the graphics are pretty good for a 3DS, the cutscenes are incredibly well done and voiced, and the main characters are well written and well characterised. The game itself is also well done, with smooth controls and all information shown on screen.

    Too bad that the touch screen is BARELY used for anything....

    Since this is my first FE ever, I can't compare to the previous games however there is a lot in this game: the pairing option allows two units to become one and increase the stats of each others, but also increase in likeness and allow you to unlock dialogues AND a potential additional character...which is your future child. Thanks to the new marriage option, characters can have children and those children will come back and help you out: unfortunately not ALL the women are completely eligible (except for the MC, who can marry anyone of the opposite sex) and so in my playthrough I had one man left behind and some women who coulddn't marry anyone...except for the MC...

    But in my playthrough my MC was a female soooo....no, same sex marriage is not allowed!

    The game also allows you to change and "promote" your class to higher levels but frankly this only changes few things, such as weapons you can use, stats and passives. On top of that the max level is 20 and it's not THAT hard to reach it. in the end you'll constantly swap classes to upgrade your levels and stats

    Storywise it's also well done, with lots of in-game cutscenes with pieces of dialogue to make them sound more lively (which I promptly removed: they become annoying almost immediately). The writing is actually pretty good though and each character is unique enough.

    Frankly I'd like to keep continuing talking about the positives...but this game for me has one major issue: it has zero depth.

    Let's start from the basics: your units have no special skills for the exception of your passives, which are the ONLY unique things about each unit as they have no special active skills aside for the weapons. Weapons can break and CANNOT be repaired (actually there's just one item who can repair, but it's not worth it), meaning that you'll constantly swap weapons and save the best ones for the hardest fights. Forging it's also useless because breaking weapons so, pointless. Some units seem to be very weak, especially archers (who can't melee) and the first healers (who cannot attack) and due to the pairing they can become hard to train, forcing you to stop and train them properly.

    Secondly, while the story is good, it's...discontinued so to speak. The first part is all about killing a king, the second part is all about killing another king, and the third part is about killing a dragon...wait a minute, why couldn't the game be about one thing? I felt the second part of the game to be completely unnecessary, it was quite a bore. And the last part it's far too quick and ends too soon.

    And on top of that the game is very short: even with grinding and unlocking all the characters I could (DLC stuff not included), I only clocked around 27 hours: VERY short for a tactical rpg like this if you ask me. And the game feels really unfullfilling after a while, since all you ever do is change classes to increase your stats and it's very easy to do so.

    Unless you play on classic mode.

    That's the issue with this game: despite being a "noob-friendly" installment, it is still a Fire Emblem game at its core and the lack of permadeath makes the game easy and boring and the despite the fact that it can be quite heartbreaking to lose a unit you grew up with forever, I still think this is a cheap gimmick to make a game harder, especially when we have games with permadeath done better (Valkyria Chronicles, FF tactics to name a couple)

    So do I recommend it? Yes, definitely, it's not a bad game per se and it's very easy for the newbies like me who suck at tactics to enjoy it. Still, if you want "good" tactical rpgs I'd look further: while FE is very good, it's definitely thought for the fans of the franchise.

    Besides, this game is complete and not split into 2 games like its sequel Fates! It wins by default!    … Expand
  49. Malprodigy
    Jun 5, 2014
    5
    I'm rather confused as to how this game is receiving such exceptional reviews. It's a mediocre tactics game that suffers from a lack of compelling elements. My biggest complaints are:
    - You have to move THEN attack, no attack then move
    - Maps are bland and lack features present in better tactics games (altitude, etc.) - The "voice acting" mainly consist of simple utterances that are    I'm rather confused as to how this game is receiving such exceptional reviews. It's a mediocre tactics game that suffers from a lack of compelling elements. My biggest complaints are:
    - You have to move THEN attack, no attack then move
    - Maps are bland and lack features present in better tactics games (altitude, etc.)
    - The "voice acting" mainly consist of simple utterances that are repeated far too often
    - Story & Characters are dull and uninteresting
    I could go on but I'll leave it at this. The game isn't horrible and brings back a lot of the classic Fire Emblem nostalgia, but it's very far from great.    … Expand
  50. Skyleaf
    Feb 20, 2016
    10
    Great game, really great that you have japanese voiceover in this on compared to the **** mess of fire emblem fates. And yeah those 150 characters on metacritic really suck.
  51. Cloppers
    May 18, 2013
    8
    The game is good, refreshing; yet still brings back memories from earlier games. The new support function is amazing, and being able to marry characters together is a long wanted feature.

    The biggest problem with the game is the huge gap in difficulties. Hard mode is ridiculously easy for veterans of the game, yet Lunatic is nearly impossible without hours of grinding particular units.
  52. IGNsus
    Mar 25, 2014
    8
    I love the Fire Emblem series. Unfortunately, I don't share the same enthusiasm for Awakening.

    Honestly, I wanted to love the game. I expected that I would love it. It was actually one of the reasons I got my 3DS. What ended up happening was I liked the game well enough, but it fell short of my expectations. There are a few glaring faults in Awakening. First, the infinite number of    I love the Fire Emblem series. Unfortunately, I don't share the same enthusiasm for Awakening.

    Honestly, I wanted to love the game. I expected that I would love it. It was actually one of the reasons I got my 3DS. What ended up happening was I liked the game well enough, but it fell short of my expectations.

    There are a few glaring faults in Awakening. First, the infinite number of reclassing makes the game extremely easy, even on the hardest setting. Second, the story is cliched and has very little development. What you get is a plot that speeds along, but it lacks the political intrigue of the earlier FE games. Both of these problems I can overlook, but the map design I simply cannot ignore.

    Quite simply, the map design in Awakening is deplorable. The maps are boring and their layouts are not conducive to strategic gameplay. What I mean is that it's obvious how to place your units at first glance of the map. There are few maps where cowering in a corner does not lead to an easy rout. To compound this problem is that fact there are only two winning conditions in Awakening. Enemies will always dive head first into your units.

