Fire Emblem Fates: Special Edition

 3DS
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 385 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 272 out of 385
  2. Mixed: 55 out of 385
  3. Negative: 58 out of 385
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  1. EirasOpinions
    May 26, 2023
    3
    Just play Awakening this game is kinda doodoo. Story is lame, characters aren't too interesting, please Just play Awakening
  2. JustAGameGuy
    May 14, 2023
    8
    Easily my favourite of the three 3DS Fire Emblem titles. A massive cast of fun characters, map design that ranges from decent to excellent, with only a few outright “bad” maps, and a massive amount of character customization and replayability. Want Odin to go absolutely insane? Reclass him to a Samurai, promote him to a Swordmaster, reforge a Killing Edge, and give it a long name. Now OdinEasily my favourite of the three 3DS Fire Emblem titles. A massive cast of fun characters, map design that ranges from decent to excellent, with only a few outright “bad” maps, and a massive amount of character customization and replayability. Want Odin to go absolutely insane? Reclass him to a Samurai, promote him to a Swordmaster, reforge a Killing Edge, and give it a long name. Now Odin is landing crits for days! With three different routes, no two playthroughs are identical!

    However, despite the incredibly fun gameplay, Fire Emblem Fates has a poor story, which isn’t good for an RPG. However, from a purely gameplay standpoint, Fire Emblem Fates is a great game that should be tried out by anyone looking to get into the series.

    Sadly, it can no longer be obtained legitimately, and the DLC is no longer obtainable.    … Expand
  3. klaaz
    Jan 25, 2023
    7
    An installment that mechanically is flawless, surpassing Awakening but is weighed down by a nonsensical story that includes many of the worst characters in the series and excessive fan-service. It tries to replicate many of the things that elevated Awakening but fails miserably because there is no back-story to go with it.
  4. Proplayersystem
    Oct 21, 2021
    10
    Maravilloso juego, los personajes enganchan un montón, sobre todo la historia de Corrin es muy profunda, el sistema de juego me agradó mas que Awekening, mùsica de 10. Gran juego de 3ds
  5. attemptatreason
    Oct 14, 2021
    7
    placeholder for now.
    fe fates has many new concepts which are used in fe echo and fe3h. I was amazed by the portrait improvements intitially. New weapon classes, a "zoom in" look, a "nexus" to idle between fights rather than just being a spite on a map or a menu. Also, the idea of expanding on the typical fe plot to date - X is special because (nobility). Evil people come and do evil    placeholder for now.
    fe fates has many new concepts which are used in fe echo and fe3h. I was amazed by the portrait improvements intitially. New weapon classes, a "zoom in" look, a "nexus" to idle between fights rather than just being a spite on a map or a menu. Also, the idea of expanding on the typical fe plot to date - X is special because (nobility). Evil people come and do evil things - i need to stop them. I stop them. They were manipulated behind the door by inhumans (insert dragon or other thing). Beat thing. Title card. Don't get me wrong - best s*** ever, but damn was it repetitive. This game went out and was like, there are two houses! Fight gogoogo. I think the idea was special and was built upon in fe3h.

    Cons:
    The bizzare and repeating sounds for every textbox was very infuriating. I thought the class system was inferior to prior games. The difficulty was not, imo, fine tuned in fe standards. the grinding by doing non main story quests was pretty weird imo.    … Expand
  6. AJCk19
    Jul 17, 2021
    10
    The best version of Fire Emblem Fates; compared to the other 3 (Conquest, Birthright, Revelation). The special edition is the only 3ds cartridge that has all 3 plot lines physically. And instead of having to buy them separately. So you're adventure will actually give you a choice of 3 options.

