Introduction:
This is the first post in my play through of Fire Emblem: The Shadow Dragon. This is my first time trying to write about my experience playing a game like this, and as the game is on the DS I haven't worked out if/how I might include screenshots yet, so there aren't any pictures yet.
I have played a little bit of Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade years back on Gameboy Advance (released originally just as Fire Emblem, though it is the 7thgame in the series.) I am currently watching BlueAnkylo's Let's Play of the game, so I have some familiarity with the game series' mechanics, although I know some things change from the NES to SNES to GBA to DS versions of the games...
I will be playing a remake of the first game. All I really know going in is the main character's name is Marth, and... there's a Shadow Dragon? I may have seen a bit more plot on wikipedia when I was deciding which game to try out, but I don't remember it.
Fire Emblem is a turn based strategy game series, with randomized level ups (a unit gets random stats when they level, and you can have good level ups with lots of stat increases, or bad ones with only one or two). There is also probably a weapon triangle (like Axes beat lances beat swords beat axes). Weapons in this series have a durability that goes down as you use them, so it's important to mostly use cheaper weapons you can buy in shops and save the rare or expensive items for when they're really needed.
I also know a theme of the series is to give you more characters than you can use on any one map, so I'll want to choose a core team to level up the most. I will probably not choose characters based on who might be the best but rather based on who I like the most, but I do also have a min/maxer inside me so we'll see if I keep to that thought.
I enjoy tactical RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre, and while this series doesn't have the same level of customizablility of your units, it has a lot of strategy involved in which units you choose to level and keep around throughout the game. Also I like the little battle animations when your units fight the enemy.
I choose Normal difficulty.
Prologue I
Medeus, king of the dragons, conquered the world until a hero from Altea defeated him with a magic sword. 100 years later, the Shadow dragon returned, allied with a sorcerer who sought to rule the world. They conquered kingdom after kingdom. Prince Marth's father, last of the ancient hero's line, sallied forth to neighboring Gra with the sword to fight back. Meanwhile, Marth, his sister Elice, and his mother remained at home, and Marth trained, until...
Elice summons Marth to the throne room, but upon arrival soldiers of Gra appear and demand Marth surrenders! But aren't we allied with Gra? Marth refuses to surrender, and the soldiers attack!
Marth levels up after killing 3 soldiers, getting a boost to HP, Strength, Speed and Luck.
I finish the last soldier and seize the throne. Prologue finished!
Elice appears, and Marth asks what's happening. Sounds like the father was defeated by “Dolhr-Grust allied forces” after Gra betrayed us and attacked their father's army from behind. Scouts gave conflicting reports of their father's survival. Gra's forces have already invaded and are capturing the castle. Elice will go look for their mother while Marth flees with Jagen, and they'll meetup later.
Uh oh, Elice says “Goodbye”. I hope she's not planning to die here already!
On to Prologue II!
Prologue II
Marth is on the map with two allied soldiers on horseback, and he is greeted by Frey. Abel is here too. Sir Malledus stayed behind to help Elice. I hope they'll meet up with us later...
Sir Jagen is at the gates, but Gra's soldiers are already inside. We'll probably have to fight our way out...Marth decides we need to seize the gates and secure the area to protect Jagen and the others from a rear attack.
Fire Emblem has perma-death. So if any of my people are killed, they're gone for good.
Frey is blue and Abel is green.
Swords beat axes beat lances beat swords. I think I had the triangle mixed up in the intro paragraphs.
Sounds like there's a bounty on Marth's head. The Gra soldiers want to capture him dead or alive.
Archers can attack from 2 spaces away, but cannot attack adjacent enemies.
There are some enemy archers down the hallway, I'll need to move carefully.
Oh Abel has a Javelin and a sword. The Javelin should be both ranged and adjacent.
Hmm, Frey is taking a beating, he's down to just 7 of 18 HP...
I can stop short of the final soldier and throw Abel's Javelin (in a double attack!) to finish him in one attack! Abel levels to 2 and gains HP, Strength and Speed.
I seize the throne (the end spot) and finish the chapter.
Marth meets up with Jagen. A little ways away, another Altean soldier on horseback, Cain, is looking for him (Cain is red).
Uh oh, Cain was supposed to be in Gra and he's wounded.
Jagen says we need to escape before we can treat Cain's wounds.
I think I'm going to like Cain...
Jagen: “Cain, I trust you can put off bleeding to death for just awhile longer?”
Cain: “Of course sir, I aim to please.”
Cut to the throne room. Malledus tells Elice it's time to leave, but she's staying. She won't allow those who have died to have done so in vain, and will stay with the people of Altea, and also give the rest of us time to escape. She sends Malledus to Marth, who she says will be the last person worthy of wielding Falchion if their father dies.
Next time: On to Prologue III!
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