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Unused content in Fire Emblem Awakening

From Fire Emblem Wiki, your source on Fire Emblem information. By fans, for fans.

Numerous pieces of unused content have been found within the game data for Fire Emblem Awakening. Most of these discoveries were made by VincentASM of the Serenes Forest forums, and are summarized here.

Text

  • There are several unused text strings for character names located among the names of the rest of the game's characters. These names have absolutely no other known data associated with them, similar to unused name listings in Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, and their intended purpose is unknown. These name strings exist in both Japanese and English.[1]
    • Leopold (Japanese: レオパルド Leopard) is listed between Cordelia and Nowi.
    • Tracy (Japanese: トレイシー Tracy) is listed between Henry and Lucina.
    • Andrea (Japanese: アンドレア Andrea) is listed between Priam and Emmeryn.
    • Minerva (Japanese ミネルヴァ), presumably in reference to Cherche's mount as the Japanese is a different spelling than Minerva's Japanese name.
    • Bella (Japanese: ベッラ)
    • WWWWWWWW (Japanese: 名前ろくもじ Name Five Characters), which appears to be an example of the maximum length a name can be.
  • The names of files relating certain characters and classes make unusual references to other things entirely. The Taguel class is referred to as "Laguz", the shapeshifters of the Tellius duology, implying a relation between the two was intended. Lucina's files are labeled "Marth", while files related to the bonus unit Marth are referred to instead as (Japanese: 旧マルス Old Marth).[2]
  • Awakening itself is, in certain places such as the sound files, internally referred to as "14Iron". This codename is actually a pun: the abbreviation for Fire Emblem, "FE", is also the chemical symbol for the metal iron. It also incorporates the short-lived altered series count which counts Fire Emblem: Archanea Saga as a full game and thus places Awakening as the fourteenth game.

Unused menu strings for the seize objective are in the game, though Awakening has no chapters where the objective is to seize.

MID_MENU_制圧: Seize
MID_H_MENU_制圧: End the battle by securing\nthis vital position.
MID_MENU_制圧確認: Are you ready to finish this stage?

Roster Descriptions

There is one known unused roster description.

Character Description Appears in
Portrait old hubba fe13.png
Old Hubba
An old man who just sort of showed up. Mostly useless, though he can assess relationships. Oh, and he's a few millennia old or something. The one with the wildest love life. Born on February 29th.[3] Awakening

Miscellaneous

The game's build date and SVN revision number can be found in the ROM. The Japanese ones are as follows:

Feb. 20, 2012 (Mon.) 23:04:27 ishihara
Revision 19743

"ishihara" refers to Susumu Ishihara, one of the game's programmers.

Map sprites

The personalized map sprites of Awakening, which depict characters' individual heads on top of the class outfits, are all pre-made within the game. Every character has map sprites depicting themselves in most of the classes they can access, with any missing personalized sprites instead using the class's default map sprite. Several characters, however, have sets of personalized map sprites depicting them in classes they cannot access in the finished game.

Pictured below are just the default poses of each map sprite in playable (blue) colors. It should be noted that each sprite has a complete set of animated map sprites in all three applicable colors (playable blue, enemy red, and NPC green).

Ms 3ds01 hero sully playable.pngMs 3ds01 hero stahl playable.pngMs 3ds01 hero lon'qu playable.pngMs 3ds01 hero olivia playable.pngMs 3ds01 hero say'ri playable.png Several characters have map sprites depicting them as Heroes, even though none of these characters have access to the Mercenary or Fighter class families in the finished game. These characters are Sully, Stahl, Lon'qu, Olivia and Say'ri.

However, all five of these characters have access to the Myrmidon class family in the finished game, which indicates that at some point in development the Hero class was intended to be a class change option for Myrmidons; there is precedent for this, as Myrmidons had the ability to become classes very similar to the Hero in Genealogy of the Holy War and Thracia 776. Yen'fay is the only character with the Myrmidon family who does not have also have a Hero sprite (the other three characters with the Myrmidon/Hero combination—Gaius, Gregor and Priam—have access to both the Myrmidon class family and at least one of the two families containing Hero).

