Why Fire Emblem Fates is a BAD Fire Emblem Game - BeyondPolygons 

I think your gripe that the poor plot elements drag down the overall quality of Fates is entirely justified. The narrative/written elements play a huge role in contextualizing Fire Emblem's gameplay to make people care about what is happening on their screen, and you can really feel the dip in quality of those elements in Fates. Despite all the routes harboring a very different design philosophy, every one feels totally bogged down since they've been framed so poorly from a writing perspective. It's just hard to get invested in the world or characters at all. The rest of the series sets a standard for writing that many have come to expect, a standard that arguably isn't even that high, and Fates just does not reach it. (Thanks for the shout-out btw, that's an old vid but glad the points have aged well)

One of the best ideas....one of the worst executions.

Corrin: Let's all be friends Also Corrin: You want to slaughter the entire village? Ok, I'll just go to sleep Also also Corrin: Let's conquer an entire kingdom so evil dad will sit on a magical throne that'll reveal who he truly is

I beat the fire Emblem Hoshido campaign after the Nohr one, and it left so little impact on me that I subconsciously didn't even commit it to short term memory. Seriously like a week later I had no idea that I had completed it, that's never happened to me before and it legitimately freaked me out a bit.

It's a fun game to play but the story is not good.

Because of how the game wants to let the player marry anyone they want the main selling point of the game goes from “do you side with the people who raised you, or your blood family?” to “Do you side with the people who raised you, or the good guys who are also not related to you?”

I love the soundtrack but sadly the story's writing, in heinsight, is poor and very convoluted Thankfully FE echoes has far better writing in its story

The music is the best thing about Fates

Me first starting fates: YES YES YES YES YES! Me after an hour: Well, it'll get better, it's just the beginning. Me after getting Corrin married: Uh... I feel very uncomfortable blowing onto my mic.

I agree with many of your points, except for one point in particular. Revelations is not, as you put it, "the best value". In fact, out of everything in Fates, I find it to be the laziest, dullest, and most egregious bit to listen and play to (this is going to be a very long comment, so just head to the very end if you're in the TL;DR group). For starters, Valla is literally one of the worst continents (is it even a continent?) in all of Fire Emblem. It has even less background then the other kingdoms (even the minor ones), it doesn't provide any meaningful difference to the story, except for the blasted curse that doesn't even make sense IN context, and it has nothing of value to give to the player other than "hey look, Anankos is here". Secondly, the antagonists are garbage. Arete adds nothing other than a face for Azura's mother, which is pretty asinine when considering you FACE HER THREE FUCKING TIMES. For somebody who is blood related to the SECOND most important person in the game, it is insulting how out of all of her interactions, none of them feel genuine, or important. Next is a revived Mikoto, which, again, adds literally nothing to the plot other than another face to kill, and some fake sentimentality between the hoshidan characters. You would think this could add onto Corrin's character, considering, I dunno, MIKOTO IS THEIR MOTHER? But, oh well. I guess a boss that's never mentioned again save for one or two sentences is good too. And last, Sumeragi also got revived... And apparently he was the one who killed Mikoto in the first place... I don't even know anymore, let's move on. Oh, what about Garon? He gets mentioned like, once after they get into Valla, and is then just spoofed into Anankos's room at the very last minute, where he gets eaten by the basketball dragon, which then buffs the dragon, so the real final boss can occur. The main, antagonist of two routes, and the father of all the Nohrian siblings... and he is reduced to a powerup. The Nohrians didn't even get to reconcile, he just... gets gobbled up. Hoshidan bias is strong with this supposedly "neutral" path. And the final boss himself, Anankos, despite having a pretty spectacular final battle (for FE standards), held no true presence in the story and felt incredibly contrived when you consider he could have EASILY killed the players at literally any point of the story, especially in the earlygame, where they could have easily been maimed by Valla troops. Revelations was the only time, I was ever mad, at completing a game. I didn't feel accomplished for defeating Anankos, and saving both realms, I was flustered at how all the problems of the world were apparently being controlled by somebody who wasn't even present in the other two pathes (ok sort of in Conquest, but barely), and how the avatar (another terrible character), got turned into a King because... why? Ugh. This story is so garbage it can't even work as an ending. Moving on the gameplay, the way they distribute the characters, is just haphazard at best. Many of their stats make 0 sense for the point in the story. For an extreme example, we get Shura, a level 10 ADVENTURER, in the same chapter we get Nyx, a level 9 DARK MAGE, with base stats so extreme that it would make HM Percival blush. This isn't even the first or last time this happens either. Orochi & Reina, Odin & Xander, Setsuna & Ryoma, you get the gist. Next up, the chapters. Oh dear god the chapters. They're some of the worst pieces of garbage I've EVER had the displeasure of dealing with. And yes, there are some good ones, but for every one of those, there's two more piles of purple shite lying around the corner. Let's name a few of those... >Multiple maps where you can only really progress with Dragon Veins, making the Royals even more necessary and powerful than they already were (at least with Conquest and Birthright it wasn't a complete necessity). >Maps with annoying gimmicks that don't add any challenge, but instead just drag out the level longer than it needed to be. >A stealth mission. In a medieval chess game. That speaks for itself. >Fucking SNOW SHOVELING!!! With Conquest, every single map, even when they rely on gimmicks, have thoughtful, challenging gameplay, that makes the player use their strategy and their limited resources, to get through the day. Even Birthright, a chapter built up to be just another Awakening, understands that in order for a player who enjoyed Awakening, to enjoy Birthright, it needs a more simple minded approach, and builds its maps accordingly (except for Lunatic). Revelations, on the other hand, is insulting, with how little effort was put into it's story, where characters are killed off because why not (Scarlet, Izana...), with antagonists that aren't even memorable, and gameplay that isn't enjoyable, even on a first playthrough. And I'm not saying Conquest and Birthright are immune to these flaws, trust me, they have plenty of shit stains of their own, but you could tell, even if it was minimal, that these games had effort put into them, and that they were MEANT to be challenging, or at least fun. Revelations is just dull, and it feels cheap, with it's laughable gameplay in the second half of the game, it's piss poor storytelling, and it's non-existent scope. I could go on for even longer, but I've made my case. The supposed "ultimate" version of Fates, is ultimately, a cashgrab. Or at least, it felt like it to me.

