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What was Fire Emblem Awakening Thinking?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ธ.ค. 2021
- Fire Emblem Awakening is often regarded as the game that “saved the series”. Often credited with this title for its significantly stronger marketing and widespread appeal, this ambitious title set the groundwork for a new era of fire emblem games. But how did it get here? What were the developers thinking?
This video goes in depth to how Fire Emblem Awakening was made. Similar to the past 3 videos about Fire Emblem Echoes, Fire Emblem Fates and Fire Emblem Three Houses, this video goes through interviews and more to discuss the truth behind Fire Emblem Awakening.
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Subscribe: / @faerghast
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Credits:
Script Writer: Moltz23 / moltz20
Footage:
Just1Gamr / justonegamr
shadowofchaos / shadowofchaos725
YedKnowsAll: / yedknowsall
PheonixMaster1: / pheonixmaster1
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Interview Sources:
iwataasks.nint... - Iwata asks - Fire Emblem Awakening
kantopia.wordp... - Fire Emblem Awakening: Nintendo Dream First Year Anniversary Developer Interview (June 2013)
nintendo.fando...
genealogyvsthr... - Commentary On The Fire Emblem Awakening Interview (Genealogy takes on…Thracia776?)
kantopia.wordp... - Fire Emblem 25th Anniversary Book
tcrf.net/Fire_... - Fire Emblem Awakening/Regional Differences (The Cutting Room Floor)
Leif of Leonster Translations:
four-loose-scr... - four-loose-scr...
four-loose-scr...
four-loose-scr...
amielleon.drea... - A summary of localization changes to Henry's character (Amielleon)
www.nintendowor... - Fire Emblem: Awakening Coming to North America (NintendoWorldReport)
www.siliconera... - Fire Emblem: Awakening Demo Hits Nintendo eShop Today (Siliconera)
hardcoregamer.... - Fire Emblem: Awakening Gets a TV Commercial (Hardcore Gamer)
#FireEmblem, #FireEmblemAwakening, #FE13
Finally, a new video! Thank you everyone for clicking and watching. What is your experience with Fire Emblem Awakening? Comment down below and let's get to 90K subscribers!
Awakening was like my third game I started in FE but it was like the 7th one I finished. I’m always going to love games that have great OSTs and awakening was the start of Rei Kondoh’s incredible work with the series. I love awakening. It’s not the best, it’s not the best written. It’s not the best looking. But for my money, it’s the coolest fire emblem game.
It was my first FE, and my teenager self loved it, including the DLCs, endless grinding, and Pair-Up shenanigans. It was unbalanced as hell, but the optimization was fun. Still, even then, I felt the game lacked depth in several of its mechanics, and Falcoknights sucked, so I wanted different. I got super into the Fire Emblem wiki and used that to play other games like Blazing Sword and Radiant Dawn. At that time, I got influenced by the traditionalist fans and started shitting on Awakening myself, though after a few years and some growing up, not to mention how bad Fates was, I softened to Awakening and now mostly remember it fondly, even if it wasn't the best.
None, at least for now!
It was the first one I owned, and I’ve got a lot of nostalgia for the characters and easily broken gameplay systems. It’s flawed, but I think that makes it better
>"Awakening came out almost 10 years ago"
Excuse me while I rapidly age real quick
for real, my soul withered a bit upon hearing that lmao
th-cam.com/video/Tnkt5Zw2eUY/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=TheABSOLUTEShitpostDepot
I feel a bit old, and suddenly more nostalgic for that time in my life.
Yep, The Japanese release was April 19, 2012 and February 4, 2013 for North America. It's surprising how time flies.
Awakening came out when I was in the 5th grade. I'm in college now
Possibly unpopular opinion but I still want that FE game on mars... 🚀🌌
The real question is: does that imply high tech looking character designs, laser guns, vehicles instead of horses as mounts, etc. Or do we still just have dudes running around with metal swords and people flying around on Pegasi and it's just on Mars?
@@DuskoftheTwilight I would imagine they'd go with a form of medieval futurism. But I'd prefer it much more if they were all just still regular medieval soldiers running around on the red planet.
