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Is it just me, or is the story for Book 4 actually pretty decent?


Jotari
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I can't say I'm particularly invested in the story of Book 4 for Heroes, but for once that actually seems like it might be down to getting a paragraph every two months rather than the content it self. It seems like the characters have more depth and are facing more interesting challenges than any of the previous stories. What do you think?

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Honestly, most of the time current IS (3DS era to now) comes up with pretty good ideas overall, they just suck ass at executing most of them properly. The example I always use is Laevatein, who is literally the kind of character whose character arc writes itself, yet Laeva still ended up with no development at all because IS just didn't execute.

With Book 4 they're actually playing out some of the ideas they probably had so that the fairies actually have some backstory and things are actually changing for Alfonse and Sharena, but it's possible that all of it will get cut short again like how Lif and Thrasir just fizzled out after an honestly pretty strong twist in Book 3, so I'm not expecting much but wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised. I feel like they're still using exposition to tell us everything in Book 4 instead of showing things, like how Frejya tends to just flat out explain everything such as the fairies' stories instead of something like a flashback.

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2 minutes ago, SatsumaFSoysoy said:

Honestly, most of the time current IS (3DS era to now) comes up with pretty good ideas overall, they just suck ass at executing most of them properly. The example I always use is Laevatein, who is literally the kind of character whose character arc writes itself, yet Laeva still ended up with no development at all because IS just didn't execute.

With Book 4 they're actually playing out some of the ideas they probably had so that the fairies actually have some backstory and things are actually changing for Alfonse and Sharena, but it's possible that all of it will get cut short again like how Lif and Thrasir just fizzled out after an honestly pretty strong twist in Book 3, so I'm not expecting much but wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised. I feel like they're still using exposition to tell us everything in Book 4 instead of showing things, like how Frejya tends to just flat out explain everything such as the fairies' stories instead of something like a flashback.

Well they have been a little liberal using flashbacks here, but rather than used for the purpose of explaining it's been used to highlight and build up mysteries.

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5 minutes ago, Jotari said:

Well they have been a little liberal using flashbacks here, but rather than used for the purpose of explaining it's been used to highlight and build up mysteries.

Those flashbacks are nice, yeah, especially Triandra's one. With Triandra they haven't done the exposition dump yet I think so this is good.

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I ... have to disagree. Granted, my opinion could change if book 4 is longer than the standard 13 chapters, but the second half of the story feels rushed with some important plot points being dropped way too late. And while I personally think every book dropped the ball in its second half to some extent, Plumeria and Triandra's demises seemed more rushed than Thrasir's final stand. Peony and Triandra being sisters got pretty much nothing, you'd think it'd be a bigger deal but it just sort of got shoved aside in a few lines in its own chapter. Stuff going on with Alfonse and Kiran probably should've come up a lot sooner if this story really is going to wrap up with the next chapter. And ... I don't know, the story overall just feels more aimless than books 2+3 did despite having an actual plot (in contrast to book 1, which didn't really have a plot until the last three chapters).

That said, if book 4 is longer than 13 chapters, I'd probably take back the thing about Alfonse and Kiran, if it was explored properly. But it doesn't really change the other stuff, and in fact I'd consider Plumeria and Triandra's defeats to be even more rushed. Mirabilis also was very ... uh, irrelevant? Freyja does hint at what her past life used to be, but Mirabilis is too narcoleptic to have a reaction to it beyond the one time they interacted. Kind of hoping we'll get an explanation as to why Peony and Mirabilis became light elves while the other two became dark fairies, if they were all friends and stuff.

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Not just you. It's been my favorite Book. Not saying it's a huge masterpiece or anything but I've been enjoying it all the way. Helps I really like the Dream/Fairy aesthetic.

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2 hours ago, Sunwoo said:

I ... have to disagree. Granted, my opinion could change if book 4 is longer than the standard 13 chapters, but the second half of the story feels rushed with some important plot points being dropped way too late. And while I personally think every book dropped the ball in its second half to some extent, Plumeria and Triandra's demises seemed more rushed than Thrasir's final stand. Peony and Triandra being sisters got pretty much nothing, you'd think it'd be a bigger deal but it just sort of got shoved aside in a few lines in its own chapter. Stuff going on with Alfonse and Kiran probably should've come up a lot sooner if this story really is going to wrap up with the next chapter. And ... I don't know, the story overall just feels more aimless than books 2+3 did despite having an actual plot (in contrast to book 1, which didn't really have a plot until the last three chapters).