I loved Fates, but just because it had potential. It's a shame it failed to materialize.

Azura is just a bleached Lucina with different outfit and with a lack of emotion that would make a vulcan jealous Corrin is a just a Mary Sue that wants to play Courier 6 Xander is a more convoluted Camus Ryoma is an honor obsessed prick fite me

When I first played Fates, I wholeheartedly enjoyed it. And then I started to really pay attention to the story and the characters, now that I had finished it several times for the three routes. It *is* extremely weak. It was a fantastic idea, but it wasn’t executed well enough. Two crown princes who will both ascend the throne and are archenemies, two elder sisters who love The Avatar and would do anything for them, two soup-loving princes who have inferiority issues, and the younger sisters who are just there to be cute and happy. One, that’s just too much of a coincidence. I understand that the point of making polar opposites for Nohr and Hoshido was kind of the point, but they forgot to make it realistic. Birthright was the easier play through for beginners. It was fun, easy, and you got to build your characters if you’d like without the pressure of having to advance the story to level up. Conquest was the closest we got to the original FE games with its crushing strategy and tough enemies. Revelation was a mix of it, but it felt dry in retrospect. Now for character development. Xander is literally a communist and he barely has a backbone. “Oh, Father is actually dead and is a puppet by some unknown enemy and is trying to kill The Avatar? Eh, let’s just go talk to him first so we REALLY know for sure.” Camilla was overly-sexualized and she was made into a coddler. She either babies everybody or is kind of rude. Every one of her cutscenes focuses on her bust or behind, like she didn’t have any other likable qualities except the curves on her body. Even though I have a lot of love for Leo (he’s my favorite character and whom I ship the most with The Avatar), he is actually kind of rude in some of his supports, which made him a little unlikable for me. He calls Sakura a crybaby, he treats Takumi like garbage up until really the B or A support, and he called out Elise for just being happy. *But God, isn’t his voice just so wonderful?* Elise was a little darling, but they made her slightly obsessive. I guess it runs in the Nohrian Royal females? She’s at least more likable than Sakura (don’t @ me). Ryoma is the same as Xander, just a baked lobster with a thorn in his side because his hair reminds people of a porcupine. Hinoka was sort of relatable, but she was your basic tomboyish princess who doesn’t like makeup and dressing up or conforming to the “princess dialect.” Takumi...good Lord, Takumi. He was a nightmare in Conquest but an angel in Birthright. They just didn’t do him right. You fight Leo once, and he listens to The Avatar and reveals that he never stopped loving her/him. Takumi was just made into an asshole who you fight not once, not twice, but three times. And then they killed him off for the sake of killing him off. I barely felt any emotion for Takumi (I played Conquest first, so I just thought Takumi to be a menace) when he just threw himself off of a fortress wall and “died.” Sakura is okay, but she doesn’t really have the qualities of somebody that I myself would enjoy being around. She doesn’t speak up for herself most of the time, she’s kind of just in the background. You only put her on a map because you feel like it’s only right to have all of the royals together fighting alongside The Avatar. With that said though, she is a beast with a bow. Azura (minus Lilith) is the only true person in the game who is related to The Avatar by blood. I did not know this at first, as Revelation wasn’t out when I bought Conquest. I married Azura in my male play through. Then Revelation hit me with that bomb of them being cousins. Kana should’ve came out with a downward-bent hand and a foot facing the opposite direction. *I was horrified.* But Azura is probably the weakest character in the game. She’s really just there for the sake of forwarding the plot. The Vallite curse, the truth about Garon, yada yada. She didn’t really do anything memorable except singing the same song over and over again. At least it was catchy! Now for The Avatar. The sweet, sweet Avatar. They really should’ve just left the default name as Kamui, but, you know. Americans gotta be extra, yo. In some regard, Corrin/The Avatar isn’t THAT bad of a protagonist. She/he was kidnapped at a young age, raised in solitude, and was under the impression that only skill with the sword would free her/him from that confinement. Given that she/he NEVER went outside and really got a feel for the world, it made sense that she/he would be naive and wishy-washy. But as the experience went on, The Avatar STAYED naive. And that is not character development. That is character inhibitory syndrome. The Avatar barely took lessons into account and was more concerned about doing things his/her way. “My way is peaceful! I just have to kill some folks to make it peaceful. Oh, we don’t have to fight! But let’s fight anyway so you understand my goals.” *SIGH.* The story was a little trashy. Not FE’s best job. Awakening provided a story that was intriguing and you never would’ve expected Robin/The Avatar to actually be a vessel of the main antagonist. It was spectacular gameplay and all the characters had something to give. Every character was integral, even the second gen. Unlike Fates. I won’t even address the children, because this comment is long enough. But man...it was lazy. Even with these many flaws, Fates was still a pretty enjoyable game and it’s one that is easy to catch on for beginners. It did some great things. Fates introduced the first female berserker (We all love Charlotte, even though Americans once again dehumanized her and made her all about $$$), it addresses familial issues and paved way on what it felt like to lose somebody, to have anxiety and depression, etc. Oh, and yeah, the soundtrack is pretty great. “Glory/Ruin” when fighting Anankos in Revelation? Goddamn. 10/10. It’s not the best game. But it isn’t the worst game, either.

