Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn Review Part 2 - The Soundtrack and Gameplay

Soundtrack: I LOVE this game’s soundtrack! Definitely one of the best themes in the series. It really does a great job of adding the atmosphere and the “feels” that this game is trying to give you. Ike’s theme has to be my favorite track in the entire game. 

It feels so epic and grand and it fits with what this game is trying to do.

Other highlights:

• “Hymn of the Righteous”: 

 

 

• “Battle is Joined”:

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           “Darkness Eternal”:

“Urgency Drives Us”:

• “Zealot’s Prayer”:

• “Ascent”:

                   This game also brought back classic tracks like The Black Knight’s theme, Caineghis’s theme and Path of Radiance’s recruitment theme. I think what Radiant Dawn’s OST is very good at is either giving a sense of epicness, as if the player is about to engage in an epic war over the fate of continent (which is exactly what you’re doing toward the end of the game).

                The OST is also great at creating an atmosphere of anxiety and tension too. Interestingly enough there are also some great tranquil tracks that help the player feel the exact opposite. There’s also a lot of tracks that can give one a sense of urgency as if the event is really important and the player needs to pay a lot of attention to what’s happening.

                   Overall Summation: Fantastic score. Definitely one of the best OSTs in the series. It adds a lot to the overall feel and atmosphere which I really enjoy. It adds to the epic feel of the game and I love it for that.

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                     Gameplay: This is another hit-or-miss category for the game. I’ll start with the negatives and then move on to the positives:

1. Poor unit balance: This game shot itself in the foot when it chose to bring back the majority of Path of Radiance’s cast. In addition to that this game added A LOT of new playable characters which led to the game having one of the biggest casts in the series. Naturally any Fire Emblem game with a really big cast is going to have some major balance issues with its units.

                  

                           What’s worse is that the different teams that the game forces you to bounce between are extremely imbalanced too. The Dawn Brigade is full of terrible units like Meg and Fiona while the Greil Mercenaries effortlessly steamroll through the game. Last we have Crimea which ranges from mediocre to bad. On the one hand I LOVE steamrolling with the Greil Mercenaries! On the other hand I hate playing as the Dawn Brigade. I find myself trying to blitz through the Dawn Brigade’s chapters so that I can get to the Greil Mercenary chapters where I tend to have the most fun. 

                               Another contributing factor that leads to these major imbalances comes from the fact that availability is all over the place. Some units barely have any time to be used like Elincia, Tormod, Muarim or Vika which hurts this game’s overall replayability value.

2.   The wackiest difficulty curve in the series: This game’s difficulty tends to bounce all over the place. Part 1 is pretty difficult because of all the weaksauce units that you have to use, Part 2 is meh, Part 3 is easy and Part 4… I’m still not even sure how I’d describe Part 4’s difficulty. Annoying maybe? It does feel tedious with the abundance of all those Rout levels. Another major problem I have is with the fact that Hard Mode arbitrarily removed the weapon triangle for no discernible reason. Also, why did they decide to prevent the player from checking enemy movement ranges? Did they suddenly feel nostalgic for Gaiden? I ask because the removal of these two features helps the game to feel more like an old-school Nintendo game which is NOT a good thing.

3. The overabundance of Rout Maps in the Endgame: How’d we go from wonderful map objective variety to all these rout levels in the endgame? Yuck. Rout maps I am told easily turn into “place juggernaut with 1 - 2 range weapons in range of an enemy horde and watch said enemy horde get rekt”.

4. The Mastery Skills: The Mastery skills are stupid. Most of them for all intents and purposes are “kill enemy unit and if they miraculously survive prevent them from doing anything”. Extra props to The Black Knight for having the most ridiculous skill in the entire series, Eclipse: “5x Strength and negates enemy’s Defense”. Is there any unit in the series that can possibly survive that without a skill of some kind? What on earth were the designers smoking when they came up with that?

                        So was there anything that you liked about it’s gameplay? Yes there is.

1. That ledge mechanic: The ability to attack uphill or downhill is awesome! It adds to the map design and incorporates an element of real life combat into the game. In fact, I like this mechanic so much that I’m bringing it back into the game I’m trying to create.

2. Limited resources: This seems like one of the few games in the series where you’re given a limited amount of resources and the game expects you to use those funds wisely. The only other games I can think of that do this are Fire Emblem 12 and Conquest (Thracia 776 doesn’t count for reasons that I will explain when I review that game). Bravo Radiant Dawn. Bravo indeed.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. The map design: In my opinion this game has better map design than Path of Radiance. The ledge mechanic is a nice feature that adds to the overall design of the game. Most of the time the map objectives are varied (up until you get to the endgame) which is a neat plus.