That said, if book 4 is longer than 13 chapters, I'd probably take back the thing about Alfonse and Kiran, if it was explored properly. But it doesn't really change the other stuff, and in fact I'd consider Plumeria and Triandra's defeats to be even more rushed. Mirabilis also was very ... uh, irrelevant? Freyja does hint at what her past life used to be, but Mirabilis is too narcoleptic to have a reaction to it beyond the one time they interacted. Kind of hoping we'll get an explanation as to why Peony and Mirabilis became light elves while the other two became dark fairies, if they were all friends and stuff.

When I'm getting the story rationed to me like it's water in the desert I don't really mind it being a little rushed in places.

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At the very least, it's been quite a ride.

To an extent, I compared Fire Emblem Heroes' story to Kingdom Hearts. If you were to ask me if I thought KH's story was good or not, I don't think I could give you a straight answer because it's a very strange story that gets pulled this way and that way all the time. However, at the same time, it's a hell of a rollercoaster ride and fun to speculate on which makes it enjoyable.

I view FEH somewhat similarly. Quality-wise, it's really up and down, but it's done enough to make me really interested in speculating just where it can go next. And if nothing else, with the last chapter, they've gone on a really unpredictable path.

This is probably the first Chapter 13 where we really have no idea which way it's going to go.

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It's... Okay. There's some elements that I like about it such as the Alfonse/Kiran twist and I do appreciate trying to flesh out the backstories of the new characters, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel like some parts were rushed. For instance, Triandra had some good potential since she has a sibling bond with Peony that they both forgot and they came from a live of abuse that transformed them in different ways, yet the revelation was in my opinion one of the weakest plot points handled in FEH. It's barely given weight when it shows up as they only get a brief conversation in before the fight, and even when the former is defeated Peony barely gets any time to react to it as the next part is focused on Kiran instead and she pretty much forgets about it. When even Laegjarn and Thrasir's demises are getting more reaction out of the characters that's a problem, especially when it's someone with a familial relationship that barely seems to care. 

In the end, Book 4 is another example of FEH's writing starting well, but floundering towards the end. It had more potential then the others and slightly better balancing of its characters when compared to 2 and 3 (Lif is great, but Thrasir, Eir, and Hel are barely developed by comparison), but ultimately fell off in the same way. 

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Honestly, there's some good kernals here, though the last chapter did burn some of the good will from how 11 was handled because 11 was so different in a good way.

Also the sudden twist, while not ridiculous at all (I'm not sarcastic here) peeves me a little as in order to do it it saw the character who we were building up to a big reveal on get it shown super quick and then get cast aside because it's the other protagonist's show:

Spoiler

And while on the one hand it did mean the harem scene didn't go all incest, it did try to make the summoner a harem protag.

And I just felt weirded out by that whole debacle.

The harem scene was a bit much is all I'm saying.

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I enjoy book 4 for what it is. I typically don't get too hung up on the story and just try to enjoy the ride.

Book 4 seems to take at least a few risks. By having it take place in the Realm of Dreams, the writers can get away with putting in story details that don't make immediate sense. It's also a lot darker especially since the story implies some not-so-Nintendo-friendly themes, especially in the backstories of the elves. 

Since we're already at Chapter 12, Chapter 13 is likely going to end with a cliffhanger unlike the previous books due to Alfonse's current status (if Freyja's words were to be believed). With such a reveal, there's no way they can end the book without a cliffhanger that would act as a segue to book 5 since anything else would practically be a copout. Though knowing IS, that may be asking for a bit much.

It also appears that some characters (besides the obvious TMS cast) already know of Kiran's world (or at least what appears to be it, the World of Steel). Perhaps they may end up doing something with it.

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Just like the others, it could really stand to use three or four chapters fewer. Book 2 got bogged down in the middle. 3 petred out badly at the end. 4 has been vague and blurry to a fault.

