What should my girlfriend's next Fire Emblem game be?

[DMan64]

First of all, it's good to be back on the forums after so long, taking care of stuff in my life. But, that's neither here nor there.

I just recently introduced my girlfriend to Fire Emblem with Three Houses. She's not much of a gamer, though she really enjoyed the game and even played through the entire Golden Deer route on her own on normal, and is currently on a Blue Lions hard playthrough.  I've told her more about the series, and she's expressed interest in playing, or at least trying, the other titles in the series.

I've tried thinking about what the next entree she should try should be. She really enjoys a great story with memorable characters, and ideally the gameplay should be easy to get into, without being too challenging.  Any ideas or recommendations?

[Seazas]

Follow your Gray pfp and play Echoes. Plenty of similar stuff to Three Houses and even started the Divine Pulse type mechanics with Mila's Turnwheel.

The gameplay is simple too and the story... *Chef's Kiss*

Edited August 10, 2020 by Seazas

[GlitchWarrior]

Personally? After 3H it's not like a lot is going to impress. However, there are a few suggestions I could make.
 

Both Blazing Blade and Path of Radiance have very in-depth tutorials on their mechanics, so it would be simple enough to start from one of those. The problem with the former is that it hand-holds fiercely, while the latter is considered moderately difficult for a new player.

Binding Blade and Shadow Dragon are fierce contenders for hitting players over the head with "Anyone can die, but that's okay because you can get replacements." If one's first run in these games is a "soft ironman," where you are allowed to reset over your lord but not other units, they're both excellent games to do just that in.

Echoes is an interesting one, but if she's grown used to Divine Pulse, Mila's Turnwheel should feel overwhelmingly familiar.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT start with Genealogy of the Holy War unless you plan on explaining the more nuanced mechanics of the game. It's honestly my personal nightmare to figure out, it's annoying at times and it's the one FE game I still don't fully understand the mechanics of.

Thracia 776, New Mystery of the Emblem and Radiant Dawn are also bad games to push her into the water with, as they're a midquel and direct sequels respectively. As such, she won't know the stories of their predecessors. Awakening gets a pass due to being an indirect sequel to Shadow Dragon though.

Fates is an odd entry, so I won't comment on it here. I don't know how to answer it.

Lastly, Sacred Stones is about the easiest game in the series, and while it doesn't have Casual Mode or a Divine Pulse mechanic, it's simple enough for anyone to understand.

My personal choice out of all of these would be Binding Blade. It's challenging, and several units of similar classes means that units who die can be replaced by the survivors. It helps that FEGBA isn't exactly squeaky with its enemy quality, with unpromoted foes still lying around near the endgame. Its Divine Weapons mechanic is odd, but it'll work wonders for teaching the importance of resource management. You have these seven super-strong weapons, but they're incredibly limited in their durability, and, if you do get all seven, you can't use them up until after you've beaten the mad king or you lose your chance at the true ending. The only issue is the very unforgiving hitrates, but... eh. I can overlook that at times.

Maybe it would be wiser to ease her in with Blazing Blade though, as that would get her introduced to the world and mechanics in an easier way. The cast is also loads more memorable than Binding's, so that would fill that criteria.

Edited August 10, 2020 by GlitchWarrior

[Benice]

1 minute ago, GlitchWarrior said:

Both Blazing Blade and Path of Radiance have very in-depth tutorials on their mechanics, so it would be simple enough to start from one of those. The problem with the former is that it hand-holds fiercely, while the latter is considered moderately difficult for a new player.

I'd personally disagree on both, for varying reasons-

FE7 has Lyn mode, which is just not fun for anyone. Even then, IMO it has one of the weakest plots in the series, (Even though I think gameplay takes precedence over plot) and there really aren't that many great maps, but it's certainly not awful. There are some standout characters, but my experience, it wasn't all that fun on Eliwood Normal. Plus the fact that you miss all of Hector and Lyn's character development. And Nergal's too, I guess.