Honestly the worst aspect about Fates is that Hoshido didn't even feel like Feudal japan despite being based off of it. It just felt like a European setting with a Japanese coat of paint

I'm very late, but either way, I enjoyed Fire Emblem Fates a lot, despite its problems. I loved it a lot, and I am glad that you at least liked some aspects.

Personally Corrin was the most bland protagonist I've ever seen in a video game. What are their character traits. I don't want to harm anyone and let's all be friends. This is a game about war, death, and constantly learning from mistakes. It's just really boring to see corrin looked at like their the best thing since sliced bread. As bad as Awakening's story may have been at least the characters relationships feel more genuine than Fates forcing everyone to love corrin because she's the main character. Don't get me started on how Azura could have shows the royal family of nohr how their father was evil in conquest and completely stopped the war that ends up killing 3 members of the other family. Azura needed to do one thing to change literally everything in conquest and not one save countless soldiers, but innocent people as well as fixing their ties with hosido. But nope she had to make them fight a war that caused a lot of people corrin loved to die all because Azura wanted the bad guy to sit on a throne that would reveil his true form.

Fates didn't even feel like fire emblem to me.

"Remember this is clickbait" At least he's aware :^)

A video tearing apart Fire Emblem Fates? Me likey

I started the game the other day and I got to the cutscene where Corrin's mother died and I literally died laughing lmao. Also, I just didn't care about this game nearly as much as I cared about Awakening. I literally named my character Liquid because the voice actor for male Corrin voices Liquid Snake from Metal Gear Solid.

As a member of a choir, I feel positively preached to. But yeah, Fates really doesn’t do it for me. As a whole, it feels kinda... cynical? Between all the cheesecake, shoehorned features, and Corrin’s existence, it just feels like a big ol’ cashgrab on Awakening’s success

I just finish awakening and thought: "well, its was a very good history with good characters, some of my units were.... So powerful, but waa very good" and now Im playing fate and is boring, why everybody love Corrin? What she did? (In theory, the cannon corrin is woman, I dunno) why no oje fight or doubt of her? It feel like a mess than a history, And who in the hell though that marrie with your siblings was a good idea?????? Wtf Hoshido is too perfect, they love Corrin but don't doubt on kill her, is just bad writing

I don't get why people think Fates gets a pass in terms of its terrible plot, saying that I should "play the game and ignore the story" when evaluating it. To borrow and edit a quote from YMS that basically paraphrases what these people are saying: "You should just enjoy the game by ignoring parts of the game." Even as a game, I didn't like Fates at all. Birthright was so easy that I could probably beat it with half my brain missing. Conquest came the closest to offering a fun experience, but the core gameplay design coupled with the occasional bullshit chapter nailed that prospect shut (though I like it better than OG Gaiden). And Revelation... the less said about that atrocity, the better.

I liked Fates for the art, music, some of the levels, and some of the characters. That being said I still agree with you about the DLC being handled poorly and the bad story writing. I didn't buy any DLC for Echoes because I was disappointed by the Fates DLC. It's also made me hope we get more remakes of the older games if the new ones are going to have stories like this.

Fates seems to be a collection of some really interesting ideas that were thrown together regardless whether they worked together. Then, if there is a possible error with the story, rather than trying to change aspects in order to fix it, they put some "duct tape" over the plot hole. The main example is this. There is a secret third kingdom who are true enemy of the game, with you during the third path are tasked with fighting them, and to do that you have to mend the relations between the two nations Plot hole: there is no reason why the Corrin or Azura could not just tell them about the secret kingdom, which would at least slow down the fighting until they can easily prove of the kingdoms existance "Duct Tape": There is a magical unexplained curse where you disappear and die if you even mention the Kingdom

It's starting to get to the point where people think most Fire Emblem games are good games but a bad Fire Emblem games.