                               Another thing I’d like to point out about Radiant Dawn’s maps is that even if they’re poorly designed there’s usually at least a grand aesthetic to them that makes it easy for me to ignore its flaws. Take Elincia’s Gambit for example. That level can be cheesed in about 1 - 2 turns with Haar but it looks like such a huge, epic battle that I tend to forget how easy to cheese it can be. It looks like a lot of fun trying to fend off hordes of enemies that I usually prefer doing that than skipping it with Haar. There are other maps where this is also the case too.

4. Being able to remove skills: I can’t credit Radiant Dawn for coming up with the neat capacity system, but I can credit Radiant Dawn for letting me remove one skill from one unit and placing it on another. It’s a fun little addition that adds to the strategy of the game.  

                          Overall Summation: There are a lot of noticeable flaws. There are some nice things too. I like the fact that we got a more challenging Tellius game this time around. One of my few complaints with Path of Radiance is how easy it is. Even when I can point out the flaws in this game’s design I tend to enjoy the crap out of it anyway because of how much it resembles the gameplay of Path of Radiance.

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn Review Part 1 - The Plot and the Characters

                

                          Nickname: Fire Emblem - Goddess of Contrivance? (once again I am out of ideas for nicknames. If you have a better idea then feel free to share it)

                   Plot:  Oh boy, here we go. Radiant Dawn has one of the more controversial plots in the series. It tries to do big and epic with the result being less than stellar. Alright so what are the issues with this game’s story?

• The Blood Pact: I think the biggest issue with Radiant Dawn’s plot comes from the blood pacts. It comes across as a really cheap way to get people to do stuff that they normally wouldn’t do. I can see the development team coming up with the idea of having different non-villainous sides fighting against each other and then coming up with the blood pact idea as an afterthought later to explain why the two sides are in conflict.

                           One Fire Emblem summed up the problem pretty well when he said:  “Instead of coming up with an interesting and nuanced way to have clashing protagonists, it's just the good guys vs the good guys who are extorted by one dimensional villains via cheap plot device.” (Source: http://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=57894)

                         While I LOVE the idea behind non-villainous parties clashing the main problem of course is in its execution. It also raises other questions too. For example, does the curse prevent people from talking about it? One would assume that from looking at Ike and Micaiah’s dialogue. You do wonder why anyone with the Blood Pact doesn’t try to talk to someone else and explain their situation. In that case the Blood Pact could force people to team up against Begnion and defeat them. That would be a smarter way to do things than what was shown in the game. 

• Disjointed Arcs: One problem with the narrative is that the blood pact would have been the only way for the Dawn Brigade to remain relevant in the story after Part 1. After Part 1 the Dawn Brigade has no reason to be involved in the current of Tellius. They don’t like either the Laguz Alliance or Begnion so they wouldn’t fight for them and they don’t like Crimea either because of the events in Path of Radiance so what reason would they have to fight? The only logical conclusion would be that they would have to be forced into the conflict against their will.

                      That ties into how poorly the first two arcs are set up in relation to the last two. Parts 1 & 2 of Radiant Dawn could be cut out of the story altogether without any major impact on the events of Parts 3 & 4. You could still have Daein be forced to fight against the laguz, albeit in a different way (by being Begnion’s vassal) but it would still have the same effect that the blood pact had on the story except this idea would be far less contrived. Overall, the story needed to work on its consistency and having everything “flow” together.

                     Now to be fair there are some cool things about Radiant Dawn’s story. For example, it helped to build upon Path of Radiance’s excellent worldbuilding. We get to learn more about the goddesses and about how the different countries in Tellius came to be. The laguz are a cool addition to the Tellius world, even if the gameplay mechanics behind them aren’t perfect. Unlike Awakening and Fates the laguz here actually play a fundamental role in the plot of both Radiant Dawn and Path of Radiance and therefore have a justified reason for existing in the narrative. 

                   

                              Each of the nations in Tellius are distinct and memorable and you can easily remember each and every one of them. I do wish that we actually got to visit Phoenicis, Kilvas and Goldoa but hey you can’t have everything right? I wonder why Hatari exists though. The idea behind a wolf laguz is cool but why are they there again?

                        Even though the Serenes language is backward Japanese in its pronunciation I do give this game’s worldbuilding extra points for trying to make up its own language (I always love little tidbits like that in fantasy worlds).   

