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Jherbold's Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii)
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| [March 5, 2008 10:00:30 PM]
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Gamelog #2
GAMEPLAY:
On my second segment, I managed to get past the second fight (after three attempts) and lost once on the third battle.
The most significant gameplay feature I discovered this time was the item trading and weapons systems. As a character gains experience, they also gain a weapon level, which allows them to equip new weapons. By defeating certain enemies, one can acquire new weapons, but since there’s no shared inventory, a bow user might need to trade a sword he picked up to a sword user. The whole system is very realistic, and along with the fact that if a character dies they can’t be revived, the whole game seems very modern and plausible.
The storyline also picked up, leading to some interesting conflicts. The main villain at this point is diabolical, killing civilians who stand in his way to capture the dawn brigade. As the young group continues onward in their journey, more people join them and battles have become more large scale and tactical.
The strategy that this game requires is amazing. The player has to make almost no mistakes in order to protect every single member of their party, and multiple replays of each level are almost required. While I can see how this would be extremely frustrating to many, I find the realism extremely refreshing.
The music has remained more or less the same, but still inspires greatness.
DESIGN:
From a design standpoint, this game (at a small first glance) appears to be remarkable. The storyline is done well, the characters fun and enjoyable but with a serious side, the battles intense and strategic, and the music entertaining and atmospheric. It takes the genre of tactical rpgs and expands on it, adding realism and difficulty.
The one major fault I’ve seen with the design aspects of the game so far has been the AI. At some points, enemy units almost allow themselves to be killed easily, without positioning themselves in strategic ways. It’s unclear whether this was done to make the game easier or just an oversight, but at times it feels like the enemy is waiting for you to come kill them.
Another issue is the difficulty. Having to repeat maps over and over again can really tire out a player, unless they enjoy the punishment. I can only imagine how upset you would be if you reach the boss of a level after a long and grueling battle only to move a unit one space too far and die, losing the game. The difficulty problem could be solved by making counterattacks less powerful- but by doing so battles become less strategic. As such, there is a trade off, and I believe the developers of this game made the right choice in sacrificing ease of play for strategy.
The level design of each map is really interesting, as well. The first two battles take place in pretty interesting city terrain, and maneuvering through the battlefield creating choke-points and positioning ranged units in firing distance is fun. The third level is inside a manor, and the battle has a more cluttered feel, adding to the atmosphere.
Overall, I thought the game so far has been a blast. The difficulty, strategy, music, and story all help to push this game to a new level of fun I haven’t experienced in a while.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Mar 5th, 2008 at 22:02:22.
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| [March 5, 2008 10:00:13 PM]
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Gamelog #1
SUMMARY:
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is a turn-based strategy game for the Nintendo Wii. Sequel to Path of Radiance, the game deals with the story of the dawn brigade. Known for its amazing difficulty and music, Fire Emblem games first gained notoriety with the inclusion of Marth and Roy in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
GAMEPLAY:
I’ve heard of the fire emblem games, but never had a chance to play them. As such, I was really excited to give this one a try.
The game began with several cutscenes showing the fall of a castle and a large battle taking place. Not much has yet been explained, but watching the scene unfold was certainly exciting. After the battle, the story shifted over to Micaiah and a man escaping. Micaiah is evidently the leader of a group called the dawn brigade, and the soldiers have been ordered to capture her. She manages to escape to a nearby city, where the first battle of the game takes place.
You begin with two units faced off against eight enemies. This tutorial stage doesn’t do much in the way of showing you how to play, but does offer a slow introduction to the battle system. I learned of different battle mechanics as I progressed, like the different between mage, ranged, and melee attackers, how to judge distances between enemies, and the counter-attack system. I managed to fight off most of the enemies until the boss caught me off guard and defeated my melee attacker, ending the game.
On my second try at the battle, I once again got to the boss, but underestimated his counterattacking capabilities and lost a character again. It appears that the death of one character means an instant game over, so I can see why people say this game is so difficult.
Because I am no stranger to tactical rpgs like this one, I could quickly understand the battle system. However, without much of a tutorial at all, I can see how players might get frustrated- especially with the fact that if one character dies it’s game over. That amount of realism in the game is actually pretty cool, though. If a character dies in this game, (it appears) there is no miraculous way to revive them. I wonder if, in some battles, your characters can die and you not lose, changing the final outcome of the storyline.
One thing I noticed while playing was that the cinematic experience was exceptional. I loved the music and presentation of the storyline, and, despite not fully understanding what was taking place, I quickly became attached to the characters. Hopefully the game will attempt to enlighten me on the events of the past game, and I won’t be too confused as time goes on.
I haven’t yet managed to beat the first level, but I believe I have a pretty good strategy to use for my third try. Now that I understand the combat system more, this should be easy.
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Jherbold's Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Wednesday 5 March, 2008
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