My main problem is how everyone just lets Corrin be the LEADER OF AN ENTIRE ARMY when he's had no experience. Sure in the beginning of the game before the older siblings join the army it makes sense, but as soon as Leo, Xander and Ryoma join, Corrin should've been thrown to the curve. In Awakening, Robin earned respect through action and worked hard throughout the game to gain more credit, and even then it felt like Robin was sharing second in command with Frederick. Another thing I didn't like was how flat and gimmicky the characters were (ESPECIALLY the children characters)

I'm not a veteran Fire Emblem Fan. I've only played Fates, Awakening, and Echoes. And I've dabbled with the GBA games. I don't have the perspective of someone who grew up with the series the only reason why I picked it up was because people were endlessly complaining about Corrin in Smash Bros. With all that being said I enjoy making my units unstoppable monsters in any RPG I play so I was pleasantly surprised when these games let me do that. That's why I've dumped +750 hours into Fates and eventually Awakening and Echoes will join in on having hundreds of hours put into them. Because planning routes to obtain skills and experiment with my party is what I want from my RPGS.

At least that's better reasoning than "grinding is like running in Mario, and sacred stones has grinding, therefore the game is irredeemably bad for this sole fact because grinding is too hard to ignore"

My big issue is the fact corrin isn't blood related to either side. So what the hell was the point of a choice? It's between the family that raised you... or the family that raised you a bit less, and then lost you to a kidnapping.

It has fun gameplay. That's 99% of what matters to me in a game. This only covered the other 1%, so it's still a good game.

Fire emblem fates is a mixed bag for me. Its story is not good, corrin as a self insert doesnt work, he comes off as someone who is confused about everything and is a crybaby to a degree. The story also shows how predictable it can be at times. On the other half the gameplay is so dang good. You have control over all aspects of you're armies classes and pair up isnt as broken as awakening which is nice. The gameplay is good and I praise the game for it, the story also hurts the game so it's a mixed bag. Also Arthur is best character in fates.

Yeah, the story in the games is basically trash. Over ambitious, underwhelming... Conquest is legitimately the *worst* narrative I've ever seen in a game, period. That said, the supports are what kept me in it. Its very obvious that two different studios worked on the story itself and the support conversations, because the quality difference between the two is staggering. I'm not even talking just about the "ship simulator" aspect- even seeing conversations between friends was overall very rewarding, and added a lot of depth to the characters they otherwise would never have gotten.

9:00 In the old days we got multiple paths for free =( Loved Sacred Stones, goddamn that ghost ship though lol

Honestly I really liked Fates. It’s my favorite in the series. I liked it a lot more than Awakening. I liked the gameplay more and the characters more as well. Sure the whole buying the same game does get pretty tedious but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I’m excited to play Three Houses when it’s out.

Since I can't afford Three Houses I've been playing Fates, since I didn't beat it when it came out... I can't beat it this time either. This game is too boring.

Your point about the units coddling Corrin reminded me of a moment from the Black Eagle route of Three Houses that I absolutely love. (SPOILERS FOR THREE HOUSES) When your dad (Jeralt) is killed, Byleth is in a very emotional state. Holding themselves up in their room crying/mourning his death. Edelgard comes in and to sum it up, she says “Listen, I know how you’re feeling right now. I know you’re hurting and it sucks. But I can’t just stop everything for your sake. The world is gonna keep moving, which means you’ll need to move on too. And when you do, I’ll be the first person to be there by your side. Giving you the support you need.” It’s actually really profound and was probably the moment I fell in love with her as a character. She respects Byleth enough to give them sympathy but to also be honest with them.

It's been three years and people still won't just let it die quietly

Yo which game/song is shown at 8:02 that "you are the ocean's gray waves...." appears to be a remix of?

Which is the name of the ost of the FE 4 that is the base of Ocean gray waves? 8:02

Section 1: I agree with the “why would you ever pick Nohr part because Garon is VERY clearly evil” and the spilt paths are pointless imo Section 2: I actually like support system the supports gives good development at least imo (I can’t defend the child unit system though despite that fact I love Kana) Section 3: I also can’t defend Revelation because I personally don’t find Revelation fun at all (the second half is dreadful imo) Ok I’ll admit I’m a fates fan, does that mean I hate this video? No, I understand why people don’t like this game (hell I only really enjoy Birthright) This is a good video overall and I hope everything I said made sense (also sorry for the essay long comment) Oh and Nohrian Scum because you said to say it lol

I agreed with you up until you said Revelation was the best value and that Conquest and Birthright were a “waste of time”. Revelation is basically the worst Fire Emblem game ever made, while gameplay wise Conquest is the best (even if I hate the story with a passion). Revelation’s map design is unengaging and thoughtless, its gimmicks are tedious, and its unit balance is absolute garbage. I don’t understand how you could have played all three games and concluded Rev was the best. Revelation may have been INTENDED to be the definitive edition, but the end result was a clearly rushed, cobbled-together mess of a plot and game that’s really only good for multiplayer.