                      Overall Summation: The plot’s got major issues but I can forgive these issues because of the epic scope that its narrative is trying to achieve. The awful writing in Awakening and Fates causes me to be even more forgiving with this game’s flaws. Still, I can’t say that the story is good from an objective point of view. From a subjective point of view, I still find enjoyment in this game’s story.

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Characters:

                                  There’s one more major problem with Radiant Dawn’s story: It hurt some of the characterization that happened in Path of Radiance in addition to Micaiah's characterization. To start things off here’s a quote from a fellow Fire Emblem fan:

                                   “It made Micaiah's actions seem justified and made her character one dimensional. It turns her into what amounts to a puppet, who is doing these morally ambiguous actions because she was forced to do it to save Daein. You know how Naesala's a complete fuckwitted bastard who keeps betraying everyone for money? Then sorta comes to his senses towards the end of FE9? They nullified that aspect of his personality due to the blood pact that he had to sign.

You know how Ashnard rose to power? They said it was by slaying all of his family and rising to power through force - which agrees with his personality ideology of those with power shall rule. Except now it was retconned to say that he did not use straight force, he used a blood pact, which nullifies him personifying his ideology.

etc etc etc

It really just cheapens the plot. Part 3 was called intersecting vows but Micaiah made no vows or had any ideals, she was just forced to do what she did and she's absolved of her war crimes.” (Source: http://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=57894) 

                  Another criticism is that the portrayal of the Black Knight doesn’t quite sync well with what Path of Radiance delivered to us. In Path of Radiance the Black Knight killed Greil just to get the medallion and threaten “to visit horrors” upon Mist in order to get Greil to talk. In Radiant Dawn he’s presented as an anti-hero who simply wanted to get stronger. Like with the blood pact I like the idea behind Radiant Dawn portraying him in a different light, but when you try to compare the two different versions of the Black Knight it can give the impression that one is seeing two different characters.

                     Then there’s the supports. Oh how the mighty have fallen! How did we go from the fantastic support conversations in Path of Radiance to the brainless and threadbare ones of Radiant Dawn? Even if you take this game on its own merits, these supports are stupid! They deserve all the crap and criticism that they get. With all that being said I do like a lot of the base conversations in this game and we do get some memorable lines like when Micaiah teases Sothe saying that Ike is “the father of Sothe’s children” or the infamous line where Shinon tells Gatrie that he’d “hit on a tree if it had a skirt on it”.  

                             However, let’s give credit to where credit is due: Elincia’s character got an upgrade from Path of Radiance this game. In Radiant Dawn she’s got a much stronger personality than her “tee hee milord Ike” persona in Path of Radiance. In Radiant Dawn Elincia is shown as being firm and steadfast in the face of opposition. She’s even given a sadistic choice between choosing letting Ludveck go or watching Lucia die. In the end she makes the right choice, even if it’s a painful one. She also managed to stand between the Laguz Alliance and the Begnion Army, throw her weapons down on the battlefield and declare neutrality. It was a really bold move on her part. Then you take into account how she got prettier in Radiant Dawn AND the fact that her combat abilities got a significant upgrade in this one and it’s pretty hard not to like her.

                              I also appreciated Mia, Haar and Shinon a lot more in this one. Most of it has to do with gameplay reasons but they still retained their personalities from Path of Radiance so now that they’re good - great combat units it makes it all the easier to appreciate them.

Overall Summation: I have to agree that Radiant Dawn didn’t do much to add to what Path of Radiance established and I do wish that we got more development. Still, because of how awesome Path of Radiance was in establishing its characters I have to admit that I’m still attached to the cast in Radiant Dawn (at least the ones that crossed over from Path of Radiance).

The Fire Emblem 12 Review Finale

The Negatives

                 I’ve spent an absurd amount of time detailing why I love the gameplay in Fire Emblem 12. This may cause one to wonder if there’s anything that I don’t like about it. Unfortunately there is.

                My biggest complaint with Fire Emblem 12 is its atrocious unit balance. This game also gets my vote for “Worst Unit Balance in the Series”. There are hordes of units that flat out suck. In case there’s any ambiguity here I mean there are a lot of characters that are so weak that when they join the player they get double attacked and killed upon their join time. What’s worse is that this game requires you to go out of your way in order to recruit some of these characters too which is disappointing when you find out that your sacrifice was for nothing. Almost all of your best units arrive in the early game too so you spend a good chunk of Fire Emblem 12 ignoring the chaff that comes your way. This game broke my “gotta catch em all” attitude when it came to recruiting characters because there’s no point in trying to recruit them all if I’m just going to sit them on the bench anyway.