    Zero complaints about this game; perfect 10.
  7. KNX2501
    Jul 17, 2021
    7
    Es una pena que Nintendo haya decidido dividir Fire Emblems Fates en tres partes, sobre todo si esta última solo esta solo disponible como DLC y que es realmente necesaria para entender toda la historia y enfrentar al verdadero jefe final. Su dificultad esta por arriba de Birthright pero por debajo de Conquest.
  8. tigermetals
    Jun 24, 2021
    9
    Play Conquest and Birthright before playing Revelations and it's a fundamentally good game. The first two paths set the foundation and develop the characters, and then Revelations builds on that and ties everything together. emotionally compelling, semi voice acted, well-written games, finally bundled together as they should have been.
  9. SnaZzyDotEXE
    Jun 2, 2021
    5
    the story is complete trash and the biggest twist was finding out they allowed incest in a first party nintendo game. the levels are pretty good, but because of the abysmal story, bland characters and the most irritatingly generic protagonist it was hard to continue caring at all. i ended up getting bored after the first route and sped through the game with phoenix mode. And lets bethe story is complete trash and the biggest twist was finding out they allowed incest in a first party nintendo game. the levels are pretty good, but because of the abysmal story, bland characters and the most irritatingly generic protagonist it was hard to continue caring at all. i ended up getting bored after the first route and sped through the game with phoenix mode. And lets be honest, we only played conquest because of camilla's giant honkers. which i suppose makes it worth it. otherwise nah.… Expand
  10. Sunshadow87
    Jun 3, 2020
    6
    Uno de los peores FE... y le doy la nota a la edición especial que tiene el juego entero... porque francamente, la nota para las ediciones normales seria bastante menos...
    A ver, los puntos buenos del juego son las batallas y los mapeados. Tienes diferentes dificultades en función de la versión, mas allá de la dificultad que elijas: "Birthright" fácil, "Conquest" difícil, "Revelation"    Uno de los peores FE... y le doy la nota a la edición especial que tiene el juego entero... porque francamente, la nota para las ediciones normales seria bastante menos...
    A ver, los puntos buenos del juego son las batallas y los mapeados. Tienes diferentes dificultades en función de la versión, mas allá de la dificultad que elijas: "Birthright" fácil, "Conquest" difícil, "Revelation" normal. Esta decisión es curiosa porque "Revelation" no existe en físico más que en la edición coleccionista y la tienes que comprar vía DLC si tienes otra versión... oh! sí! Y además es la versión donde se revela la historia real y el verdadero villano... si, si juegas conquest o brithrigth el enemigo final que tendrás no será más que una marioneta, y se te quedaran mil cabos sueltos... maravilloso...
    Y la razón de ser uno de los peores FE giran pues en torno a la historia y personajes. La historia es una de las mayores fumadas y mas débiles (incluso la "real"), algunas de las cosas en las vías que elijas no tienen sentido y parece que la mitad de los personajes tengan unos complejos de hermanos completamente fuera de órbita. Además muchos personajes son altamente clichés y no resultan interesantes, sumale los personajes "hijos" (dinámica que no me gusta por lo plano de los personajes que se generan así, que encima son los que tienen mejores estadísticas, medio obligándote a jugar con personajes más planos aún...) para acabar con el estropicio...    … Expand
  11. Razor7557
    May 3, 2020
    1
    This is a perfect example of how a game can be ruined by inept idiocy of a localization studio, who thinks they know better than original creators, so they rewrite entire script to make it "funnier"... in turn making all characters into complete meme-spouting morons.

    Only reason it's not getting a 0 is because gameplay is still fine. Nonetheless, definitely the worst Fire Emblem to be    This is a perfect example of how a game can be ruined by inept idiocy of a localization studio, who thinks they know better than original creators, so they rewrite entire script to make it "funnier"... in turn making all characters into complete meme-spouting morons.