That was fe4 at 8:06 right Which ost is that I need to know

I feel I played different Fire Emblem Fates , they are my favorite. I feel the gameplay is at its best here.

12:10-"Fire Emblem is supposed to be about the storytelling." ... No it's not XD It's a strategy game firsr and foremost, and Conquest has some of the best chapter design in all of the series. Let me remind you that old fire emblem games literally had no supports. Strategy > Plot/RPG aspect has always been Fire Emblem's theme. If you think otherwise you're just missunderstanding the series.

What if instead of two kingdoms, both families are in one kingdom. Let’s say Hoshido. Let’s imagine that the “Hoshidan family” are royalty and are very good Kings, queens, princes, etc. BUT, the NOHR family, mainly Garon, wants to overthrow the Hoshidan royal throne so he can control Hoshido and corrupt it for his own benefit. Instead of Corrin being raised by Nohr, let’s just say that the two families are very close, but Garon has gone senile and mad. This just popped up in my head i don’t think it’s good.

Let’s be honest...they should’ve just given us Revelations. Forget the Nohr and Hoshido paths.

I’ve never played a fire emblem game and I’m buying a 3ds, what games should I start with/skip?

Great video! Cannot understand all of the dislikes, it's a well-made argument and I agree with most of your points; even the points I don't agree with are well explained. I still think it's a good game as I am hugely into the combat system, but I'm glad you brought up the map issue, it helps explain part of why the world is so bland.

I don't really have a lot to say about the game. But this was my first entry to the series and I loved it. I never even would have thought this was a low point in the series, though like I said. This was my first game and I had no reference point to go off of. But now I'm interested to see that the older games have to offer

BeyondPolygons do you plan on reviewing Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn?

I know this is unrelated but have you ever played Golden Sun?

Idk why people says that Corrin is a Bad character just because he doesn't want to kill, instead he wants to be humble with everyone If you have 1 IQ would know if Corrin had a different behavior ANYTHING from Fates would have happened -___-"

Sacred Stones I feel as though is Fates done better: the separate storylines for Eirika and Ephraim were not only completely different you also could recruit the same characters albeit in a different order from each path. Hell, both paths even reconnect to each other and there are only some changes in story dialogue and ending depending on which path you chose. Fates on the other had... every path feels very exclusive. Sure there are a small handful of characters that are available on the three path but even on the third true ending path you can't recruit them all because of the story. Speaking of the story, there's a major flaw with the storytelling in all three paths in the Nohrian emperor is the default villain when in Conquest it could've easily been the Hoshidan Queen. And don't get me started on how Revelations is the biggest misnomer and misunderstanding of translation. Actually, I will: a big part of Fates' story telling is with the song Lost In Thoughts All Alone tying in with certain chapters being named after certain parts of the song. Hell, the Birthright and Conquest paths are even referenced in name throughout the song. But you know what isn't? Revelations. The biggest irony behind Revelations is you can't reveal who the true villain is until the two sides join forces and even then not a lot is explained. It would've been better if the path was called Silence since the ending song has Silence referenced and the true final boss is referred to as a Silent Dragon.

i'm fire emblem fates trash and i approve of this video

The problem with modern Fire Emblem is the "save the backyard" type of feel it has adopted. No more mountains and fortress tiles, an entire stage could be just two decrepit abandoned houses. This completely undermines the entire heroic rebellion to save a kingdom pure roleplay Fire Emblem used to deliver.

I’ve played all three, the third game is definitely my favorite and I love fates with all my heart, I adored the story but I can understand it does have some flaws.

Sure Fates is flawed in a lot of places, but it's still a fun game. I'm still playing it right now.:P

What would you recommend as the best fire emblem game on the 3Ds?

The story drags it down A LOT, but I still absolutely adore fates conquest to the point I think it's my favorite FE game - the gameplay is my favorite in the series and I love all the music and characters. It is the FE game I have replayed the most and one I still get the urge to come back to every year - plus I just have a lot of nostalgia for this game, it came out when I was SUPER into fire emblem coming off awakening and I have a lot of good memories of playing it in class with my friend who also had the game back in high school. It objectively may be an only okay game, but I hold so much love for it and I think it still does many things well and brings a lot to the table as a fire emblem game.

Oh boi i cant wait to see how well this video is received

I hope in future games we see more of what Fates did right: pair up is more balanced, units have far more flexibility, dragon veins were cool, and CQ had great maps. I would not even mind if we had split paths again as long as they are in one game and the story is improved. Fates had a lot of great ideas and some were done very well and others very poorly.

Imagine having three lacking plots locked behind 3 separate videogames, and not 3 years later they better execute the idea in Three Houses for the cost of one game (okay I know it's $60 retail on Switch but it's better than having to buy Birthright, Conquest, and Revelation)

Now I know why RU-vid only have cut scene and not the gameplay :v

The story in Fates is definitely subpar, maybe even the worst in the series, but it's not the worst video game story ever. I value gameplay above all else in my FE, so I wouldn't even care so much if they hadn't built their marketing around the writing. Two famous writers (a mangaka and a video game writer) wrote hundreds of pages developing lore for the three games? Sounds like Game of Thrones, how exciting! But then... where did all that work go? Did they just disregard it to cobble together an easy, fanservice-y story, or was the writing crap to begin with? Why did they emphasize the power of choice and emphasizing with different perspectives when you can tell within ten minutes that one side is blatantly evil and the other morally just, and then the rest of the game(s) doesn't even subvert that expectation? Why did they think this is a selling point, even saying that it's better than Awakening's story, when it's way worse than Awakening? Just why?