Source: The Spriters Resource

Ms 3ds01 mage emmeryn playable.pngMs 3ds01 dark knight emmeryn playable.png Emmeryn has unused map sprites depicting her as a Mage and a Dark Knight. In the finished game, she has access to neither class (her being a Sage instead comes from the Cleric family), but she does by default have Magic +2 and Focus, two skills otherwise learned only by being a Mage.

Source: The Spriters Resource

Ms 3ds01 mage aversa playable.pngMs 3ds01 sage aversa playable.png Aversa also has map sprites depicting her as a Mage and a Sage. In the finished game, she has access to neither class.

Source: The Spriters Resource

Ms 3ds01 pegasus knight tiki playable.pngMs 3ds01 falcon knight tiki playable.pngMs 3ds01 dark flier tiki playable.png Tiki has map sprites depicting her as a Pegasus Knight, Falcon Knight, and Dark Flier. Tiki lacks custom sprites for the Mage line, indicating this may have been a late change.

Source: The Spriters Resource

Ms 3ds01 sage excellus playable.pngMs 3ds01 sage excellus npc.png Unlike past sprite-based Fire Emblem games, which have a single set of map sprites which are recolored as needed for use in gameplay, Awakening actually has its map sprites internally already recolored separately into the three allegiance colors. As such, map sprites only ever seen belonging to enemies all have unused playable and NPC palettes; this applies to the Risen variant map sprites and to Excellus, one of only two non-playable characters to have non-generic map sprites. However, this does not apply to Validar, the other non-playable unit with unique map sprites, as his sprites do not conform to the standard color-coding; instead of having three different palettes for the three allegiences, he instead has the same unique coloring repeated three times with no changes.

Source: The Spriters Resource

Character portraits, etc

Several unused elements can be found within the character portrait graphics, including the S-rank confession graphics and critical hit/trigger skill cut-in portrait graphics.

FE13 blank portrait.png Like the Game Boy Advance games and Radiant Dawn, Awakening has a blank placeholder portrait. It was actually sighted in several early pre-release images.[4] Although superficially similar, it is actually substantially different from the blank portraits used by the Paralogue 22 Mirages, or from those of DLC characters when the SD Card is not in the Nintendo 3DS console.

Source: Serenes Forest Forums; "FE: Awakening ROM decrypted and extracted"

Generic portrait priest risen fe13.png The generic class portrait for Priests has a Risen variant. In the final game, Priests will never appear among Risen, although a Risen Priest was spotted in a pre-release image.[4]
Chrom portrait pose1 fe13.png Chrom's portrait for facing right in dialogue, presumably mockup for how his right-facing portrait would look.[5]
FE13 pink Gangrel.png This recolored version of Gangrel's confession graphic appears twice in the ROM's data. It has been theorized to be a placeholder for the two Morgans, who obviously lack these graphics in the finished game, in order to prevent potential game crashes.

Source: Serenes Forest Forums; "FE: Awakening ROM decrypted and extracted"

FE13 cut-in maskless Gerome.png

FE13 cut-in Phila.png

Several characters feature unused critical cut-in portraits. Gerome has an maskless variant, suggesting that perhaps at some point he was intended to become unmasked outside support conversations. Phila also has a cut-in portrait, even though in the finished game she never even has an opportunity to attack, let alone score a critical hit.

Source: The Spriters Resource

Portrait bartre unused fe13.pngPortrait ninian unused fe13.pngPortrait pr marth unused fe13.pngPortrait kris unused fe13.pngPortrait king marth unused fe13.pngPortrait clair unused fe13.pngPortrait eldigan unused fe13.png
Small portrait bartre unused fe13.pngSmall portrait ninian unused fe13.pngSmall portrait pr marth unused fe13.pngSmall portrait kris unused fe13.pngSmall portrait king marth unused fe13.pngSmall portrait clair unused fe13.pngSmall portrait eldigan unused fe13.png
Unused portraits of Bartre, Ninian, and Kris exist, indicating that they may have been planned SpotPass characters; alongside these are variants of Prince and King Marth. These lack the backgrounds used by actual SpotPass characters.
Clair and Eldigan have unused portraits, cropped from Fire Emblem Gaiden's manual and the latter's Fire Emblem Trading Card Game artwork, Clair's being located in both The Golden Gaffe and EXPonential Growth with Eldigan's in Infinite Regalia.

