What game would you recommend playing next?

[swoon]

Hey guys.

 

After finishing Echoes I just decided to binge as many FE games as I could to try and really immerse myself with this franchise besides just Awakening, Fates and Smash haha. I recently just finished FE6 Normal (Sacae) and I absolutely loved it. I would say it's my favorite FE by far but it could just be recency bias so it's still tentative between that or Three Houses. I'm really eager to attempt a Hard mode run of it but I think I primarily want to go through as many different games' stories first before I do runs purely to test myself. (Unless it's a game where you can pick difficulty on your first playthrough)

 

I did start Sacred Stones but something about it just kind of turns me off from playing right now. Maybe it's how Eirika's sprite graphics look compared to how FE7 and FE6's sprites looked? And I've been heavily debating between this or Path of Radiance. Also been more and more tempted to try out Thracia, however I am aware that it's one of the harder installments of the series so it may be best to get a few more games under my belt, and a lot of people seem to recommend playing Geneology before Thracia so I'd need to mentally prepare for those huge maps. But I do know with the Radiant Duology and Thracia they're considered to have some of the strongest storytelling in the series, plus offer a good challenge. FE6 had a simple story (not bad in my opinion) but the challenge was thrilling to overcome.

 

I don't know I just thought it'd be cool to get some recommendations from you guys for what you would personally recommend to play next and on what difficulty?

 

Games I've finished: Awakening (Lunatic), Fates (All Routes on Normal), Echoes (Hard), Three Houses (All Routes on Hard), 7 (Normal), 6 (Normal)

 

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by swoon

[samthedigital]

22 minutes ago, swoon said:

Also been more and more tempted to try out Thracia, however I am aware that it's one of the harder installments of the series so it may be best to get a few more games under my belt, and a lot of people seem to recommend playing Geneology before Thracia so I'd need to mentally prepare for those huge maps.

I would recommend Genealogy before Thracia also because it fits better that way narratively. Don't get intimidated by the difficulty though; a lot of it is just Nintendo hard, so it's more of a game knowledge barrier than general Fire Emblem difficulty if that makes sense.

My suggestion would be PoR and then RD. Play PoR on the hardest difficulty on any release besides the Japanese one. It's one of the easiest titles even on that difficulty, and it shouldn't be a problem given the games you've already beaten. I'd suggest playing Radiant Dawn on Normal. Hard mode removes some quality of life features, so I wouldn't recommend it on a first play unless you're primarily looking for a challenge. It's also tedious to train most units on Hard because of enemy stats and the lack of exp, so I wouldn't recommend the difficulty if you're looking to use a lot of random characters that you like either.

[Samz707]

1 hour ago, swoon said:

Hey guys.

 

After finishing Echoes I just decided to binge as many FE games as I could. I recently just finished FE6 Normal (Sacae) and I absolutely loved it. I would say it's my favorite FE by far but it could just be recency bias so it's still tentative between that or Three Houses.

 

I did start Sacred Stones but something about it just kind of turns me off from playing right now. Maybe it's how Eirika's sprite graphics look compared to how FE7 and FE6's sprites looked? And I've been heavily debating between this or Path of Radiance. Also been more and more tempted to try out Thracia, however I am aware that it's one of the harder installments of the series so it may be best to get a few more games under my belt, and a lot of people seem to recommend playing Geneology before Thracia so I'd need to mentally prepare for those huge maps. But I do know with the Radiant Duology and Thracia they're considered to have some of the strongest storytelling in the series, plus offer a good challenge. FE6 had a simple story (not bad in my opinion) but the challenge was thrilling to overcome.

 

I don't know I just thought it'd be cool to get some recommendations from you guys for what you would personally recommend to play next and on what difficulty?

 

Games I've finished: Awakening (Lunatic), Fates (All Routes on Normal), Echoes (Hard), Three Houses (All Routes on Hard), 7 (Normal), 6 (Normal)

 

 

Well if you want something different, Three Hopes exists and even has a Eshop demo you can download, so you can try it without actually buying it.

[lenticular]

Depends on what you like. If you just want a good and challenging turn-based tactics game and don't care if the story and the RPG elements of the game are terrible, then you should play Engage. If you want a good story and don't care that the game is a little on the easy side, then you should play Path of Radiance.