    Buy the game, but don't expect it to be as good as older Fire Emblem entries.    … Expand
  53. Jacer200
    Aug 14, 2013
    4
    This was my very first time playing Fire Emblem. I have to say that I love all rpg including jrpg. But I just couldn't get into this game at all. I played for about 3 hours and just shut down the game. I know people love this game but I just did not find it fun. The anime cut scenes are fun to watch but the in game interactions between characters where quit dull. The graphics are great forThis was my very first time playing Fire Emblem. I have to say that I love all rpg including jrpg. But I just couldn't get into this game at all. I played for about 3 hours and just shut down the game. I know people love this game but I just did not find it fun. The anime cut scenes are fun to watch but the in game interactions between characters where quit dull. The graphics are great for a 3DS game but I could not get into the micromanaging of all the characters on a hand held device. For this kind of game I would need total immersion with my 60" TV and my Beyerdynamic headphones. But to me it just falls flat on a handheld device. And I do love a good 50+ rpg/jprg.… Expand
  54. Doctor-J
    Jul 12, 2013
    10
    Fire Emblem Awakening does everything right. Well everything that matters anyway. It is deep and stylish yet accessible and streamlined. All the characters are like-able and when one dies in battle it is genuinely heart wrenching.
  55. Siperfire
    Apr 9, 2013
    8
    This was definitely a very good game, with hours put into it and hours left of it to play. The turn based strategy isn't my favorite form of combat, but the good reviews lead me into buying it anyway, and I was not disappointed. Still, it could get repetitive going on and on after fight, and when you started to run out of characters (If you play on permadeath) some missions feelThis was definitely a very good game, with hours put into it and hours left of it to play. The turn based strategy isn't my favorite form of combat, but the good reviews lead me into buying it anyway, and I was not disappointed. Still, it could get repetitive going on and on after fight, and when you started to run out of characters (If you play on permadeath) some missions feel impossible. The story and cut scenes are great though, from the graphics to the dialogue to the twists, and if you ever start getting bored of a cut scene an amazing one will come make you take it all back.… Expand
  56. hierax
    Oct 27, 2013
    10
    Really nice 3D graphics, awesome Gameplay, weapon and spell crafting, good characters and art style, just breath taking cut scenes. There is nothing bad i could say about this game. If you like Anime, Round turned strategy and RPGs, you will love this game
  57. VidyaBum
    Jun 23, 2015
    9
    The bad in FE: A :
    -The Barracks system is a little silly, you could have had a much more believable cantina system where you have let's say 10 tables and you sit down at one of them and listen to the conversation. Instead we get this silly-looking room where everyone comes, walks around and says 1-2 lines then leaves.
    -Some gameplay mechanics aren't that well-explained. Like the sword    The bad in FE: A :
    -The Barracks system is a little silly, you could have had a much more believable cantina system where you have let's say 10 tables and you sit down at one of them and listen to the conversation. Instead we get this silly-looking room where everyone comes, walks around and says 1-2 lines then leaves.
    -Some gameplay mechanics aren't that well-explained. Like the sword vs axe vs spear thing, supposedly there is a rock-paper-scissors relationship in this, but in some fights I had a strong axe that was "weak" against the foe and a sword that was "strong" against it, yet the axe dealt more damage. These mechanics don't seem to really matter to be honest.
    -Because the gameplay is a little poorly designed, almost every battle can be won with just one tactic: turtle your units together, let them get the bonuses they get for grouping, and just walk through the battlefield like a Roman cohort. Battles are varied enough that this never becomes the only tactic and you'll often break away some units, but for easily 1 fight out of 2, my best bet is to turtle my units in one or two groups and blaze through. The system is made so that if you have enough defense, the enemies have virtually no chance of hurting you, so you can literally walk through 10 enemies with 4 units all curled up, and you'll be fine because out of 10 maybe 3 will hit you, and 6 will die.

    The Good:
    -Despite the mild complaints about turtling up and some mechanics, the gameplay is very very good. Each unit has got its own type, attack, capabilites(flying, distance attack, magic, physical, etc), you have a randomness factor which seldom ever hurts you and serves you a lot, aka the good kind of random that only provides bonuses, every unit has its strength and weaknesses and if you know the game well, preparing your formation and fighting a battle is equally important and fun. The diversity is just right, no units are unused and no units feel wanting. It may be just a tad on the simplistic side here and there, but the difficulty helps correcting that.
    -The difficulty in FE is always depending on how many units you accept as casualites. I always played in "real" mode IE if a unit dies, it dies for good, and I found myself restarting some battles over 30 times. Extremely frustrating? Sort of, but honestly, the fact that every mistake could be the death of a unit was very powerful. It kept asking excellence out of me and I learned the hard way, which is the best way to truly enjoy gameplay. I played and played and played until I had come out of the battle with my full team(out of the whole first playthrough I lost only 3 characters). So the gameplay's simplicity is a rather good thing, even if the factors aren't that numerous, they are sufficient to keep the game interesting and the difficulty of not losing anyone makes it a continuously demanding challenge. As long as there is challenge, I'm in for it.
    -The story is a little bit of a mess. You get a first story which lasts roughly 9 missions, then a second which lasts about 12, then a third. They feel disconnected with each other and aren't anything that fancy(except the twists at the end). But I genuinely enjoyed all of them, the death of characters were memorable, the situations were well-put and even if it was messy, nothing about it made me want to call writer failure on it, ever.
    -Characters are fairly hard to do for a Fire Emblem writer, I'm sure. Simply because you get dozens of them and the game takes care of fleshing them all out. Well, on that front, they did a truly great job. None of them except the main cast(Chrom, yourself, Lucina) are AMAAAAAZING but they all bring something, are all memorable, few are complete duds and I generally enjoyed all of them, even regretting not knowing the one or two that I didn't get to catch through the story.

    The Amazing:
    With all the points I cited, good or bad, FE: A was going to be around 8/10. Gameplay is nothing formidable and story is on par, despite the general qualities there is nothing astounding about this game, it's just another game with nothing especially fancy on tactical games I played (HoMM5, Xcom) or RPGs (Elder Scrolls, Final Fantasy, Persona). While FE: A can't claim to be filled with true genius, it does have the undeniable quality of seriously hard work. The game is polished beyond belief. All its elements, story, characters or gameplay-wise are extremely polished and worked upon, you can tell that this game got a ton of love. The menus are so intuitive and complex, the combat almost never left me dissapointed and surprised me lots, the characters are again not just likeable but also different and memorable. The polish that went into this game is amazing, so many tiny details were added after obvious dozens of hours of work, and I almost failed to mention before that the soundtrack and cutscenes are incredibly good.

    It may not reach genius or have one super-strong element, but a game so polisehd easily deserves a 9.    … Expand
  58. Failatlife
    Nov 1, 2014
    9
    Lunatic is broken and unplayable.
    That's the only complaint. Aside from that, Hard difficulty is the perfect level of challenge for anyone interested in Fire Emblem. A delight for newcomers who are curious about strategy games, and a huge amount of evolution and innovation to impress FE veterans. The "Pair Up" system completely flips the old paradigm on its head. Rescues are gone, and    Lunatic is broken and unplayable.
    That's the only complaint. Aside from that, Hard difficulty is the perfect level of challenge for anyone interested in Fire Emblem. A delight for newcomers who are curious about strategy games, and a huge amount of evolution and innovation to impress FE veterans. The "Pair Up" system completely flips the old paradigm on its head. Rescues are gone, and that probably is for the best; it didn't really make sense.
    The music has always been perfect in Fire Emblem, and this entry is no different. So many songs just stay in your head and make you well up with some truly intense emotions.

    The story is solid too, although some plot points are well-worn, they're handled with enough earnest weight to make them matter and to keep the player from rolling their eyes. Also, this is one of the greatest localizations, period. Bar none.

