The gameplay lacks a lot in some areas, but the Dawn is still Radiant. Worth checking out if you own a Wii.
Let's begin with the gameplay. The battle system is within a grid of turn-based combat, pretty much like most SPRGs out there. In every turn, characters can be moved through a certain amount of squares and can take out enemies if they are in range of combat. Character classes range from your usual Swordsmen, Archers and Mages to Shapeshifting animal creatures known as the Laguz. If one character dies, then they're permanently out of the game, therefore "life" spells do not exist in this game. There's that odd chance of some of them "retreating", but usually that doesn't happen. Also, if a key character like Ike dies, then it's Game Over for you. This is the main reason why many Reset the game so many times.Characters level up every time they get 100 EXP and the higher level you character is, the longer it takes for them to Level up. Some characters can even get a class upgrade when they reach Level 20. There are many enemies out there to get you with a boss at the end of the map. Depending on where you are, you can also visit buildings during battle, and you might get useful items. There are many different objectives that very on what map you are in. Objectives such as "Defeat the boss", "Survive for X turns" or "Seize the location" will come up.
The battle system may be almost flawless, however the rest of the gameplay is not so good. Outside of battle, you're back at your base. You can level up your characters further with the bonus EXP you won in battle. You can also go to the market and buy items and equipment for your team. Unfortunately, you never get much money so buying stuff is very limited. Weapon synthesis is very weird. I also found it a bit painful that there aren't any side-quests, which is usually one of the key elements in making an RPG. No bonus missions or any fascinating secrets to discover Towns cannot be explored and you cannot interact with the townsfolk. Absolute zero for extras. Also, something worth mentioning is the Info section. You can talk to certain people about a certain topic. There's a rank of it's importance. One star means it's not important at all, while three stars means it is very important and you can get a special item from it. This feature isn't very good and doesn't add much to the FE experience. Now, don't get me started on the difficulty. Radiant Dawn is a very difficult game, even if you're playing through Easy. Any newcomers to the series will want to play through Easy first. When playing through Easy, you'll be able to watch many tutorials on how to master the FE series. The AI is very smart and have clever tricks up their sleeves, meaning you're gonna need to plot in advance how you're gonna pass the chapter without your comrades dying.
There are three ways to play Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. The first way is with the Wii remote, you hold it on the side; This way may feel weird at first, but you get used to it and it is quite comfortable. The second way is using the Classic Controller. I do not own a Classic Controller and I don't think i'll be buying one anytime soon so I cannot say what it is like playing with it. The third and final way of playing it is with the GameCube controller like you did in Path of Radiance; I found it a lot better playing it with the GameCube controller than the Wii remote, and you will most likely agree. I'm more used to the GC controller and I like the comfort. Many critics have criticised the fact that there is no Motion sensing whatsoever in FE: RD. I don't understand why this is. As an old-school gamer, I can only say that I don't care and there's a lot worse of a situation. In my honest opinion, there's no need for a SRPG to have motion sensing. I won't help it in any way. The controls are fine the way they are.
Graphically, Radiant Dawn isn't very good. The normal graphics haven't improved much from PoR, if not at all. They aren't the best example on the Wii, and there has definitely been a lot better. However, you are still gonna be treated with very good-looking cel-shaded FMVs. Unfortunately, FMVs aren't very common in Radiant Dawn. There are also the cutscenes with the characters interacting with each other. These are always in anime style. But overall, I think they could've done a better job with the graphics.
The sound is very good. None of the songs in the game are annoying in any way and stick to your head for a while. Sound effects are also decent. Voice acting also occurs, but only in FMVs and the cutscenes with the Narrator in it. Maybe a few more good songs to the game and it would be a bit better. Overall, the sound is pretty good.
Radiant Dawn is divided into four parts. Each part is structured similarly, beginning with a prologue chapter that introduces the situation, followed by a series of chapters that is resolved with an "Endgame" chapter. The game begins three years after the Mad King's War, the events of Path of Radiance. Daein, the war's instigator and eventual loser, and the victorious nation Crimea are still in the process of rebuilding. Although Crimea is ruled by Queen Elincia Ridell Crimea, Daein lacks a proper successor and is instead ruled by the occupation forces of the Begnion Empire. The Daein people are oppressed by the corrupt senate and imperial soldiers. The story is decent. It might not be the best and maybe a bit too complicated, but it's still a neat war story.
Overall, this is a must-own title for the Wii. It's very entertaining, especially for those who live SRPGs. The gameplay lacks a lot in some areas, but the Dawn is still Radiant. Worth checking out if you own a Wii. I think i'll be looking forward to the next Fire Emblem title.