I'd love to see that, if they know what they're doing. Maybe the cilvilization on Mars becomes primative and feudal-like, giving way to medieval militaries battling for dominance, and even enemies from Earth with more advanced technology. I can imagine a few ways the story would unfold, like Earth's attempts at colonising Mars going awry and setting the events of the story in motion, thousands of years later with the decedents of the first colonists.
I have read somewhere that Awakening tried to have guns...I don't remember where I got that, but I swear I read it
Honestly seems somewhat possible as something in Heroes' in the future
I am not a big RPG person, so when Awakening released I just didn’t pay too much attention to it. My best friend actually was a fan of the series and always insisted that I gave it a shot, so I eventually did. After playing the demo I borrowed his game and finished it, now years later, I became a Fire Emblem fan myself. I am thankful this game exists because of all the great experience I had and the friendships I forged. It may not be my favorite game in the series, but it still sits close to my heart.
I played Fe7 and 8 in my teens but lost sight of the series until Awakening came out. It kinda brought out a love for tactical (J)rpgs for me. :D
What is your favorite Fire Emblem game?
@@lestade682 It’s FE4 as of this moment, after I finished it I fell in love with the story and characters. Before it was FE7, but now it’s next to FE4 by a close second.
@@rollingtony5007
My favorite so far is FE7. I haven't played FE4 but only hear great things about it.
@@lestade682 Make sure you are prepared if you want to play it for the first time as it is a bit rigid at first, but you will get used to it. It’s not perfect for sure as in some aspects it can be quite limiting, however if you enjoy a good story and the massive scope of war with great steaks you will love it. As for FE7, it’s the first classic game that I played and it means a lot to me personally so it remained my favorite for a long time.
Honestly I think the main thing that intrigued me about Awakening is how the player character isn't the main protagonist, but is instead a side main character.
Something about playing as a friend of the main character, instead of the main character was just really interesting to me.
Add on the simple to understand but hard to master gameplay, the art style, and the god tier music and I was hooked.
They were right in choosing Kozaki Yusuke for Awakening's art, I loved the style so much that I had to play it.
Awakening was what got me to look into Yusuke’s portfolio. Once I learned he was the character artist for the first 2 No More Heroes games, he became my favorite character artist ever.
I think it also helps that robin is a good avatar
He isnt the main character hes the tactician
He also had his own personality despite being a avatar
[MINOR SPOILERS FOR POR, RD, NEW MYSTERY, AWAKENING AND 3 HOUSES] Kinda. The problem with the fes protagonists is that the story shifts from the war and the geography of the regions to focus on the avatar, for example in Radiant Dawn the story as for a protagonist the conflict and politics after Path of Radiance. Meanwhile Awakening is just Robing trying to not kill Chrom, Fates is a mess and Byleth the divine creature that saves all, even Kris sucks because the story of New Mystery shifted to being ahaha I'm the forgotten fighter instead of actually presenting the war as its main focus.
@@GreatSikoTM yeah I can agree with that a lot, I really like Awakening's first and second acts with how Robin fits this middle ground of being a playable character, but not really overstepping their presence in the plot. But alas later in the story and in future fire emblem games the custom player character ends up becoming a central focus so the setting tends to orbit around them.
Agree, I prefer these types of characters way more than the silent protagonists. Robin >>> Byleth
My first experience with the avatar was FE7, which I felt hit the perfect balance. You were there and you had an impact, but at no point were you ever overshadowing the actual characters of the story. Fates would have worked better if you didn't get to customize Corrin and the other characters weren't just there to kiss the ground Corrin walked on. Getting rid of the idea of a self insert posing as the main character could have given all the characters a real chance to be better written.