    Only reason it's not getting a 0 is because gameplay is still fine. Nonetheless, definitely the worst Fire Emblem to be ever released.    … Expand
  12. alanwaketan
    May 1, 2020
    10
    由于历史原因，一直没有玩上觉醒，所以这对我来说就是系列最好的火焰纹章。这篇评论涵盖三个版本。本作最让人着迷之处就是合击联防系统。善加利用往往能让玩家柳暗花明又一村。通过合击可以快速铲除障碍，通过联防又往往能绝处逢生。但这对防守又提出了与以往不同的策略。因为敌方也可以合击。其次角色三维外的附加技能也极大增大了战术的丰富性。NDS及以前的作品上，虽说每个角色在其背景故事的雕刻下都栩栩如生，但在战场上也不过是贴了职业标签的棋子。往往只是听命行事的独立的冰冷的符号。在合击联防和附加技能的加持下，角色之间产生了无形的磁力。好感度系统的加入则具现化了这种磁力。让每场战斗都充满了温度。因为你知道角色们的羁绊是真的增加了。这三位一体的系统真的是我见到过的最好的SRPG系统。除此之外，职业系统东西划分也颇有新意。虽说在玩暗夜王国或白夜王国的时候会无比怀念一些老职业，但整体瑕不掩瑜。最后说说一由于历史原因，一直没有玩上觉醒，所以这对我来说就是系列最好的火焰纹章。这篇评论涵盖三个版本。本作最让人着迷之处就是合击联防系统。善加利用往往能让玩家柳暗花明又一村。通过合击可以快速铲除障碍，通过联防又往往能绝处逢生。但这对防守又提出了与以往不同的策略。因为敌方也可以合击。其次角色三维外的附加技能也极大增大了战术的丰富性。NDS及以前的作品上，虽说每个角色在其背景故事的雕刻下都栩栩如生，但在战场上也不过是贴了职业标签的棋子。往往只是听命行事的独立的冰冷的符号。在合击联防和附加技能的加持下，角色之间产生了无形的磁力。好感度系统的加入则具现化了这种磁力。让每场战斗都充满了温度。因为你知道角色们的羁绊是真的增加了。这三位一体的系统真的是我见到过的最好的SRPG系统。除此之外，职业系统东西划分也颇有新意。虽说在玩暗夜王国或白夜王国的时候会无比怀念一些老职业，但整体瑕不掩瑜。最后说说一分三这事。与宝可梦的强买强卖不同。IS真的是非常的良心。三份都有其独特的流程风格而且无论是故事亦或是地图上都是独立的。其实完全可以看成是三个游戏。白夜王国就是很典型的火纹。暗夜王国则有些新颖在于其灰暗的故事和快节奏的叙事。透魔嘛介于两者之间，少了些特色，但胜在为故事解开谜底。如果只玩一款，我会推荐暗夜王国。… Expand
  13. Coinstar3
    Apr 8, 2020
    10
    Great graphics and story, especially for a 3ds game. I would highly reccommend.
  14. syscro
    Feb 25, 2020
    5
    Al comprar solo un titulo me encuentro con la mala sorpresa que solo la edición especial contenía las 3 rutas.
    los que compraron el juego y verse que es necesario la compra de las rutas siguientes como DLC se siente como una traición al fan de la franquicia.
    El que hayan salido no 2, sino 3 juegos cambiando rutas lo hace ver como que el Sr. Dinero va primero que los jugadores. Se siente    Al comprar solo un titulo me encuentro con la mala sorpresa que solo la edición especial contenía las 3 rutas.
    los que compraron el juego y verse que es necesario la compra de las rutas siguientes como DLC se siente como una traición al fan de la franquicia.
    El que hayan salido no 2, sino 3 juegos cambiando rutas lo hace ver como que el Sr. Dinero va primero que los jugadores.
    Se siente incompleto al jugarlo (solo una ruta) y dejandote claro que solo tienes 1/3 del juego completo.
    Y el completar las 3 rutas que son casi iguales da una pereza sin igual. como comprar pokemon X/Y y sin tener nada que sostenga este tipo de decision.
    Se siente que las nuevas mecánicas, quieren llevar a una forma mas simple de combate a la franquicia.
    La música excelente, gráficamente los mapas no me terminan de convencer respecto al tamaño que se observan, en anteriores entregas como Awakening habían encontrado un equilibrio, en este no demuestran a los héroes demasiados detalles, sin encontrar esteticamente nada nuevo (util) en el combate

    Pro:
    - Es un FE mas cinematografico
    - La gran cantidad de héroes excede en mucha cantidad en comparación a las otras entregas.

    Con
    - El tener solo 1 tramo de la historia se siente como tener un juego incompleto y comprar las 3 se siente como que fueras estafado.
    - La rejugabilidad del titulo decae ya que el contar con la misma historia 3 veces (1 vez por faccion) hace que se vuelva monotono y con ya pensar en realizarlo 3 veces se me quitaron las ganas de completarlo al 100%.

