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Blazing Sword/Binding Blade remake changes and ideas


Technologic
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So given that whole thing with the "Echoes" title, I keep thinking about other remakes in the series. Given that 6/7 are my favourite games I came up with a bit of a plan as to how I would go about remaking these games to not only appeal to the whole audience of fire emblem fans, new and old, but also stay true to their original formulae as much as possible.


How would it work?
 

The game would be a fusion of Blazing Sword and Sword of Seals. Given that 6 follows on from 7 in terms of the story of Elibe this would be easy to impliment. After finishing Lyn, Eliwood and Hector's story the player would unlock the ability to play through the story of Roy and Lilina. However, the aftergames of each would be indipendant of each other, meaning that the player could keep their progress in the age of Blazing Sword while playing through the story of Sword of Seals, and vice versa.

 
So why fuse the two games?
 

I believe mixing the two games would be the best option here due to the success of the two most recent Fire Emblem games; Awakening and Fates. While there aren't too many, some characters from 7 will have children who become playable in 6, Roy, Lilina, Wolt, Sue and Lugh to name a few. This means that pairs chosen in 7 will actively influence the stats of characters found in 6.

In addition, some characters are playable in both games, such as Marcus and Bartre. These characters could perhaps carry statistics or even items over in the transition of games.

What would I change?

The bigest and most necessary change I would make would be to make the tactician from Fire Emblem 7 playable. In order to make this game as much of a success as Awakening and Fates, I honestly think this needs to be implemented into the game. I understand that the tactician couldn't fight in the original version, but is it really so far-fetched for them to be able to swing a sword about or throw a fireball or two? The avatar would have to start weak, but because they would be in every single chapter, even after the split at the end of Lyn's story they would quickly catch up.

In addition, the tactician would be able to romance any character they wanted to, within the bounds of the story (Meaning already married characters like Dorcas, Pent and Louise are off-limits.) They would go on to have a son/daughter who will become the tactician for Roy's army, or even potentially the brother of Roy, Lilina, Sue or sister of Wolt or Lugh. Perhaps the point in the story at which you meet this new character would depend on who their parent is.

Mechanical changes?
 

Apart from the points I've made, and the obvious graphical updates the games would generally remain true to the originals. There ARE however a few mechanical changes I think should happen...

 
Reclassing should be present, but limited.
 

Ditch Fates' complex reclass system in favour for a simplified version of Awakening's. Characters should be able to reclass, but only into very similar classes. For instance, Rath, a Nomad, should be able to reclass into an Archer or a Mymidon. Nothing else. Sain, the lance-loving Cavalier should be able to reclass into a Knight, nothing else. I say this because I think the game SHOULD be updated to an extent, but should also try to stay true to the original formula.

 
Awakening and Fates' skill system should be brought through... but ditch Fates' skill market.
 

Linking with reclassing, I think the new style skills system should be present in the game. It gives reclassing a purpose, but won't be blatantly overpowered because the class options for each character will be very limited.

 
Use Sacred Stones' split premotion system, but keep the original premotion items.
 

Giving players the choice of which class they want to make each unit makes each playthrough more personal. I think it would be perfectly fine for a unit such as Kent to have the ability to become a Great Knight, or Rutger to have the ability to become an Assassin. Maybe new classes would have to be implemented to support this though, because I'm not too sure what a Nomad would premote into besides a Nomadic Trooper. In addition, the original premotion items will be kept. Depending on your class, you use a different item to premote. Maybe simplify this from the original though by letting Pirates and Thieves premote using the Fighter's Seal...

 
Weapons break. Get used to it.
 

A small point, but true to classic Fire Emblem games weapons will still be able to break, even uniques like the Manni Katti or Wolf Beil. Get with the program, Fates... 

 
Use Fates' pair up system over Awakening's.
 

Bacause I'd be making support a more pivotal part of the story in this remake, pairing up would have to be present. Not like Awakening's power trippy version, but like a honed down version of Fates'. The attack stance would also be a part of the game, but the damage of the secondary attacker should probably be cut down a bit.