    Now for some nitpicks. The character models look a bit strange (seriously... look at their FEET. So tiny!), and some characters are annoying, which is practically a first for the serious. I personally detested Severa and Sumia. Severa's just unpleasant and Sumia seems a bit cliched (Oh, the clumsy girl with a good heart...).    … Expand
  59. Englad
    Oct 26, 2014
    5
    This game is graphically superior to anything else on 3DS and the music is superior to previous FE games. But the gameplay is the same as before. I wanted to see a queue system in a Fire Emblem game instead of the player and enemy rotations, but I wasn't given that option. Fire Emblem has always been afraid to innovate itself (not the genre - itself) and as usual I am rewarded for being aThis game is graphically superior to anything else on 3DS and the music is superior to previous FE games. But the gameplay is the same as before. I wanted to see a queue system in a Fire Emblem game instead of the player and enemy rotations, but I wasn't given that option. Fire Emblem has always been afraid to innovate itself (not the genre - itself) and as usual I am rewarded for being a chicken by keeping my lower level units back beyond harm. I was at least given a casual option to play the game which means you can lose units and they won't disappear forever in the casual mode. There is also a male/female option for choice of main character.… Expand
  60. TomMatt
    Dec 29, 2014
    10
    One of the best games I have ever play in a pocket console, and one of the best games of rpg/ strategy. The best game in 3ds, by far. If you like to think and make good strategy, you must play this game.
  61. dmzv92
    Jan 10, 2016
    7
    The good:

    - Great presentation - Good OST - Really intuitive and user friendly UI The bad: - The "Waifu Breeding" mechanic is extremely creepy. Seriously who marries a guy after talking with him 3 times? The whole addition of this gimmick feels like pure fanservice. - The maps feel really repetitive in design and in objectives. Seriously, virtually all missions have the same    The good:

    - Great presentation
    - Good OST
    - Really intuitive and user friendly UI

    The bad:

    - The "Waifu Breeding" mechanic is extremely creepy. Seriously who marries a guy after talking with him 3 times? The whole addition of this gimmick feels like pure fanservice.
    - The maps feel really repetitive in design and in objectives. Seriously, virtually all missions have the same objectives: kill everyone or kill the commander. What was IS thinking by making a STRATEGY game with such little variety in the mission objectives?
    - The story is horrible. Probably among the worst storylines I've ever experienced in any JRPG. It just feels really convoluted, like if the guys that wrote it had 3 different ideas for the plot and they just combined them in a really confusing, 3 arc storyline (filled with plot holes and everything). Seriously I still don't understand why the second arc was necessary. It felt like filler.
    - The game is really unbalanced in Lunatic and Lunatic+. The game is not even about strategy anymore, it's an RNG fest in those difficulties. And to even the odds a bit you have to grind (it's not necessary, but to not grind would result in the game being pretty obnoxious) and to do it you NEED the DLC. Which carries us to our next point:
    - There is an absurd amount of DLCfor this game. Seriously, why? At least they could have included the EXPonential Growth and Golden Gaffe maps into the game...

    I think those are my main complaints about this game. If you're planning on buying it please don't do it. Wait for FE: Fates.    … Expand
  62. AVahne
    Feb 17, 2016
    7
    Designed specifically to recapture the Blue Ocean crowd that Nintendo seemingly lost to the mobile mega machine, Awakening is an understandably streamlined and simplified experience compared to past games. Old fans will be happy to find that the basic, core gameplay mechanics are kept intact, while some (myself included) may be saddened by the lack of complexity and robust gameplayDesigned specifically to recapture the Blue Ocean crowd that Nintendo seemingly lost to the mobile mega machine, Awakening is an understandably streamlined and simplified experience compared to past games. Old fans will be happy to find that the basic, core gameplay mechanics are kept intact, while some (myself included) may be saddened by the lack of complexity and robust gameplay mechanics that made the Tellius saga and Shouzo Kaga's SNES and Playstation games so revered within the community. The story is leans much on the weak side, with mediocre story telling and many forgettable characters. Unfortunately many of the characters adhere strictly to overdone anime character archetypes, much more so than any Fire Emblem game before it. The CG cutscenes are top notch and help to alleviate some of the dryness of the story. The graphics are standard 3DS affair, with the notable loss of feet on character models. Unit design is, to be frank, awful compared to previous games and animations can be a bit jerky or simply "boring" looking (as is the case with all the magic spells). Map design and level clear conditions have also taken a hit from the casual hammer, with every map being a straightforward "rout the enemy" types of deal.
    The 'Rescue' command has been replaced by the 'Pair Up' command, its polar opposite. Whereas the Rescue command causes the initiating unit to pull in the target allied unit into its space and trigger a loss in speed and skill, the Pair Up command causes the target to take in the user and will actually boost the stats of the target. This creates the potential to storm a map with an unstoppable juggernaut duo, as the paired up status also allows partner characters to join in the assault and also COMPLETELY nullify an enemy's attack. In practice, the system is rather cool even if it turns the game into a cake walk, and it is only really balanced when playing a harder difficulty where enemies have ridiculously high stats and are armed to the teeth with the best offensive and defensive skills.

    All in all, Fire Emblem Awakening is a very competent game and it fulfilled its mission of bringing into enough new players to make the series profitable again. The game is perfect for newcomers, but may be lacking for old school fans. A challenge can still be had at higher difficulties, but to be honest any game can be made harder by jacking up the numbers. A game that has difficulty but also fairness due to masterful and balanced design is the best type of difficulty, which unfortunately is not something the series may ever see again simply due to the nature of the audience that now makes up the majority of its playerbase.

    Review written after amassing over 300 hours into the game.    … Expand
  63. Phuz
    Mar 9, 2022
    0
    So first let's address the elephant in the room. Or should I say horse? Every character has hooves for feet and these huge horse like legs. They're ugly. They look like they have been kicked by a horse.

    Beastiality isn't my thing. My next waifu being a donkey, doesn't really appeal to me. Next the battles are awful and I am getting rid of this game after just a short time playing    So first let's address the elephant in the room. Or should I say horse? Every character has hooves for feet and these huge horse like legs. They're ugly. They look like they have been kicked by a horse.

    Beastiality isn't my thing. My next waifu being a donkey, doesn't really appeal to me.

    Next the battles are awful and I am getting rid of this game after just a short time playing because of it. I played a side quest, made a silly error early doors and started again. My first move was identical on my rerun but the outcome was completely different. I redid this. Started again 4 times. Every time a different outcome from the same move. So I tried a different character. Same thing, random outcome every time. Then I went a step further with this second character and gave them support. They actually did worse with the support than without. Now I am someone who plays Fire Emblem on easy, if the option is available. I am not a major tactical strategist but come on, it is still a strategy game. I still love to plan, even if I'm not very good at it. How can I enjoy a strategy game that is purely down to luck? That is totally game breaking. You can't make a strategy for complete randomness. It just made the game pointless.

    Next, the dialogue. I like text and I don't like stupid OTT Hollywood cr*p voiceovers. Give me text any day but please not with a one, or two word audio byte for every line. I don't want to hear constant nonsense like, hey, you sure, OK, urgh, that's right, let's go, or any other rubbish they spout.

    OST. It's Fire Emblem - It's great.

    Graphics? It's OK. I like the 3D stuff and it looks nice in general but then everything is totally ruined by forementioned horses.

    I'm not some FE purist that only likes old games. Radiant Dawn was my first FE and 3 House's is my favourite game ever, if anything I prefer newer titles much more but this is just rubbish.

