Fans of Nintendo's deep turn-based strategy series, Fire Emblem, will be pleased to finally hear confirmation of a release date for the latest title in the franchise, Fire Emblem Awakening which will hit physical and virtual shelves for the 3DS on the 19th of April.
The eleventh title in the series (discounting remakes and spin-offs), but only the fifth title to see release outside of Japan, Fire Emblem: Awakening is a game that blends turn based strategy and role playing elements, like levelling, to great effect. Set in a fantasy universe, it's up to you to take charge of a variety units, ranging from Knights to Mages and Cleric, as you try to win a series of battles. Each unit class has its own strengths and weaknesses, along with a range of special abilities to help you win each battle - Mages are prominent magic users, as you may expect, while Knights know their way around a sword. But rather than just sticking to their classes, each unit is their own character, with their own backstory, feelings, and interests, which can sometimes lead to a few tiffs amongst your party on the battlefield. Leading the troops into battle, however, will be your own customisable avatar, which you can create from scratch, and who'll play a major role in the storyline.
Fire Emblem's an incredibly deep game - yet one that's also quite easy to pick up and play. Despite how it may look.
While it's long been a series that appeals to fans of hardcore turn-based strategy games, efforts have recently been made to try and soften Fire Emblem's hardened shell, and to try and make the game more accessible for newer players, with perhaps the biggest addition being "casual mode". Keeping the vast majority of the game intact, with the same deep levelling/customisation options, the main difference in casual mode is that when your characters are defeated in battle, they no longer "die", and instead simply sit the fight out, before coming back for the next one. When playing in normal mode, should a character be defeated, that's effectively "it" for them, as they die, and are removed from your squad, never to be seen again - forcing you to think through every single move you make. On casual mode, luckily, mistakes matter a lot less - making it great for novices trying to get up to speed.
Nintendo of Europe realises that fans have been waiting a long time for this instalment, especially as Japan has had the game for a year, and North America got it a couple of weeks ago, so by way of making up, players in Europe will be treated to a special limited edition Fire Emblem Awakening 3DS XL bundle, which will arrive exclusively in Europe for the game's launch (the US got a limited edition regular 3DS - which, somewhat sadly, looks better than the one we're getting). Coming in a fetching blue, with a Fire Emblem logo on the front, and a copy of Fire Emblem: Awakening pre-installed, it's no Pikachu 3DS XL, but we suppose it'll do. Also slightly disappointing is the news that DLC has been confirmed for the European release, with new maps and characters being added to the game for a price - with these all now already out in Japan, we were kind of hoping they may have been crammed onto the cartridge to make up for the delay. Happily, though, the first selection of maps will be free for a limited time, as a little incentive for those who're still sitting on the fence.
Set for release on the 19th of April, strategy fans will want to start getting their troops ready to roll out now. We'll be bringing you a full review soon.