[swoon]

1 hour ago, lenticular said:

Depends on what you like. If you just want a good and challenging turn-based tactics game and don't care if the story and the RPG elements of the game are terrible, then you should play Engage. If you want a good story and don't care that the game is a little on the easy side, then you should play Path of Radiance.

How does Path of Radiance Hard compare to Binding Blades Normal (Sacae Route)?

[King Marth 64]

I think you should go with Path of Radiance, Engage, or Shadow Dragon next as one of my recommendations. Also, quick question: Do you have Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (the very first Fire Emblem title) on Nintendo Switch before it was discontinued at the Nintendo Switch eShop at March 31st, 2021? (The same day Super Mario Bros. 35 and Super Mario 3D All Stars was removed as well?)

Edited September 7, 2023 by King Marth 64

[samthedigital]

2 hours ago, swoon said:

How does Path of Radiance Hard compare to Binding Blades Normal (Sacae Route)?

I'd say that they're roughly equivalent in terms of difficulty. For some context the hardest difficulty was removed outside of Japan, and forging costs were halved to name a few of the changes made to make the game easier. You've beaten Awakening Lunatic though, and that's generally considered to be one of the more difficult titles from what I remember.

[Zapp Branniglenn]

You've only played one game with Canto in it? It's Judgral time. FE4 all day.

[Eltosian Kadath]

Add my vote to the Jugdral pile. Although I will warn you that while Thracia is a great game, it got its reputation for difficulty thanks to being aggressively unfriendly to blind players; peeking at a guide, or asking advice for some of its more counter intuitive mechanics will make it a more enjoyable experience on your first run through it.

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

Truthfully, I think Sacred Stones makes the most sense. It's mechanically in-line with the other GBA games, and it also served as sort of a template for Awakening. Plus, it was heavily inspired by Gaiden, which of course, you've played as Echoes.

If you're really not feeling it, though, I'd say there are a few great different directions to go. Shadow Dragon (DS) is very basic mechanically, but has some excellent writing, and provides a glimpse into how the series got its start. Genealogy is very different, with how it does its maps and item management, but tells a strong story in a compelling world. As for Path of Radiance, it has an ordinary base structure, but also does a lot of new stuff - the Laguz, biorythm, skills, forging, and so on.

[Xander]

Why not play Engage? The game is great. Is it just the newer generation of FE Heroes & Three Houses fans that don't actually know that the core of fire emblem games (God forbid you read an actual book if you want a good story) is the gameplay that have spammed bad reviews while being as vocal as possible? If you actually started with Three Houses and you expect an enthralling story in a Fire Emblem game you should probably play Tellius next.

Edited September 7, 2023 by Xander

[Samz707]

2 hours ago, Xander said:

Why not play Engage? The game is great. Is it just the newer generation of FE Heroes & Three Houses fans that don't actually know that the core of fire emblem games (God forbid you read an actual book if you want a good story) is the gameplay that have spammed bad reviews while being as vocal as possible? If you actually started with Three Houses and you expect an enthralling story in a Fire Emblem game you should probably play Tellius next.

I mean.

To be blunt, the story seemed like a big part of the GBA/3DS games. (It's just any 3DS game not named Shadows of Valentia had awful writing.)

People can also just, think the gameplay is bad. (It sounds like it takes after Fates, and I hated Fates gameplay contrary to the norm of people who think it has the best gameplay of the 3DS games.) 

[Xander]

This is a recommendation thread, so I'm not going to sit here and argue with you (I knew one of you would reply to me, there is always one whenever this is brought up). Whether you want to argue or not, the fact is I listed the strengths and weaknesses of the game I recommended he play (the majority of people who enjoy Engage state the gameplay as a strength, which despite your attempt to defame it, is true) while the story is frequently cited as a weakness. If you disagree with either of those points it's obvious you're just being disingenuous.

[swoon]

On 9/7/2023 at 7:06 AM, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Truthfully, I think Sacred Stones makes the most sense. It's mechanically in-line with the other GBA games, and it also served as sort of a template for Awakening. Plus, it was heavily inspired by Gaiden, which of course, you've played as Echoes.