    It has just cost me £35, so far it feels more like it's worth about £2, if that. That is just for the OST. I'm not really enjoying the game at all.

    For reference 3 House's is a 10/10 for me and Radiant Dawn an 8.5+/10.

    I feel I would enjoy a 3rd playthrough of 3 House's, or maybe actually playing my 4th house DLC a lot more than I'll ever like this.

    No one, absolutely no one is giving me the magic that psycho Edlegard did. She was an exciting character. These characters in Awakening have left me disinterested in them, I'm really not that bothered to find out what they do next.

    Dull, a polished turd, a gee gee's wet dream. A weird, dull game that sounds beautiful but looks horrific and plays badly.    … Expand
  64. shootingstars99
    Jul 10, 2019
    3
    While Fire Emblem has never been the deepest or most fun strategy RPG, it does have it's solid entries, this however is not one of them. Every element of strategy essentially flies out the window after a achieving a certain character level, making the game boil down to something more akin to "Dynasty Warriors: The Board Game" later on in the game, The story itself is sub par, theWhile Fire Emblem has never been the deepest or most fun strategy RPG, it does have it's solid entries, this however is not one of them. Every element of strategy essentially flies out the window after a achieving a certain character level, making the game boil down to something more akin to "Dynasty Warriors: The Board Game" later on in the game, The story itself is sub par, the characters aren't interestingly designed or very likable aside for maybe 2 or 3 out of many, and the game play can be boiled down to grinding up after missions to eliminate all traces of strategy from a game that has marketed itself as a strategy role-playing game. It's a bummer, because I wanted to like this game.… Expand
  65. Raiohs
    Sep 22, 2019
    3
    Worst fire emblem Ive played. Has some good mechanics (some break the dificulty) but terrible writing, I felt like I was playing a fanfic, bad level design, where missions boil down to "kill everyone" and because of broken mechanics you can basically have super warriors who do all the work. No stratagy needed and bad plot makes this game a downer in the series
  66. Incarta
    Feb 16, 2014
    9
    Another great entry in the series. Much improved over the DS shadow dragon. They've managed to find plenty of ways to modernise the series without harming the core gameplay. Great job!
  67. BlazingTiamat
    Jul 11, 2014
    9
    Deep old school strategy RPG with some very interesting features (romances and children!) and complex, involving combat. Generally difficult and demanding game, but AFAIK probably one of the most accessible in the Fire Emblem series. Some features are missing (online play and tournaments, more side quests, equipment and character customization), certain parts may not be for everyone (lotsDeep old school strategy RPG with some very interesting features (romances and children!) and complex, involving combat. Generally difficult and demanding game, but AFAIK probably one of the most accessible in the Fire Emblem series. Some features are missing (online play and tournaments, more side quests, equipment and character customization), certain parts may not be for everyone (lots of character interactions, manga-inspired) and DLCs are quite pricey (and sometimes not worth the money at all, especially the money and EXP boosters!), but it really is a massive game with over 60 hours of gameplay to be had. Worth noting is that the actual strategy combat is more like Panzer General and less like Final Fantasy Tactics - ranged attacks are generally 2-3 squares away max. Not as good as FFTA2 (crazy amount of side-quests, classes and items!), but outstanding in its own terms.… Expand
  68. skykappah
    Apr 8, 2015
    10
    From the makers of the Advance Wars series, Paper Marios.. WarioWare games.. Comes Fire Emblem: Awakening. By far one of the best teams in the Video gaming world, Intelligent Systems. They have never ceased to impress me and with this game... It's like time travel, I turn this game on and when I switch it off, 2 months flew by. It's simply too addictive and I recommend you not to buy it ifFrom the makers of the Advance Wars series, Paper Marios.. WarioWare games.. Comes Fire Emblem: Awakening. By far one of the best teams in the Video gaming world, Intelligent Systems. They have never ceased to impress me and with this game... It's like time travel, I turn this game on and when I switch it off, 2 months flew by. It's simply too addictive and I recommend you not to buy it if you have a social life or a family.… Expand
  69. BlacksitePSU
    Nov 13, 2013
    10
    Fire Emblem: Awakening is practically flawless in its execution as a fun, addictive strategy RPG. If you are looking to get into the series and wish to expand your 3DS library with quality titles, Awakening should not be overlooked.
  70. Carlitoxic
    May 18, 2015
    10
    This is my first Fire Emblem and also can say that it´s one of my favourite RPG. Amazing gamming and beatiful design. At this moment one of my favourites games of 3DS.
  71. Hitokiri_Ace
    Sep 27, 2013
    10
    Short and sweet.
    I've played all the FE's that have been translated and brought to NA.
    This one is the best for many reasons. :)

    If you like strategy RPG's and haven't played this game, you are really missing out!
  72. kiwijinxter
    Apr 4, 2014
    10
    This has got to be one of the BEST games I’ve played across ANY platform (I’ve got the Xbox 360, Wii, PC, DS and of course the 3DS)!

    To know for sure if you like this game, here’s a checklist: 1) Do you like a good story and funny dialogue? Check! 2) Do you like a good RPG? Check! 3) Do you like a good turn-based game? Check! 4) Do you like good originality? Check! 5) Do you like    This has got to be one of the BEST games I’ve played across ANY platform (I’ve got the Xbox 360, Wii, PC, DS and of course the 3DS)!

    To know for sure if you like this game, here’s a checklist:
    1) Do you like a good story and funny dialogue? Check!
    2) Do you like a good RPG? Check!
    3) Do you like a good turn-based game? Check!
    4) Do you like good originality? Check!
    5) Do you like good in-game animation? Check!
    6) Do you like to produce good kids? Check!
    7) All of the above? Check!

    Fire Emblem: Awakening covers so much ground it’s no surprise that the appeal is so wide. At its heart, it is a grid-based turn-based strategy game based on some pretty memorable characters with their own strengths and weaknesses depending on their classes such as Swordmaster, Sorcerer, Sage, Dark Mage, Dark Flier, Warrior, Berserker, Archer, Lord and so on. You pick up more characters (all playable!) as the story progresses to join your party. In each mission, you pick a mix of characters to do the mission. Each mission progresses the story but there are other Side Stories and Paralogues – more on that later. The turn-based strategy has a twist – you can PAIR these characters on the maps. Each time you pair them, they can SUPPORT each other in unique ways (such as increasing your main attacker’s attack, defense, avoidance etc., and even come to the defense of the unit!) But we do ourselves an injustice to just call it a “turn-based strategy game” – it’s much much more.

    That’s where we come to… child-bearing. Yes, child-bearing. You can pair various characters at every turn, and the more times you pair them, the stronger their relationship becomes. Then in the dialogue part of the game, over time, you get the pairs to talk to each other up to a point where they get married. Once they get married, at some point in the game “Paralogues” open up. These are side-missions specifically related to the kids from these marriages. These kids inherit some of their parents’ (depending who you end up pairing into marriages) skills and stats. And here’s the clincher – you can then enlist any of the kids into your party too and play them as characters!!!