Interesting video. Really, I honestly thought Conquest as a whole was the strongest between the three. I was lucky in that I had a friend I could play Birthright with, however. I can't imagine buying all 3 games. My one issue is that I never felt like Nohr's status as a corrupt kingdom was meant to be a shock, and I sort of felt as though the conflict there was about having to do heinous acts until you can fix your kingdom, by overthrowing it from the inside. Playing the game, while planning to overthrow your leader made the story at least a little interesting for me. Yeah, the ending leaves off on cliffhangers meant to get you to play Revelations, but Revelations the majority of the time feels like a huge mess, especially when retelling of parts that were honestly done better in their respective games than their "combined" game. At least on Conquest's side, everyone has a distinct enough personality, yet they never quite felt as entirely one-note as say...the pickle kid from Hoshido. Meanwhile, I can count on one hand maybe the number of characters I enjoyed on Birthright. I wouldn't say it's better than Echoes or Awakening, even if you were to only play Conquest, but at least I can say it's a more interesting and worthy entry to the franchise, in my eyes, if you are just to ignore Hoshido and their family altogether. It's a shame, because I really thought characters like Ryoma and Azama are interesting, but they really can't save it.

If the avatar becomes a king would you say he’s been...Corrinated

I understand people don't like these games but it was my first Fire emblem and it holds a special place in my heart no matter what anyone says.

They seriously needed to make both kingdoms have some sympathetic element much like they did for the countries in Radiant Dawn. If only that game got as much polish and budget as Fates.

I liked the flexibility of the classes and skills in Fates, but the story and features like the children all just felt ungenuine, like IS were purposefully trying to emulate what Awakening did right but in an inferior fashion. Disappointing is the correct description of Fates in almost all aspects.

The problem with the early part of the story is that the Before Fates DLC was never announced nor released for which was supposed to be told from mostly Gunter's point of view, while wrapping it out with Shura kidnapping Aqua to be ransomed back to Nohr. The story would be about how Nohr was before Shenmei's arrival, what happened after her arrival in Nohr, Garon's fall to Anakanos, what Gunter and some of the older characters were all doing in-between that time leading up to Corrin's capture in further detail, to where that DLC would then end with Shura kidnapping Aqua. We may even know about who Xander's original retainers were before they ended up getting killed fulfilling their duties. The source content is there amongst those thousands of pages, and is even hinted if ya choose a side. There are also unobtainable items as revealed from the data mine of the ROM that were supposed to be earned upon completing those chapters of the DLC, if it had been developed and released. Which includes a Ganglari actual to which the player can actually forge. Ya can still earn it by reaching 400 Battle points. But as there is no way to earn 127 additional Ganglari actual, there is no way to forge it to +7.

