Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is a tactical role-playing game, created by Intelligent Systems, and published by Nintendo. The title marks the tenth release of the established franchise and still has some similarities to its predecessors. Released in Japan and North America in 2007, the game was developed to boost sales from the Wii.

The Dawn Brigade Marches

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is a direct sequel to Gamecube’s Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. After Daein is torn to pieces by the Brigade Occupational Army, the Dawn Brigade stands as the last form of rebellion and combat against oppression. For those familiar with the series, it might come as a surprise to be playing as the heroes of Daein, since they were the enemies in the prequel.

Players take the role of Micaiah, a young warrior that fights for freedom, and justice. Throughout the game, Micaiah will search for allies, in the hopes of overthrowing the corrupt and oppressive governments.

As you journey, through the Dawn Brigade’s fight for Daein’s freedom and hope grows in reputation, attracting the attention of evil forces. Like most of the games in the series, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, has a lot of characters, political overtones, and a complex story. One of the best aspects of the game is how rich the story and characters are, making newcomers able to understand everything, by simply paying attention.

Gameplay, characters, and overall combat also follow the amazing storyline of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. The one caveat is that the game more attention than other titles since it jumps around four different perspectives to tell the story. The different points of view definitely enrich the game, but the difficulty gaps from each “view” might feel unfair for some players.

Firing In All Directions

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is a direct evolution, of its predecessors. In regards to the tactical, and role-playing aspects of the game, this title feels more polished and well-rounded than any other fire-emblem game. The sheer amount of items, skills, characters, buffs, and team combinations available, open many styles to approach the game with. The turn-based, grid combat is still the same, and it’s worth noting that this style might not be suitable for everyone..

Some mechanics such as the support feature have been altered and complemented. New combat rules changed the allowed attacks, advantages, accuracy, special skills, leveling units, and different crafting options are all part of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn and they are all for the better. Combat-wise this was the best tactical RPG the Wii had seen at the time, even if the storytelling becomes text-heavy, and voiceovers sometimes jump out of nowhere this is a great game. The only real drawback is that the game never really uses the Wii’s motion features in any way.

Conclusion

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is a perfect addition to the tried and true franchise. Nintendo did everything a little bit better than last time while taking bold creative choices with storytelling. Full motion videos are stunning, and voice-overs here are superb.

PROS:

• Rich Storytelling
• Bold Creative Choices
• Endless Viable Combat Styles
• Countless Combinations
• Well Designed FMV and Voice Overs
• Best Tactical Combat the Wii Had Seen

CONS:

• Walls of Text
• Difficulty Spikes Feel Unfair
• Never Uses Motion Aspects From the Wii