    And here’s the part for RPG lovers. As you move on, you can use a Master Seal or Second Seal to change classes or promote within a class for ANY character in your party. And when you change classes, they get to keep the perks they’ve earned. For example, I turn one of my characters Anna into an Assassin to get the “Lethality” perk (chance of one-hit-KO), then changed her class into a Dark Knight to get the “Lifetaker” perk (recover HP by 50% after she defeats an enemy). So as you level up and change classes over time, your characters get stronger and stronger. There is an element of grinding at times – and which RPG game doesn’t have that? But grinding doesn’t feel so bad when the battle animation is SOOOOOOOO good. While I got a bit bored of Pokemon X and Y battle animations after awhile, I have NEVER tired of watching hours of Fire Emblem: Awakening battle animations – it feels so alive and organic that it impresses me even if I’ve seen some of the same moves a 100 times. Especially when there’s those “chance of activating” perks like “Lethality” which is peppered in the usual combat animations. Want the lazy way out (like I did) of too much grinding? Welcome to the DLCs.

    While paid DLCs are NOT required for game completion, I highly recommend them. They are of top-notch quality and each of them actually grants you something valuable so it’s actually worth buying. For example one of them grants you a new class, the Dread Fighter. Another DLC grants you a new character. My favourite is the “EXPonential Growth” DLC mission, which eases the pain of levelling up by quite a fair bit. You can buy them in sets of three which is a few dollars cheaper. There’s just SO much replayability that’s added with these DLCs. I’ve probably used “EXPonential Growth” about 100+ times.

    The animated cutscenes, although it doesn’t no appear often, are really good. That said, the dialogues in the story are so funny. The story and relationships between characters are really engaging, and at times, real hilarious and worth reading through.

    Now I personally hate overly difficult games. This game allows you to tune the difficulty. For example, I play on a casual mode where if the characters get KO’d, they return in the next mission. If you’re in for a challenge, you can go for the “Permadeath” mode where once a character is lost in a mission, he or she is lost forever. Pretty tough especially if you honed and levelled up that character and grown to love it.

    If I haven’t already got a 3DS, Fire Emblem: Awakening would’ve done it for me. No game is perfect, but this comes pretty darn close!    … Expand
  73. hwarming
    Jan 25, 2014
    10
    This is the only Fire Emblem game I played, and I bought it after hearing it was good. But wow, I was really blown away by this game, it's easily one of the best games on the 3DS.

    First, the game looks great, the drawn portraits are very well done and show the characters in different varieties of emotion, the actual in game models are still pretty good, but they could've used them    This is the only Fire Emblem game I played, and I bought it after hearing it was good. But wow, I was really blown away by this game, it's easily one of the best games on the 3DS.

    First, the game looks great, the drawn portraits are very well done and show the characters in different varieties of emotion, the actual in game models are still pretty good, but they could've used them better.
    The prerendered cutscenes look amazing, I believe it is cel shading, which works very well on the 3DS.

    Great cast of voice actors, Kyle Hebert, Liam O'Brien, Laura Bailey, Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt, and a lot of other voice actors that aren't in the limelight, but still do a good job.

    The gameplay is fun, you can have characters work together on the battlefield to help eachother in combat, and build relationships which improve their strengths when working together. It also provides a relationship system where characters can become friends, or marry eachother. If you're not big into strategy, you might not like it, but I suggest at least giving it a try, I believe there's a demo on the Nintendo eShop.

    My only issue with this game is that during the character creation for your Avatar, at least for the males, the choices are pretty limited, you can make him look like a 10 year old, a femme boy, or a really manly man with a chin that would make Leno blush. I admit, it's only a superficial thing, but it just kind of bugs me that there's no happy medium.    … Expand
  74. birdman3
    Jul 31, 2019
    10
    This is a Fire Emblem game, through and through. If you've played one before, you know what to expect. The best part is being able to flip open my 3DS and resume from right where I left off. The game is slightly easier than I expected, but it has a lot of depth and replay value. I'm having fun finishing new challenges even after having beaten the game and max leveled most of my characters.This is a Fire Emblem game, through and through. If you've played one before, you know what to expect. The best part is being able to flip open my 3DS and resume from right where I left off. The game is slightly easier than I expected, but it has a lot of depth and replay value. I'm having fun finishing new challenges even after having beaten the game and max leveled most of my characters. Now I need to explore strategies that will strengthen them even further through the Second Seals. This game is fantastic.… Expand
  75. OwtDaft
    May 10, 2018
    6
    + The game has fantastic graphics.
    + The Battles are really well laid out with great locations.
    + Lots of invividual characters.
    + building up character bonds is fun.
    - Characters go down very easily making the permadeath mode frustrating.
    - The story sucks.
  76. Caste
    Mar 6, 2014
    10
    What a game! If you like the tactical-RPG genre, stop reading and go to your favourite shop ;)
    If you are still doubting, the game offers some little twists over the classic genre, with not too long battles, easy to read, all packed with a consistent story and character relation system.
    Also, the game can be played in hardcore mode (don't remember the exact name) where the fallen    What a game! If you like the tactical-RPG genre, stop reading and go to your favourite shop ;)
    If you are still doubting, the game offers some little twists over the classic genre, with not too long battles, easy to read, all packed with a consistent story and character relation system.
    Also, the game can be played in hardcore mode (don't remember the exact name) where the fallen characters die for real, they are out of the party forever. The feeling of care over all of them is awesome, and you will really think deeply your following moves in battle or you will cry later!
    In short, in my opinion is a long, perfectly executed and very replayable title. You should buy it!    … Expand
  77. GoombaJMR
    Jan 12, 2014
    10
    Fire Emblem Awakening is a wonderful game that should be played by all fans of the RPG Genre/Turn Based System. This takes turn based combat to a new level, as you have new people in new battlefields. The main story is around 20-30 hours long, depending on the difficulty level you choose, and the fun of the game makes replay value very high. The high amount of Spotpass items, DLC, and goodFire Emblem Awakening is a wonderful game that should be played by all fans of the RPG Genre/Turn Based System. This takes turn based combat to a new level, as you have new people in new battlefields. The main story is around 20-30 hours long, depending on the difficulty level you choose, and the fun of the game makes replay value very high. The high amount of Spotpass items, DLC, and good streetpass capabilities cause this game to also have great replay value outside of story mode! Highly recommended for all RPG Fans!!

    Gameplay: 10/10
    Story: 9.5/10
    Music: 10/10
    Presentation: 9.5/10
    Length: 9/10
    Overall: 9.5/10    … Expand
  78. Wawacoffee89
    Jun 6, 2014
    10
    Masterpiece period. Game flow, scenery, graphics; are all AMAZING. This game holds up to its predecessors in every way, adding more than ever. Plz buy this game if you own a 3ds, u will not be disappointed.
  79. BillzHere
    May 5, 2015
    8
    Fire Emblem; a series that has gained the limelight in the last few years. A game series that was little known to the west, and only released in Japan up until the early 2000's. A game series that had very few but very well polished and enjoyable games (especially those on the GBA). A game series that was set to end with Awakening as it's last title (thirteenth game in the series). I canFire Emblem; a series that has gained the limelight in the last few years. A game series that was little known to the west, and only released in Japan up until the early 2000's. A game series that had very few but very well polished and enjoyable games (especially those on the GBA). A game series that was set to end with Awakening as it's last title (thirteenth game in the series). I can say that I'm very glad that Awakening was released, because it allowed the Fire Emblem series to continue one once again. Enough with the history of the franchise, now we delve into the newest installment itself: Fire Emblem Awakening (Oh and the review will contain spoilers).

