IceBrand Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Why do most characters in the series follow the same basic pattern with little differences here and there? For familiarity? So that we know what to expect? If so, doesn't that take away the joy of wonder suspense? What's the fun of knowing what you're getting in too? It's like knowing what presents you're getting on Christmas Day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSND Alter Dragon Boner Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Some of the reason is people forcing these archetype to exist #shothasbeenfired Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Some people like putting things in easy-to-label containers. This extends well beyond Fire Emblem (see: tumblr. . .wait, don't). I'm not a fan of label over-use, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Geek Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Helps to establish some continuity in a largely unconnected series of games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icon of Sin Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Because FE is yet another Nintendo series that likes to use the same shit over again. Bandits, early face of the enemy kingdom, more bandits, stopping the shit up elsewhere, get new allies, face more countries controlled by the big bad who may be using dragons of some form, fight the main army, which is controlled by some power behind it, usually a cult of some sort, then kill the big bad, get the ending and squee at the ships you made. Why the hell are we not getting more F-Zero games where we can just throw the story away for good gameplay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJWalker Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Most of the archtypes are forced. Merric Archetype? Really? It's only natural that you're going to get a mage sometime if a mage class exists and is common. The only real members of this archtype are Merric, Linde and Asvel ie young mage characters that come early with superpowerful tactical nukes (Excalibur, Aura, Grafcalibur). Gordon Archtype? This one is really weak. The only thing holding them together is that they're archers. Well no shit. Of course you're going to get an archer eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ownagepuffs Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 What about the foot-healer-that-inevitably-gets-replaced-by-mounted-healer Archetype? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solrocknroll Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 What about the foot-healer-that-inevitably-gets-replaced-by-mounted-healer Archetype? Lissa > Maribelle Although reclassing, so my point doesn't matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 For a large part I reckon it's for gameplay reasons. It cuts down a lot of work to present a certain class in a certain situation with certain character traits...And really there's not that huge a problem with it. The still manage to make the characters unique to some extent. Does it matter that Nabarl is similar to Shiva? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logience Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Because it's easier to reuse formula than it is to create something completely new. Take anime for instance. They mostly focus on a loud, good-looking male teen blowing up various variety of monsters and/or moustache twirlers in the name of friendship, with little to no deviation. Does that bother anyone? No. By following the train of "Noble leads a romp through the continent against an evil empire for divine right" gimmick of samurai fables that Star Wars Americanized in every game, the player can follow the actions that happen around it to give humanity to the multiple elements that make it possible to immerse the player in these Excuse Plots. Look up "Strictly Formula" on TVTropes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ike-Mike Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Because humans like the familiar, the expected and the habitual more than they'd ever like to admit. Why does every person have to have certain routines and rituals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Refa Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Because it can. Deal with it. Why the hell are we not getting more F-Zero games where we can just throw the story away for good gameplay. That applies to 99% of Nintendo franchises lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrimeanRoyalKnight Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Why the hell are we not getting more F-Zero games where we can just throw the story away for good gameplay. GX had a story and a bajillion pilot interviews and they were awesome... but I guess they were more like the appetizer for the main dish. Anyway... FE Archetypes are there mostly for gameplay reasons, I guess; maybe it's there to make the player know what sort of unit they're going to use. I don't mind them... in fact, I'm sort of fond of them, they feel like a trademark. I also really like it when they completely subvert them (personality wise) like with Sain and Kent, or heck, VIRION (not exactly a Wolt or a Gordon). And I'm waiting for the next Christmas Cavaliers with anticipation, too!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Not to mention not every Fire Emblem has a characters or charcters of a certain archetype. For example, Awakening lacks both a pegasus trio and an Est type character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kon Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Cynthia and I think Donny is the best match for the Est, despite being obtainable pretty early. Take anime for instance. They mostly focus on a loud, good-looking male teen blowing up various variety of monsters and/or moustache twirlers in the name of friendship, with little to no deviation. Does that bother anyone? No. Those anime are bland as all hell and are everywhere, so yeah it bothers me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 The archetypes work well in game design I suppose, you usually start out with basic classes like cavaliers and archers to learn the ropes, an early healer is a big help and later add axemen and mages so that the player can get used to the weapon triangle and learning the advantages of magic. Why the characters have to be so similar in personality and appearance is beyond me, but I guess it's just tradition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samias Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 For the sake of map design, starting the player off with roughly the same type of units in every game coming in at roughly the same order makes it easier for the designers to look at past games and then change things around. Which means for the forseeable future will see Lords, paladin/great knight, two cavs, an archer, armor knight, and a foot healer as starting units, with an axe guy, thief and mage shortly after, and then another sword user and someone who flies. That's not going to happen exactly the same in every game (Sacred Stones held off the cav duo for awhile, for instance) but it roughly works out that way. The similarities in the early game are an intentional design choice to ease players into the game. Veterans will know the pattern and just be better prepared in general, but it also slowly dolls out options to new players at a brisk but not overwhelming pace. As for actual character archetypes, some get reused but honestly a lot of comparisons between characters beyond their unit type is pretty forced. Enemy myrmidon with a killing edge who can be recruited is a common occurrence, but the personality and motivation of the characters involved often changes despite the reused mechanic. Everyone talks about the Jagen archetype but the early game paladin's usefulness in the long term fluctuates between each game so people then make subcategories. But as people get better at the games over time and we also get more games, said subcategories don't really hold up very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaMonkey Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Gordon Archtype? This one is really weak. The only thing holding them together is that they're archers. Well no shit. Of course you're going to get an archer eventually. I thought that the Gordin archetype was "the archer that you get at the beginning of the game who turns out to be completely shit"... I think you'll find that definition holds up pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camus The Dark Knight Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Meh, a lot of them seem forced to me. The one that is consistent is Jagen, a few others (Like Nabarl) are within games, but not every one like Jagen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJWalker Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I thought that the Gordin archetype was "the archer that you get at the beginning of the game who turns out to be completely shit"... I think you'll find that definition holds up pretty well. But saying this is an archetype is silly. There needs to be something stronger holding it together. Take the Merric example. Not every early game mage is a Merric. Why? Because the Merric archetype is also characterised by the unit coming with super strong magic tome that is way too powerful for so early in the game. Excalibur, Aura(FE3/12), Grafcalibur, etc. Those fit. But just early game mages like Lute or Erk is stretching it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blugga6 Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 IS desperately wants you to love their monomyth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just call me AL Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Most of the archtypes are forced. Merric Archetype? Really? It's only natural that you're going to get a mage sometime if a mage class exists and is common. The only real members of this archtype are Merric, Linde and Asvel ie young mage characters that come early with superpowerful tactical nukes (Excalibur, Aura, Grafcalibur).I don't think having a powerful tome would be enough criteria for trying to establish a "Merric" archetype. I doubt Linde would count for instance because she wasn't exactly taught by a professional such as her father, IIRC. In all honesty, I'd say that Arthur, Lilina, Erk, Ewan, and Soren are closer Merrics than her. They even have their own teachers, which are respectively Lewyn, Cecilia, Pent, Saleh, and Soren's unnamed teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irysa Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Trying to put Lilina into the same "archetype" as Soren is hurting my brain. Please stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just call me AL Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Trying to put Lilina into the same "archetype" as Soren is hurting my brain. Please stop. I didn't say they had to have the same or similar personality. Just some things in common with another character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irysa Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 The mere fact that you can even do something like that when the chars are so drastically different, both mechanically and narratively, is simply beyond my fucking understanding. She isn't even your first mage, that's Lugh, and he has green hair and is male so he fits practically more things than she does, lol. Tangential relations like this are just so dumb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.