LogFAQs > #952012886

#4. Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade (GBA, 2003)
Fire Emblem is the perfect toilet game. Sitting on the toilet pooping is the best time to get your thinking on- and this game is that. Planning everything as carefully as you can- seeing where you can move, where the enemy will move based on where you move, where to set up, what units you should be bringing and what to equip them with, what you need to do to get every item on the level, whether or not you are opening doors with your own thief or baiting an enemy thief to do it, when to save the boss for last so you can kill all the other enemies finally figuring out the perfect strategy to do everything you want to do on the level- getting all the items and chests, killing all the enemies, doing the requirements for the upcoming side chapter, recruiting the difficult to reach recruit. And of course having it all be ruined by that damn 5% brigand critical. Your unit dies, and as any good Fire Emblem player, you go welp. Cant lose any units. Start over. And that is the essence of Fire Emblem. To achieve that perfection of doing everything and losing nothing. And it feels great.



And this game was my first experience with Fire Emblem. I got this game BECAUSE of Smash Bros, I was intrigued by Marth and Roy and was like hey, I want to play a game these guys are in, so I got Fire Emblem when it came out, of course not knowing that they werent in the game at all (until the scene at the end!), but Im still glad I did. The way this game makes you plan and come up with a best-odds strategy and actually pulling it off (and all while on the toilet) just was always excessively appealing. I love the level of micro and micromanagement it affords in all the stuff I mentioned above.



What also works really well in this game is the story. In a sense. The story is great, maybe not amazing, but its still great and works for what it is and has its emotional moments, but you find yourself getting very attached to these characters, who, despite there being a ton of them, all have their unique personalities and adds to the desire to want to restart any time you lose one to that good ol permadeath. But what really helps drive that point home is that YOU, the player, are directly involved with these events, as the games strategist. Youre not a main character or anything, but youre directly involved with all the main characters. You put in your name and Hector, Eliwood, Lyndis (who has become one of my favorite characters), and the rest all talk directly TO YOU, and its such a simple thing, but being a part of this story, and having the characters really talk right to and about you, show appreciation and emotion, its such a simple and seemingly minor thing, but its so extremely effective and the way Fire Emblem uses it is unlike any other game I am aware of and I think more RPGs (or whatever) should acknowledge the idea of this outside all-controlling source, making all the moves actually being a part of the story, not as an omnipotent god, but a simple strategist as part of your story to really make you feel with , care about, and identify with these characters and the story.



this image may have been slightly doctored, but rest assured its YOUR name that goes in there!

Next up: The ultimate love letter, for fans, by fans.

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~Wigs~ 3-Time Consecutive Fantasy B8 Baseball Champion
2015 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPION NEW YORK METS