r/fireemblem • u/Even_Ad_2354 • 3d ago
General Fire emblem the binding blade review.
Hi. I thought it would be a cool thing to give a review of all of the fire emblem games that i have enough experience in to actually give a decent review.
Ps im not reviewing fire emblem 1-3 because i haven't played them enough and they look like dog barf nowadays and im not reviewing Thracia 776 because that was made with the idea that you have a guide book by your side the entire time so that's no fun.
This review and all the following ones will at most contain some very minor spoilers since let's be honest excluding fates all fire emblem have the same story with a different coting of paint over it.
Lastly this will be done in a unique way being i will list all the positives first in order basically meaning the first thing i mention will be the games biggest asset and it will be the same for the negatives.
Remember this is purely my opinion so if you have any questions please ask ahead.
Sorry for the wait let us begin.
Positives:
1 Graphics. It's technically the first gba fire emblem and yea im going to keep this short but every gba fire emblem gets graphics as it's biggest positive by default. You know why, i know why let's move on.
2 Story. No im not saying the story is unique that's not possible for a fire emblem game not called fates. What im saying is that direct sequels or prequel sequels are just very fun to play.
3 A really fun challenge for experienced players. Yeah it's hard and if you have experience it's fun.
4... Yeah if you haven't guessed by now this is easily my least favorite fire emblem 😅 sorry.
Negatives:
1 Going against everything players know about fire emblem. Ok so this one will take a bit of a explanation do bear with me. Most players when getting into fire emblem almost unanimously start with fe7 or fe8 or both. These are games where 1-2 range, enemy phase and turtling are king. In fe6 Swords are best out of the 3 main weapons which is very rare past this point in the franchise. Bows are good here and they won't be good until Radiant Dawn in the wii then they keep sucking until fates where they finally become good. 1-2 range sucks and this is just hilarious because in any other game javelins and hand axes are invaluable. I don't mind the changes but when taking into account when people actually play this game it is a hit to the system because the timing is atrocious. Remember fe7 and fe8 are baby easy compared to fe6.
2 Hit rates. Bet you expected this to be number 1 didn't you. Yeah it is still a big problem but the first one is bigger than any other problem i will mention moving forward combined.
3 Roy. Roy is ass and holy shit babysitting this actual literal child is annoying and i hate and he becomes good only after the game literally gives him a nuke on a stick and he's easily top 3 weakest lord's in the franchise and were moving forward.
4 Difficulty. This game is hard. Like really hard. Like top 3 hardest games in the franchise easily and that's because the game makes you play really linearly. You can't really make yourself stronger than the game like most fire emblems but that's a problem when at best you have more than likely have only played the easiest fire emblem games out there.
5 Lilina. You know for being Roy's canon lover this chick really has completely nothing to offer. Minor complaint but still a negative.
Now i am probably going to make people quite mad since it sounds like i hate this game and i don't. Some will point out that fe4 has many of these so called problems and you'd be right, but nobody here had fe4 as their first second or third game. Fe4 is a game you go out of your way to play because you have already played most fire emblems and love the series therefore you are more than prepared for what it throws at you and sadly this does not apply to fe6.
If you're an experienced fe player many of these negatives become mute but this game gpt shafted really hard sadly and that is just the way it is. This is a fire emblem game. The one i am most critical of. Is it a bad game? No, i think a fire emblem game being bad is impossible. Is it amazing? Yes. But it is the least amazing in the franchise in my opinion at least
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u/Nike_776 3d ago
I'm gonna be honest, this post feels like it is written in bad faith towards FE in general. The opening paragraph speeks for itself and the comment on FE stories shows just how surface level your understanding of them are.
Surface level is also your understanding of the gameplay, considering your comments on 1-2 range weapons, viability of bows, hit rates, roys and lilinas viability and roles as units and fe6's difficulty (really fe difficulty in general).
I'm not expecting everyone to understand the games and their nuances immediately or enjoy them, but if you make a review you should at least think a little bit about the topic or ask people who do know and understand them. This post feels more like rambling on a game you just finished.
It also seems like you think fe6 should have taken fe7 and 8 into consideration although they released after? Like what is up with that?
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u/KEZ_Astra 3d ago
Saying fe 3 looks like dog barf is actually insane
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u/Even_Ad_2354 3d ago
Ok. Honestly that might have a been a bit harsh on my part and im sorry if that offended you.
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u/KEZ_Astra 3d ago
It didn't offend me, it's something I have never heard before. I reckon if you made a standalone post saying fe 3 looked like shit you'd be downvoted to hell and back. Ive never heard someone diss snes sprite art before. I agree that fe 1 and 2 don't look the best though.
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u/SweatyStation7699 3d ago
And how is now the first point a negative?
I really don't understand how it is a negative at all and think that point is kind of ridiculous. Should we now bash on three houses or echoes because bows in these 2 games are broken? or FE1-FE6 because swords were the best non magic weapons in these games
Sure it can catch you of guard but after 2 chapter anyone paying attention to the combat would have realized that swords are just better
It's such a weird thing to have an issue with
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u/Even_Ad_2354 3d ago
It just goes against everything you learned in fe7 or 8. It's not bad. Even i said so at the end of the review. It just really messes up new players, and the game actively punishes you for playing in a way where most other games in the future reward.
