Convince me to start this game

[Jalk]

I'm currently nearing the end of Awakening (here I come, Future Children) and Shadow Dragon is patiently waiting its turn on my list of games I have to play.

The problem is, some friends of mine repeatedly told me that this game is the worse Fire Emblem, that the recruitment system is awkward and so on. Still, I'd really like to give this game a chance... Someone to give me some reassuring pointers ?

Thanks in advance ! :)

[Knight]

The recruitment system isn't weird except for sidequest characters, but honestly, if you aren't using anything but the units you get early in the game, the first two pegasus knights, and maybe Tiki, then there's something wrong. I like it, just don't expect much (I mean any) character development.

[BrightBow]

No character developement? The remake did give Marth quite a bit more character and growth then the extremely straightforward NES/SNES scripts. It's still simple but not bad in any way. Unlike Chrom, who stays entirely static. The addition of a pre-timeskip prologue helped too.

The only issue I have with this game, is that they pretty much copy-pasted all the enemy and PC data from the original game... and then added a ton of modern mechanics that the original game wasn't designed for.

The most obvious is the addition of the weapon triangle. In the original game, they didn't exist. So it was no issue that most enemies were using lances. (The enemies prefer to use the more military looking units.) But now that the mechanic exist, swordfighters effectively have a permanent disadvantage.

NMofE might use the same engine but it is just sooo much better designed.

Still, the game is by no means bad. I actually like it quite a lot, because it doesn't have the inflating defense and avoid values from the later games. So while the game isn't hard, at least you can actually die if enough enemies gang up on a single unit.

And the game also has no less then 5 flavors of hard mode.

Edited August 7, 2013 by BrightBow

[Leinex]

Shadow Dragon's a good game on its own, but compared to other FE games, it's pretty bland. Still, there is a story, and it's better developed than people like to give it credit for. The script for this game is simple and subtle (but yeah, half the cast doesn't have any lines except for their death quote).

Also, it did give FE1 a much needed uplift. The implementation of modern mechanics made the game playable, even if that brought its own problems. (The original FE1 didn't let you gain EXP from staff-using...) This game was also the first to feature reclassing, and it's not as broken as Awakening's system. Oh, and the soundtrack is great.

[Knight]

I meant anyone but Marth, and maybe a few NPC's, one or two playable characters. Otherwise, I actually quite like the plot, you sort of have to use your imagination to fill in some of the details, but it's a nice game.

Edited August 7, 2013 by Knight

[PKL]

It is a pretty good game. So you should play it. There, I convinced you.

[Elieson]

You'll never figure out the support system ever, and pretty much all characters not named Marth, Caeda and Gotoh are bland and boring as fuck.

It's a good game to play, if you aren't looking for character development

[Gregosa]

Since you recently played Awakening there's clearly some value in playing the game where it all began. Most of the high points of already been mentioned but I'll state a couple more. One feature I really liked in the DS was the inclusion of savespots which is a nice compromise between having to start a whole level all over again if things go bad or a permasave feature that might break the difficulty. Another selling point Shadow Dragon has is exclusive classes, namely the ballistae and chameleon which are a lot of fun to use.

[Jalk]

Thanks for all the input.... Well, since I like games well you have to fill the blanks in the story (loved Phantasy Star III that way), I'll try it... I'll let you know how it went !

[charlie_]

You'll never figure out the support system ever, and pretty much all characters not named Marth, Caeda and Gotoh are bland and boring as fuck.

It's a good game to play, if you aren't looking for character development

What about ROGER

such a ladies man

[RJWalker]

I have a strange fondness for this game. Excellent localisation. Love the dialogue.

[Jotari]

It has such a pretty UI. They fit all the stats neatly on one screen and constantly let you view them while cycling through characters. I'm glad Awakening managed to achieve the same thing.

[JSND Alter Dragon Boner]

Reclass is the best thing ever

[ZemZem]

Reclass is the best thing ever

And it's not as stupidly broken as it was in FE13, either.

[JSND Alter Dragon Boner]

And it's not as stupidly broken as it was in FE13, either.

Still more awesome because Dracoknight Wendell

[eclipse]

It's relatively simplistic, and the gradient difficulty means that you'll probably find a mode that's fun, but not frustrating. You'll have a lot of characters to play with, and reclassing is as simple as playing the game long enough to get it!

[Vorena]

Just play the game already.

[mmKALLL]

I really liked the fact that H5 actually is challenging to complete (even if most of the challenge was in the beginning and the very end). The game also features an interesting wi-fi multiplayer - which is surprisingly good. Too bad that the random match function has only a handful of players anymore, but I'm open for games at any time.

The story is kind of bland, but the gameplay, interface and soundtrack are pretty nice.