But they're never going to be amazing, the format makes that nigh-impossible. If the character writing is strong - and on aggregate, it has been since year 2 (though obviously there's duds like Surtr, Loki, Mirabilis, Plumeria...) - then it's enough that some big melodrama happens for the player to go 'whoa' and turn the page rather than skip the dialogue. Nothing fancy. And they've consistently achieved that, not counting Book 1.

Edited by Parrhesia
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On the whole, I like FEH's story and characters. Book 1 was more of an introduction than anything, book 2 was good, book 3 was excellent, and book 4... Well, for me, book 4 isn't great. Unlike in book 3 and 2, I'm not connecting with the characters too much, and the plot's kind of confusing. What even is the goal here, you know? When I'm playing it, I'm okay with it, and it has some good moments, but on the whole, when I look back on it, I feel dissatisfied and uninterested.

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There are things I like about book 4

Fe Heroes kinda needed a different sort of story. After Surtr and Hell it would be silly if yet another inter-dimensional warlord tried to take over Askr. This more surreal setting and plot are a welcome change of phase at least. I also think it utilizes its setting much better then the other books. Book 3 was all about the undead and the underworld, but the story barely made use of any of it. Deceased characters like Surtr didn't return even if they were teased to do so, and the focus wasn't put on Heroes who tragically died in their home games. In Book 4 the setting of nightmares actually impact the plot a bit. 

There are also some funny bits here and there. Veronica and Mirabilis are a nice pair, Alfonse getting a surprise harem and Anna being a squirrel. 

There are also things I don't like. 

I find all the teasing of Sharena not being Alfonse's sister to be rather off putting. The two work well together because they have such a tight sibling bond, and trying to detract from that isn't a very good idea. 

This is supposed to be Sharena's tale but so far it really isn't. Sharena had some input now and them, but this was still very much Alfonse's tale. He was the leading figure since the start and most important actions in the story came from him. Now that Alfonse is absent it seems to be Kiran who gets put in the spotlight rather than Sharena. 

The idea of focusing on Kiran is bad. There's only so much you can do with a mute self insert. He cannot carry a story so it would be unwise for IS to try. 

Edited by Etrurian emperor
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1 hour ago, trainer_derp said:

Book 4 is still on the same level as Book 3 for me, but if we get more than 13 chapters it'll automatically be the best book so far. 

Not a fan of Kiran having a big story role though.

I kind of feel like they kind of had to pick Kiran if they needed a character to swap in for Alphonse for the Alphonse revelation. They can't really pick any of the other askar trio or the faeries as they need to contribute too as it is expected. It being a random hero that hasn't shown up in the book at all would also raise question marks/problems.  Kind of had to be Kirian because they had no real options honestly.

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4 hours ago, vikingsfan92 said:

I kind of feel like they kind of had to pick Kiran if they needed a character to swap in for Alphonse for the Alphonse revelation. They can't really pick any of the other askar trio or the faeries as they need to contribute too as it is expected. It being a random hero that hasn't shown up in the book at all would also raise question marks/problems.  Kind of had to be Kirian because they had no real options honestly.

Make it Kellam! Now that would be a plot twist that would really surprise people 🤣

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20 hours ago, SatsumaFSoysoy said:

The example I always use is Laevatein, who is literally the kind of character whose character arc writes itself, yet Laeva still ended up with no development at all because IS just didn't execute.

I would like to have Laevatein back in the story. i want to know more about her, a person that only followed orders... that now is the ruler of a kingdom.

Edited by Diovani Bressan
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2 hours ago, Diovani Bressan said:

I would like to have Laevatein back in the story. i want to know more about her, a person that only followed orders... that now is the ruler of a kingdom.

For a while now, I've liked the idea of a new event that could explore extra stories. We've already got modes like Tempest Trial and Forging Bonds that implement story-like content so the potential is there.

It'd be a good way to explore stories in worlds that likely won't be visited in the main story anymore. We've got Hrid having to rebuild Nifl and Laevatein taking over as Queen of Muspell. Already some good material.

Heck, I'd take a Laevatein: Queen of Muspell alt. 😄

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7 hours ago, Diovani Bressan said:

I would like to have Laevatein back in the story. i want to know more about her, a person that only followed orders... that now is the ruler of a kingdom.