Sources: The Spriters Resource, The Cutting Room Floor

Skills

Is 3ds01 dance.png There exists an unused icon for the Dance skill, as well as a text string which may be its help description ("Use "Dance" to allow an adjacent ally to act again.").[6] In the finished game, while Dance does exist, it is hidden and does not consume a visible skill slot. This unused Dance icon is a recolor of the Special Dance icon (or vice versa).

Map screen icons

Mi fe13 icon28.pngMi fe13 icon29.pngMi fe13 icon30.pngMi fe13 icon31.pngMi fe13 icon32.png Five unused bottom-screen map icons have been discovered in between the icons representing Grima (position 27 on the icon sheet) and The Farfort (position 33 on the icon sheet). These icons are located in positions 28 through 32 on the icon sheet, and may potentially represent cut chapters from along the game's main story path, or possibly one or more planned skirmish-only locations such as The Sacred Stones's Melkaen Coast.

Chapter title cards

Two unused chapter title cards have been found. They bear no resemblance to the chapter titles of the finished game, both in style and in the listed names. Both cards contain unique, individual sketches of the subject matter in their background, an element not retained by the finished game which instead has a generic image of the Fire Emblem on all title cards.

FE13 unused chapter card 1.png The chapter title reads "Chapter 5: Young Squires". The actual fifth chapter of the finished game has no particular relation to such a group of young squires. This name is the same as Prologue 2 from New Mystery of the Emblem.

Source: Serenes Forest Forums; "FE: Awakening ROM decrypted and extracted"

FE13 unused chapter card 2.png The chapter title reads "Encounter Battle: Valm Water Gate". In the finished game, this location does not exist; the closest thing to such a structure is the dam in the background of the Carrion Isle, which is in Plegia and not Valm. It is worth noting that in Fire Emblem Gaiden, Alm's journey through Valentia (which later became Valm) took him to a sluice gate (water gate in Japanese), and it is possible that this location was intended to be this same location, similarly to how Paralogue 6 revisits the Duma Gate location from Gaiden.

Source: Serenes Forest Forums; "FE: Awakening ROM decrypted and extracted"

Other unused images

FE13 unused game over.png There is an unused game over graphic with the ending graphics. This particular image is a modified version of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance's game over screen.
FE13 unused logo.png An unused alternate version of the game's logo. Features a different blurb than the used logo. It says: "Amnesia... A mysterious mark on the back of your hand. A Ghost responsible for saving the entire World. Dreaming of killing your own best friend. A stranger with a face just like yours... Who are you really? The answer..."
Cm fe13 debug.png Minimap texture for the debug map. Based on Book 2 Chapter 1 from Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem.

References

  1. VincentASM, FE: Awakening ROM decrypted and extracted, Serenes Forest Forums, Published: October 16, 2014
  2. VincentASM, FE: Awakening ROM decrypted and extracted, Serenes Forest Forums, Published: November 16, 2014, Retrieved: November 26, 2014
  3. Vincent ASM, Trivia: Old Hubba’s Profile Unearthed, Serenesforest.net, Published: January 24th, 2016, Retrieved: January 24th, 2016
  4. 4.0 4.1 VincentASM, Fire Emblem Awakening - Pre-release changes, Serenes Forest, archived by the Wayback Machine, Published: May 9, 2013, Retrieved: November 1, 2014
  5. Fire Emblem Awakening game files, Github, Fire Emblem Fates Text Simulator, Published: December 16, 2016, Retrieved: December 16, 2016
  6. VincentASM, FE: Awakening ROM decrypted and extracted, Serenes Forest Forums, Published: November 19, 2014, Retrieved: November 26, 2014
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
Preliminary data and content
Pre-release information 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 EmblemAwakeningFatesTokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FEEchoes: Shadows of ValentiaHeroesWarriorsThree HousesWarriors: Three HopesEngage
Unused content 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 EmblemAwakeningFatesTokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FEEchoes: Shadows of ValentiaHeroesWarriorsThree HousesWarriors: Three HopesEngage
Pre-release builds The Blazing Blade pre-release build 0206The Blazing Blade pre-release build 0219The Sacred Stones pre-release build 040531_2253
Other Fire Emblem 64Fire Emblem Wii