    El querer monetizar demasiado el propio titulo hace que no puedas disfrutar cómodamente el mismo titulo, junto con su poca aclaracion del tipo de negocio (Como pokemon) que quiere implementar.
    Terminado 1 vez y guardado (por ahora) para nunca mas jugarlo otra vez.    … Expand
  15. Anankos3010
    Jan 1, 2020
    10
    Amazing, very amazing, the best Fire Emblem game in my hearts :cry: :cry: :cry:
  16. LoamiG
    Dec 29, 2019
    6
    Bien los mapas y la interfaz, la historia deja mucho que desear y muchas acciones de los personajes no tienen justificación sólida ni una filosofía pedorra al menos, parece que va a ser algo serio pero nada más no lo saben hacer creíble, sin mencionar las maids y las hermanitas que le quitan seriedad y termina rozando a ser historia de anime de temporada.
  17. JCgamer18
    Jul 25, 2019
    6
    I played all three games. The best game of the three is revelations cause its the only version that offers a complete story with almost no plotholes. The gameplay is what i expect from a fire emblem game and the maps are diverse and interesting. birthright is bland and easy but does not overstay its welcome. Conquest is better on the story but gameplay needed big adjustments cause phoenixI played all three games. The best game of the three is revelations cause its the only version that offers a complete story with almost no plotholes. The gameplay is what i expect from a fire emblem game and the maps are diverse and interesting. birthright is bland and easy but does not overstay its welcome. Conquest is better on the story but gameplay needed big adjustments cause phoenix mode is just a giant band aid for its inherent bigger gameplay problems.

    The only game that felt truly complete was revelation but that was dlc. Fates biggest problem is that it feels like it should have been one game and there were tell tale signs it was like the fact YOU GO THROUGH THE SAME 6 CHAPTERS IN ALL THREE GAMES BEFORE MAKING A DECISION ON YOUR CHOICE. literally this should have been one game from the beginning that becomes so much clearer when you beat it. Honestly this is the messiest fire emblem game ive ever played and ive beaten raidant dawn which is a pretty messy game but still holds up.

    I think that this is the worst set of modern Fe games that has come out. Its not bubsy 3d bad no not many games can come close to but its disappointing in how bad they were.

    Birthright: way to easy but at least way not that hard to complete so it never stayed longer than it had to but pretty basic story but had big plotholes.

    Conquest: decent story but too many big plotholes and gameplay was a catastrophe where it needed more work instead of using phoenix mode as a quick fix. (this game will burn you out hard)

    Revelations: best of the three decent map design, balanced units and a decent story but too many units but is the one i had most fun with because it was the most balanced.

    Overall: Play revelations cause its the real story and the one your are going to enjoy the most. birthright is too easy and conquest is too difficult but there are inherent problems that needed to be fixed for it to have been good.

    (The special edition also shows that yeah this could have been all one game but they chose not to which shows why certain parts of the games are so unbalanced.) its a 6.5 out of 10 its mediocre    … Expand
  18. Adubis27
    Mar 20, 2018
    9
    9.1/10, it succeeds. It's not as good as Awakening, however it's still great.
  19. MediaFreak
    Jan 10, 2018
    10
    For a while i thought Fire Emblem Awakening was the best fire emblem game, even during my playthrough of Fire Emblem Fates, But going back to awakening I realise how good Fates was.

    I've played every Fire Emblem game that got a western release, and even a couple of the japanese ones with patch translations, over the last 5 years, and this one is hands down my favourite. First of all,    For a while i thought Fire Emblem Awakening was the best fire emblem game, even during my playthrough of Fire Emblem Fates, But going back to awakening I realise how good Fates was.

    I've played every Fire Emblem game that got a western release, and even a couple of the japanese ones with patch translations, over the last 5 years, and this one is hands down my favourite.

    First of all, its massive, with 3 different branches to play through. Other Fire Emblem games have had a branch split, but not as many as this one. I prefer the unbreakable weapons, that have positive and negatives, to other fire emblem games breakable weapons, although I think they're both good in their own right.

    The story in Fates is easily the best one too, most are pretty forgettable, I did enjoy Awakenings time travel story line, but Fates is a much more emotional investment, which honestly is what Fire Emblem is all about, you want to care about the characters, because then it leave you in more of a predicament when they die near the end of a really tough level, do you take the hit or do you restart the level and hope you can do a better job.

    The most important aspect though, that makes this the best game in the series, is the level design. The level design is so much better than any other game in series, and because there are so many levels this is even more impressive. The rest of the games seem pretty linear in comparison, sure there's the odd memorable level, but the ones in fates are just so well done, your not just having to strategise against the AI, but you're also battling against the changing in environments around you.

