Fire Emblem Updated Impressions

Fire Emblem is the upcoming strategy role-playing game from Intelligent Systems, the creator of the popular Advance Wars series. While the Advance Wars games have brought Intelligent Systems into the limelight recently, the Japanese developer's first claim to fame was the Fire Emblem games. The series has been a constant presence on Nintendo consoles since the days of the NES but has sadly never made it to the US. Fortunately that situation will change this fall when Nintendo finally brings the latest entry in the Fire Emblem series to the Game Boy Advance. The game, simply called Fire Emblem, is the seventh entry in the series and is the latest installment to hit Japan. We got a chance to take a closer look at the promising game and are pleased with what we've seen. Fire Emblem successfully combines the strategic combat from the Advance Wars games with a liberal helping of RPG depth.

Though the Fire Emblem franchise has been around for a while, this latest entry in the series is being tailor-made to introduce US gamers to the rich history of the games. The game is a prequel to the previous game in the series, which was released for the Game Boy Advance in Japan, and features a story that will mix exposition with references to the previous games. The game's narrative will be broken up into two parts: a tutorial and a main story. The first part of the game will be the tutorial, which will introduce you to one of the main characters in addition to the gameplay mechanics. The tutorial's narrative will revolve around your experiences helping a young woman named Linn, who finds you on the plains and nurses you back to health. The tutorial will consist of 10 chapters in which you will aid Linn in her personal quest while learning the various systems in the game. At the end of the tutorial you'll encounter the other two main characters in the game--Hector and Elliwood--and begin the main storyline. The main story will offer two adventures--you'll experience the events as both Hector and Elliwood, who each have a unique path through the main story.

Fire Emblem's gameplay features many of the mechanics from Advance Wars titles but with an RPG twist. One of the biggest differences from Advance Wars is that you will have a finite number of persistent units that will travel with you through the course of the game. While you'll be able to recruit more members to your posse in the game, there won't be any scenarios where you can throw wave after wave of faceless, disposable grunts at your foes, since once a unit falls in battle, it's gone for good. Although this makes battles considerably more challenging, there are several pluses to the setup. The biggest benefit is that the units in your army can gain experience and increase their abilities. You'll also find other perks, such as the ability to choose from three different weapon classes--axes, lances, and swords--each with unique strengths and weaknesses, thanks to a paper-rock-scissors-style system for weapons in the game. While three classes may not sound like much in the way of options, there's considerable variety within each weapon class, allowing for a pretty big arsenal in the game. In addition, you'll be able to find special weapons on your travels, each with a unique effect. You'll also find a similar system in place for magic users--there are three types of magic, each with a variety of spells. You'll find a comparable amount of variety in the characters you'll be using, because you can change the classes of the members of your army. As in many RPGs that feature such a system, changing classes can improve or radically change your party's statistics and abilities, depending on your choices.

Since you'll be logging a considerable amount of time with your band of fighters, Intelligent Systems has made sure you won't be bored. Your crew will be a colorful bunch, each with a backstory that will unfold as you go through the game. One interesting way their stories unfold is on the battlefield, where they'll talk to each other, sharing details and boosting each other's morale. Conversations end up being an important component of gameplay--they move the narrative along, offer clues on gameplay, and help you recruit new characters to your army.

The graphics in the game are shaping up nicely, thanks to a strong mix of 2D art. You'll find detailed artwork on the static story screens that will move the game's narrative along and detailed sprites for the in-game graphics. The character sprites are a bit smaller than the ones seen in Advance Wars, but they are nicely animated.

The audio in the game is shaping up well and offers a strong overall package. You'll hear a nice assortment of voice and weapon noise samples during combat to keep things interesting during the many combat sequences in the game, and the soundtrack features a good variety of dramatic tunes that do a fine job of conveying the right mood during the battles and story sequences.

From what we've played so far, Fire Emblem is looking pretty sharp. The rich gameplay complemented by strong graphics and sound should make for a pretty compelling experience that role-playing and strategy fans won't want to miss. Fire Emblem is currently slated to ship this fall for the Game Boy Advance. Look for more on the game in the coming weeks.