The fix is in, folks. Reviewers are saying that Fire Emblem: Awakening is definitely a game you will want to play if you A) like challenging games, B) are a fan of Strategy RPGs like XCOM: Enemy Unknown, or C) have a 3DS.
For those unfamiliar with franchise, Fire Emblem is a series of Japanese strategy RPGs that have gained a fervant, if not massive, following in North America. Even if they haven't played a Fire Emblem game, Nintendo fans may at least be familiar with Marth and Roy, two characters from the series who also make a cameo in the Super Smash Bros. series.
Despite its decidedly niche appeal, though, reviewers have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic about the intensity of playing a game that sets high stakes for every battle, and manages to get players to emotionally invest in what is essentially an incredibly complex mix of chess and rock-paper-scissors, with a tiny bit of dating sim thrown in for good measure. Gamespot reviewer Heidi Kemps, who gave the game an 8.5 out of 10, "While some pioneering games have a tough time evolving along with the genres they helped form, Fire Emblem: Awakening takes many of the best elements of modern strategy RPGs and implements them beautifully into its classic, time-tested formula."
The Fire Emblem series does have a time-tested formula, or at least a signature hook: When a character dies on the battlefield in Fire Emblem: Awakening, they're dead. Permenantly. In an attempt to make the series more accessible, Fire Emblem: Awakening has added a casual mode, allowing defeated characters to return once the battle is over. Since the feature is completely optional, no one seems to mind the feature and, in fact, consider it a welcome addition. "The Casual mode is an especially brilliant way to ease players into the FE waters, or even to just allow busy gamers to run through the story without having to worry about missing out on a character arc because that person died and they don't have time to redo the entire battle," notes IGN's Audrey Drake, giving the game a 9.6 out of 10. That said, reviewers across the board suggest that players at least attempt to play the game with "permadeath," since it does so much to define the Fire Emblem experience.
In addition to the games cerebral gameplay, many reviewers noted that the game's relationship system, where players positioned next to each form stat-boosting bonds by talking to each other in battle, really works to flesh out the personality of the characters and get players to emotionally invest in their fragile teammates. "Even the most hackneyed character develops his or her own personality throughout the game's many conversations, which are triggered between chapters after units fight alongside one another on the battlefield," notes Joystiq reviewer Garrett Martin, who gave the game 4.5 stars. "As these connections grow and proliferate you'll find yourself playing less for the main story than for the next turn in the love life of, say, the studious mage Miriel."
Interestingly enough, while the game's character development was almost universally applauded, many reviewers were highly critical of the game's overarching story. Despite giving the game 4.5 stars, Gamesradar reviewer Kathryn Bailey calls "hammy" and "overly-confusing."
While making a compelling game for a handheld platform isn't the arduous chore is was ten years ago, it still isn't easy to make a game that'll draw your eyes away from the eye candy of the big screen down to that little game-box you've got in your hands. Not only does Fire Emblem: Awakening compete with its home console/PC breathren on equal terms, but, as Kotaku Editor-in-Chief Stephen Totilo puts it: "This is a game worth texting your friends about. It's reason alone to get a Nintendo 3DS."