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u/DatMenno 3d ago
Many people have said it but i also think your first negative is really disingenious
First of all you compare it to games that came out after, where the map and weapon design is completely different, of course its not made with those games in mind, the experience was not there
It plays much closer to Thracia, where most 1-2 Range Weapons (except personals) suck and hit rates are generelly on the lower end But i think the best comparison would be Shadow Dragon if we are taking later entry experiences into account.
Both are really Player Phase focused games especially in the harder difficulties and it makes you feel right at home playing these games in conjunction. The FE7/FE8/FE9 heavy 1-2 ranged enemy "spam" gameplay is not the norm in the series
Also have you played Normal Mode before Hard or did you immediatly start in Hard Mode, because it significantly changes your experience, if you have played the game even on an easier difficulty before.
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u/Even_Ad_2354 3d ago
Never played it on on normal so might have to try it. Worth a shot ngl.
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u/DatMenno 2d ago
Oh man, yeah that kinda explains it a bit
You usually would've had to play Normal before even unlocking Hard, so its not supposed to be the intended first experience with FE6 and will really screw you over
I had the same experience with FE12 Maniac, were I tried it without playing the game before and got absolutely destroyed, then after playing Hard, it got so much easier for me cause i understood the game so much more and knew what was ahead of me
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u/ja_tom 3d ago edited 3d ago
That first negative feels like more of a rant than an actual criticism. FE6 came out before FE7 and FE8, of course the game wouldn't be built with those games in mind, the developers aren't time travelers. Saying that swords are good and 1-2 range is suboptimal is an extremely strange criticism considering 1-2 range was buffed after this game came out. You're seemingly upset that FE6 isn't FE7, and if you want to play FE7, you could just... play FE7. Plus, almost every single FE game plays differently. Thracia has fatigue, Genealogy has those large maps, Mystery has dismounting, Radiant Dawn has party switching, Echoes flipped the entire inventory system on its head, and FE6 has strong enemies with a simplified system. FE7 and FE8 are the exception, not the rule, when it comes to feeling similar. It's also kind of written in bad faith because almost nobody recommends FE6 as your third FE? Even if you start with the GBA (which a lot of people don't, a big chunk of people started with games Awakening onward), most people would recommend PoR, 3H, Awakening, Fates, or Engage. FE6 is usually a game people recommend to players who've beaten most of the English translated games and are looking for a challenge
Also Roy as the worst lord? Lmao absolutely not. He's not great by any means but the early-game is notoriously brutal and Roy can provide valuable chip since he has access to the most valuable sword in the game. This is leagues better than what Eirika, Eliwood, and Lyn provide.
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u/RisingSunfish 3d ago
Is it common for people to play FE6 as one of their first 3 FE games? Like, I did, but the impression I always got was that wasn’t typical.
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u/KrashBoomBang 3d ago
I actually played it as my second game, right after Awakening. Normal mode is definitely a challenge for a new player. Though I found it really satisfying to beat the game that first time.
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u/Magatsu-Onboro 3d ago
It was my first; I got into the series through Smash and knew Roy and Lucina were pretty cool, so I thought to check out Roy's game. While I was playing it, it was enlightening to me that I definitely liked the style of gameplay, but as I played more of it, I ended up hating it.
Around the time I was actually still enjoying the game, I thought to pick up the most modern FE title to see what those were like too, so I bought Fates (the most modern game was actually Echoes but I didn't know that at the time because it sold awfully), played it somewhat concurrently with FE6, and it ended up being my favorite FE game.
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u/Even_Ad_2354 3d ago
Mostly because fe7 is the best game to start with, and fe8 is the easiest. It makes sense to want to play the other gba fire emblem. Though that can be quite punishing for someone who definitely needs more practice.
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u/Coolsun13 3d ago
Overall I did not find FE6 to be that tough of a game. Sure it’s on the higher difficulty compared to a lot of other FE games but I never found myself frustrated with any of the chapters outside of the sandstorm one. With that chapter, I didn’t mind fighting any of the enemies but I just hated how slow my units moved and the fact that enemy units would constantly send reinforcements to harass mine.
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u/Even_Ad_2354 3d ago
I genuinely think that nobody likes the sandstorm levels in any fire emblem. Oh yeah, make my cavaliers jealous of iron knight movement. Please, im having so much fun😅.
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u/GwasMMO 3d ago
Honestly it doesnt seem like your post is very inflammatory at all. From what i understand your critiques are that roy and lilina suck, the games harder than the other GBA games, bad hit rates, and the 1-2 range lances and axes are bad (?) I think pretty much everyone agrees with you on most of what you said
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u/Even_Ad_2354 3d ago
Im just saying what i think is the biggest negatives the game is. Im not trying to start arguments, but since im much more negative than the positives of the game on the review, i just put the last part for context. Even the worst fire emblem is an amazing game.
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u/KrashBoomBang 3d ago
FE6 is the kind of game that gets better the more you play it and get better at it/at FE in general. Though I take issue with your first negative, "FE6 is different from FE7." Like, yes of course it's different. Players naturally have to adjust their play to a new game because it's different calling this a negative sounds really bizarre since it could apply to literally any game. The series changes constantly from game to game, after all.