I think binding blade is fine on normal mode for newer players. Maybe not the easiest or most digestible game in the series but I think its easy enough to where it can be enjoyable for someone starting off. I think the only real issue would be the occasional bs ambush spawns but aside from that its a fine FE game to start with imo. Also you made a slight error in your video. Sacred stones is not available on nintendo switch online. I wish it was but its not. Other than that good vid, agreed with most of your choices
I can’t believe I missed that guess I should’ve paid for Nintendo switch expansion pack. As for Binding blade I remember that game getting pretty crazy in the final levels and I was not using save states so those ambush’s were a pain. That being said great game
Path of Radiance is one of the best games to start (you can always emulate at Dolphin lol). - The reason is because opposite to most Fire Emblem games were the "early game is the hardest part of the game" , while in Path of Radiance the early game is easier and the difficulty goes up - It has the least complex class and upgrading. Pretty much you just hit lvl 20+ and you can promote without using a master seal. - The base and how it works is the best of the series , its simple and easy to use. A lot better than the modern ones. - Bonus EXP is something that Path of Radiance has and unique to only the Tellius duology. It gives you extra exp that helps you on either snowballing a unit or giving it to a lower level unit to catch up - Tutorial in Path of Radiance compare to other games are relatively short. FE7 on Lyn´s tale is literally a whooping 10 chapters tutorial , while in PoR is "okay i show you this and here you go , have fun". - I do agree Path of Radiance have a lot of "obscure things" like "Stefan recruitment" , but thats pretty much all the FE games like FE7 and FE6 - On my subjective point of view , PoR have one of the best cast of characters of the whole franchaise , and Ike is "the most relatable main character". - You have the Black Knight as one of your enemies , the DARTH VADER of FE , something that only PoR did well , 3 houses try it with the Death Knight and fail
I agree with basically everything on here but I do think a newcomer might be turned away from emulating if they haven’t done it before. My biggest wish from Nintendo/IS almost every year is to just release a GameCube emulator for switch with Path of Radiance. Or a rerelease package of POR and RD would be better these games deserve it. I’m biased though too though, the first time I booted POR on dolphin the game was laggy and wasn’t showing menus. Took me hours to figure out what was wrong and that sucks
>Ike is "the most relatable main character." I'll never forget what he says after he gets force-promoted into a Lord during the story, given the story implication is that he's being granted a noble title. "So... am I supposed to put on a funny hat now or something?"
Several of those points are true also for Echoes (Shadows of Valentia, on 3DS): - gets harder as we go; - simple class progression (best to promote asap, though that can only be done at certain places); - bonus EXP (NOT unique to the "Tellius", i.e. Radiance, pair); - quick basic tutorial battle in the prologue, written tips at the start of the next few but otherwise "away we go" (admittedly after a long stretch of story-setting); - good cast of characters (if a bit cheesey at times: wallow in it); - Berkut is a really relatable antagonist (the other, Jeddah, is a creep). If you've some idea of tactics and strategies from outside, and intend to play several Fire Emblems, I'd recommend Echoes first to get familiar with some of the staple mechanics before advancing to the more typical entries where there are more things to think about.
*Blazing Sword.* It has the best approachability (ie. not Kaga-difficult) but also isn't boringly easy, the gameplay is fast and engaging, and the characters are more developed than most FE ensembles. It's the ideal babby's first FE.
To be fair, some of the FE games might be boringly easy to experienced SRPG players who enjoy a good challenge, but I don't think any of them are boringly easy to people who are new to the genre. I started off with Three Houses, and have since played most of the games in the series, and I didn't think any of them were boring due to a lack of difficulty. Fire Emblem overall as a series is known for its relatively high difficulty, and even the easier games in the series can provide a decent challenge to those new to SRPGs - I should know, I was one of those people quite recently, and still don't consider myself a great FE player.😅 If you believe a game like Three Houses or Fates: Birthright is boringly easy I think you are likely a player with above-average skill. I did find Birthright a bit boring by the midway point but that was more due to a lack of variety in mission objectives and the dragon vein gimmick growing stale quickly rather than outright difficulty. I agree that FE7 on the GBA is a superb game and would make for a good introduction to the series though. 🙂
I first played this series with the 3DS Ambassador Program for early adopters, Sacred Stones came for free. It was fun and made me buy Awakening when it came out. Honestly the 3DS era was a good time to enter this series.
Hi. I've been wanting to play Fire Emblem games but I did not know that most of them are on Switch. Are there any FE games that is accessible via Steam? Thanks
Unfortunately due to being a Nintendo IP there are no officially ported versions to the PC and as such none are on steam. The only way you could play any of them on PC is through emulation and because they have released on many different consoles you would need a variety of different emulators to play every game, but I would imagine that GBA and Nds are the easiest to emulate right now due to Delta coming out on ios. Ultimately that decision is up to you though. Sorry it’s not the answer you may have wanted.
@@Atemsis As someone who love games but don't know much about the availability and accessibility of some games, you have given me relevant and informative comment, this is more than enough for me. Thank you for this. I currently do not own a Switch for now due to budget constraints but I will save for the following months.