                     This game also has ambush spawns. Considering the fact that this game has really powerful enemies, ambush spawns in this game more or less equate to really painful “surprise butt sex” to quote Mangs. It’s awful. It’s really, really awful.

                       While I can appreciate the merits behind why this game chose to make dodging and durability foreign concepts I can’t say that I like it from a subjective standpoint. I like being able to tank, whether its dodge-tanking or regular tanking. This game makes you love dodging. It also makes you love being able to take 2 or more hits. At least, that’s what it does for me.

Overall Summation: This game is fantastically designed. Go play it. If you haven’t played it yet, stop what you’re doing and go play it. You’re welcome. This game’s phenomenal gameplay more than compensates for its weaknesses in the other categories.

My Fire Emblem 12 Review Part 3 - Everything Else

 Miscellaneous Items

•     I find it funny that people who say that high growths make you too OP have never played FE 12. The growth rates in this game are higher than the growths in Path of Radiance or Blazing Sword and yet this game has vastly superior enemy scaling to theirs. The growth rates seem to be higher the Tellius and GBA games, but lower than Awakening or Fates. I could be wrong on this point, but that’s what it seems like to me. 
  
  

                           Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that Fire Emblem 12 is proof that you can have really high growths AND great enemy scaling at the same time. This is what I’d like to see more of in future installments. 

• The Rainbow Potion & Maturity Drop: That item is the FE equivalent of Heisenberg’s blue crystal meth. Everybody’s got to have some. For those of you who don’t know the Rainbow Potion is a Wi-Fi exclusive item that gives a + 2 boost to every stat except HP. It has 77 uses and it lasts for the duration of one chapter. Then there’s the Maturity Drop. The Maturity Drop is an item that boosts a unit’s HP growth by 20 % and the growths of all other stats by 10 %. In a game where growths are high this item just reeks of awesome.

• Reverse Lunatic: The hardest difficulty in Fire Emblem 12 has this feature where enemy units always make the first attack in a combat situation even if the player initiated the attack. I love this concept. It actually affects how the player plays the game. HP matters more now because you have to be able to take a hit from the enemy every time you engage in battle. This in turn makes healing REALLY useful. It also means that being able to attack an enemy that can’t fight back is more useful too than it already was. I like the fact that it forces the player to switch gears a little bit and I’d like to see this concept make a return. 
  
  

  

  Yes I know the picture calls it the "Star Potion" but it does the exact same thing as the Rainbow Potion so it still works".

  
  

• Shadow Dragon 2.0 : This game fixed some of the mistakes in Shadow Dragon’s design. Remember how Caeda’s forged Wing Spear broke Shadow Dragon? Well good luck trying to do that in this game. A forged Wing Spear is still valuable, but it won’t break the game like it did in Shadow Dragon.

                                 Remember how you could Warp skip Shadow Dragon too? Good luck pulling that off in Fire Emblem 12. Lunatic and Reverse Lunatic mode don’t even let you have a Warp staff and even in difficulty modes where it exists you only get one and it doesn’t even show up until a little over the halfway point in this game so yeah you’re not going to break this game with Warp.

                               Remember how stupid those Gaiden requirements were in Shadow Dragon? Well those don’t exist in Fire Emblem 12. In fact the requirements for the Gaiden chapters in 12 are actually reasonable. Hallelujah!

• Drill Grounds: I love the Drill Grounds system in 12. Think of your stereotypical arena system, however you don’t get to heal between fights and you never gain money, you only lose it. That basically means that you cannot abuse this game’s arena even if you’re playing on a ROM. The thing about the GBA arena is that on a ROM I can (and have numerous times) abused the ever living crap out of it. I know that the game was designed to be played on a gameboy, but still the fact that it can be abused is a negative that it has against it. By contrast, you can never abuse the FE 12 Drill Grounds system and it’s AWESOME! 
  
  
  
  
  

• “Screw you RNG!” : This game also gets my vote for “Least RNG Reliant Game in the Series”. Both of how accurate both your units and the enemy units are hitting is guaranteed and rare is the occasion where you see a miss happen. This doesn’t mean that RNG shenanigans can’t happen, it’s just that they’re far more rare here than in any other FE game that I’ve played. I appreciate that. I immensely appreciate that.

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.

My Fire Emblem 12 Gamplay Review: Maps, Difficulty, AI and Glass Cannons

                         Gameplay: And now we come to the real reason why this game is in my Top 5 Favorites list. Before I begin though I highly recommend that you read this amazing review about Fire Emblem 12 on serenesforest.net: http://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=23750

Fire Emblem 12 has some really sexy gameplay. Why?