 
Introduce a world map.
 

I would give the game a world map similar to that found in the Sacred Stones and Awakening. It allows players to more easily understand the continent, access shops, as well as gives an easy way of accessing DLC. Speaking of which...

 
EXP grind DLC maps and Arenas return.
 

Arenas returning was a given, but being a new FE game I feel as though I HAVE to let players have a way of grinding for EXP. Of course it's your decision if you want to make the game a walk in the park mid way through, but I think there are probably a few fans that have to rely on these maps...

So there you go, those are my ideas. I know a lot of people will disagree with a lot of what I've preposed here, but everything is my own opinion. Let me know what you think.

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Despite being in favor of remakes, blazing sword doesn't need one yet. Binding blade more so, but genealogy and thracia even more imo. Furthermore, please don't introduce a playable avatar again, I really didn't like either Robin or Corrin and am not confident it would go well, and the story is about the lords, not some random tactician, which would be changed if they were to add one. Also, if you were to introduce the pairing system as well as a playable avatar, these games would turn into other waifu emblems, I do like having stats influenced though (like in FE4), although it's rather awkward if only like 3 pairings do something. Marcus carrying over stats is fine. I'd rather not have either reclassing or pair up, as I feel reclassing takes away from character feel and rescue>>>pair up.

Sorry to be so negative, but I feel a remake should be faithful to the original, like echoes was. Don't get me wrong, adding new things is fine, I liked some of the new things in echoes that weren't in Gaiden, but after implementing the changes you suggested it went way beyond the point of a remake, as you just turned it into awakening in an Elibe setting.

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I have no problem with FE7 doing a remake where Mark is a playable avatar-character, with supports and facetime and dialogue. If they handle it with the same level of tact and maturity as the rest of the FE7 story, that would actually be a pretty cool addition to the game.  

For the love of God--just don't go the Fates route. Where every character has to fall in love with him and the whole plot revolves around jerking him off.   

...like a romantic support chain with Lyn would be fine...there's an established relationship there and you can put some damn good writing into it. 

But don't turn the entire cast into his harem. FE7 is too good to be reduced to Waifu Emblem. 

Other than that...Maybe throw in a "Lunatic Mode" while they're at it.

After Lunatic Awakening and Conquest, the intensity of HHM just doesn't hold up like it use to.

And modernize the support mechanic. Such that you timely build up supports over the course of a normal battle from characters fighting near each other, and don't have to click [end turn] 50-80 times after clearing a map just to hit to hit C Rank. (in retrospect, that was the silliest part of the game)
 

Edited by Shoblongoo
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1 hour ago, athena_57 said:

Despite being in favor of remakes, blazing sword doesn't need one yet. Binding blade more so, but genealogy and thracia even more imo. Furthermore, please don't introduce a playable avatar again, I really didn't like either Robin or Corrin and am not confident it would go well, and the story is about the lords, not some random tactician, which would be changed if they were to add one. Also, if you were to introduce the pairing system as well as a playable avatar, these games would turn into other waifu emblems, I do like having stats influenced though (like in FE4), although it's rather awkward if only like 3 pairings do something. Marcus carrying over stats is fine. I'd rather not have either reclassing or pair up, as I feel reclassing takes away from character feel and rescue>>>pair up.

Sorry to be so negative, but I feel a remake should be faithful to the original, like echoes was. Don't get me wrong, adding new things is fine, I liked some of the new things in echoes that weren't in Gaiden, but after implementing the changes you suggested it went way beyond the point of a remake, as you just turned it into awakening in an Elibe setting.

You make a lot of fair points, and in hindsight, I would change quite a lot of what I wrote here. I'm still undecided about reclassing, but I wouldn't bring pair up back, and I'd keep the Tactician no more involved in the story than they already were. I make a lot of the points that I did from a sales point of view. Though you may not like it, Awakening and Fates sold so well because of the Avatar/Support systems, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy them sometimes.

As I said, these are just my opinions though, and I totally agree that a Genealogy or Thracia remake should come before Binding/Blazing. 

