Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest – Nintendo 3DS

The Elite Strategy RPG
I still can’t believe how much effort, time, and mental fortitude I have invested in this game. No matter how many attempts at a certain chapter I make, the frustration of having a single valuable unit defeated in combat (never to return again, in my case) is always overturned by the enthusiasm built by the intensely engaging gameplay, diverse maps, beautiful artwork, and unique class system that Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest offers.Being a fan of the series since the first US release on the GBA back in 2003, there have been a multitude of different iterations built on the same solid backbone of addicting strategy RPG goodness. The only US release I haven’t had the pleasure of completing in it’s entirety is Radiant Dawn for the Nintendo Wii (due to the fact that it is nearly impossible to come by for under $80-100 without copious amounts of secondhand shop searching across the states). Other than that, every release has been an extremely satisfying experience; although some seem to be more well-constructed than others, my investment in this IP is among the top of my video game franchise favorites. I’ll probably be saying a lot of things that many of the entertainment journalism greats have already been saying, so I’ll both cut to the chase and try to offer up a less immediate opinion from someone who has put over 60 hours into the main quest.If you are into strategy games, and you are looking for a challenge, this is definitely for you. If you would like more of a relaxing and less cranial experience, pick up this game’s partner first (Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright). Birthright is much more similar to Fates’ predecessor, Fire Emblem Awakening, and although I have not come nearly as far in that title, it seems to have a much more traditional story arc as well. I enjoy Conquest for it’s brutal difficulty (although I am playing Normal Classic mode for my first play-through) and similarities to earlier games in the series (I find Conquest to be most like Path of Radiance and the first Game Boy Advance title). No matter what, you need to pick up all three games in this release to truly enjoy all of the extras and maps, as these are truly three separate games with one story. The initial confusion regarding which version to pick up first and how to get the other two has thankfully subsided for the most part, but if you are curious, I bought Conquest as a hard copy, purchase Birthright through the 3DS eShop application for half price, and will purchase Revelation once I have completed the first two (which might take me a while). There is a ridiculously bountiful amount of quality content in these games that easily justifies the price point for anyone looking to get into the series…even Conquest can be turned down in difficulty to suit any player.The storyline for these games is nothing to write home about…but it serves it’s purpose very well, and it engrossing enough to warrant at least some emotional investment in the characters. Tropes from previous games in the series return in full force to the roster here, and the lines for each character portray personality very accurately in most cases, albeit with plenty of silly moments (which I like a lot). Speaking of which, the culture of Japan shines through in these few games more than it has in any other, which is a more than welcome addition to the fold, adding plenty of quirkiness to some of the mini-games presented in the “My Castle” segment between chapters. I still can’t figure out whether the Hot Springs is actually valuable for in-game health or just an opportunity to spurn some awkward moments between characters (yet, I still go to find out whether something new or different will happen). Like I said, there are so many nooks and crannies to this game that previous entries hadn’t explored yet, and I hope that they take it up yet another notch in the next installment.Combat has gotten even more complex, as the “Pair Up” function has actually been given even more value by initiating “Defense Stance”, which allows for a pair of enemy units (yes that is possible now) to be prevented from attacking twice. That’s just one of the additions to the addictive formula of Fire Emblem, and most of these additions don’t detract or degradate from the experience.All in all, it’s totally worth your time if you need something to eat your days away on the 3DS…it sure has done a number on me.

Best Game
I always wanted to play the Fire Emblem Fates Conquest; since I played the Birthright path I thought I’d play the Conquest path.

Ten steps up on game play, three steps down on writing
The game play of Conquest is fantastic It’s very dynamic and specific, requiring you to put in a lot of thought even when there are not too many enemies around. There’s great balance among classes and weapon so that you will likely use a diverse group of unit and not relying too much on some elite few. I love older FEs enough, but many times map designs may feel dragging, since the challenge is pretty much about the number of enemies. Genealogy of Holy War is nicknamed Genealogy of Holy Snore for a reason. Here, there’s never a moment of boredom. The map keeps my attention throughout. My Castle feature is a very good addition. It provides some relaxation and goofy fun in between tough battles. The presentation much more attractive compared to the traditional list that older installments use.(Also, I love love love the music. Can’t get enough of it)On the other hand, the writing of the game is kind of… uneven and sometimes unexpected, to say the least. In my personal impression, FEs tend to have long winding story lines, with intricate details that go deep into the past, revealed in bits and pieces in different stories of different characters and kingdoms. In FE4, there was relatively few dialogues, but the grand scale of map, time, and number of character contributed to the worldly and fateful feeling, making the story wholesome. FE9 is excellent in character development, where the support conversations are very interesting and consistent, but the scale of war is not too big – politic problems do not get especially deep. FE10, on the other hand, is much more about politics, and there it seems that the developers needed such a tight grip on the direction of the story line that all support conversation became generic (to everyone’s sadness), while all interesting developments are put into set conversations before chapters or in base – so much info that it can get tiring to read and remember. I mentioned these 3 installments because they have been praised for outstanding story, despite having big flaws themselves. The problem with FE14 Conquest’s writing is that the plot is barely there at all. It would be much better if we can see how the characters ponder about their troubling situation as it rapidly escalate. What is given in the game seems too bare, especially when compared to the support conversations, which is still rich in content. This inconsistency makes the game feels somewhat contradicting, the character becomes lacking in depth, and the main plot fails to come together/justify itself at the end. I suspect that the writers wanted to enact the feeling of rush, where the avatar is overwhelmed with challenges and there is little time to think. If that’s the case, I think a much better way to execute it would be to incorporate something similar to FE9’s chapter 17 (Day Breaks – the one in Serenes Forest), where the army is forced to press forward with particularly limited ability to regroup/prepared before the next battle, and where a first time player goes from one battle to the next with the anxiety of not knowing just when “the long night” will end.

Excelente juego y llego antes de la fecha estimada. Lo compre junto con el de Birthright y Fire Emblem Echoes, todos llegaron muy bien. La compra fue con Gaming Depot y es la tercera vez que comrpo con ellos y nunca han fallado. Juegos originales y aun con envoltura de fabrica. Llego justo a tiempo para compar el DLC de Revelations antes del cierre de la eshop del 3ds. Muy recomendado

Producto en buen estado y bien selladoJusto lo que esperaba