    This isn't just my favourite Fire Emblem game, this is my all time favourite game. I'm not rating this game a 10 to counter balance the negative reviews, this game is 10, period.    … Expand
  20. CaponeGANGBege
    Jan 1, 2018
    10
    Having played fates, I gotta say the game itself is legitimately very, very good, a worthy successor to Awakening. Only complaint I have is unrelated to the game itself: this whole multiple versions thing was an interesting take but I don't think it fits the FE series and overcomplicates it so I hope the next installments are single versions again.
  21. Chimera17
    Oct 30, 2017
    7
    This game was very disapointing to me.
    It's like Awakening, but worse characters (Peri and Camilla), music, not as fun to make an Overpowered team. It's not bad however, It's a great game (Conquest has some of the best gameplay in the series) But it's just Kinda disapointing. Also the story and writing is just hilariously bad at times.
  22. Vigilante0302
    Sep 1, 2017
    10
    A great fire emblem game that you should try if you are at all interested in the series, it has great characters, great gameplay and is overall just a good time
  23. marvs869
    Mar 11, 2017
    7
    I had mixed feelings about Revelations because when I played Birthright and Conquest, I had an idea that the last game would eventually tie up all loose ends for the series of game but what eventually happened fell flat because of its ambitions. Story did not live up to its potential and it even requires a DLC to make sense of why the villian is actually a villian. Gameplay was stillI had mixed feelings about Revelations because when I played Birthright and Conquest, I had an idea that the last game would eventually tie up all loose ends for the series of game but what eventually happened fell flat because of its ambitions. Story did not live up to its potential and it even requires a DLC to make sense of why the villian is actually a villian. Gameplay was still amazing though. Not as good as Conquest because of how gimmicky the traps from the dungeons felt like.… Expand
  24. ZeldaLegend
    Dec 25, 2016
    0
    I have, at the moment, no time to give a full review on all aspects, or explain why I dislike this game.
    regardless- Fire Emblem Fates is a disgraceful steaming lump of **** and the most deplorable cesspool of lazy, shamelessly and shoddily slapped together writing with characters more forgettable than a night of heavy drinking. Awakening set up the pinnacle of the art that is Fire    I have, at the moment, no time to give a full review on all aspects, or explain why I dislike this game.
    regardless- Fire Emblem Fates is a disgraceful steaming lump of **** and the most deplorable cesspool of lazy, shamelessly and shoddily slapped together writing with characters more forgettable than a night of heavy drinking. Awakening set up the pinnacle of the art that is Fire Emblem, and Fates is nothing more than the equivalent of a rom hack tailor-made for weebs and to falsely advertise 'player choice'. Any true Fire Emblem fan can say with absolute truth, that this game fails on every level as a Fire Emblem game.
    seriously- **** this game.    … Expand
  25. Peetja
    Sep 15, 2016
    8
    Now i love the Fire emblem series and this installment is no exception but i do have the odd gripe here and there. first off is the new pair up system at first i had everyone separate and was struggling to get people to love each other without dying, at which point i decided that i would do like i did in awakening and just pair up the ones who i wanted to marry and just forget about dualNow i love the Fire emblem series and this installment is no exception but i do have the odd gripe here and there. first off is the new pair up system at first i had everyone separate and was struggling to get people to love each other without dying, at which point i decided that i would do like i did in awakening and just pair up the ones who i wanted to marry and just forget about dual strikes and this made me enjoy the game a lot more as the partnering aspect is a huge part of fire emblem for me.

    My only other problem was with the story. There are quite a lot of plot holes in all the story lines and the odd deus ex machina which really is Frustrating and whilst I'm moaning if I'm honest Corrin is a little B*tch and contradicts His/her self all the time.

    But enough with the bad here is the good. The new battle system is amazing like a said before hated it at first but once you know what you are doing it is quite amazing trying to tactically save a guard to take a big hit.and with some of the new abilities it makes some of the previously less favourable classes, archers, and allows them access abilities that can make them useful, some even frighteningly overpowered.

    What the story may do wrong the characters are such a redeeming factor with so many quirky personalities and with such a large character base I'm was truly impressed that they made each and every character seem unique to me. Only kind of problem was in revelations when you are flooded with characters and its impossible to chose all your favorite character but that's just my fault for being to clingy :P

    The music score is wonderful and when the remixed version of Asura's song comes on during the final battles it really does get you kind of pumped

    The graphics are very pleasing in the game although there are a few areas which look like they should give you a bonus in def&avoid but is actually in a square beside it. The 3D looks fantastic and the battle animations are great to watch, especially when you hit about 4 different ability triggers!

    all in all i think this game is fantastic with a few flaws here and there but nothing to make this game not worth picking up 8/10    … Expand
  26. Pattan
    Aug 15, 2016
    8
    I feel lucky I could get the special edition with the 3 games inside.