FE9, which, to be clear, I have little experience in. It's even easier than FE8 and has a good cast, but so far, (Chapter 9) the map design has been REALLY bad. Of course, most people love it, so maybe just ignore me...

Yeah... I'll just stop talking about why I dislike the two most popular games...

 

Anyways, for the FE games I'd recommend:

FE12-It has a casual mode, and I think the difficulty is pretty manageable on normal. And the reclass system is fun. It also gives you a lot of the info you need about FE11/1, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

FE11-It's also pretty easy on normal mode, and has pretty good gameplay, and the fun reclass system.

FE8-One of the best villains of the franchise, and I'd say that, even though it's the second easiest or easiest game, FE8 has overall good map design. (Although Fort Rigwald and the last couple maps aren't so great...)

[coldhand25]

Echoes would be easily the best choice, as it's not that much older, has the turnwheel, and a real good story, with great characters, awesome voice-acting and beautiful art. Awakening might work as well, I mean, it saved the franchise after all.

As for something even older, I would say Sacred Stones might worth a shot, however, after 3H it might seem a bit... weak. Anyways, while it doesn't have the best story and is pretty easy, it's still my favourite, and I can all but recommend it honestly.

I wouldn't really recommend anything else, either because I haven't finished them, or I just don't think they would be a good idea to play after 3H.

[Alastor15243]

4 hours ago, Benice said:

I'd personally disagree on both, for varying reasons-

FE7 has Lyn mode, which is just not fun for anyone. Even then, IMO it has one of the weakest plots in the series

Fascinating, what makes you say Lyn Mode's story is so bad?

[Silver-Haired Maiden]

Personally I'd recommend PoR or Awakening. Both are simple enough to sink your teeth into and don't have the slog of maps that SoV has. PoR if you're looking for the better game, Awakening if you're looking for accessibility.

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

If story is the most important thing to her, I would suggest the Tellius games. They have some of the strongest stories, and gave some inspiration to Three Houses, too. That said, it's fairly inaccessible.

If you have access to the 3DS, I think Awakening would be a good pick. Not too difficult, enjoyable characters, fairly simple mechanics, and a serviceable plot.

If you have neither, maybe try emulating Sacred Stones? It's pretty easy, the characters are colorful, the maps are well-designed, and it offers a tight core story.

[Alastor15243]

2 minutes ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

If story is the most important thing to her, I would suggest the Tellius games. They have some of the strongest stories, and gave some inspiration to Three Houses, too. That said, it's fairly inaccessible.

If you have access to the 3DS, I think Awakening would be a good pick. Not too difficult, enjoyable characters, fairly simple mechanics, and a serviceable plot.

If you have neither, maybe try emulating Sacred Stones? It's pretty easy, the characters are colorful, the maps are well-designed, and it offers a tight core story.

Second opinion there: Sacred Stones has one of the worst stories in the series. It has two of the least interesting lords (one of whom has almost no impact on the actual plot of the story even when she's the main character), the worst Camus character in the entire series, a world that simply does not make sense, a plot that plays comically fast and loose with the concept of space and time, and a main villain with a lot of potential but basically no chance to develop on it.

[Gregster101]

If she's played Three Houses, then she'll probably get the hang of Shadows of Valentia, since they do have a few similarities (no weapon triangle, combat arts, Mila's Turnwheel, etc.) Plus it also has a really good story and cast, so I think she'll enjoy it 🙂

Edited August 10, 2020 by Gregster101

[Benice]

1 minute ago, Alastor15243 said:

Fascinating, what makes you say Lyn Mode's story is so bad?

I was mostly referring to the whole game as having a weak plot that I think is the worst in the series by a fair amount, (excluding FEs 1-3 because of their nonexistant dialogue), but in terms of Lyn mode:

Spoiler

 

1. Lundgren's plan to slowly poison his bro is kinda flawed in a few ways-One being that he's not even a little bit subtle, another being that he's effectively in power anyways as he has control of the whole Caelin military, and third, the moment the Marquess died, any doctor would be able to tell that he'd been poisoned, which would not make Lundgren look very good.