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3 minutes ago, Technologic said:

 I'd keep the Tactician no more involved in the story than they already were

Why?

Playable Mark is literally the coolest thing they could do with an FE7 remake, to add more content and give it a more modern feel while also staying true to the core story and gameplay. 

There's also precedent for it in how they handled Echoes. As in an otherwise very faithful adaptation of Gaiden's gameplay, one of the few new things they did was add new playable characters.  

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3 minutes ago, Shoblongoo said:

Why?

Playable Mark is literally the coolest thing they could do with an FE7 remake, to add more content and give it a more modern feel while also staying true to the core story and gameplay. 

There's also precedent for it in how they handled Echoes. As in an otherwise very faithful adaptation of Gaiden's gameplay, one of the few new things they did was add new playable characters.  

This doesn't mean stunt their development in support conversations or discussions with the main lords, this just means that IS shouldn't do what they did with Robin by having an entire Arc about him. Mark is just a tactician, and while he may be pivotal to the army, he's just human, and there isn't anything particularly personal in his reason for assisting Eliwood other than ultimately saving Elibe from Nergal. Blazing Sword isn't about Mark, it's about Lyn, Eliwood and Hector.

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27 minutes ago, Technologic said:

You make a lot of fair points, and in hindsight, I would change quite a lot of what I wrote here. I'm still undecided about reclassing, but I wouldn't bring pair up back, and I'd keep the Tactician no more involved in the story than they already were. I make a lot of the points that I did from a sales point of view. Though you may not like it, Awakening and Fates sold so well because of the Avatar/Support systems, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy them sometimes.

As I said, these are just my opinions though, and I totally agree that a Genealogy or Thracia remake should come before Binding/Blazing. 

Fair enough, I get where you're coming from. I could get behind a playable avatar, as long as you'd keep his story importance low. And though I agree Fates pair-up was better than awakening, I just love rescue-drop strats and would be sad to see them go.

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19 minutes ago, Technologic said:

This doesn't mean stunt their development in support conversations or discussions with the main lords, this just means that IS shouldn't do what they did with Robin by having an entire Arc about him. Mark is just a tactician, and while he may be pivotal to the army, he's just human, and there isn't anything particularly personal in his reason for assisting Eliwood other than ultimately saving Elibe from Nergal. Blazing Sword isn't about Mark, it's about Lyn, Eliwood and Hector.

I trust IS to have enough reverence for FE7's writing to not go down that road.

But I'd even be cool with a new Gaiden chapter or two of Mark-centric fluff. 

...you know there's that very-strongly-hinted Mark origin story from the Awakening DLC and accompanying fan-theory. That Mark & Morgan are Robin's twin children from the future and that the time travel fucked up when they made their jump back with Lucina--both of them got their memories wiped--but Mark's time travel fucked up so badly that he passed through an Outrealm Gate and wound up on another world. Where Lyn finds him unconscious and without memory, and then a new story begins.

If they just very briefly touch upon that and handle it as an isolated sub-plot, the way they handled Kishuna. If for no other reason than to confirm or deny 'yes...this is canon.'

I think IS would have a lot of very happy fans. 

Edited by Shoblongoo
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I like the idea of making Mark a playable character. As long as the story focuses on Lyn, Hector, and Eliwood, with Mark being a simple supporting character like Merlinus. As for the children... well, since there are only a few characters who would be eligible, I wouldn't bother with it too much. Instead of bringing Mark's son back for the second game, maybe have Mark return and take over Merlinus' role as annoying adviser. I like the idea of having a Roy mode and a Lilina mode, though!

The biggest problem I can see with a potential remake is with the stories. On their own, the games have decent plots. But they just don't go together very well. While FE7's story is winding and complex, FE6's story is very basic and straightforward. I'm not trying to say anything bad about the stories, but traditionally, a good sequel expands upon the entry before it. However, since the games came out in reverse order, FE7 expands on FE6's plot, both in terms of complexity and content. This would result in making the stories feel exceptionally awkward together. 

