Challenging, fun and rewarding. All the characters of success but underlying features made it bound to fail
For a hardcore fan this sequel with seem like a ode to their prayers but for newcomers this will seem like a level-grinding beat down of a game designed to make you cry. While it is true that the game is frustrating when it comes on to difficulty that does not completely hinder the game but it does set it back quite a bit.
You start off as a girl named Micaiah who is being hunted down by soldiers of the Begnion Empire who seek to hunt and kill you. In the midst of all this you get wrapped up into a political conspiracy plot among troubled senators and the sort but only as you trudge deep into the game. Which is an aspect all in itself as the game starts out a bit weak but by the middle the story manages to become fairly engaging if at the least, tolerable but by the end of it all things will drastically change not to hint to anything. So story-wise the plot is a see-saw in itself and in addition for newcomers the story will also involve a plethora of allies from Fire emblem: POR so understanding many parts of the game does require you to have some knowledge of the predeceasing game before it.
Game play wise the sequel sticks to its predecessors game play in which you follow the turn based formula which brings us up to difficulty which can range from easy to downright punishing. For someone who is new to the series easy should be the way to go as even normal can be downright frustrating but not for the fact that enemies have more health, better weapons and higher levels but for the fact that your characters die and at a point where one of them is crucial they may be long gone never to return to your party again.
The game does two things to balance out that situation, one: they supply you with a plethora of characters a bunch of which you will not need nor use because of the increasing number. Then the game gives u mid-battle saving which is a life-saver especially when one of your important characters dies and you have to start from the beginning which instead you start from your last save point. This is a great addition but because of its difficulty you will often find yourself having to constantly reload as you attempt to take certain routes. The backfire to this is you taking a wrong route and accidentally saving believing your safe which forces you to start from the beginning of the chapter.
The graphics are almost completely the same from the gamecube the focal point of it being beautiful pre-rendered cut scenes that are in short supply as it is. The sounds are a bit dull when it comes onto weapons but are slightly better when it comes to the in-game music which can sound surprisingly motivational. The dragon roars, the sounds of heavy armor clanking and the abundance of spell sounds makes up for the dull weapon noise.
For you to even unlock the hard mode you must beat normal which is a challenge in itself but hard mode is not just steep difficulty but a chance to unlock even more characters that for some could be well worth the work. The game is pretty lengthy and will take you much more than an hour or two to beat especially at the harder levels. In fact it can take you well over 10 hours to complete but for the most part the game is solid only lacking in the sense that the difficulty can completely put-off newcomers. With a little bit more charisma radiant dawn could have been the much anticipated sequel fans had been waiting for but because of its dull story, frustrating game play and tired sounds it only manages to go so far.