    Let us start with the most notable things about the game itself...
    The game is very well made and polished, as to be expected with Fire Emblem games. However this one definitely delivers in the quantity of content. Since this was slated to be the last Fire Emblem game to release, they made sure it was filled to the brim with a lot of content and DLC. Surprisingly, it worked in their favor. Awakening seems to borrow some ideas from previous installments as well as creating new ones of their own. Gameplay is smooth and it's quite enjoyable to say the least. The graphics are pretty good, considering this is a 3DS game. As I mentioned before the game introduces new ideas and borrows old ones, here's what those are:
    The game seemingly borrows an old mechanic only seen in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War(1996), which was the first fire emblem game that allowed you to play two generations of characters, and returning the skill system that was introduced in the same game. Skills are something you acquire when you level a unit up (5, 10, 15) which grants a unit a special ability they can use inside or outside of combat. Awakening introduces 'pairing up' with other units. You do this by assigning units to 'pair up' with another unit, and this allows the pair to potentially gain stat increase and attack more than once during a single battle. Awakening also returns the 'Class Change' (otherwise known as a Second Seal) that was introduced in Shadow Dragon. Returning to the subject matter of 'pairing up', when this process is also done, you will raise the units that have been paired together's support level. Support level increase will then allow you to access a conversation that these two units have (most of which are pretty funny to say the least). This level increases the more these units are paired together. When you reach the 'S' rank of support (only accessible to Male and Female pairings) then you get a special support conversation which pretty much ends up in the two getting married. Also forgot to mention that the games soundtrack is pretty friggin awesome. All of these things sound great, and they really are. When I originally played this game, I saw no flaws with it at all, and for some time I thought it was the best game I had ever played. However, upon playing through the game more than once, then playing its predecessors, I began to see its flaws.

    I'll begin by saying that the 'Class Change' mechanic in this game can BREAK THE GAME. I'm dead serious here, you can truly break this game with the class change. Since you can change class whenever you want, you can re-class, get a skill you want, re-class and repeat the process over and over; making units extremely powerful and rendering the hardest difficulty to immensely easy. What's even worse is that these skills can carry over to children (as mentioned before) which then makes them extremely overpowered to the point where the game is no longer fun.
    The game's story in comparison to others is rather weak in this regards. To me when replaying the game over, it seems like they rushed some bits of the story just to get a finished product. This is not to say they did not put any attention or care into the story itself, I'm just stating that it's rather weak. This is something I can forgive, it is tough to create a gripping and immersive story for a game.
    My last gripe is the character supports. After playing my favorite Fire Emblem game, the Sacred Stones and its predecessor Blazing Sword, I realized something different between those two games and Awakening. Their writing and delivery of the conversations seem well thought out and well written in comparison to Awakening. While in Blazing Sword and Sacred Stones, conversations are only heard during actual gameplay; Awakening however, you hear these conversations after the battles. In my opinion the conversations in Awakening's GBA counterparts are far superior in charm, writing, and in some cases humor.

    Overall the game itself is not bad at all, it just seems like a very weak release in comparison to earlier games. I couldn't touch up on all details of the game (due to metacritic's character limit) so I'll leave by saying that Awakening is clearly aimed at new players and not the veteran ones. Does this deter the game? No. Worth the buy? Yes.    … Expand
  80. demonred0
    Feb 12, 2014
    9
    This game is definitely an Awakening for me. the games art style and cut scenes has one of the best graphics for the 3ds so far. It has both english and japanese voices witch I have to give some appreciation to. it has a normal mode in which the character do not die in your game save but for you fans of the series their are two modes that have that feature if you choose to one in normalThis game is definitely an Awakening for me. the games art style and cut scenes has one of the best graphics for the 3ds so far. It has both english and japanese voices witch I have to give some appreciation to. it has a normal mode in which the character do not die in your game save but for you fans of the series their are two modes that have that feature if you choose to one in normal mode and one in hard mode. the game play is the same with a new partner system where you can get stat boost depending on who you choose to be with. each character has their own interesting stories and conversations. their are also some maps you can get via the eshop which is a minor nit pick of mine since you have to pay for the maps but I do not mind so if you want to get it then you can. the sound track is done nicely as well having some familiar sound effects such as the level up theme. overall if you want a challenging strategy game with a good story, great characters, and beautiful art and sound design I get this game. for those who do not like turn base strategy I wound avoid at all cost.… Expand
  81. CoffeeGuy22
    Feb 15, 2014
    10
    Just buy this game, just buy it. If you don't own a 3DS just buy one. That's how good this game is. Easily one of the top 5 best games of all time. Buy it.
  82. karlsanada13
    Sep 29, 2013
    9
    Intro:
    I'm a huge fan of turn-based RPG. Though I haven't played much on its respective genre, I love all of them. I also got my 3DS few months ago and this is my 2nd game. I'm having my 2nd playthrough right now. I just love this game till the very game.:D Let's start with the spot-on review shall we?    Intro:
    I'm a huge fan of turn-based RPG. Though I haven't played much on its respective genre, I love all of them. I also got my 3DS few months ago and this is my 2nd game. I'm having my 2nd playthrough right now. I just love this game till the very game.:D Let's start with the spot-on review shall we?
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Story/Plot 9/10:
    As I play my very first Fire Emblem, I have no idea what the franchise is all about though I know Ike since I've heard a lot of him and all I know are the protagonist have blue hair. Anyway, I think they started fresh here or the game is based several decades after the last game(which I haven't played yet but I might.) It has a good complete story. The immersion is there, you will really feel the sheperds' struggle to win the war and end the fighting. I never got bored playing it and I want to progress cuz I love the story so much. It's the reason why I have a 2nd playthrough right now cuz I kinda rushed things on my 1st playthrough.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Graphics 10/10:
    As a portable game, this game has a very good graphics. It's one of the best. Some terrains may look low-res but when your 3D is on. Dayum, it just looks fascinating and beautiful. You cannot see their feet though. Each character has their own design and look so all of them are unique. Animations are smooth too.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Gameplay 10/10:
    It's simple, just like any other SRPG but it's just so awesome to watch. It has 3 different angles to watch how your character kills the enemy. It's just so fun to look at. You have different classes, from beginner's class to advanced class with different skill set as you level up so it's fun to grind the enemies and get level up so you can build the ultimate weapon on your team. You also have a lot of characters to play with. Though be careful not to let them get killed since if you're a fan of the franchise, you know that the game's default is permanent death.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Sound/Dialogue 8/10:
    I've played the game with 2 different languages. I like the japanese more. This maybe the lowest score that I will give on this game since I find it annoying how the popout sounds when they're having a dialogue. Like "Hey" "Uh." hehehehe". I just find it annoying and I would really love it if they have voiced all of the dialogues which is hard because the game is based on your decisions so it's not linear.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Replay Value 10/10:
    Try marrying everyone on the game, it'd be fun. though most dialogues on the game are common but some are really special. I really want to see all of their S support. But that would probably take me a lot of playthrough. So that's enough said. The replay value is so high because I love the support dialogues.

