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Fire Emblem Awakening

From Fire Emblem Wiki, your source on Fire Emblem information. By fans, for fans.
Revision as of 16:48, 4 July 2013 by Moydow (talk | contribs) (→‎Critical reception: corrected famitsu score, updated metacritic scores)
Awakening

Ba america fe13.png
American boxart.

Developer(s)

Intelligent Systems

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Release date(s)

JPApril 19th, 2012
USFebruary 4th, 2013[1]
EUApril 19th, 2013[2]
AUSApril 20th, 2013

Rating(s)

ACB: M[3]
CERO: B
ESRB: T[4]
PEGI: 12[2]

Platform(s)

Nintendo 3DS

Predecessor

Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem

Successor

None

On partnered sites

Fire Emblem: Awakening (ファイアーエムブレム覚醒 Fire Emblem: Awakening) is a Nintendo 3DS game, the thirteenth installment in the Fire Emblem series, the first original title in five years following Radiant Dawn. It is a distant sequel to Monshou no Nazo and Shin Monshou no Nazo, set thousands of years in the future of the continent Archanea, now a very different world. It follows the story of Chrom, prince of Ylisse and distant heir of the Hero-King Marth, as he leads The Shepherds in observing and combating the bizarre activities of the neighbouring country Plegia.

Awakening is the first title on a Nintendo console to facilitate the creation and sale of paid downloadable content, here coming in the form of purchasable maps and characters, sometimes providing completely unique classes and skills. A special edition package for the game was produced and available in both Japan and America, containing a Awakening-themed "Cobalt Blue" Nintendo 3DS system with unique printing on the shell; the Japanese version of the package also contained a physical copy of the game and 1000 eShop points, while the American version has a digital copy of the game pre-installed on the Nintendo 3DS system. The European release received a similar bundle, except with a Awakening-themed Nintendo 3DS XL, the larger variant of the console[2].

A European release was tentatively confirmed in February 2012, with no specific release date provided, and a United States release was accidentally confirmed by Reggie Fils-Aime at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2012[5]; solid release dates were not confirmed until December of that year[1]. In the United States of America, Awakening was the subject of an extensive advertising campaign to a scale unprecedented for the Fire Emblem series, receiving extensive preview coverage on Nintendo of America's Facebook page.

Plot


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Two sleeping dragons - one a sacred ally of mankind, the other its sworn destroyer. Two heroes marked with symbols of the dragons. Their meeting heralds the dragons' awakening - and the world's ending.
— English text in the game's Japanese logo[6]

Over one thousand years have passed since the Shadow Dragon Medeus died his final death at the hands of the Hero-King Marth and the continent of Archanea was united under a single flag under his rule. In this time, countries have come and gone, Archanea has once again split into three nations, and the descendants of Marth and his wife Caeda are now the royal family of Ylisse, a peace-loving nation which reveres the Divine Dragon Naga; this royal family possesses the marks of Naga on their bodies and are the owners of the divine blade Falchion and the Shield of Seals.

In the time of the rule of Exalt Emmeryn, reports of bizarre and dangerous behaviour have emerged concerning Plegia, a kingdom neighbouring Ylisse which instead worships Grima, the Fell Dragon which once threatened mankind and opposed Naga. In response to this troubling news, Ylisse's Prince Chrom, Emmeryn's younger brother, has convened a small militia called The Shepherds to observe Plegia's actions and repel violent acts from their neighbor. Among all of this, there are reports of strange undead creatures roaming the lands, and a swordsman claiming to be the Hero-King Marth himself has appeared, wielding the same Falchion now in Chrom's possession.

Gameplay

The development team of Awakening described the game as being intended as an "all-star" assortment of ideas from past Fire Emblem series installments[7]. Many of these features return from Gaiden and The Sacred Stones, acting as another spiritual successor to the former.