@Sentinel07

I've explored this theme myself in a fan support I wrote which takes place soon after book 2.

The gist is that Hrid is trying to rebuild Nifl and is reaching out to Leavateinn to offer support in rebuilding Muspell ("We're already in rebuild mode, let's help you rebuild too, and rebuild relations between the kingdoms while we're at it" sort of idea.) Leavateinn's struggling to deal with not knowing how to rule and suddenly being expected to while also suddenly not having any family left, and is kind of overwhelmed so she's a bit hostile and reclusive at first, especially since it was the Askr-Nifl alliance which killed her sister (she was already dying because of the Rite of Flames, but eh. Emotionally-charged people are seldom rational.) Hrid persists for a little while, but eventually gives up. Leavateinn winds up going to him later and asks him about some of the topics he'd previously brought up (sympathy for her regarding the loss of her sister (Laegjarn), and bringing up the loss of his own (Gunnthra).) I think it's in this conversation when Hrid expresses that he feels it necessary that he be forged into a sword which can protect his people and homeland (this is taken directly from his in-game quotes.) That's when Leavateinn realizes that they have more in common than she thought, and expresses her own views on herself as a blade. Their bond only grows from there, and Muspell and Nifl start to recover alongside one another, each sending aid to the other in what they don't realize yet will become a very strong alliance, with their rulers acting as blades to defend both their own people and each other's.

That's about where the very very plausible ends and it goes into something less supported by in-game events/quotes. That is, I ship these two. In my expanded version, Hrid and Leavateinn wind up getting married, though Nifl and Muspell remain distinct kingdoms each ruled by its respective monarch and are just extremely strong allies (after all, they were founded by the dragons Nifl and Muspell and they figure they shouldn't mess with that.) Hrid and Leavateinn have twin sons (this bit entirely came from a prompt in another thread on this forum: "Create-A-Hero, FEH Child Edition") named Skoll and Hati. Skoll leans more Muspellian and Hati leans more Niflian. More on them in the aforementioned forum, including personality/physical descriptions. 🙂

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5 hours ago, Mercakete said:

The gist is that Hrid is trying to rebuild Nifl and is reaching out to Leavateinn to offer support in rebuilding Muspell ("We're already in rebuild mode, let's help you rebuild too, and rebuild relations between the kingdoms while we're at it" sort of idea.) Leavateinn's struggling to deal with not knowing how to rule and suddenly being expected to while also suddenly not having any family left, and is kind of overwhelmed so she's a bit hostile and reclusive at first, especially since it was the Askr-Nifl alliance which killed her sister (she was already dying because of the Rite of Flames, but eh. Emotionally-charged people are seldom rational.) Hrid persists for a little while, but eventually gives up. Leavateinn winds up going to him later and asks him about some of the topics he'd previously brought up (sympathy for her regarding the loss of her sister (Laegjarn), and bringing up the loss of his own (Gunnthra).) I think it's in this conversation when Hrid expresses that he feels it necessary that he be forged into a sword which can protect his people and homeland (this is taken directly from his in-game quotes.) That's when Leavateinn realizes that they have more in common than she thought, and expresses her own views on herself as a blade. Their bond only grows from there, and Muspell and Nifl start to recover alongside one another, each sending aid to the other in what they don't realize yet will become a very strong alliance, with their rulers acting as blades to defend both their own people and each other's.

That's about where the very very plausible ends and it goes into something less supported by in-game events/quotes. That is, I ship these two. In my expanded version, Hrid and Leavateinn wind up getting married, though Nifl and Muspell remain distinct kingdoms each ruled by its respective monarch and are just extremely strong allies (after all, they were founded by the dragons Nifl and Muspell and they figure they shouldn't mess with that.) Hrid and Leavateinn have twin sons (this bit entirely came from a prompt in another thread on this forum: "Create-A-Hero, FEH Child Edition") named Skoll and Hati. Skoll leans more Muspellian and Hati leans more Niflian. More on them in the aforementioned forum, including personality/physical descriptions. 🙂

You are making me ship these two as well now. lol

Duo Hero Laevatein and Hríd when? lol

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