Here's an Idea of how to make it better: 1) Scrap the intro chapters. including the part where you kill the queen (save it for later) The story starts with you in Nohr. par normal. training with your siblings, but your not some rupunzel stored away in a tower. Your character shouldn't feel excluded from their family for no given reason, they need to feel as one, so when you're torn away it matters. the Choice needs to be hard. Make Corrin a general, captain, or commander to stand as equals in some light with their 3 of age siblings. > After a hard day of practical training, defending a village from monsters, you are at home in your castle. (Not in Garou's, You need to be away from him for thematic reasons - Logically its because your commanding troops far away from the capital). In the shadows of night you see a silhouette in the shadows before falling unconscious. When you awake you are approaching the border between Nohr and Hoshido, in a small covered wagon. Your brother, Ryoma, looks down to you and welcomes you awake. >>> Hoshido found out that Corrin is still alive, and Ryoma put together a squad to infiltrate and retrieve his sibling. this consists of Ryoma, Kagero, Saizo, and Kaze (the ninjas). The borderline of the two countries is where the decisive chapter normally occurs, and it will be a climax chapter in this version. >>> Your abduction has been discovered, as Camilla went to check on you in the night to find your absence. Xander, Leo, and a Battalion of troops are chasing your wagon, and your cover is gone. (all this time your body is still very sluggish from the aesthetics used on your body). Just before you make it to Hoshidio's side of the field, Leo gets into range to blow up your wagon with his ultimate tome. All of your team is sent flying across the center point (that small bridge), except for Ryoma who stands guarding you , without a scratch. Xander and leo approach Demanding that Ryoma hand their sibling back, before a back and forth of who Corrin truely belongs to. Neither take ground until Camilla comes out from a tent from the Hoshido camp. She has Sakura in her hands, Using a Tome to either paralyze er or drain life force enough to stop her from resisting (she flew ahead in the cover of night, and snuck into the camp prior to morning, also defeating Sakura's retainers). Ryoma only step back, in exchange for the release of Sakura. Now we stand at the Moment where You'd normally choose your path, Both Families on their respective Sides, But this time the Queen Mother is alive. She comes out of her tent Joyed to see her child she has missed for over a decade. She approaches Corrin, Ryoma stopping her from getting too close. Xander recognizes the Value of the moment before him and uses His magic sword to cast a spell and try and kill her. Ryoma strike back with a lightning blast (they're in a classic anime beam struggle now) Xander: "Come brother, we can end this war now!" You look back to your mother and in her tear filled eye's you see a brief moment of your childhood (lets say Corrin was kidnapped at like 3 or 4) Corrin: "Mother" they starts to stand and reach out to her. At this moment Ryoma is gaining on Xander, until Leo Joins with a spell to either coincide or enhance Xander's. The Beam overtakes Ryoma, launching him to the side, and strikes towards the Queen. the camera pan's out from a hole, (like a hole burnt into a chest cavity), to see Corrin took the Shot as he hugs his mother. though it didn't matter as it passed though the both of them. This moment of Pain and trauma is what triggers Corrin's first Dragon form, not a planted demon sword. Corrin goes Ballistic. their families trying to calm them down, but they can't, nor do they want to kill them. In this moment you hear a singing comming from up river. a Priestess, Azura, is singing a song that her mother had always sang to her. (In this version she is third party not a Hoshido princess). She had a dream or some form of soothseeing that told her she needed to head to this place. Her singing calms you, returning you to human form. She's the only one who will get close to you though, as the two families are still at war anticipating an attack from each other. Corrin Is rightfully Pissed, almost more than their Hoshido siblings cause not only was their mother killed, it was done by Her brothers. Corrin: "Everything was fine! You killed her, all of you! You'll all Pay!" - I'd like to find a way to make Hoshido feel more responsible, though one doesn't come directly to mind Corrin using the dragon-stone Azura gave him Flies off from the battlefield - Corrin has Azura with them (she explained what the stone would make them control the draconian beast within). When they stop running and take shelter, Azura tells Corrin that they are the "Chosen one" or at least they can be, as it takes a dragon to kill the beast that dwells beneath the land they reside on (Later found to be Garons possessor). Dragons are extinct, or damn near it, and you are her only help. She knows this, and sympathies with you because she herself is part dragon, but she cannot transform more than (X) parts of her, and has a sickly/feeble body. She needs you and the world needs you to stop the darkness. The core story starts Here - this time about 3-4 chapters in not 7. most characters have better motivation as to why to kill the others (granted they have been at war for a generation already anyway, but the death of their mother being at Xander and Leo's hands + whatever I'd Have Hoshido do make better causes for viceral revenge than magic sword that your dad gave my brother turned on and killed my mom) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A big thing I'd change as well is the order of which your siblings / others arrive to help you. For instance a big Part of both Hinoka and Camilla's characters is that they loved you most of their respective siblings, but because their too high level, the game waits to bring them to you (just make them lower level for the sake of story - present them as strong anyways via story/cutscens/or make them a few levels higher [the lon qu of the team]). They should be the first two family members you recruit, granted a few chapters after the war conflict. They could even join at the same time, as that would add to the drama of the moment. Xander, Ryoma, and Leo are still of the last to join you, but for different reasons. Ryoma can not side with a single Nohrian, after what they did to his mother, even if they aren't the ones that directly killed her. Takumi can just be takumi (mostly as is is , as he never liked corrin anyway). They don't Join until they have to, say a midgame Massive boss - The Nohrian King thinks he's powerful enough and attacks (though he still needed more time, and power. So he's fended off, and retreats). His final battle has him returning already fully transformed in the form of the giant shadow dragon ready to end all. The devs could also play with the split nations concept a bit more. where Your team is being attacked, but Nohr, and Hoshido troops are neglecting certain units, until provoked (Mostly the nobles of their homeland). Or Retainers are specifically attacking their Retainees in order to knock them out and return them home.

Conquest was much better than boring ass Awakening.

Incoming fates fans who will call anyone who dislikes it a "classic fe elitist"

to refute: Revalations is actually VERY different from the two games. It stops you way too much when playing and isn't as restrictive as Conquest and Birthright is grindy. But with this, the maps of Rev are the worst

My biggest gripe with this game is Corrin, because everyone loves them But I have this other issue, that I feel no one mentions. Birthright doesn't make sense, and it's because of Corrin. Corrin has no real connection to Hoshido, they do not remember their birthfamily, they do not spend enough time with them to really know them, and the main point of picking Hoshido, the fact that their Corrins blood related family, is false. Why pick people you don't even know, over those who raised and cared for you? As the 4 siblings of Nohr really did like Corrin

In awakening I had so much fun with the characters. I really liked Tharjas character development in her supports and I feel fates missed her character.

I completely agree. Despite being three whole games Fates felt like half a game. Upon its original announcement I thought it would be amazing since it looked like it would be one singular game at normal price with three separate story paths (like the split in Sacred Stones) and a story focused on player choice and moral grey.