  • The Free Map system, similar to the world map of Gaiden and The Sacred Stones, allows the player to walk across the map to different locations to battle or shop.
  • A new included feature called "dual system" activates when a character attacks an enemy unit and an ally is besides them. This mode powers up the abilities of the attacking unit as well as the ally unit helping with attacks.[6]
  • As in Shin Monshou no Nazo, the Avatar concept is used again - a customizable main character, representing the player and playing a large part in the story.
  • Also returning from Shin Monshou no Nazo is the Casual Mode, a gameplay option which disables the series' traditional permanent death and allows "dead" characters to return at the beginning of the next chapter.
  • Branching promotions return from The Sacred Stones, allowing for further unit customization.

Chapters

Main article: List of chapters in Fire Emblem: Awakening

The main story of Awakening is comprised of 28 chapters - an introduction, a prologue, 25 chapters, and the finale. Additionally, there are 17 sidequest chapters in the game. Completely new chapters can also be obtained through SpotPass or downloadable content.

Characters

Main article: List of characters in Fire Emblem: Awakening

The core game of Awakening features 43 playable characters, divided into two groups. There are 30 initial units, comprising a "first generation". These thirty characters can, like in Seisen no Keifu, be paired up to have a set of children characters who join in sidequest chapters. With one exception, the children characters are completely optional, and it is entirely possible to not receive them by simply not pairing up the parents or by not visiting the sidequests in which the children are recruited.

Outside of the core 43, more characters can be obtained through downloadable content or SpotPass. In addition to offering the reappearances of characters from older installments, previously unrecruitable characters from Awakening's main story will be able to be recruited through sidequest chapters obtained through SpotPass.

Support Conversations

Main article: List of supports in Fire Emblem: Awakening

Pre-release information

Main article: Fire Emblem: Awakening pre-release information

First announced on September 13, 2011, at Nintendo's 3DS Conference in Japan, Awakening came to be the subject of extensive preview coverage, at a level unprecendented for the Fire Emblem series.

Demo version

The American and European Nintendo eShops each released a playable demo of Awakening for free download, released on January 17, 2013 and March 28th, 2013 respectively.[8] It allows the player to create an Avatar, albeit restricted to being male and lacking some other design choices, and play through the entirety of Prologue and Chapter 1 before ending. All three basic modes of difficulty are available for play, but Classic Mode is not available and the player is forced to play in Casual Mode. The demo is restricted to being played a maximum of thirty times.

The demo is a subject of a glitch: the Bullion item does not exist in the demo, but Leif's Blade (which is available through event tiles) exists unmodified and so still attempts to load the item if its chance to "steal" a Bullion activates; as there is no Bullion item, the game crashes.[9]

The Japanese version does not have a playable demo.

Reception

Sales

In its first week released in Japan, Awakening sold approximately 242,600 copies, rivaling the lifetime sales of previous entries in the series.[10] Awakening was also number one on the Japanese game charts for its first week.[11] In the following weeks, Awakening managed to stay high on the Japanese charts.

In a level unprecedented for the series' international incarnation, the United States release was in high demand before and at release with high numbers of pre-orders placed; this resulted in the physical release being marred by shipping delays, with demand far outstripping supply at the release date[12].

Critical reception

Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu scored Awakening at 36/40, broken down between its four reviewers as 9/10 each.[13]

Awakening has received widespread critical acclaim from western reviewers. The game currently has a rating of 92 on Metacritic[14] and 92.52% on GameRankings[15], both the highest of any installment in the Fire Emblem series. A common theme of critical praise for Awakening is its success at striking an ideal balance between accessibility for those new to the series, and with the high intricacy and difficulty for which the series is known.