        2.Smaller one, but introduces the "OwO assassins spooky and misteryus!" plot which really annoys me because it fails really hard at being mysterious. Hector/Eliwood mode tries super hard to push them as being threatening and mysterious, but it just falls flat on its face. It doesn't help that they're just so laughably pathetic that they can't be scary.

        3.Lundgren is trying to eliminate another, potentially legitimate, claim to the throne via unsubtle assassinations. Kinda a bad move on his part. If Caelin had power in Lycia, Lundgren may just be able to get away with murdering and hiding the bodies of his rivals. Caelin doesn't have power, so Ostia would probably just stop his power-grabbing right in his tracks, which there is evidence of Ostia choosing to do so in a house in chapter 7.

       

        4.Chapter 6's plot is such a disaster. Lundgren, who is the current heir to the throne, knows that Lyn is going to Araphen. He decides that sending assassins to kidnap the Marquess of Araphen and burning down the castle to stop Lyn is a good idea. Nobody in Araphen seem to be the slightest bit concerned that another territory sent assassins to kidnap their Marquess, nor that the castle is burning. I get that the Marquess of Araphen is a racist scumbag 'n all, but when he says, "And I certainly wish to avoid trouble with the coming Marquess" it's just kinda too much. Being prejudiced against Sacaens and being bitter is one thing, overlooking that someone essentially invaded your province is another entirely.

        5. I find it to be too wall-of-texty given how little is happening most of the time.

        6. The avatar praise is kinda annoying too. Mark's certainly not Kris or Corrin, though.

 

I dunno, I just find that it's overall slow, uninspired and unmemorable, although the gameplay likely leaks into my take on the story. The characters just aren't that interesting, nor do they possess an interesting dynamic, really.

Kent's very generic as a sidekick and isn't that memorable, and Sain is too one-note to be funny for more than a line or two of dialogue at a time and isn't all that great either. (Okay, I like him, but seeing him every time for about nine chapters in a row makes him a bit tiresome), and Lyn doesn't particularly shine in Lyn mode-she doesn't really get much character development until chapter 18 of Hector mode. It kinda skims over the part where we learn about her parents dying, and she spends the rest of the time praising Mark or sometimes thinking about her grandfather. I just find that the story lumbers along, and, much like a lot of the later stages of FE7, feels like filler.

 

 

[Shadow Mir]

1 hour ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

If you have neither, maybe try emulating Sacred Stones? It's pretty easy, the characters are colorful, the maps are well-designed, and it offers a tight core story.

Bold: Really? Because I would second Sacred Stones having one of the weakest stories in the series.

6 hours ago, Benice said:

FE8-One of the best villains of the franchise, and I'd say that, even though it's the second easiest or easiest game, FE8 has overall good map design. (Although Fort Rigwald and the last couple maps aren't so great...)

Personally, I think your candidate for one of the best villains in the franchise is actually a heap of wasted potential. He spends most of the game being in the shadow of his generals, most (by which I mean literally every one of them except for the one who turns traitor and the one who thinks better of what the hell his country is doing) of whom are abysmal.

7 hours ago, GlitchWarrior said:

My personal choice out of all of these would be Binding Blade. It's challenging, and several units of similar classes means that units who die can be replaced by the survivors. It helps that FEGBA isn't exactly squeaky with its enemy quality, with unpromoted foes still lying around near the endgame. Its Divine Weapons mechanic is odd, but it'll work wonders for teaching the importance of resource management. You have these seven super-strong weapons, but they're incredibly limited in their durability, and, if you do get all seven, you can't use them up until after you've beaten the mad king or you lose your chance at the true ending. The only issue is the very unforgiving hitrates, but... eh. I can overlook that at times.