For those less familiar with the series: (1) "New Mystery of the Emblem" (second of the two DS games) never existed, not as a game we could buy in high street game stores. @GramKraken is talking about "Faiā Emuburemu: Shin Monshō no Nazo ~Hikari to Kage no Eiyū~" That's right, a Japanese-only game. Finding both a copy fan-translated into English, and somewhere to run it, is a whole extra set of barriers. (2) 3-in-1 Fire Emblem Fates Limited Edition is both rare and, for that reason, expensive. For most of us, Fates Birthright and Fates Conquest are two standalone games made as a pair (as with some Pokemon titles, for example) so we could buy either or both. Birthright was intended as a "one to start with" and Conquest as a "maybe second or third". The "third route" (Revelations) was never a game, rather it was a big DLC, I presume no longer available now that Nintendo have closed the 3DS e-shop. @GramKraken, for a newcomer who already has a 3DS, how does Birthright compare to Awakening as a starting point?
I started with Three Houses and have played most of the other games since, and I have to say Engage to me feels like one of the least enjoyable games in the series. The characters aren't really interesting (even the old lords aren't that interesting in Engage, even if they were in their original game), and it barely feels like a coherent story. The contrasting art styles between the older lords and the very cookie cutter Engage original characters also makes a lot of characters feel out of place. It also has no real replay value at all - once you beat it, you're done, and there's just nothing else to do it the game that's worthwhile anymore. The combat is fine, and the game certainly runs well on the Switch, but if the fact that it can run well on the hardware it is designed for becomes its main saving grace, I feel that just illustrates how underwhelming the game itself was. Engage isn't a terrible game, it's just very bland and feels like it was handled entirely by the people who coded it while the creative team was taking a group sabbatical.
Fire Emblem Awakening was my first too. I got a 3DS and borrowed it from a friend. Then I hunted down the 3DS games (and the GBA) at vintage stores but I got lucky, the Eshop was still going and this was also before 3 Houses got popular. I hit that sweet spot for collecting. But holy shit, these days? So much harder and it sucks. Shadows of Valencia is such an underrated game and it's now unaccessable. I've never played the Radiance Games because theyre locked on older systems and I dont emulate (personal preferance). I really wish they would return to some form of eshop but I dont think we will. Which is seriously disappointing. Hard to built up a new fan base if a lot of new gamers cant access your back library. As for the Switch era, if Houses and Engage could have a baby, it would be the ultimate Fire Emblem game. They both have weaknesses the other game does better. Their combined strenghs would make for a wicked entry.
I started with fire emblem and fire emblem scared stones. I loved those games and wanted to get back into the series. But the new style is throwing me off and it seems just so different from the original but with that said I’m willing to try any new games does anyone have any recommendations?
The answer is all of them because they all take place in their own world except for one, but it’s more of a sequel in the sense that everything is new for a new person. Well, what is the easiest one then that gets the simple idea of fire emblem to anybody anything that’s not radiant path
I gotta say, as someone who introduced someone to FE through Engage, it's a terrible starting game. The mechanics are so different from the rest of the series with the break stuff and the Emblem rings that it's just a bad way to introduce the mechanics to new players. The previous lords are also just not a good introduction, as they're the heavily flanderized and whitewashed versions from Heroes without much of what made them loved from their games. A new player would get as much value just scrolling down an FEwiki page. As for the story and art style, it's so tonally dissonant from even the likes of Fates that I struggle to reccomend Engage as anything but a black mark on the franchise to buy used. The gameplay is the only draw, and even that's a stretch given the lack of unit identity.
My intro to Fire Emblem was pretty odd. I started with FE Three Houses out of curiosity. Had a pretty good time so I played the Sacred Stones. That one had me hooked, fantastic game. After that it was the Blazing Blade, then the Binding Blade, then FE Engage, and lastly Path of Radiance. Still haven't beaten Path of Radiance (Naesala continues to kill one of my units. Every. Single. Time.) but it's a great series overall and looking forward to playing more from the series.
I started with Three Houses, as i was always "scared" of Fire Emblem, so even if i have owned most consoles from Nintendo, i never really plucked up the courage to actually invest and try it out... Every time i asked someone about the series, it always sounded like the series, and even the community, could be very hostile to new players, and if you didn't break your balls on the hardest difficulty and didn't play the games like an ironman, you basicly weren't respected by the community. It of course didn't end up being true, as most people would tell you to play Fire Emblem, and any game for that matter, in whatever way you find the most fun. So after 3H, i tracked down actual sealed copies of Awakening and Echoes (couldn't find Fates), and Echoes is probably my overall favorite in the series, even after having experienced every other game in the series now...
I remember feeling this after I played awakening for the first time on normal/casual. In the end of the day though it’s all supposed to be fun! I have been ironmanning more though lately
@@GramKraken Same here. Doing an ironman once in a while to keep things fresh and yourself sharp on all the mechanics always makes it a fun experience to replay most games. Or, just do a challenge run with dumb restrictions!