    Note: Don't let your character marry someone until you get all the characters. xD
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Final Verdict: 9.4/10    … Expand
  83. Allbase42
    Aug 22, 2014
    10
    I love this game I can spend all day reading getting everyone in the game to A support with each other and the battle are fun and I really enjoy a stagy game with actual character instead of customization soldiers.
  84. AJCk19
    Jul 17, 2021
    9
    This game is basically perfection. And if you are very fickle about your JRPGs needing to have a good story. Well sit back and relax, because you are in for some nice plot twists.

    The only complaints I have is they milked the dlc and it is probably best you get this physically and not digitally. If something happens to your 3ds, there goes your 50+ hours of gameplay. The 3ds has a    This game is basically perfection. And if you are very fickle about your JRPGs needing to have a good story. Well sit back and relax, because you are in for some nice plot twists.

    The only complaints I have is they milked the dlc and it is probably best you get this physically and not digitally. If something happens to your 3ds, there goes your 50+ hours of gameplay. The 3ds has a really bad hinge.

    Also, a online mode would have been nice, but not really needed.    … Expand
  85. Cyberpunked
    Jul 12, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pros:
    - Great Strategy Game
    - Accessible to New Comers (Like Myself)
    - Astronomical Amount of Play Time (When including DLC and Side Missions)
    - Great Character Interaction

    Cons:
    - Easy to Lose Interest
    - Uses of Cliches (MC having amnesia, Characters Stereotyping, etc.)    … Expand
  86. ragekoi
    Jul 20, 2013
    9
    Extremely good game for being on a handheld. Is mostly perfect for what it tries to be. Offers a satisfying amount of customization making the game really feel like your experience. Level design is very solid. Strategy is heavily implemented, making later levels challenging but not frustrating. The implementation of casual mode fixes the issue of units not dying forever and instead. TheExtremely good game for being on a handheld. Is mostly perfect for what it tries to be. Offers a satisfying amount of customization making the game really feel like your experience. Level design is very solid. Strategy is heavily implemented, making later levels challenging but not frustrating. The implementation of casual mode fixes the issue of units not dying forever and instead. The graphics are very well done for 3DS standards. The art style is based on anime similar to previous entries in the series. All of the characters are highly developed and inevitably create a pseudo-bond between you and the character. The story is a little blurred, but if you can withstand the long segments of only dialogue, a wholly inspired and at times emotional tale is present. My only real gripe is that the game drags on just a little too long. However that's just a personal gripe. This is the #1 game to have for 3DS at the moment. Hopefully this game will finally popularize the Fire Emblem series, finally giving it the attention it deserves.… Expand
  87. yokans
    Sep 6, 2019
    9
    I am really impressed with the graphic, especially the field weather effects during some specific chapters. Not really a fan of srpg but this game is somehow different and I found myself enjoying the battle. Being able to choose between classic and casual mode is a nice idea as well. I wish it had more voice acting, and the voice glitch is really annoying if you wish to play with Japanese audio.
  88. hephaestion
    Aug 9, 2013
    9
    The best game I've found for the DS to date. Wonderful from start to finish. Easy to pick up, challenging end game, and fun side battles in between. As a bonus for some of us, it takes great advantage of the XL screen(s). 2 thumbs up.
  89. mr_dad
    Aug 28, 2015
    10
    Do you accept Lucina's judgment?

    As many others, I was first introduced to Fire Emblem with Awakening. And If the previous games are anything like this, then I really need to get playing them right away. Boasting a massive cast of unique and likable characters, an engaging and often tragic story, intense tactical combat, a high amount of customization, and more personality and charm    Do you accept Lucina's judgment?

    As many others, I was first introduced to Fire Emblem with Awakening. And If the previous games are anything like this, then I really need to get playing them right away. Boasting a massive cast of unique and likable characters, an engaging and often tragic story, intense tactical combat, a high amount of customization, and more personality and charm than 90% of games today, FE:A is an absolute must-have for fans of JRPGs, strategy games, or just a game that's jammed full of humor and character.

    Make way for Waifu Simulator 2013.

    THE GOOD
    + A massive cast of diverse and lovable characters.
    + Simple tactical combat mechanics allow for deep strategic experimentation.
    + Both the art direction and the music are fantastic.
    + Support conversations give so much depth to every character. Plus they're funny...REALLY funny.
    + Casual Mode is a extremely welcome addition for newcomers.
    + Marriage and Children add even more depth and uniqueness to both the characters and the gameplay.

    THE BAD
    - Occasional morality choices are meaningless (except for the last one).    … Expand
  90. Espinanegra
    Sep 5, 2013
    10
    This is my first Fire Emblem game, and let me say its brilliant.
    One of the best games i played in a long time. Gameplay, game lenght, storyline, content, artwork, animations, music, create in my opinion a masterpiece.
    I really enjoy suffer with every chapter in hard mode. Its really frustrating when you lost a character and you have to restart all the mission, but that feeling make you    This is my first Fire Emblem game, and let me say its brilliant.
    One of the best games i played in a long time. Gameplay, game lenght, storyline, content, artwork, animations, music, create in my opinion a masterpiece.
    I really enjoy suffer with every chapter in hard mode. Its really frustrating when you lost a character and you have to restart all the mission, but that feeling make you think on a good strategy, and i simply love that.
    Hours and hours and hours of gameplay, content, DLC, and streetpass battles will allow you to enjoy this game for a very long time. A "Must Have" game for every 3DS owner.    … Expand
  91. CJ_SCOUT
    Jun 23, 2014
    10
    If anyone you know claims that the 3DS is for little kids...take a copy of this game and shove it in their face! I rarely give 10 out of 10 on ratings unless they truly deserve it, but this game DEFINITELY deserves it. Great strategic combat, gorgeous cut-scenes, great story, great music, gives you the freedom of choice, and has a huge amount of content and replay value. There's not muchIf anyone you know claims that the 3DS is for little kids...take a copy of this game and shove it in their face! I rarely give 10 out of 10 on ratings unless they truly deserve it, but this game DEFINITELY deserves it. Great strategic combat, gorgeous cut-scenes, great story, great music, gives you the freedom of choice, and has a huge amount of content and replay value. There's not much more I can say...support this game and check it out!… Expand
  92. FogCityRoller
    Sep 14, 2013
    10
    This game right here is the reason why you should own a 3DS. The characters and storyline is amazing. The combinations of player modes and difficulty levels makes for very high replay value (Classic mode will suck your soul dry, be warned). This game is nothing short of a masterpiece. I am personally a long-time Fire Emblem fan, but my brother picked this right up and fell in love with itThis game right here is the reason why you should own a 3DS. The characters and storyline is amazing. The combinations of player modes and difficulty levels makes for very high replay value (Classic mode will suck your soul dry, be warned). This game is nothing short of a masterpiece. I am personally a long-time Fire Emblem fan, but my brother picked this right up and fell in love with it and he's never played a Fire Emblem game before (though he does love FF Tactics and Ogre Battle so it was right up his alley). This is certainly different from previous Fire Emblem games but that should be welcomed by now. Who wants the same old thing? If I did, I'd go back and play the old Fire Emblem games. This was new and refreshing in so many ways. It's too bad Ocarina of Time 3D completely overshadows this game because otherwise it would be the best 3DS game. For now, it will have to settle for #2.… Expand
  93. Boneax
    Sep 19, 2013
    10
    OUNSTANDING!!! not only one of the best fire emblem games but one of the best RPG´s ever made a masterpiece and a must have if you own a 3DS
    a game with true soul
  94. KriticalChaos
    Mar 25, 2014
    10
    Now this is one of those niche-type games, but don't let that discourage you if you're new to the games. They have made Fire Emblem more accessible than ever with Awakening.
    If you're familiar with the genre, don't worry about the changes this game makes to battles. I was worried at first but pairing up and picking supports is like a puzzle and is good fun. It's also quite the challenge    Now this is one of those niche-type games, but don't let that discourage you if you're new to the games. They have made Fire Emblem more accessible than ever with Awakening.
    If you're familiar with the genre, don't worry about the changes this game makes to battles. I was worried at first but pairing up and picking supports is like a puzzle and is good fun. It's also quite the challenge on classic hard mode. Overall, it's one of my top 3 video games and couldn't think of any better strategy game.    … Expand
  95. Adam_2411
    Jan 28, 2014
    10
    This is THE best 3DS game, and I don't know what could take over.

