I decided to write a review of Fire Emblem Fates today, a little ahead of the game’s release in the West. It is mostly written as a review to other FE fans (so gameplay is a given and only differences/new things are mentioned), but I do try to write it somewhat in a broader way for those who may be interested in the game but have not played any of the others.
I divided it into several sections, as the games do differ in their gameplay and story. So, I cover the three paths in addition to the general game. Note that this is actually based on Fire Emblem if (as it’s known in Japan), so I do not discuss localization differences. That will be at a different date later on after I play the Western release.
I do discuss story, but have managed to keep it spoiler-free (and with some references to what is already shown in promotional media, but not too much).
For reference, I am a long time FE fan (since FE7), I played this game back in June/July, and wrote several in-depth summaries of each path and some of the DLC, a chapter guide, a menu translation guide, and finally, a character guide.
A final reminder that some things in reviews are inevitably going to be value-judgements. Story, especially, for instance, is really a “matter of taste.” I would hope this is common knowledge, but apparently is forgotten by others sometimes…so please, when reading about story flaws and upsides, remember that it is just the humble opinion of one writer and maybe a few other fans. It may give brief guidelines on what to expect of the story, but the final opinion should always be formed by you after playing it.
As you can imagine, the process of writing this review took a lot of time (and passion!), so if you are feeling generous, then…Please donate! It helps fund future projects!
I hope you find this rather long-winded review useful in some way.
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