My opinion: If you want to start with an oddball or just want to ease your way off - Three Houses or Awakening If you want a classic game with PermaDeath but lots of QoL - Sacred Stones or Path of Radiance. Honestly, the latter's only flaws are being the best IMHO and being very rare and expensive. I spent over 200 Euros on my copy. If you want the real deal, a very hard but relatively fair game that pulls no punches, go with good old Fire Emblem/Blazing Sword. I started with Three Houses myself, but it's so different, that my second game, Blazing Sword, felt as if it was my first. The issue with Engage as a first game is that it feels like you need to know the Emblems first.
As someone who got into the series with awakening, was surprised you saved it for last as a recommendation lol. Though do agree with your stuff. I do feel that 3houses and engage, love em or hate em, both can kinda determine what you like most in fire emblem as Engage has... hard to say if it's story is the worst or not but it is tough but its a game with stellar gameplay and mechanics that I feel can keep you invested if you love the combat and gameplay side of things. As for story though 3houses for some has a hit or miss story for others, still stronger then some of the other games. I kinda hope more of the games get ported or remade onto modern consoles with quality-of-life changes (as someone playing through shadow dragon and the blade of light on switch, fun though healers gaining no exp from healing is such a pain lol).
My recommendations on first plays are sacred stones,path of radiance,awakening and three houses Ones to avoid are fe1,gaiden,genealogy of the holy war, binding blade especially on hard mode and shadow dragon. And one to avoid like the plague for a first time is thracia 776,radiant dawn and new mystery of the emblem.
3:35 I wonder why. Couldn't have anything to do with the ugliest art style in the franchise and battle graphics akin to a mobile game (and this is coming from somebody who likes some of the crit animations).
I remember reading about Fire Emblem in Nintendo Power and thinking how much I wanted to play it when it came out stateside. I was so happy when FE7 hit and I would take it to a desert island. I’m playing Engage currently with my daughter and she loves it. She finished it before I did.
I think New Mystery is a good first game if you come from a strategy/tactics background as opposed to a (J)RPG one. Definitely start on Normal mode though.
I'm a Brit. We have a high street chain for second-hand movies (DVDs) and games, also consoles and handhelds. By looking in at my local branch regularly over the course of a year, I can expect to see copies of all four 3DS Fire Emblems (Awakening, Birthright, Conquest and Echoes), cheaper or at worst no more expensive than the Switch games. A working 3DS can be bought too but (like the Switch itself) costs more. GBAs can be bought too, for the same sort of price as a single modern game brand-new, but copies of the GBA Fire Emblems to play on them are few and far between.
Played FE7 first as a kid renting it from blockbuster. Got it again on a flash cart and beat it this past year after getting my old game boy player set up. Really really enjoyed it. Has me excited for the rest of the series. Currently about half way through FE6 to round out the story. Getting a kick out of the harder difficulty and the same quality gba sprites.
i disagree with the binding blade i think its one of the better games to start with but with that being said any of the Gba games are a good start into the series i myself started with awakening so i would also say the 3ds games are a good start other then echoes great game but play at least 1 Fe before it so i agree with you there
hi nice video i didn't watch it to know where to start since i have been playing fire emblem for many years now i watched it so to hear another opinion about fire emblem. Anyway for the 3h talk even though at normal it's very easy to play i don't think a person can really aprehend it as fire emblem because, to do all 4 routes and dlc it takes boh 500 hours ? calculating maybe 1 1/2 more than the first to try different things.. then anyway one who doesn't know FE manage skills build characters signs relics of heroes (it's a bit like a modern genialogy in the end no? ) Byleth can become the classic FE lord who can literally clear maps by himself but it's you who has to make him become otherwise when you unlock her unique class you find only with fire!
I bought it on Switch during the limited time it was available online (I think it was the 30th anniversary of its release?) I have to say I really enjoyed it and think it's still very much worth playing, but I do think it's very unforgiving for newcomers to the genre.
@@JaceyMitchell That's surprising. I thought it was very forgiving, much easier than any other FE game I've played. FE has a baseline of difficulty in that you need to know how to play a TRPG to be successful, but that's true for every entry. For an absolute newcomer to the genre, I guess it wouldn't be my first pick, but it's still fine. FE is not that complicated
The first time I played Fire Emblem was when i still at school, then now playing Fire Emblem Engage, it's really nice to meet the characters again and it feels like nostalgia. Sometimes a story that is too simple isn't a bad thing, because for me it's quite enjoyable and doesn't take up too much thought..
Hi, Out of topic but need a little help here. I need a suggestion. I already played the first Fire emblem, Genealogy, 776, the 3 from GBA ( Casual mode the 3 of them) yes the ones with Roy, elliwood, sacred stones. The tellius Path of radiance normal mode and Radiant Dawn normal mode that actually is hard mode, but Radiant Dawn Just let it go and have not finish got to last part where you select the final team. Also finished New Mystery. I like casual mode. So wish Fire emblem should be my next one? Thank you in advanced to all that reply.