    It has an intriguing story, great characters, fun tactical/action game play, a great relationship system, great difficulty, and great visuals/music to entertain you!

    If you own a 3DS, you MUST buy this game.
  96. Rupeestyle
    Oct 14, 2013
    9
    Beautifully done game. Once I picked it up it was very hard to put it down. So much in depth character development that each play through could prove to be a bit different. This SRPG puts an aspiring amount of love into their story line. Finally a game where you can marry all of the active characters you can pick from. Different weapon equips and class changes. Superb 3D work. Not toBeautifully done game. Once I picked it up it was very hard to put it down. So much in depth character development that each play through could prove to be a bit different. This SRPG puts an aspiring amount of love into their story line. Finally a game where you can marry all of the active characters you can pick from. Different weapon equips and class changes. Superb 3D work. Not to mention there is a Demo on the network if you really want to try the first battle out. This game was worth the full price!… Expand
  97. basilion
    Jan 10, 2014
    10
    First fire emblem game I ever played.
    It's one of the greatest games on the 3DS, a must buy for fans of: rpgs, strategy games, anime, medieval times, anyone with good taste.
    Visuals=perfect
    Sound=perfect
    Gameplay=perfect
    I'm sure the fans of the series will love it.
    My problem, why characters had no feet?
  98. DemKin
    Dec 28, 2013
    10
    Awakening is a proper heir of this fantastic series.
    The game has all the things that made the success of Fire Emblem the loveable characters, the apparently simple but hooking story, the intense battles, the perfect, very rich and yet accessible, gameplay,...
    But this time with the 3DS specs, the graphics have significantly improved. The game is gorgeous, the fighting animations brutal    Awakening is a proper heir of this fantastic series.
    The game has all the things that made the success of Fire Emblem the loveable characters, the apparently simple but hooking story, the intense battles, the perfect, very rich and yet accessible, gameplay,...
    But this time with the 3DS specs, the graphics have significantly improved. The game is gorgeous, the fighting animations brutal and the cinematics breathtaking.
    New elements have also been added to the gameplay, and they are all very well thought. The most noticeable is the possibility to make "duos" of characters, which adds a whole new depth to the battles and tons of possibilities.
    The only bad thing I could say about this game is its difficulty. The Normal/Hard modes are too easy, when the Insane difficulty is ridiculous. Disappointing when we know how well Intelligent Systems did with the previous games, but that's forgivable as the game strikes perfectly right on all other levels.

    I was always confident into Intelligent Systems to offer us a great game for their comeback on the 3DS, and I was right. Fire Emblem: Awakening is up there with the best games of the series.
    I'm more than glad this episode sold well, as it could have been the last according to Nintendo. Fire Emblem is one of the most classic video game series of all time and definitely one of the best, and proves it once again with this great episode.    … Expand
  99. DarthVader599
    Nov 6, 2013
    10
    I've played the Fire Emblem franchise since its debut in Japan, and I've never loved a FE title as much as Awakening. Excellent strategy combat, combined with meaningful dialogue and some of the best in game music I've ever heard, completes this game. The addition of marriage brings a new flair to Awakening, as you can toy around with skills the 2nd generation character receives. AndI've played the Fire Emblem franchise since its debut in Japan, and I've never loved a FE title as much as Awakening. Excellent strategy combat, combined with meaningful dialogue and some of the best in game music I've ever heard, completes this game. The addition of marriage brings a new flair to Awakening, as you can toy around with skills the 2nd generation character receives. And creating myself as a character was something I'd always wanted to do in game. Simply a top class game, and the best Fire Emblem title ever by far.… Expand
  100. Falcus
    Nov 28, 2013
    9
    An incredible game--very well done characters and art, great music (if a little overused at times), an incredible script, and an amazing combat system. The story takes unexpected twists and turns and the added Paralogues extend the main game for dozens of hours. I've literally played for 270+ hours and I still play. Any fan of strategy RPGs should absolutely not miss out on thisAn incredible game--very well done characters and art, great music (if a little overused at times), an incredible script, and an amazing combat system. The story takes unexpected twists and turns and the added Paralogues extend the main game for dozens of hours. I've literally played for 270+ hours and I still play. Any fan of strategy RPGs should absolutely not miss out on this experience.

    + Great story and characters
    + Impressive visuals
    + Great replay value
    + Tactical gameplay at its best

    - Multiplayer options are extremely limited
    - Full voice acting (at least for the main scenes!) would have been better

    PRESENTATION: 9/10
    CORE GAME: 9/10
    VISUALS: 8/10
    AUDIO: 7/10
    GAMEPLAY: 9.5/10
    LASTING APPEAL: 10/10

    Overall Score: 9/10    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best 3DS Game of 2013
1
#1 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2013
2
#2 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
92

Universal acclaim - based on 72 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 72 out of 72
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 72
  3. Negative: 0 out of 72
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Jun 13, 2013
    93
    A truly excellent tactical role-playing game. [June 2013]
  2. Hyper Magazine
    Jun 10, 2013
    90
    Ignore Casual mode, set the difficulty to hard, and enjoy what is arguably the best turn-based strategy game released since Final Fantasy Tactics. [July 2013, p.76]
  3. Games.cz
    May 19, 2013
    100
    A great turn-based strategy game surpassing not only its blood-related predecessors but step-brothers and step-sisters of the Advance Wars series as well. Fire Emblem: Awakening is the new benchmark of the genre that is practically uncriticizable. At the moment on Nintendo 3DS there is not a better alternative.
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