I would disagree here - it's rather punishing for a newcomer to the series, and honestly, the spotty quality of most of its units DOES NOT HELP. I mean, when you have a game where a lot of the new units you get tend to struggle to contribute even in their joining chapter, never mind having been benched for a while because you had a superior unit and now they're needed, I'd say it's better to just continue to invest in the decent units left instead of wasting resources on someone who probably won't justify the babying they needed, and thus will likely become a liability just for the sake of filling a deployment slot. Which makes it very obvious something ain't right here. I also think Binding Blade is a bad game in general, but that's neither here nor there.

7 hours ago, GlitchWarrior said:

Thracia 776, New Mystery of the Emblem and Radiant Dawn are also bad games to push her into the water with, as they're a midquel and direct sequels respectively. As such, she won't know the stories of their predecessors. Awakening gets a pass due to being an indirect sequel to Shadow Dragon though.

I would also add that Radiant Dawn in particular is also rather punishing compared to a lot of FE games.

Edited August 10, 2020 by Shadow Mir

[whase]

These are the games I would suggest for her. pros and cons based on your description of what she's looking for compared to Three Houses.

Echoes SoV:
+ relatively little need for strategy, turnwheel, amazing characters
-  story is not very good

Sacred Stones:
+ Easy game, great characters
-  Permadeath, story is not very good

Path of Radiance:
+ Great story, easy game, great characters, best lord
- expensive and hard to find, permadeath

Awakening:
- easy to find, not too hard
- characters below average, story below average

[Alastor15243]

54 minutes ago, Benice said:

I was mostly referring to the whole game as having a weak plot that I think is the worst in the series by a fair amount, (excluding FEs 1-3 because of their nonexistant dialogue), but in terms of Lyn mode:

  Hide contents

 

1. Lundgren's plan to slowly poison his bro is kinda flawed in a few ways-One being that he's not even a little bit subtle, another being that he's effectively in power anyways as he has control of the whole Caelin military, and third, the moment the Marquess died, any doctor would be able to tell that he'd been poisoned, which would not make Lundgren look very good.

        2.Smaller one, but introduces the "OwO assassins spooky and misteryus!" plot which really annoys me because it fails really hard at being mysterious. Hector/Eliwood mode tries super hard to push them as being threatening and mysterious, but it just falls flat on its face. It doesn't help that they're just so laughably pathetic that they can't be scary.

        3.Lundgren is trying to eliminate another, potentially legitimate, claim to the throne via unsubtle assassinations. Kinda a bad move on his part. If Caelin had power in Lycia, Lundgren may just be able to get away with murdering and hiding the bodies of his rivals. Caelin doesn't have power, so Ostia would probably just stop his power-grabbing right in his tracks, which there is evidence of Ostia choosing to do so in a house in chapter 7.

       

        4.Chapter 6's plot is such a disaster. Lundgren, who is the current heir to the throne, knows that Lyn is going to Araphen. He decides that sending assassins to kidnap the Marquess of Araphen and burning down the castle to stop Lyn is a good idea. Nobody in Araphen seem to be the slightest bit concerned that another territory sent assassins to kidnap their Marquess, nor that the castle is burning. I get that the Marquess of Araphen is a racist scumbag 'n all, but when he says, "And I certainly wish to avoid trouble with the coming Marquess" it's just kinda too much. Being prejudiced against Sacaens and being bitter is one thing, overlooking that someone essentially invaded your province is another entirely.

        5. I find it to be too wall-of-texty given how little is happening most of the time.

        6. The avatar praise is kinda annoying too. Mark's certainly not Kris or Corrin, though.

 

I dunno, I just find that it's overall slow, uninspired and unmemorable, although the gameplay likely leaks into my take on the story. The characters just aren't that interesting, nor do they possess an interesting dynamic, really.

Kent's very generic as a sidekick and isn't that memorable, and Sain is too one-note to be funny for more than a line or two of dialogue at a time and isn't all that great either. (Okay, I like him, but seeing him every time for about nine chapters in a row makes him a bit tiresome), and Lyn doesn't particularly shine in Lyn mode-she doesn't really get much character development until chapter 18 of Hector mode. It kinda skims over the part where we learn about her parents dying, and she spends the rest of the time praising Mark or sometimes thinking about her grandfather. I just find that the story lumbers along, and, much like a lot of the later stages of FE7, feels like filler.

