The beauty of picking up a Fire Emblem game is that most of them can be started regardless if the player plays the very first one, or the more recent ones. There are exceptions if the game in question is a sequel or midquel to an existing one story-wise. But if one question can be answered for someone who wants to get into the series, which game is the best to start with?
Any Fire Emblem game has its pros and cons, but when it comes to which game, some will say Path of Radiance or Sacred Stones. For this list, however, we will go over two games that are mostly considered by veteran and casual players alike, which is Blazing Blade and Awakening. They offer unique gameplay experiences, but it really depends on the player’s preference.
10 Blazing Blade: The First Introduced To The West
Blazing Blade became the first game introduced to the west and it was definitely a great start for western players to start with. Even though it is the seventh overall entry, Blazing Blade does not need any background of previous Fire Emblems to understand how the gameplay works.
The previous title, Binding Blade, is a bit more difficult and a bit dated when it comes to supports, so the reasoning for FE7 to be the first game for the west was a smart call. For the classic experience, the seventh title is definitely a good starting point.
9 Awakening: Features Casual Mode
Elitists may have poked fun at the idea of casual mode, but for new players, it is a nice addition if the idea of permanently losing units is something they are not ready to deal with yet in Awakening.
Ironically, the player will get a game over if Chrom or the avatar Robin falls in battle, but it gives the experience of what it’s like to lost a unit on the battlefield. The two will likely end up as your best units outside of some of the Awakening kids. Since the ability to grind for levels is unlimited, your units might not have to worry about reaching 0 hit points.
8 Blazing Blade: Has One Of The Best Tutorials To Offer
If you’re a Fire Emblem veteran, then you will know that doing Lyn mode can be very, very tedious. It may not be needed for them, but new players will be able to understand the game thanks to the extensive, but informative tutorial mode.
From the weapon triangle to the map objectives, Lyn’s story mode is not only a great way to be involved in the continent of Elibe and its characters but understand how the gameplay works and the consequences of losing them in battle. All that matters for your first time playing is to have fun and be immersed with the characters and the story.
7 Awakening: The Ability To Grind Freely
Awakening shares the gameplay feature of grinding freely alongside Gaiden/Shadows of Valentia and Sacred Stones. Unlike Blazing Blade, the game progresses after a chapter is completed. The GBA title technically can offer grinding in side story chapters, but it does exactly give the player a break as the objectives can be challenging depending on whether the player is doing Eliwood or Hector mode.
In Awakening, sometimes Risen will appear to give the player a chance to go back to previously done maps to help give units some extra training. The Reeking Box is an item that can summon Risen for needed grinding. If you have the DLC, then the Golden Pack features the Xenologue: EXPonential Growth map where there are a variety of Risen with either little or high hit points.
6 Blazing Blade: Balanced In Difficulty
Blazing Blade has this entry to its full advantage compared to Awakening. The latter game is decent for Normal and Hard, but Lunatic and especially Lunatic+ are both unbalanced. Blazing Blade offers normal and hard modes for both Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector’s stories. Normal mode offers a doable difficulty that is not severely punishing but can lead to accidental deaths if a wrong move is made.
Hard mode, on the other hand, is where the player will have to learn all they know in order to have all characters alive or getting the perfect ranked run. Hector hard mode is one of the most challenging difficulties in all of Fire Emblem, but it is absolutely rewarding with the amazing map designs and tough enemies.
5 Awakening: The Best Avatar System
Awakening might not be the first to introduce a playable avatar, but it is definitely implemented the best. Robin works as both a self-insert and as a well-written character for the most part. Choosing a gender, hairstyle, color, and other options give many ways to customize the player character.
Depending on the gender, the player can give their avatar a class they feel would suit them the best. Even though the avatar cannot become a dancer, lord, or other exclusive classes outside of Grandmaster, there are just so many options to choose from to make a magical nuke, hitting tank, or fast and damage dealing unit.
4 Blazing Blade: Sprites Add So Much Charm
What is sorely missed in the newer Fire Emblem games are the incredible sprite animations the GBA titles have to offer. 3D models may have their charm, but the amount of effort in making them is why many Fire Emblem fans want sprites back for battles.
Even though Awakening and succeeding games do feature them, they are only present in unit selection screens and whatnot. The critical hits, specific classes, and character sprites making GBA games nostalgic and hold up to this day. Just look at games like Octopath Traveler.
3 Awakening: Objectives Are Straight To The Point
Whereas Blazing Sword has many map objectives including seizing or surviving a map in however many turns, Awakening only offers two in defeat the boss and route the map. This does make Awakening suffer in lack of variety, but it gives beginning players a simple task depending on the objective.
By defeating the map’s boss, the chapter ends immediately. Routing the enemy involves taking out all enemies, even reinforcements. Both objectives play a part in the game’s storyline, though it does get repetitive since the player will miss out on interesting objectives like escape and seize.
2 Blazing Blade: The Characters Are Timeless
Blazing Blade’s story is far from perfect, but the characters from the game remain as one of the best casts to date. The three lords Eliwood, Lyn, and Hector have their moments to shine, and the side characters like Ninian, Nino, Florina, and others offer incredible support conversations.
With a limited number of supports each character gets, it encourages replayability to get different endings for the lords and the rest of the cast. It also impacts on what ending CG the player will get depending on the mode and paired ending Eliwood or Hector gets.
1 Awakening: More DLC Means More Content To Enjoy
Fire Emblem Awakening has the advantage of having a lot of content to do after beating the main campaign. Through DLC, players can get a boost in recruiting additional units (even if they’re just based from the Avatar customization) more maps to enjoy, additional dialogue between parents and children/siblings, etc.
One of the best additions for the DLC is a side story called The Future Past, where Chrom and the gang are sent by Naga to save their children from another parallel universe. Then there is the Apotheosis DLC where tough enemies have insane skills, especially Anna and others having Dragonskin as one of their skills.
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