    First of all, I think this is how the game should've been from the beginning, the two (and then 3) editions stuff doesn't make sense to me. Now I've completed the Hoshido and Nohr paths (and I'm halfway Revelations) I think I can review this game properly. The gameplay is improved from Awakening, which I think    I feel lucky I could get the special edition with the 3 games inside.

    First of all, I think this is how the game should've been from the beginning, the two (and then 3) editions stuff doesn't make sense to me.

    Now I've completed the Hoshido and Nohr paths (and I'm halfway Revelations) I think I can review this game properly.

    The gameplay is improved from Awakening, which I think it was pretty good, there is some fixes (weapons and abilities that were too broken, like Galeforce) and the fact weapons don't wear out is a great improvement in my opinion (it makes you use more weapons than the "cheapest" ones, because there is no fear of losing them, and that is a good thing).

    The maps are WAY better designed than in Awakening, with more objectives than just "kill all enemies" or "kill the boss". Anyway, Birthright still abuses of those objectives, but Conquest and, from what I've seen Revelations, do a better job at this.

    Story-wise, the game is a little step down from Awakening, even when that game didn't have a stellar writing. Child units made sense in Awakening and were an epic thing (children going back to the past to save their parents). In this game it doesn't make sense: they have a child and put it in the Dragon Ball Z training room, and then they come out all grown up.

    However, I find characters are lovable (design and personality-wise).

    The worst thing about the game is in fact the localisation. The game is heavily censored and it shows even if you didn't know about the fiasco. I've even made a test by showing conversations to people who don't know about this game, and they felt they were "off".

    English only audio would not be a problem if the dub wasn't so, SO BAD. Seriously, it's soul-less and even seems made in spite. I've listened to the Japanese dialogue and man, it's like day and night.

    It's a good and fun game, but censoship does it a weak favor. Even with that I'm enjoying it    … Expand
  27. Lone_Wolf_Sones
    Aug 7, 2016
    9
    Fire Emblem Fates special edition is in fact special. Its amazing that at one time Nintendo had considered shelving the series in NA if Awakening failed to sell 1 million copies. To get 3 Fire Emblem games at the same time and getting a special edition no less is special indeed.

    The box itself is well designed with the artwork you would expect. If you preordered through Gamestop; you    Fire Emblem Fates special edition is in fact special. Its amazing that at one time Nintendo had considered shelving the series in NA if Awakening failed to sell 1 million copies. To get 3 Fire Emblem games at the same time and getting a special edition no less is special indeed.

    The box itself is well designed with the artwork you would expect. If you preordered through Gamestop; you even get a set of three keychains. Inside the special edition is single cartridge with all 3 games already on it. There is also a FE:Fates 3DS pouch. The main draw of the special edition is the art book however. The pages have a premium finish to them and come in a gorgeous hardcover.

    The only criticism I have of the special edition is that fans who weren't lucky enough to preorder don't get the convenience of having all 3 games on one cart. I think I would rather have every copy come with all three games even if it meant paying a slightly higher price up front. On the plus side? Not everyone might be able to afford that so with the split release people can buy the version they want to start with. In the end it all comes out to about the same price. Buying one makes the others a lot cheaper.    … Expand
  28. Kingpinn02
    Aug 1, 2016
    9
    (I do not own Fire Emblem Fates: Special Edition. Instead, I have Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright along with the other 2 versions as DLC, I'm posting my review here so I can speak about all three as one game.)

    SHORT VERSION: It's an awesome strategy game that improves upon its predecessor. My first entry in the Fire Emblem series, as well as a lot of peoples first entry, was Awakening.    (I do not own Fire Emblem Fates: Special Edition. Instead, I have Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright along with the other 2 versions as DLC, I'm posting my review here so I can speak about all three as one game.)

    SHORT VERSION: It's an awesome strategy game that improves upon its predecessor.

