Not only is it one of the best 3DS games out there, Fire Emblem Awakening will give a stretegy RPG at its finest
GRAPHICS:
The game looks darn good. The animations for the attacks are really well done, as are the CGI cutscenes, which are fantastic to watch, and thankfully much more frequent than Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. The only aspect of the game that is not as good is the field sprites for the characters, which are simplistic 2D on a 3D battlefield. It somewhat clashes, but is no big deal, and there is a certain charm to them. All in all, a fantastic looking game. 4.7/5
SOUND:
Much like in previous games, the epic score is very good. Some common themes of the franchise are still present here, and great as always, while battle, conversations and map music always fit in so well, and are often very enjoyable to listen to. Not my favourite soundtrack of the series, but still is pretty darn solid.
One way this game surprised me positively was with its voice acting. Like the previous 3D games, there is voice acting in the cuscenes, but it is good in this one, with voices that fit the characters and give them emotion. The small grunts and few words they say on the text conversations are also well done and have a certain charm to them, if do not get a bit repetitive at times. 4.5/5
STORY:
Awakening tells the tale of Chrom, the prince of the Halidom of Ylisse, and how he and his Shepherds were able to stop the demon dragon Grima from destroying the world. Now, that is a gross simplification, since the story is divided in arcs, which involve also retaining control of your own Halidom and making ties with other kingdoms, while defeating others.
Much like other Fire Emblem games, the story is generally not too unique or original. It feels a lot like the story of the Sacred Stones, for that matter. However, the game shines on the characters, which all have a unique personality that compliments each other. The fact that support conversations are back in full force also gives this game's characters more depth, and you want to know what will happen to them and the world around them.
One thing that is hit and miss with this one is that they add the most complicated plot device in any fiction story: time travel. Now, not to go into much detail, but at the begining it isn't so bad, as it is well explained how it happened and its purpose. But, as the game progresses, the game does not draw the line of its rules, leading into some insane things like characters from the future having kids with characters in the present. Also, logically, by the end of the game, since we had avoided their future, they should logically go back or just disapear, which does not happens. So, don't think too hard about it or you will run into a bunch of plot holes.
All in all, it is an alright tale, backed up by some great characters and some ludacris aspects. Worth paying attention all the way at least once. 3.5/5
GAMEPLAY:
The game is a strategy RPG. You have to build your army to survive the many chapters of this game, and ultimately beat Grima.
A cool feature in this game, which was only present before in the second game of the series to my knowledge, is that you can create your own unit here. This Avatar has a very important part in the story, but most importantly, he is a valuable unit to be used, and one you can customize however you like (more on that latter).
The main gameplay is pretty much the same as it has always been. You move your units around the battlefield, engage in combat, hope you surivive, and rince and repeat until the goal of the level has been beaten. The triangle of the weapons, where lances beat swords, swords beat axes and axes beat lances, is still present, but feel the most inefective of the whole series, as latter in the game, and even not too far in, it really doesn't decrease too much of your hit ratio or of your enemy. Not present is the triangle of magic, since there are only two types of magic here, dark and anima, which not only work really well and fell more balanced than in Radiant Dawn, but since they have no weaknesses, they can get pretty overpowered. But still, the battles are just as fun as they always were, and the aditions that this game has make it even more refined.
First of all, like I mentioned before, support conversations are back. Unlike the poorly handled way it was done in Radiant Dawn, where you got bonuses in stats but no conversations, here they work like in previous games. But here you can see when characters are growing together, as you see hearts above their heads when they attack besides each other. Not only that, but sometimes characters that are besides each other will give a helping hand in a battle, by either giving some stat boosts, or even giving a following attack. That can be really helpfull, and although it is somewhat random, is still and awesome feature that was added. Besides just helping out like that, you can also "Pair up" two units, to essencially get one stronger unit. This will boost all your stats, and can be really helpfull in many situations. Promotions work like they did in Sacred Stones, with all characters but the main lord having two options to change into. But besides that, there is another item that, instead of promoting a character to the next tier, demote your character to level one of the first tier. How is that usefull? Your stats barely decrease. So, if you want to get a unit really overpowered, used the Second Seal. Can be really usefull, but perhaps a bit too usefull. And, like other games in the series, the replay value is sky high, since you can essencially play the entire game with a different team each time, or at least with diferent promotions. And since the Second Seal can demote, say, your mage to a sword user, the variety and possibilites are basically endless here.
One thing this game brought back that I was really happy with was the overworld. Like with The Sacred Stones, you can move around in the overworld, battle hoards of "zombie" enemies for experience and shop in certain places. It is a really helpfull addition, made even better with the 3DS' wireless fuctions. With them, you can get bonus characters from previous games to battle and recruit on your team, or battle the entire team of another human being. Again, it is a really awesome feature, that enhances the value of the game. Side chapters are back from Fire Emblem 7, with the requirement normaly being having a certain character married, so you recruit their kid in there. Having side chapters add to the playtime, and are a nice and fun distraction from the main story.
Speaking of value, this game really shines there. Not only will the main quest take between 15-20 to complete, but since the game doesn't save after the last battle, you can go back to the overworld and keep playing forever. You can battle with friends as well on local co-op on very fast but enjoyable matches, you can download maps via DLC for certain characters, and keep battling and making your team all the better. 5/5
OVERALL:
I knew going into Awakening that I would get a solid experience, but I didn't think it would be this good. It is so acessible for new players, yet fun and challenging for the veterans of the series. With so much content and such enjoyment to be had, Fire Emblem Awakening is a must buy for RPG fans and 3DS owners alike.
The good:
-Looks great, especially the beautiful cutscenes
-Very good soundtrack
-Surprisingly good voice acting
-Amazing characters
-Gives you a lot of content
-Gameplay is still very addictive, fun and replayable
-Many wireless options
The bad:
-Story gets a bit convoluted at times