IGN's Audrey Drake awarded a score of 9.6/10 to Awakening, commenting: "Boasting both the depth and nuance that tactical RPG fans crave and the ease-of-use and fluid tutorial system that newcomers require, Awakening is the ultimate portable strategy RPG, and the new crowning jewel of the Nintendo 3DS’s fledgling library."[16] Destructoid's Chris Carter gave Awakening a score of 9/10, saying: "While Fire Emblem: Awakening may not turn the notch up to 11, it's everything that's right about strategy RPGs. Whatever options you choose to go with at the beginning of the game, it's either one of the most accessible strategy games to date, or one of the most difficult."[17] The Game Informer review scored the game at 9/10[18], as did Electronic Gaming Monthly, despite their misgivings about the visual style of the game's battle models[19]. The Escapist awarded the game a perfect 5/5 score[20], and both GameSpot[21] and GameTrailers[22] gave it the equivalent of a 8.5/10 score.

Gallery

Etymology and other languages

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

Fire Emblem: Awakening

The title is in reference to the Awakening, a rite for invoking the power of Naga.

References

External links

Fire Emblem Awakening
Playable characters AnnaAversaBasilioBradyChercheChromCordeliaCynthiaDonnelEmmerynFlaviaFrederickGaiusGangrelGeromeGregorHenryInigoKellamKjelleLaurentLibraLissaLon'quLucinaMaribelleMirielMorganNahNoireNowiOliviaOwainPannePriamRickenRobinSay'riSeveraStahlSullySumiaTharjaTikiVaikeVirionWalhartYarneYen'fay
Non-playable characters HollandMaidenNagaOld HubbaPhila
Bosses AlgolAnguillaArdriAversaBovisCampariCanisCassiusCervantesChalardDalenDaltonDracoEquusExcellusEzraFarberGallusGangrelGarrickGeckoGrimaGyralIgnatiusJamilLepusMarthMorristanMusMustafaNelsonNombryOrtonOvisPherosPorcusPriamRaimiRisen ChiefRoddickRugerSimiaTigrisValidarVastoVictorVincentWalhartXalbadorYen'fayZanth
Background characters First exaltKe'riMarth
DLC characters AlmCatriaCelicaEirikaEldiganElinciaEphraimEstIkeKatarinaLeifLynPrince MarthMicaiahPallaRoySeliph
SpotPass characters Shadow Dragon CaedaGharnefLindeMerricMinervaNavarreNynaOgmaPrince MarthTiki
Gaiden AlmBoeyCelicaClairCliveDeenLuthierMycenNomahValbar
Mystery of the Emblem AthenaCatriaEtzelHardinHoraceKatarinaKing MarthLegionMaliceNorne
Genealogy of the Holy War G1 ArdenArvisAyraDeirdreEthlynJamkeLewynQuanRaquesisSigurd
Genealogy of the Holy War G2 AltenaAresArthurCedFeeJuliaJuliusLarceiSeliphUlster
Thracia 776 DagdarEyvelFinnLeifMareetaNannaOlwenRaydrikSaiasSalem
Binding Blade CeciliaLilinaLughPercevalRaighRoyShannaSophiaWoltZephiel
Fire Emblem EliwoodFlorinaHectorJaffarKarelLynMatthewNergalNinoSerra
Sacred Stones AmeliaEirikaEphraimInnesL'ArachelLuteLyonMarisaMoulderSeth
Path of Radiance AshnardElinciaGeoffreyIkeLuciaMiaMistSorenTitaniaZihark
Radiant Dawn Black KnightBromEdwardLeonardoMicaiahNepheneeSanakiSephiranSigrunSothe
Others CamusIshtarLinusLloydNarcianOliverPetrineSelenaTravantUrsula
Regalia and personal weapons AmatsuArmadsBalmungBook of NagaDouble BowExcaliburFalchion (Exalted FalchionParallel Falchion) • ForsetiGáe BolgGoddess StaffGoetiaGradivusGrima's TruthGungnirHauteclereHelswathMercuriusMissiletainnMjölnirMystletainnNidhoggNoble RapierParthiaRagnellRapierSol KattiTyrfingValflameWolf BergYewfelle