The only way to resolve this issue would be to either rework FE6's story, effectively rewriting it and annoying a bunch of fans in the process, or to release the games in the order they were originally released, which would mean no double feature. It's a quandary to be sure. They'd be better off remaking FE4 first.

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53 minutes ago, SullyMcGully said:

The biggest problem I can see with a potential remake is with the stories. On their own, the games have decent plots. But they just don't go together very well. While FE7's story is winding and complex, FE6's story is very basic and straightforward. I'm not trying to say anything bad about the stories, but traditionally, a good sequel expands upon the entry before it. However, since the games came out in reverse order, FE7 expands on FE6's plot, both in terms of complexity and content. This would result in making the stories feel exceptionally awkward together.

This sums up my issue with joining them together. Outside of the Zephiel assassination plot and perhaps Athos unsealing the Divine Weapons, the two plots are completely separate entities with their own themes. At most you could add a few more continuity nods (i.e. perhaps an older Marcus/Bartre support, Erik commenting on his last attempted coup) or fixing errors (Rebecca dying despite being Wolt's canon mother), but otherwise they should remain distinct stories.

As to what I'd like to see, general gameplay polishing and better access to supports could go a long way to enhancing the experience.

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10 hours ago, Shoblongoo said:

I have no problem with FE7 doing a remake where Mark is a playable avatar-character, with supports and facetime and dialogue. If they handle it with the same level of tact and maturity as the rest of the FE7 story, that would actually be a pretty cool addition to the game.  

For the love of God--just don't go the Fates route. Where every character has to fall in love with him and the whole plot revolves around jerking him off.   

...like a romantic support chain with Lyn would be fine...there's an established relationship there and you can put some damn good writing into it. 

But don't turn the entire cast into his harem. FE7 is too good to be reduced to Waifu Emblem. 

Other than that...Maybe throw in a "Lunatic Mode" while they're at it.

After Lunatic Awakening and Conquest, the intensity of HHM just doesn't hold up like it use to.

And modernize the support mechanic. Such that you timely build up supports over the course of a normal battle from characters fighting near each other, and don't have to click [end turn] 50-80 times after clearing a map just to hit to hit C Rank. (in retrospect, that was the silliest part of the game)
 

This is one of the best ideas ever.

Aside from that, pair-up should NOT return. It was clunky to me and some other veteran FE players. I believe Mark should be playable, and his/her growths and bases should be decided in the FE12 way alongside the ability of the player to pick a class. Also, remove the f@#$ing tutorial! Let it be handled in the new way, with sliders (or whatever it's called) and stuff.

Remove the support limit too. At least allow as many supports as possible, but only one A support.

As the quoted user said, don't turn the whole game into a Waifu Emblem. Maybe allow supports for everybody, but most only reach B rank. Marrying Dorcas, Bartre, Canas, Hawkeye, Pent, Louise or Karla will break canon, so that's one reason to avoid Waifu Emblem. Also, I have an idea for the romantic supports:

Male: Lyn, Florina, Serra, Rebecca, Prissy.

Female: Eliwood, Hector, Sain, Matthew, Lucius.

Also, in my opinion, add Casual mode. Before you grab your torches and pitchforks, let me explain. Casual mode is for those who want to just enjoy the game for its gameplay but don't want to lose their characters. Or maybe to make life a bit easier. It also allows you to employ otherwise stupid strategies, like in my Echoes run, I had the Pegasus Knights do kamikaze to weaken the enemy forces.

This is all just my opinion, so don't burn me at the steak for speaking about Casual mode.

Edited by Purple Mage
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I would remake FE6 first or remake them together. Going back and creating prequels almost always leaves some unexplained things or screws with what was already established. Or simply looks weird like Hector's death. I have seen people saying how simple and lame it was when some forget FE6 came first. FE7 just happens to be the well known one.

Honestly, I would remove Mark completely. Dunno. Never had a thing for tacticians. Even in Awakening where they played a much bigger role. I think the story can flow with minor changes without the tactician.

Give Lyn more reason to be there. Another point why I would remake FE6 first or at the same time. I would not remove her outright but I always found her character to be forced at best.

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