Pretty much agree. Not sure I would recommend engage as the first game tho, simply because I don´t think is that good, nor representative of the series. It would depend on the type of person I recommend the games to, If is someone I know appreciates GBA games and is used to emulation, someone who has at least played Pokemon or something then start with 7 or 8, I think those are absolutely the best ones to start. If not I would probably go with Three Houses, since is pretty good even though It has a bunch of stuff I don´t like, but that´s every Fire Emblem ever, tbh. No FE game is the definitive experience. Def don´t start with the earlier games
One of the things I love most about fire emblem games is how much variety there is between them. I think it’s pretty easy to play the games back to back since they feel different. It does make the series a little hard to recommend one game though
Honestly, I use to be polite about this but it's getting old at this point. FE Engage is not a mainline FE game. Compare it to any other FE game and you'd know that it's closer to being a Warriors style spin-off. Anyone who did even the most cursory research on FE Engages dev team would know this because the new lead Dev wanted to make an action game, not a tactics game. Thus tried to make the game suit that mentality. You aren't a FE fan if you think Engage is a representation of the franchise. (You are a Tourist)
I agree that the GBA games are probably among the best places to start for those looking to get into the franchise, but Three Houses and Engage I would not recommend at all for starters. They have some of the best writing and gameplay respectively, but are otherwise poor representations of the series as a whole. As a game series that is otherwise a decently written war drama, Engage's writing absolutely fails to represent the series in this way, giving us instead the absolute dregs of anime trash, and 3H has so many side systems, classes, grades, the entire school, that, while great in its own right, also fails to represent the series as a whole. The GBA games give the best, most accessible version of what people can generally expect from the series.
my first ever fire emblem was radiant dawn because it was the latest in the seriesat the time and as much as i loved it, i do NOT recommend it as a starting point. it took me a while to understand the mechanics of the game as a whole ( the tutorial helped a little but it's not enough ) regarding your video, while 3H and engauge are good games i can't say they are a good start to what FE represent. i belive the GBA are the best one that show's what FE is about ( especially sacred stones)
@@GramKraken it did leave me scratching my head on a few plot line but i enjoyed it none the less ( wanted to beat it on hard but my wii broke somewhere on part 3 T_T )
@@GramKrakenIt was one of the GBA games they gave out for the 3ds ambassador program. Threw me for a loop too because they had already ported this one to a virtual console once, why not again?
Engage is probably my number one recommendation for newcomers. The reasons for this are straightforward. As you pointed out, the story is not good, but what it is, is Serviceable. It works for what it needs to do, which is give the player a direction. But for a very first fire emblem game, engage has, by far, the strongest combat in the series, with the power level of the engage rings serving as the perfect tool for letting players both make mistakes and be able to get out of those mistakes strategically rather than just using the time crystal/turnwheel mechanic (in some titles). The story doesn’t get in the way of learning the various mechanics and fundamentals of the game and by the end you are essentially perfectly setup for your second fire emblem game (which can be one with more of a story focus) and can freely focus more on the story and less on learning the various gameplay mechanics needed to succeed. Engage is, by its very nature, gameplay first, story second, and that is its strength, is the sheer accessibility. You need no outside information, no prior experience to “get” engage, and you get enough tidbits about the various other lords that it can make you more or less interested in certain games for a second fe game to play after engage. Plus let’s be real, it would have been nigh-impossible to make a game that rivaled 3H, so going for pure gameplay, meh story, means they can make whatever comes next more story-focused without needing to drastically elevate things as much (since folks will compare next FE to engage instead of 3H). Engage is very much a “Palette Cleanser” game, lowering expectations subconsciously so the next game can wow us without needing to go to absurd lengths.
I think binding blade is fine on normal mode for newer players. Maybe not the easiest or most digestible game in the series but I think its easy enough to where it can be enjoyable for someone starting off. I think the only real issue would be the occasional bs ambush spawns but aside from that its a fine FE game to start with imo. Also you made a slight error in your video. Sacred stones is not available on nintendo switch online. I wish it was but its not. Other than that good vid, agreed with most of your choices
I can’t believe I missed that guess I should’ve paid for Nintendo switch expansion pack. As for Binding blade I remember that game getting pretty crazy in the final levels and I was not using save states so those ambush’s were a pain. That being said great game
When you said Seth its your friend I laugh so hard because IT IS TRUE.
My personal opinion, start with either Fire Emblem Awakening or Fire Emblem Three Houses.
Path of Radiance is one of the best games to start (you can always emulate at Dolphin lol).
- The reason is because opposite to most Fire Emblem games were the "early game is the hardest part of the game" , while in Path of Radiance the early game is easier and the difficulty goes up
- It has the least complex class and upgrading. Pretty much you just hit lvl 20+ and you can promote without using a master seal.
- The base and how it works is the best of the series , its simple and easy to use. A lot better than the modern ones.
