It’s amazing what a developer can accomplish when placed under do-or-die circumstances. Though Intelligent Systems was never in danger of being disbanded, something arguably as important was: the Fire Emblem brand. Prior to the development of Fire Emblem Awakening, members of Nintendo’s longtime second-party partners were informed that if it didn’t outperform the more recent entries in the series — which had been met with progressively declining sales — it could mean the end of the long-running tactical RPG franchise. Not to be outdone by the myriad heroes of Fire Emblem lore, Intelligent Systems rose to the occasion and the result is far and away the greatest series entry in years — and arguably one of the best strategy RPGs of all time.
It’s hard to single out any one thing that Awakening excels at, due mainly to the fact that it accomplishes almost everything it sets out to do with the utmost precision and panache. To start, the game’s visuals are sublime. Not only do they showcase some of the best stereoscopic 3D in the 3DS’ repository, but they manage to deliver high-end visuals without sacrificing classic aesthetic staples of the series’ handheld past. 2D sprites navigate rolling terrain and clouds that pop like a cut-out picture book, whereas battles themselves are full-on polygonal smackdowns the likes of which the series has never before touched — not even with console releases like Path of Radiance.
The core of the experience is, of course, the extensive depth of Fire Emblem’s stat-building gameplay. The multitude of ways to configure various classes, skills, and weapons to meet your team’s needs is nothing short of staggering. Beyond that, Awakening once again brings back the ever-looming devil permadeath, waiting to snatch your brothers in arms from waking life the moment they fall in battle. As with past games in the franchise, characters can build relationships by conversing with both each other and with the player, and you soon realize just how heart-wrenching it can be to lose a unit who’s not only a powerhouse on the battlefield, but also a loving wife and mother of your first-born child. This child, of course, will now be raised by a full-time tactician with little room in his schedule for parenting. Sound real enough for you?
That just scratches the surface, as Fire Emblem Awakening is jam packed with content, brimming with emotion, and represents the finest hour for what could have been the last game in a storied franchise. Luckily, thanks to better-than-expected sales, it appears that Fire Emblem will be sticking around a bit longer after all.