 

 

Generally some fair points. I dunno, I guess I've just reached the point where I can nitpick the shit out of even the "good" Fire Emblem stories, and so Blazing Blade's strengths in character writing and actual storytelling stick out to me more than its flaws. Like, I don't think there's any better way to gain an appreciation for FE7's storytelling than to play the first six games before it and just feel that sudden gargantuan leap.

[DMan64]

Thanks so far everyone for all of your recommendations. I've narrowed down some of my choices quite a bit. Going off of what people have said, PoR, Awakening, Sacred Stones, and SoV have been the top recommendations. 6, 7, 11, and 12 have also been notable.

I'll have to see which one of those will catch her attention most. I should note my personal favorite is PoR for it's gameplay, characters, and story, but I have reservations about it due to it's slower speed and slightly more in depth mechanics for newer players. I think for her being so recent Awakening could be a good choice, as the story may not seem as 'servicable' as it is to most other people, and it is very easy with a good cast of characters. Sacred Stones story is a bit better, and it would be a good intro to pre-casual mode FE, but may be too easy for her. Finally even though SoV has similar elements to 3H, and has a pretty solid story with great characters, the map design could really present a problem since it can be pretty tedious at times.

My plan eventually is to work her up to Genealogy of the Holy War. She loves Game of Thrones, and given some of the similarities GoHW has with GoT, I think she'd really love the story.

[Alastor15243]

45 minutes ago, DMan64 said:

I'll have to see which one of those will catch her attention most. I should note my personal favorite is PoR for it's gameplay, characters, and story, but I have reservations about it due to it's slower speed and slightly more in depth mechanics for newer players.

All I can say is this: If she had the patience for Three Houses, she'll have the patience for Path of Radiance. Also, its mechanics aren't that complicated, and 3H has its own fair share of complicated mechanics.

Edited August 10, 2020 by Alastor15243

[DMan64]

@Alastor15243 That's fair. I do agree that Path of Radiance isn't that complicated compared to other games, and seeing as 3H had some complex mechanics of its own, it may not be that bad for her to get into. My thinking was that, for a first time players, or people not quite used to the series, PoR may just seem a tiny bit much. And given that she's used to things like Divine Pulse and Casual mode, it may be somewhat off putting for her. And when I refer to slowness, I'm mainly referring to the slow attack/map animations, while 3H was a bit more snappy.

 

[Fabulously Olivier]

Path of Radiance is my suggestion if you already have the game and hardware. It's quite prohibitively expensive to suggest otherwise.

 

It's one of the easiest games in the series, has the best story/characters in the franchise, and is just all around peak FE.

 

Awakening is a fair suggestion to make because of casual mode as well. I wouldn't say the same of Fates because it's actually a pain in the ass without enabling casual mode, and the story isn't worth experiencing anyway since that's her motivation. Echoes might be a fair entry point, but I can't recommend it for the simple reason that I found it boring enough that finishing it was a chore.

Edited August 10, 2020 by Fabulously Olivier

[Light Strategist]

I personally agree that Awakening and Path of Radiance are probably some of the better choices.

In areas where the story falls short, the characters can make up for that rather well.

I'd say to go with Path of Radiance and if she expresses further interest in those characters you can always tell her about Radiant Dawn being a direct sequel although that might be pushing it a bit far so soon.

[Gregster101]

17 minutes ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

Echoes might be a fair entry point, but I can't recommend it for the simple reason that I found it boring enough that finishing it was a chore.

Oh great, there you go shitting on one of my favorite FE games again all while I was recommending it to someone's girlfriend, how swell 😠

[Fabulously Olivier]

2 minutes ago, Gregster101 said:

Oh great, there you go shitting on one of my favorite FE games again all while I was recommending it to someone's girlfriend, how swell 😠

I'm sorry. But I'm really not required to match your opinion. I wasn't even taking your opinion into account, nor have I read the entire thread to notice or care about your recommendation one way or the other. It isn't an insult to you personally.