- Bonus EXP is something that Path of Radiance has and unique to only the Tellius duology. It gives you extra exp that helps you on either snowballing a unit or giving it to a lower level unit to catch up
- Tutorial in Path of Radiance compare to other games are relatively short. FE7 on Lyn´s tale is literally a whooping 10 chapters tutorial , while in PoR is "okay i show you this and here you go , have fun".
- I do agree Path of Radiance have a lot of "obscure things" like "Stefan recruitment" , but thats pretty much all the FE games like FE7 and FE6
- On my subjective point of view , PoR have one of the best cast of characters of the whole franchaise , and Ike is "the most relatable main character".
- You have the Black Knight as one of your enemies , the DARTH VADER of FE , something that only PoR did well , 3 houses try it with the Death Knight and fail
I agree with basically everything on here but I do think a newcomer might be turned away from emulating if they haven’t done it before. My biggest wish from Nintendo/IS almost every year is to just release a GameCube emulator for switch with Path of Radiance. Or a rerelease package of POR and RD would be better these games deserve it. I’m biased though too though, the first time I booted POR on dolphin the game was laggy and wasn’t showing menus. Took me hours to figure out what was wrong and that sucks
>Ike is "the most relatable main character."
I'll never forget what he says after he gets force-promoted into a Lord during the story, given the story implication is that he's being granted a noble title.
"So... am I supposed to put on a funny hat now or something?"
Several of those points are true also for Echoes (Shadows of Valentia, on 3DS): - gets harder as we go; - simple class progression (best to promote asap, though that can only be done at certain places); - bonus EXP (NOT unique to the "Tellius", i.e. Radiance, pair); - quick basic tutorial battle in the prologue, written tips at the start of the next few but otherwise "away we go" (admittedly after a long stretch of story-setting); - good cast of characters (if a bit cheesey at times: wallow in it); - Berkut is a really relatable antagonist (the other, Jeddah, is a creep).
If you've some idea of tactics and strategies from outside, and intend to play several Fire Emblems, I'd recommend Echoes first to get familiar with some of the staple mechanics before advancing to the more typical entries where there are more things to think about.
*Blazing Sword.*
It has the best approachability (ie. not Kaga-difficult) but also isn't boringly easy, the gameplay is fast and engaging, and the characters are more developed than most FE ensembles. It's the ideal babby's first FE.
To be fair, some of the FE games might be boringly easy to experienced SRPG players who enjoy a good challenge, but I don't think any of them are boringly easy to people who are new to the genre.
I started off with Three Houses, and have since played most of the games in the series, and I didn't think any of them were boring due to a lack of difficulty. Fire Emblem overall as a series is known for its relatively high difficulty, and even the easier games in the series can provide a decent challenge to those new to SRPGs - I should know, I was one of those people quite recently, and still don't consider myself a great FE player.😅
If you believe a game like Three Houses or Fates: Birthright is boringly easy I think you are likely a player with above-average skill. I did find Birthright a bit boring by the midway point but that was more due to a lack of variety in mission objectives and the dragon vein gimmick growing stale quickly rather than outright difficulty.
I agree that FE7 on the GBA is a superb game and would make for a good introduction to the series though. 🙂
And the hard mode doesn't just change the difficulty setting but adds some real twists. You can't go wrong with Blazing Sword.
Fire Emblem engages not good they're getting ready to change the genre because it did not sell good.
I first played this series with the 3DS Ambassador Program for early adopters, Sacred Stones came for free. It was fun and made me buy Awakening when it came out. Honestly the 3DS era was a good time to enter this series.
Hi. I've been wanting to play Fire Emblem games but I did not know that most of them are on Switch. Are there any FE games that is accessible via Steam? Thanks
Unfortunately due to being a Nintendo IP there are no officially ported versions to the PC and as such none are on steam. The only way you could play any of them on PC is through emulation and because they have released on many different consoles you would need a variety of different emulators to play every game, but I would imagine that GBA and Nds are the easiest to emulate right now due to Delta coming out on ios. Ultimately that decision is up to you though. Sorry it’s not the answer you may have wanted.
@@Atemsis As someone who love games but don't know much about the availability and accessibility of some games, you have given me relevant and informative comment, this is more than enough for me. Thank you for this. I currently do not own a Switch for now due to budget constraints but I will save for the following months.
For those less familiar with the series:
(1) "New Mystery of the Emblem" (second of the two DS games) never existed, not as a game we could buy in high street game stores. @GramKraken is talking about "Faiā Emuburemu: Shin Monshō no Nazo ~Hikari to Kage no Eiyū~" That's right, a Japanese-only game. Finding both a copy fan-translated into English, and somewhere to run it, is a whole extra set of barriers.
(2) 3-in-1 Fire Emblem Fates Limited Edition is both rare and, for that reason, expensive. For most of us, Fates Birthright and Fates Conquest are two standalone games made as a pair (as with some Pokemon titles, for example) so we could buy either or both. Birthright was intended as a "one to start with" and Conquest as a "maybe second or third". The "third route" (Revelations) was never a game, rather it was a big DLC, I presume no longer available now that Nintendo have closed the 3DS e-shop.