On Revelation, I actually felt that having almost all the characters is one of the reasons it’s the worst of the three. I mean, you have to use Corrin, you’d be a fool not to use Ryoma, Xander, Takumi, and Leo, unless your trying to challenge yourself, and Elise and Sakura are two of the only healers you get. There are two many characters and I just don’t feel a chance to use many of the better ones. Not to mention many are introduced too late too low leveled.

God damn it... so far I'm enjoying Birthright, I had no idea. So... should I just switch to Awakening?

This is barely relevant, but I wish Corrin wasn't added to Smash. Fire Emblem deserves better representation than them.

I think conquest actually has some of the best gameplay design of the entire series, though i do think some of the expectations it has for the player are too strict, where many times a single small mistake can cause a death. Even Thracia is more forgiving. The level design is really tightly done so that it promotes engaging and thoughtful gameplay. But lunatic mode sucks because it pulls some absolutely terrible design decisions such as giving enemies the ability to infinitely debuff your units and enemies who can arbitrarily decide to make themselves untargetable while also being able to pass through your units and still move on the turn that they are invincible. It's like some beginner level mistakes that you'd think some modder making their first game ever would use to lazily increase difficulty. Otherwise, the story is pretty bad, worst in the series, and maybe the worst written fiction i've ever seen that's tied to a "professional" product. Even some of the worst written games in the series, such as fe7 and fe8, are still pretty decent in comparison to the average game. So it's pretty bad that the standard was lowered so much with awakening, and then even further with fates. It makes fe10, a highly flawed story, look like shakespeare in comparison.

It doesn't even play the classic Fire Emblem theme that even Awakening did on the title screen, just an ominous verison of Ocean's Gray Waves

Fates is easily one of the better games imo. The only classic games I could tolerate were FE 7 and path of radiance/RD. Awakening, fates, and echoes are so much more appealing for me than the older games that it makes it hard for me to take videos like this seriously.

i actually like this game is that bad?

I'll say this: fates conquest was my first fire emblem ever, and I frickin adore it to this day. I guess I wasn't enough of a fan back then to see your critique points, but even after playing several titles, the style of fates looks way cleaner and charming than for example echoes. Greetings for Germany, beware of bad english

Coming from a home where my foster family and real mother both fought for my time, I loved the plot and related to it a lot. The fall of Hoshido and the second play through was always so much more emotionally fun.

I started with Conquest and to this day I'm still struggling to Finish Birthright, mind you that I was able to put almost 300 hours in Awakening...

Everything Changed When The Weeb Nation Attacked. I hope in the future story wise we can go back to genealogy levels

I'm gonna say that I have played the majority of FE games and the only one that I haven't could finished is Fates, the characters are so void, the story is so shit that is painfull advance in the game, it took me physical effort to try to play a couple of chapters in secuence without turn off my console... it doesn't have any motivation besides MUH WAIFU...

One of my favorite Fates characters is (oddly of the child ones) Dwyer. He's got the lazy but hard-working attitude that makes his support conversations funny to read. Another odd fact, was that the app game Heroes made up a whole side story where Dwyer was basically the hero of the day.

I couldn’t agree more. No offense to anyone who liked Fates, but to me it’s the worst Fire Emblem game for sure and it’s not even close. Whereas I can and do get the itch to go back and play through the other entries time and time again, the bland story, boring characters, a terrible avatar and even more terrible villain, overemphasis on marriage, and uninspired map designs keep me away from Fates.

Fates means a lot to me, as they were the games that made me love Fire Emblem, but after properly playing the Kaga games, I can't really say its a good game at all really. The UI is pretty nice, but the game is too easy and the story is kind of ass. Fire Emblem is kinda an anime dating sim now, ( I'm lowkey all for that) but the future games wont really match up with the old ones in terms of difficulty and gameplay.

Fates is like Communism. Sounds like a good idea at first until you actually put it into practice. Then it blows up in your face completely, you feel regret, then you wonder why you did it in the first place. Fates to me seemed genuinely pointless with how most of the story was summed up in the first 6 chapters.

Another gripe: the game introduces a mulitplayer match, but if you had conquest you could not win against anyone with the other games some you can't grind

One of the things that frustrates me the most about the game is its potential. Moral grey has always been a huge theme in the Fire Emblem games. (One of my favorite examples of this is the Thracia arc in Genealogy of the Holy War, and the character of king Travant.) So the idea that a game could tackle, in great depth, the nuances of both sides of a conflict made me interested. A point that is brought up in one of the games (and never mentioned again) is that Nohr acts aggressively because it has to, due to lack of resources. But then it never comes up again. And whoops, Garnon is evil because he is. Subtlety, and anything that could make the story even remotely interesting, is thrown out the window. It’s infuriating.

Fates as a whole was such a dissapointment

when it comes to gameplay I loved it, when it comes to story....meh

0:35 Believe me, that is NOT just you.

I liked it. But to be fair it was my first Fire Emblem. When looked at with no idea about the series history I thought the plot twists were kinda good. I got Birthright and then Revelations and I was surprised by stuff like the "Lost in Thoughts" song might kill and does kill Azura and the fact that she is your cousin.