Chapters Main story Pm: Invisible Ties • P: The Verge of History • 1: Unwelcome Change • 2: Shepherds • 3: Warrior Realm • 4: Two Falchions • 5: The Exalt and the King • 6: Foreseer • 7: Incursion • 8: The Grimleal • 9: Emmeryn • 10: Renewal • 11: Mad King Gangrel • 12: The Seacomers • 13: Of Sacred Blood • 14: Flames on the Blue • 15: Smoldering Resistance • 16: Naga's Voice • 17: Inexorable Death • 18: Sibling Blades • 19: The Conqueror • 20: The Sword or the Knee • 21: Five Gemstones • 22: An Ill Presage • 23: Invisible Ties • 24: Awakening • 25: To Slay a GodE: Grima
Paralogues 1: Sickle to Sword • 2: The Secret Seller • 3: A Strangled Peace • 4: Anna the Merchant • 5: Scion of Legend • 6: A Man for Flowers • 7: Noble Lineage • 8: A Duel Disgraced • 9: Wings of Justice • 10: Ambivalence • 11: Twin Wyverns • 12: Disowned by Time • 13: Rival Bands • 14: Shadow in the Sands • 15: A Shot from the Dark • 16: Daughter to Dragons • 17: The Threat of Silence • 18: The Dead King's Lament • 19: Irreconcilable Paths • 20: A Hard Miracle • 21: Ghost of a Blade • 22: The Wellspring of Truth • 23: The Radiant Hero
Xenologues Champions of Yore 1Champions of Yore 2Champions of Yore 3The Golden GaffeEXPonential GrowthInfinite RegaliaLost Bloodlines 1Lost Bloodlines 2Lost Bloodlines 3Smash Brethren 1Smash Brethren 2Smash Brethren 3Rogues & Redeemers 1Rogues & Redeemers 2Rogues & Redeemers 3Death's EmbraceFive-Anna FirefightRoster RescueHarvest ScrambleSummer ScrambleHot-Spring ScrambleThe Future Past 1The Future Past 2The Future Past 3Apotheosis
Locations YlisseFerox (Arena Ferox) • Outrealm Gate (Outrealms) • Plegia (Dragon's Table) • YlisseValmChon'sinRosanneValm
Groups, objects, and concepts AwakeningEinherjarFire EmblemGrimleal (Deadlords) • RisenShepherds
Lists ChaptersCharactersClasses (Class change) • Hidden treasureItemsScriptsSkillsSupportsWeapons
Related topics Ancient LettersBirthdayDouble DuelDownloadable contentName chartNintendo Dream comics • Other games (GaidenGenealogy of the Holy WarShadow DragonNew Mystery of the Emblem) • Pre-release information (Unused content) • Unit Gallery (Soundtrack) • SpotPassStreetPassTimelineWorld map
Fire Emblem series
Main series Shadow Dragon & the Blade of LightGaidenMystery of the EmblemGenealogy of the Holy WarThracia 776The Binding BladeThe Blazing BladeThe Sacred StonesPath of RadianceRadiant DawnShadow DragonNew Mystery of the EmblemAwakeningFatesEchoes: Shadows of ValentiaThree HousesEngage
Spin-offs Archanea SagaTokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FEHeroesWarriorsWarriors: Three Hopes
Crossover games Super Smash Bros. (MeleeBrawlfor Nintendo 3DS and Wii UUltimate) • Club Nintendo Picross+Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.Project X Zone 2WarioWareDragalia Lost
Unreleased games and prototypes Fire Emblem 64The Blazing Blade pre-release build 0206The Blazing Blade pre-release build 0219The Sacred Stones prototypeFire Emblem Wii
TearRing Saga series Yutona Heroes War ChroniclesBerwick Saga
Vestaria Saga series War of the ScionsThe Sacred Sword of SilvanisterLucca GaidenChronicles of the Norden Civil War
Related titles Mario Kart: Double Dash!! bonus discLINENintendo Badge Arcade
Versions and releases List of version differencesLocalization of the Fire Emblem seriesVirtual Console
Other References in other mediaReferences to other media