@GramKraken, for a newcomer who already has a 3DS, how does Birthright compare to Awakening as a starting point?
I started with Three Houses and have played most of the other games since, and I have to say Engage to me feels like one of the least enjoyable games in the series. The characters aren't really interesting (even the old lords aren't that interesting in Engage, even if they were in their original game), and it barely feels like a coherent story. The contrasting art styles between the older lords and the very cookie cutter Engage original characters also makes a lot of characters feel out of place. It also has no real replay value at all - once you beat it, you're done, and there's just nothing else to do it the game that's worthwhile anymore. The combat is fine, and the game certainly runs well on the Switch, but if the fact that it can run well on the hardware it is designed for becomes its main saving grace, I feel that just illustrates how underwhelming the game itself was. Engage isn't a terrible game, it's just very bland and feels like it was handled entirely by the people who coded it while the creative team was taking a group sabbatical.
Fire Emblem Awakening was my first too. I got a 3DS and borrowed it from a friend. Then I hunted down the 3DS games (and the GBA) at vintage stores but I got lucky, the Eshop was still going and this was also before 3 Houses got popular. I hit that sweet spot for collecting.
But holy shit, these days? So much harder and it sucks. Shadows of Valencia is such an underrated game and it's now unaccessable. I've never played the Radiance Games because theyre locked on older systems and I dont emulate (personal preferance).
I really wish they would return to some form of eshop but I dont think we will. Which is seriously disappointing. Hard to built up a new fan base if a lot of new gamers cant access your back library.
As for the Switch era, if Houses and Engage could have a baby, it would be the ultimate Fire Emblem game. They both have weaknesses the other game does better. Their combined strenghs would make for a wicked entry.
Wrong engage it's not very good and there is a lot more FE games that you can play
"Your grandpa that you dont like" wtf is this? Almost every youtuber covering fire emblem is unfunny and weird
I started with fire emblem and fire emblem scared stones. I loved those games and wanted to get back into the series. But the new style is throwing me off and it seems just so different from the original but with that said I’m willing to try any new games does anyone have any recommendations?
The answer is all of them because they all take place in their own world except for one, but it’s more of a sequel in the sense that everything is new for a new person. Well, what is the easiest one then that gets the simple idea of fire emblem to anybody anything that’s not radiant path
I gotta say, as someone who introduced someone to FE through Engage, it's a terrible starting game. The mechanics are so different from the rest of the series with the break stuff and the Emblem rings that it's just a bad way to introduce the mechanics to new players. The previous lords are also just not a good introduction, as they're the heavily flanderized and whitewashed versions from Heroes without much of what made them loved from their games. A new player would get as much value just scrolling down an FEwiki page.
As for the story and art style, it's so tonally dissonant from even the likes of Fates that I struggle to reccomend Engage as anything but a black mark on the franchise to buy used. The gameplay is the only draw, and even that's a stretch given the lack of unit identity.
My intro to Fire Emblem was pretty odd. I started with FE Three Houses out of curiosity. Had a pretty good time so I played the Sacred Stones. That one had me hooked, fantastic game. After that it was the Blazing Blade, then the Binding Blade, then FE Engage, and lastly Path of Radiance. Still haven't beaten Path of Radiance (Naesala continues to kill one of my units. Every. Single. Time.) but it's a great series overall and looking forward to playing more from the series.
Play the fe gba rom hacks, they are amazing 🤩
Gotta love emulation
I dont see sacred stones on switch.
your gay
My first is genealogy 😊😊😊
I started with Three Houses, as i was always "scared" of Fire Emblem, so even if i have owned most consoles from Nintendo, i never really plucked up the courage to actually invest and try it out...
Every time i asked someone about the series, it always sounded like the series, and even the community, could be very hostile to new players, and if you didn't break your balls on the hardest difficulty and didn't play the games like an ironman, you basicly weren't respected by the community.
It of course didn't end up being true, as most people would tell you to play Fire Emblem, and any game for that matter, in whatever way you find the most fun.
So after 3H, i tracked down actual sealed copies of Awakening and Echoes (couldn't find Fates), and Echoes is probably my overall favorite in the series, even after having experienced every other game in the series now...
I remember feeling this after I played awakening for the first time on normal/casual. In the end of the day though it’s all supposed to be fun! I have been ironmanning more though lately
@@GramKraken Same here. Doing an ironman once in a while to keep things fresh and yourself sharp on all the mechanics always makes it a fun experience to replay most games.
Or, just do a challenge run with dumb restrictions!
My opinion:
If you want to start with an oddball or just want to ease your way off - Three Houses or Awakening
If you want a classic game with PermaDeath but lots of QoL - Sacred Stones or Path of Radiance. Honestly, the latter's only flaws are being the best IMHO and being very rare and expensive. I spent over 200 Euros on my copy.
If you want the real deal, a very hard but relatively fair game that pulls no punches, go with good old Fire Emblem/Blazing Sword. I started with Three Houses myself, but it's so different, that my second game, Blazing Sword, felt as if it was my first.
The issue with Engage as a first game is that it feels like you need to know the Emblems first.