• Best Map Design in the Series: Fire Emblem 12 gets my vote for “Best Map Design in the Series”. It took everything that was great about the original’s map design and improved upon it. Part of the problem with the original’s design came from the fact that it was (at least partially) undermined by how weak the enemies were. This meant that positioning didn’t matter as much since you could wreck enemies with a strong unit. Oh did Fire Emblem 12 fix that problem.
  
  
  
  
  

                            In addition this game also had some meticulous enemy positioning. I don’t think I’ve EVER had to pay as much attention to where enemy units were and where I placed my units. You can tell that the designers really put a lot of love and effort into where certain enemies went and because the game put so much effort it makes the player in turn put so much effort into where their units go. It’s really fantastic and it adds so much to the overall strategy of the game. Also, this game has the deadliest ballista in the series. Enemies in this game are powerful and accurate and this applies to the ballista in this game. This is the game where I take ballista the most seriously because I know that they can hit me and can do some real damage.

                        That review I linked to earlier has this to say about the game: “Maps are better designed than FE:SD, with plenty of variety and unique conditions. Frequent enemy movement and reinforcements encourage the player to keep moving. There are few choke points for the player to turtle up and hide in, and if there is a choke points, you can be sure there will be large numbers of enemies trying to pass through it.”

• Highest Difficulty Variety in the Series: This game has a whopping 5 difficulty settings: Easy, Hard, Maniac, Lunatic, Reverse Lunatic. That’s more than any other single game in the series. The best part about this is the huge variation between them. This game is capable of catering to every skill level in the fanbase. Are you picking up Fire Emblem for the first time? Well you’re in luck. This game invented Casual Mode and has an Easy difficulty. Are you a masochistic tryhard that only finds enjoyment through LTC strats? Then you’ll love Reverse Lunatic because it’s the most challenging difficulty in the entire series. It’s also fair and non-RNG reliant (unlike a different challenge mode). Are you somewhere between these two extremes? Well then you’ve got three extra difficulty modes to choose from. This game is the poster child for how to do difficulty right. It’s a real shame that Awakening didn’t learn from this game’s success (and frankly I’m not a fan of how Fates tried to appeal to the entire fan base either). 
  
  

                          Once again here’s what the review had to say: “The easiest mode is a walk in the park, perfectly suited to beginners or those who aren't interested in a hard slog. Hard mode is most comparable to the original Super Famicom version - it can get a little stressful here and there, but you probably won't be losing any sleep over it. Maniac mode is fairly difficult, but it doesn't go all out like Lunatic mode. Lunatic and Lunatic Reverse mode is a sadistic test of skill, patience, and planning that only gifted tacticians will be able to dominate. 

                             One major difference in Lunatic mode [is that]... enemies promote earlier, come in vastly greater numbers, show up as reinforcements earlier or more frequently, wield powerful forged weapons as soon as the first chapter, and always have the highest weapon rank with a bonus +10 to hit. By the mid-late game enemies have almost fully capped stats with very powerful forged weapons. Having characters who can take more than one hit before dying are a valuable commodity on Lunatic. Finally, Lunatic mode has an anti-boss farming feature that awards decreasing amounts of XP for hitting any boss with regenerating HP. Getting low turn counts, every possible item, and every recruit on Lunatic Reverse is a worthy challenge for even the most experienced tactics veteran.”

• Amazing AI: Fire Emblem 12 gets my vote for “Best AI” in the series. Instead of being able to bait the enemy to come towards you the AI will usually just sit and wait until you’re so far into enemy territory that an entire swarm of them can get you. The review mentions that “the many scripted events and tactical map design ensures most players won't get bored or feel like they are dealing with a brain dead opponent.”
  
  
  
  
  

“Glass Cannon Emblem”: The reason why I gave this game the nickname of “Glass Cannon Emblem” is because this game is notorious for  making it so that 99 % of your army dies in 2 hits or less while enemies have perfect accuracy. While I’m about three quarters finished with my Lunatic file and I have to say that playing on Lunatic felt like I was bashing my head against a brick wall. I had to reset a ton in each and every level. It was infuriating. Another major reason why this game can be so difficult is because the cast got dodging lessons from Gohan. No seriously, enemies in this game almost never miss. It’s scary! 

                      This doesn’t just apply to Lunatic and Reverse Lunatic mode either. I normally play on Maniac mode and generally speaking I have to watch out because most of my units will still get killed in 2 hits by a very accurate enemy.