@@mimien
Robin > Byleth >>>>>> Corrin
To me, the secret to Awakening's success was the way the gameplay systems and story complimented each other and made each other better. Taken on its own, many hardcore Fire Emblem fans consider Awakening's story to be one of the weakest in the series. But the pair-up mechanic, marriage and child system, and support conversations served a story whose theme was about the strength of the bonds between the characters. When the characters start talking about the ties between them and how their bonds are stronger than destiny, they're not talking about something that is only seen during cutscenes, they're talking about something the player actively participated in whenever they had 2 characters next to each other or whenever they activated a support conversation. The player's gameplay experience and choices were relevant in a way very few games manage. Even the inclusion of the children was buttressed by the way the story integrated time travel. It's very rare for a game's story and gameplay to complement each other to this extent. The sequel didn't manage it. The extra-dimensional base and child characters in Fates were disconnected from the main story and the support conversations didn't have the thematic weight they did in Awakening. This was a big part of why Fates' reception is not a s good as Awakenings. I haven't gotten around to Three Houses yet, but from what I've heard and seen it seems be more like Awakening in the way the story and gameplay complement and enhance each other.
I love the idea of being willing to bend and change what was "emblemlike" in order to give the series one last shot. Awakening is a very good game, it showcases the power of having multiple difficulty options to expand your audience and it gives huge credibility to turn based strategy games when prevailing industry sentiment had such a boner for cranking out more "action" in their rpgs.
But... at the end of the day, I tend to think that the biggest reason for the success was the last point. The team behind Awakening just pumped their everything into this project. Sometimes that kind of work ethic borders on self-destructive, but art is passion, and the most passionate do tend to be remembered in the long run.
Bottom line, Awakening does not have to be your favorite FE game and you don't even have to like it, but it would be foolish to ignore the impact this game had at creating Fire Emblem fans. This game had so much love and thought poured into it, and the developers really considered how to make this a grand showcase of the series just in case this was the franchise's last hurrah. I always like to describe Awakening as, "simple, with depth." The game is inviting, not overly complicated, and the barrier to entry is low. At the same time, there is an impressive amount of depth to be found below the simple surface. How do supports turn your army into fleshed out characters, what is the best pairing which yields the best child units, do I make pairing decisions based on unit effectiveness or based on my favorite character pairs; the list of thoughtful choices one can get lost in with Awakening is pretty darn large.
My Stance, basically. I really don’t like it myself for a variety of reasons, I don’t even recommend people start with it if they want to try the series, yet I’m glad. It kept the franchise alive. It brought in more people to experience the rest of the series. I respect it for that. I have to.
Fire Emblem is not a dating sim. People with that mindset are ruining Fire Emblem. I praise Awakening for popularizing FE in the west, for its art style and game play. If the reason you like it is the marriage/child mechanic you are not a Fire Emblem fan
i agree with this. also i would add that the graphics of the game were also a plus to make it a success, because it’s one of the best looking game on the 3ds when looking back at it and this also made it more appealing for new fans. i remember when i first tried the demo, i was sold at first glance with the overall aesthetic of the game which is imo the best one of the franchise.
@@dynastygirl2912 If you like the superior customization you have to like the pairing and child mechanic to some degree. Especially Fates with its many different seals. Though I think we should lose the My Castle kissing minigames for good lol
@@CarbonMalite no I don’t have to like the pairing and child mechanic to like the customization, thats spoken like a true simp who just wants to collect waifus. It wasn’t a needed addition, at all. Before you argue “well Genealogy had that” you’re correct but unlike awakening it was actually a part of the storyline, it was required because the first generation of characters get bbq’d by my boy Arvis but not only that you basically had to pair the characters a certain way or you rendered the resulting child useless. In awakening it honestly doesn’t matter in the long run who you pair and the child mechanic is OPTIONAL. It’s not required at all
I found Awakening at the point in my life where I thought nothing would get better. And even if it only was a game, I was entirely enamored by each and every character. I've replayed the game so many times, and bought it three times for various 3DS systems. It gave me something to look forward to each day, and I still consider FE to be my favorite game franchise. I've played every game they've released since, and have started my journey through playing the older releases as well. Awakening is not my favorite game in the series (I really loved Echoes) but it will forever be the one closest to my heart.
fire emblem awakening was the whole reason i even became a fire emblem fan in the first place . 😌
Same. Bought it because I thought Robin was cool and it solicited me as a fan
@@librathebeautifulwarmonk1283 wow Really i thought the same 😃
Same
@@frostfall407 cool
Same! I used to love Roy and Marth in smash, and had no way of everrrr playing the games until Awakening came out.