    My first entry in the Fire Emblem series, as well as a lot of peoples first entry, was Awakening. It was a really fun strategy game with an interesting enough story to keep me playing. Awakening was intended to be the last in the series due to low sales of previous entries, but it's popularity singlehandedly saved the series and ensured the development of a sequel.

    GAME PLAY: Battles take place on a grid where you control your units individually to face an enemy, heal an allied unit, or wait in place. Due to the strategic nature of these battles, taking on an enemy might often take less than 1 or 2 hits to defeat them depending on how strong your units are. The real challenge comes from HOW MANY enemies and reinforcements you face as well as the obstacles presented on the map. This is where the game's strategy comes in as you decide which units are strong in enough to fight which enemies and how best to deal with obstacles.

    When you aren't battling, you're given a customizable area called "MyCastle". In this mode, you're allowed to create buildings, with dragon points earned after battles, that sell useful items such as weapons and accessories for units. A lot of time can be spent on this mode even after you complete the story.

    It's worth noting that each version of Fates, along with featuring a different story depending on your choice, has a different difficulty style for different types of players. Birthright is easier and recommended for newcomers, Conquest is harder and recommended for series veterans, and Revelation is a middle ground that's challenging but not impossible. Overall, I'd consider Revelation to be the best of the Fates trio in terms of game-play since it concentrates more on the obstacles on the map so that you can strategize on how to work with them. While the other two versions are still fun, Birthright can sometimes feel to easy and Conquest can feel to brutal.

    STORY: Your Avatar has been raised their whole life by the royal family of Nohr, having strong relationships with each of their siblings. Later on, they discover that at a young age they were kidnapped by Nohr's mad king Garon from their birth nation Hoshido. At this point, they must choose to side with either their birth family in Hoshido (Birthright), their adopted family in Nohr (Conquest), or refuse to join either side (Revelation). Each side offers an interesting perspective with differing consequences depending on your choice. The story as a whole is a lot more complex then Awakening's plot since it deals the Avatar's feelings on fighting against his family members.

    However, without spoiling anything, I personally consider Revelation to be the weakest of the three in terms of story (even though I ironically find it to be the strongest in game-play). I feel it doesn't really go in to enough detail about certain things related to the setting and the main antagonist.

    FINAL THOUGHTS: In my opinion, Fates made a lot of improvements over Awakening. The story is more complex and MyCastle is a lot of fun to customize. For newcomers, I'd recommend starting with Birthright to get a feel for the game play and to see if you'd be interested enough to purchase the other 2 versions.    … Expand
  29. Twin2712
    Jul 1, 2016
    9
    + Great difficulty level with some amazing level design, its always fair and rewards tactical thinking, and turning off perma death is great for new players
    + watching your units relationships with eachother develop is rewarding and fun
    + Replay value, you can play through any of the campaigns again and have a new experience by favouring different units, trying out different romance    + Great difficulty level with some amazing level design, its always fair and rewards tactical thinking, and turning off perma death is great for new players
    + watching your units relationships with eachother develop is rewarding and fun
    + Replay value, you can play through any of the campaigns again and have a new experience by favouring different units, trying out different romance paths or upgrading units to different classes
    + 3 campaigns in one package
    + Emotional story with believable characters...
    - ...Even if the dialogue is stilted at times    … Expand
  30. Kiszu
    Jun 24, 2016
    5
    If I did not know I would give the Japanese version of the game 7, but seeing how much remove and change (unfortunately for the worse), I can not give enough.
    Instead of doing 3 separate medium-quality game, the whole effort could translate properly to make only one track.
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best 3DS Game of 2016
10
#10 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2016
18
#18 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Nov 7, 2016
    80
    Pure Japanese turn-based strategy comes in three versions with different quality. The game would thrill all brave players but can also bore those who will go through it with the seatbelts fastened. [Issue#267]
  2. CD-Action
    Aug 21, 2016
    85
    A brilliant tactical RPG that easily pulls you into its world with charming dialogues, memorable character designs and perfect soundtrack. [08/2016, p.75]
  3. Games.cz
    Aug 11, 2016
    90
    Although Fire Emblem Fates is slightly larger and more complex than its predecessor Fire Emblem Awakening, it fails to ignite a same level of a boundless enthusiasm, because both games are just too similar. All and all it isn´t anything bad. On the contrary, it’s still a top turn-based strategy with a great focus on RPG elements. You hardly find some better games on 3DS.
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