 

I'm sorry, but I really did struggle to finish it, and I'm not the only one. My best friend hasn't yet finished it for the same reasons, and I dare say that if Echoes or Shadow Dragon were our introductions to the franchise, we wouldn't still be playing Fire Emblem games today.

 

I can be nice and say that the game has a good cast of characters, a good story, and a good visual presentation, but based on my experiences and those of others I know, I cannot in good conscience recommend it for fear that it kills a budding interest in the franchise entirely.

[Gregster101]

1 minute ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

I'm sorry. But I'm really not required to match your opinion. I wasn't even taking your opinion into account, nor have I read the entire thread to notice or care about your recommendation one way or the other. It isn't an insult to you personally.

 

I'm sorry, but I really did struggle to finish it, and I'm not the only one. My best friend hasn't yet finished it for the same reasons, and I dare say that if Echoes or Shadow Dragon were our introductions to the franchise, we wouldn't still be playing Fire Emblem games today.

 

I can be nice and say that the game has a good cast of characters, a good story, and a good visual presentation, but based on my experiences and those of others I know, I cannot in good conscience recommend it for fear that it kills a budding interest in the franchise entirely.

WELL QUIT ACTING LIKE IT'S SUCH A FUCKING SIN TO LIKE THIS GAME YOU SON OF A BITCH! No matter where I go where I see something Valentia related on here, you always feel the need to act like it's such a fucking garbage game!

[Fabulously Olivier]

2 minutes ago, Gregster101 said:

WELL QUIT ACTING LIKE IT'S SUCH A FUCKING SIN TO LIKE THIS GAME YOU SON OF A BITCH! No matter where I go where I see something Valentia related on here, you always feel the need to act like it's such a fucking garbage game!

You know what? No. I'm allowed to have my own opinion, I have said nothing to attack any Valentia fan, and I don't make a habit of hanging around the Valentia boards (or the Fates ones, or the SD/NM ones, or any other ones for games I have no interest in). On a neutral platform, I can speak my piece without it being a personal attack on you or anyone else.

 

Or should I suddenly take it personally every time Alastor shits on Three Houses (which he reallllllly likes doing)? I don't take personal offense, by the way. I just know what his preferences are and profoundly disagree.

 

You need to divorce your identity from your favorite game. It's your favorite game, not your spouse.

[Gregster101]

4 minutes ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

You know what? No. I'm allowed to have my own opinion, I have said nothing to attack any Valentia fan, and I don't make a habit of hanging around the Valentia boards (or the Fates ones, or the SD/NM ones, or any other ones for games I have no interest in). On a neutral platform, I can speak my piece without it being a personal attack on you or anyone else.

 

Or should I suddenly take it personally every time Alastor shits on Three Houses (which he reallllllly likes doing)? I don't take personal offense, by the way. I just know what his preferences are and profoundly disagree.

 

You need to divorce your identity from your favorite game. It's your favorite game, not your spouse.

I never said it was my favorite game you jack ass! I'm just always so fucking tired of seeing people like you, Ottservia, and so many others act like this game is complete garbage without any thing redeemable about it!

[DMan64]

@Gregster101  Woah man, I respect your opinion, @Fabulously Olivier is just expressing HIS own opinion.  If you really do love the game, no one will take that away from you.  I have no qualm with either one of your opinions.  After all, everyone is going to have a different favorite and least favorite FE, since everyone has different values on what makes a great FE and what doesn't.  I personally really enjoyed SoV, that said, I do think it does have some problems, and when considering what my girlfriend  would like, I do have to take all opinions, good and bad, into account.  I understand if you are very passionate about the game, but it is okay if some doesn't like it, and if someone doesn't find much value in it.  I respect your opinion, and I don't know what beef you two may/may not have, but I don't want this forum to be a source of toxic discussion.