As someone who got into the series with awakening, was surprised you saved it for last as a recommendation lol. Though do agree with your stuff. I do feel that 3houses and engage, love em or hate em, both can kinda determine what you like most in fire emblem as Engage has... hard to say if it's story is the worst or not but it is tough but its a game with stellar gameplay and mechanics that I feel can keep you invested if you love the combat and gameplay side of things. As for story though 3houses for some has a hit or miss story for others, still stronger then some of the other games. I kinda hope more of the games get ported or remade onto modern consoles with quality-of-life changes (as someone playing through shadow dragon and the blade of light on switch, fun though healers gaining no exp from healing is such a pain lol).
My recommendations on first plays are sacred stones,path of radiance,awakening and three houses
Ones to avoid are fe1,gaiden,genealogy of the holy war, binding blade especially on hard mode and shadow dragon.
And one to avoid like the plague for a first time is thracia 776,radiant dawn and new mystery of the emblem.
3:35
I wonder why. Couldn't have anything to do with the ugliest art style in the franchise and battle graphics akin to a mobile game (and this is coming from somebody who likes some of the crit animations).
I remember reading about Fire Emblem in Nintendo Power and thinking how much I wanted to play it when it came out stateside. I was so happy when FE7 hit and I would take it to a desert island.
I’m playing Engage currently with my daughter and she loves it. She finished it before I did.
I think New Mystery is a good first game if you come from a strategy/tactics background as opposed to a (J)RPG one. Definitely start on Normal mode though.
I'm a Brit. We have a high street chain for second-hand movies (DVDs) and games, also consoles and handhelds. By looking in at my local branch regularly over the course of a year, I can expect to see copies of all four 3DS Fire Emblems (Awakening, Birthright, Conquest and Echoes), cheaper or at worst no more expensive than the Switch games. A working 3DS can be bought too but (like the Switch itself) costs more. GBAs can be bought too, for the same sort of price as a single modern game brand-new, but copies of the GBA Fire Emblems to play on them are few and far between.
Played FE7 first as a kid renting it from blockbuster. Got it again on a flash cart and beat it this past year after getting my old game boy player set up. Really really enjoyed it. Has me excited for the rest of the series. Currently about half way through FE6 to round out the story. Getting a kick out of the harder difficulty and the same quality gba sprites.
i disagree with the binding blade i think its one of the better games to start with but with that being said any of the Gba games are a good start into the series i myself started with awakening so i would also say the 3ds games are a good start other then echoes great game but play at least 1 Fe before it so i agree with you there
I will never play Fire Emblem Gaiden again. Freaking summoners ...
hi nice video i didn't watch it to know where to start since i have been playing fire emblem for many years now i watched it so to hear another opinion about fire emblem. Anyway for the 3h talk even though at normal it's very easy to play i don't think a person can really aprehend it as fire emblem because, to do all 4 routes and dlc it takes boh 500 hours ? calculating maybe 1 1/2 more than the first to try different things.. then anyway one who doesn't know FE manage skills build characters signs relics of heroes (it's a bit like a modern genialogy in the end no? ) Byleth can become the classic FE lord who can literally clear maps by himself but it's you who has to make him become otherwise when you unlock her unique class you find only with fire!
FE1 is absolutely a timeless classic. Everything about that game holds up today aside from the awkward shop system.
I bought it on Switch during the limited time it was available online (I think it was the 30th anniversary of its release?) I have to say I really enjoyed it and think it's still very much worth playing, but I do think it's very unforgiving for newcomers to the genre.
@@JaceyMitchell That's surprising. I thought it was very forgiving, much easier than any other FE game I've played.
FE has a baseline of difficulty in that you need to know how to play a TRPG to be successful, but that's true for every entry.
For an absolute newcomer to the genre, I guess it wouldn't be my first pick, but it's still fine. FE is not that complicated
Blud thinks we actually buy the games HAH
Sacred Stones is not on the GBA emulator on Switch
The first time I played Fire Emblem was when i still at school, then now playing Fire Emblem Engage, it's really nice to meet the characters again and it feels like nostalgia. Sometimes a story that is too simple isn't a bad thing, because for me it's quite enjoyable and doesn't take up too much thought..
The GBA ones. Easy.
Yeah play fe11 instead of fe1
1:53 is brutal lol
Hi, Out of topic but need a little help here. I need a suggestion. I already played the first Fire emblem, Genealogy, 776, the 3 from GBA ( Casual mode the 3 of them) yes the ones with Roy, elliwood, sacred stones. The tellius Path of radiance normal mode and Radiant Dawn normal mode that actually is hard mode, but Radiant Dawn Just let it go and have not finish got to last part where you select the final team. Also finished New Mystery. I like casual mode. So wish Fire emblem should be my next one? Thank you in advanced to all that reply.
Awakening and Fates ( comprised of 3 games together) are right up your alley.