If you're really not feeling it, though, I'd say there are a few great different directions to go. Shadow Dragon (DS) is very basic mechanically, but has some excellent writing, and provides a glimpse into how the series got its start. Genealogy is very different, with how it does its maps and item management, but tells a strong story in a compelling world. As for Path of Radiance, it has an ordinary base structure, but also does a lot of new stuff - the Laguz, biorythm, skills, forging, and so on.

Yes, I'm aware. I watched Mekkah's spoiler free guide and I'm aware it's much more bearable if you're following along with something.

 

My hesitance is because I'm conflicted on if I truly wish to play a game using the spoiler free guide for the whole journey or if I want to go full blind.

 

Did you use the spoiler free guide on your playthrough? And if so, did it feel any less fulfilling knowing you didn't go in 100% blind? Or did it hit just as hard?

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

56 minutes ago, swoon said:

Yes, I'm aware. I watched Mekkah's spoiler free guide and I'm aware it's much more bearable if you're following along with something.

 

My hesitance is because I'm conflicted on if I truly wish to play a game using the spoiler free guide for the whole journey or if I want to go full blind.

 

Did you use the spoiler free guide on your playthrough? And if so, did it feel any less fulfilling knowing you didn't go in 100% blind? Or did it hit just as hard?

I played all these games well before any guides from Mekkah existed, haha. So, I didn't use them, of course. I would call myself "totally blind" to Shadow Dragon and Sacred Stones; "somewhat aware" of Genealogy; and, "spoiled by playing the sequel first" of Path of Radiance. While I think they're all good games, of the bunch, I like Genealogy the most and Path of Radiance the least. Truly, I don't think spoilers or guides made a huge difference for me. But I couldn't speak as to whether the same would be true for you. I think you'll have a good time with any of these games regardless, but maybe that's the optimist in me.

[Samz707]

On 9/7/2023 at 6:45 PM, Xander said:

This is a recommendation thread, so I'm not going to sit here and argue with you (I knew one of you would reply to me, there is always one whenever this is brought up). Whether you want to argue or not, the fact is I listed the strengths and weaknesses of the game I recommended he play (the majority of people who enjoy Engage state the gameplay as a strength, which despite your attempt to defame it, is true) while the story is frequently cited as a weakness. If you disagree with either of those points it's obvious you're just being disingenuous.

I'm saying gameplay is subjective, after all, Fates was the "best gameplay" FE before Engage and I think the gameplay is awful in it. (Not played Engage.)

I'm also mainly disagreeing with the "story isn't the core of FE" take, considering how the GBA games onward tried to have it be more important. (Not to mention you listed Heroes as an example of a story driven FE? the game with Fates-tier writing.) 

[Jotari]

Fresh off Binding Blade I think you should play Blazing Blade. Not only do you have the obvious story connections, but Blazing Blade was designed to be an introduction to the series and you might not get as much out of it as a title if you wait till later (though all the 3DS games and Binding Blade is pretty experienced). And if you can, try to play it with a hard Lyn mode file. Because as someone who knows how to play the game, the default normal Lyn mode forcing you to take specific actions to teach you how to play the game can be obnoxious.

[swoon]

23 minutes ago, Jotari said:

Fresh off Binding Blade I think you should play Blazing Blade. Not only do you have the obvious story connections, but Blazing Blade was designed to be an introduction to the series and you might not get as much out of it as a title if you wait till later (though all the 3DS games and Binding Blade is pretty experienced). And if you can, try to play it with a hard Lyn mode file. Because as someone who knows how to play the game, the default normal Lyn mode forcing you to take specific actions to teach you how to play the game can be obnoxious.

Ah, I played 7 already. In fact I played it before 6 haha

[Jotari]

1 minute ago, swoon said:

Ah, I played 7 already. In fact I played it before 6 haha

D'oh. Somehow I missed that. In that case I would definitely recommend you move on to Genealogy of the Holy War next. After that, Thracia. Maybe when finished that I would suggest Three Houses as it has easier access currently than the other games what with it still being available for a modern console. It's also thematically similar to Jugdral.

Edited September 9, 2023 by Jotari

[swoon]

1 minute ago, Jotari said:

D'oh. Somehow I missed that.

It's okay. Tbf it was only Normal mode and I do wanna do a Hard mode run of 6 as well. But I wanted to do a first runthrough of as many games as I could first before playing Engage (to get most of the references it may throw at me) and before doing challenge runs.