My Fire Emblem 12 Gameplay Review Part 2 - My Unit

                    This game blows Awakening and Fates out of the water when it comes to its My Unit creation system. The biggest advantage here is that My Unit does not have a default class, unlike Awakening and Fates. In 12 you get to choose what class My Unit starts out as. There a lot of choices to pick from too, which adds so much to the fun of this game. Some classes that My Unit can become is dependent on what gender you choose. “Males can choose to be a Mercenary, Knight, Cavalier, Fighter, Archer or Mage. Females can choose to be a Myrmidon, Pegasus Knight, Cavalier, Archer or Mage.” (Source: http://serenesforest.net/light-and-shadow/characters/my-unit-creation/)

                         As if that weren’t a big enough advantage there’s also the fact that Fire Emblem 12 gives the player a greater degree of control over My Unit’s base stats and growths. Here’s a description of how it works based off a FE 12 walkthrough that I had to go look up:

“Past bonuses:
Merchant's Child = +2 Luck and Resistance, +5% Luck growth.
Cleric's Child = +2 Defense. No growth bonus.
Orphan = +2 Strength and Magic, +5% Strength and Magic growths.
Farmer's Child = +4 HP, +10% HP growth.
Noble's Child = +2 Skill and Speed, +5% Skill and Speed growths.

Present bonuses:
Wise = +1 Luck and Resistance, +10% Luck growth, +5% Resistance growth.
Beautiful = +1 Skill and Speed, +10% Skill and Speed growths.
Odd = +1 Strength and Magic, +10% Strength and Magic growths.
Gentle = +1 Defense, +5% Defense growth.
Mighty = +2 HP, +20% HP growth.

Future bonuses:
Humanitarian = +10% Defense growth.
Glorious = +15% Skill and Speed growths.
Pursuer = +30% HP growth.
Wealthy = +15% Luck growth, +10% Resistance growth.
Recluse = +15% Strength and Magic growths.

You get to choose any from the past options, four out of the five present
options, and three out of the five future options. The choices you made for
Past/Present affect what you can and cannot choose. For example, If for past
I used Farmer's Child, I could not choose Mighty or Pursuer for Present/Future
bonuses, as I can only have one +HP bonus from all three if that makes any
sense.”

(Source: https://www.gamefaqs.com/ds/997174-fire-emblem-shin-monshou-no-nazo-hikari-to-kage-no-eiyuu/faqs/60637) 

                   There’s a larger variety of options to choose from and you have to think about which combination of growths and stat boosters will work best for the My Unit you want to create. In other words this system is more complex and nuanced and requires the player to think deeply about what kind of My Unit they want to create. This is something that Awakening and Fates don’t offer. Based on what I’ve been told what’s considered the best class for My Unit also depends on which difficulty you play on which for me adds so much more to the fun.

                      As if that weren’t enough of a reason for why I prefer the FE 12 version of the My Unit creation system there’s also the fact that you get superior aesthetics too. For example, take a look at what I created for my Lunatic file:

                       That’s right folks. I got a My Unit with a purple afro and a monocle. Behold this wondrous over-the-top beauty in all its glory. Now I ask you: Could you create that in Awakening or in Fates? No. I didn’t think so. #purpleafromonoclemasterrace

                        The variety of aesthetics is just so much cooler in 12 too. In 12 you have access to an eyepatch (Also the eyepatch looks way cooler than any of the eyepatches in Fates) , a monocle, a cool looking scar, a Super Saiyan hairdo, a weird brainy type of haircut and also a bandana (you can actually make Kris look kind of like Ike).

Wait, is that… Ike? (Source: http://serenesforest.net/light-and-shadow/characters/my-unit-creation/

)

                         What’s even cooler is that some of the characters at various times will comment on My Unit’s aesthetic choices and the game will give you the option of changing Kris’s aesthetics around. I usually change Kris’s design when given the choice of being allowed to wear a masquerade mask. Not only does it look cool but I also find it hilarious that Kris is slaughtering enemy mooks left and right while wearing a mask that looks like it would impede his / her vision. You also have the option to shave your head or wear different kinds of hats (including I believe a tiara of some kind). I wish the aesthetic choices would have had an impact on the gameplay but I still like the fact that they’re there. Also, here’s an idea of the type of creations that you can come up with for My Unit:

                   Overall Summation: The FE 12 My Unit creation system roflstomps Awakening and Fates in terms of what it can do. It’s not even close.