Agree with this recommendation! If you want something a little different as well try shadows of Valentia
Pretty much agree. Not sure I would recommend engage as the first game tho, simply because I don´t think is that good, nor representative of the series. It would depend on the type of person I recommend the games to, If is someone I know appreciates GBA games and is used to emulation, someone who has at least played Pokemon or something then start with 7 or 8, I think those are absolutely the best ones to start. If not I would probably go with Three Houses, since is pretty good even though It has a bunch of stuff I don´t like, but that´s every Fire Emblem ever, tbh. No FE game is the definitive experience.
Def don´t start with the earlier games
One of the things I love most about fire emblem games is how much variety there is between them. I think it’s pretty easy to play the games back to back since they feel different. It does make the series a little hard to recommend one game though
Honestly, I use to be polite about this but it's getting old at this point.
FE Engage is not a mainline FE game. Compare it to any other FE game and you'd know that it's closer to being a Warriors style spin-off.
Anyone who did even the most cursory research on FE Engages dev team would know this because the new lead Dev wanted to make an action game, not a tactics game. Thus tried to make the game suit that mentality.
You aren't a FE fan if you think Engage is a representation of the franchise. (You are a Tourist)
@techpriest6962 This video is for Tourists
@@RSimpkinuk57 I figured, as it's made by and for people who don't really care about franchises. Just trend chase.
I have indeed been called out. I like engage to start because colorful hair go brr
I agree that the GBA games are probably among the best places to start for those looking to get into the franchise, but Three Houses and Engage I would not recommend at all for starters. They have some of the best writing and gameplay respectively, but are otherwise poor representations of the series as a whole. As a game series that is otherwise a decently written war drama, Engage's writing absolutely fails to represent the series in this way, giving us instead the absolute dregs of anime trash, and 3H has so many side systems, classes, grades, the entire school, that, while great in its own right, also fails to represent the series as a whole. The GBA games give the best, most accessible version of what people can generally expect from the series.
I think I’ll always recommend the GBA games they just feel so FIRE EMBLEM to me
my first ever fire emblem was radiant dawn because it was the latest in the seriesat the time and as much as i loved it, i do NOT recommend it as a starting point.
it took me a while to understand the mechanics of the game as a whole ( the tutorial helped a little but it's not enough )
regarding your video, while 3H and engauge are good games i can't say they are a good start to what FE represent.
i belive the GBA are the best one that show's what FE is about ( especially sacred stones)
RD as your first game sounds confusing AF but at the same time that game is SO epic
@@GramKraken it did leave me scratching my head on a few plot line but i enjoyed it none the less ( wanted to beat it on hard but my wii broke somewhere on part 3 T_T )
Sacred Stones is not available on Switch Online.
Yeah not sure where I thought I saw it was on there. It should be though
@@GramKrakenIt was one of the GBA games they gave out for the 3ds ambassador program. Threw me for a loop too because they had already ported this one to a virtual console once, why not again?
@@GramKraken I definitely wish it was, been having fun with Blazing Blade!
@@SwissCheeseMann I know I used some sort of injector tool a couple years ago to make my own on a hacked 3ds
I definitely recommend Engage as a good starting point because not only is it really fun it does a great job introducing lords from other games.
yaaas
YAAAS
I say echoes because it the simplest mechanics wise
Best game to start with is path of radiance.
Takes 30 second to download it and boot it up on dolphin.
Yeah, but by the time you finish the first enemy phase, you could probably have beaten every other fe game safe for radiant dawn.
i honestly hate engage it took the avatar worship and cranked it up to 100 on a dial that goes to 10
I say start with Echoes, it's the best one 😄
Engage story isn’t as terrible as people want to make it out to be.
Engage is probably my number one recommendation for newcomers. The reasons for this are straightforward.
As you pointed out, the story is not good, but what it is, is Serviceable. It works for what it needs to do, which is give the player a direction. But for a very first fire emblem game, engage has, by far, the strongest combat in the series, with the power level of the engage rings serving as the perfect tool for letting players both make mistakes and be able to get out of those mistakes strategically rather than just using the time crystal/turnwheel mechanic (in some titles).
The story doesn’t get in the way of learning the various mechanics and fundamentals of the game and by the end you are essentially perfectly setup for your second fire emblem game (which can be one with more of a story focus) and can freely focus more on the story and less on learning the various gameplay mechanics needed to succeed.
Engage is, by its very nature, gameplay first, story second, and that is its strength, is the sheer accessibility. You need no outside information, no prior experience to “get” engage, and you get enough tidbits about the various other lords that it can make you more or less interested in certain games for a second fe game to play after engage.
Plus let’s be real, it would have been nigh-impossible to make a game that rivaled 3H, so going for pure gameplay, meh story, means they can make whatever comes next more story-focused without needing to drastically elevate things as much (since folks will compare next FE to engage instead of 3H). Engage is very much a “Palette Cleanser” game, lowering expectations subconsciously so the next game can wow us without needing to go to absurd lengths.
Sir... every game is accessable.. do you know emulators exist?
If only they remove the cringe dating sims. Like Final Fantasy Tactics is more matured, no bs. You are in a war, no time for dating lol.