Then I had a fire emblem gate keeper stalk me because he found out I was a "casual player in need of fixing" but that's a whole other can of worms
"To tell you the truth, it was a very big surprise... I still don't understand why it was such a success..."
I'm willing to bet the MARKETING had something to do with that since previous entries barely had any to begin with. Nintendo marketed the game like a Triple A title, and as a result, it practically sold like one.
No, "Awakening" being successful because of marketing is a myth that haters of the game try to impose in order to take credit away from the game itself.
The fact is that "Awakening" didn't have a particularly strong marketing campaign behind it. It wasn't among the most anticipated 3DS games of its year, nor even the most anticipated 3DS JRPG of 2012-13 (that was "Bravely Default").
It's true that it had a bigger marketing push that previous entries, but only:
A) After the game became a surprise hit in Japan.
B) Even then, it was only a B-tier launch marketing campaign. Nothing that would ensure such a massive success on its own.
Let's not forget that Nintendo was so unsure of the game's success that they didn't even localize it internally.
The problem with that is that marketing alone CANNOT save a series. If the game was poorly received that would have killed the series right then and there as sell records are not the only thang taken into account when it comes to making another game.
The fact that awakening was a well made game that has a good story and characters and a great entry point for new players and fair to not that great players is what really made this game popular. Most people will look up reviews before buying a game that is not that well known before hand and because it was getting great reviews more people were getting the game then ever expected. And as XanderVJ said the marketing angle is incorrect as it wasn’t until fates that they went all out for FE adds and awakenings advertising was only good here because of the positive response in Japan.
I do believe I mentioned it on this channel, but I'll say it again: Awakening was my inauguration into the series, thanks to my late Girlfriend giving it to me at my Eagle Scout Court of Honor as a present. Unfortunately, she committed suicide, due to drama related to her friend circle. I won't ever forget her, and Awakening will always hold a special place in my heart
Awakening might not be my cup of tea but I can definitely see why other people love it. It's a very solid game that isn't afraid of being just what it is.
You’re not wrong, I was like a tiny kid who loved this series and well shadow dragon was my first. However, as soon as awakening was announced, I swear this whole community became hype.
This game is what got me into the series. I’d been exposed to Fire Emblem a few times over more than a decade, seeing the old sites on the feed of new games back when Nintendo (among many other companies) actually put effort into the official sites, Stumbling across Marth in Melee and wondering what Zelda game he was from because he didn’t get his own stage, Loving how Ike played in Brawl, and seeing snippets of GBA Fire Emblem on the TH-cam Channel Whoisthisgit. Eventually, around 2014 or so, I saw Projared’s video about the best RPGs not from Square Enix, it’s been a while, but I think Fire Emblem Awakening was number one on that list, whatever placement it was, it was towards the top, and I decided to try the game’s demo after seeing that video. I quickly fell in love with the game just from the demo, and continued enjoying it after I purchased the game (even if it was incredibly frustrating at points). When I saw the reveal of Fire Emblem Fates, I was incredibly excited, got the game shortly after its release, and developed some _incredibly_ mixed feelings about it, as for every good idea the game had, there was a bad one, and for every stupid decision there was a legitimately good one, resulting in a game I overall liked, but other people would think I despised because of the mountain of criticism I have for it, I know my Mother thinks/thought I hated it. Then Shadows of Valentia was announced, and I was quick to try that out as well, and loved the story and some of the new mechanics, but _hated_ the archaic map design. I also tried out Heroes, it’s decent. Somewhere in the middle of all that, I picked up Tokyo Mirage Sessions, which I enjoyed (aside from Pheros, my god that boss is awful). After my previous experiences with the series, the reveal of Three Houses had me concerned: I liked the darker story of SoV, and the school setting of this new game seemed to be doubling down on the parts of Fates and Awakening that I didn’t like as much. I wanted a darker story, and I didn’t want to have child units for a while after the terrible way they were implemented in Fates. Do you know when I realized I was going to like Three Houses? It was when I saw the opening flashback on the TH-cam channel GameXplain. Seeing Seiros’ face smeared with blood immediately addressed my concerns about the tone of the story. Once the game came out, I fell in love with it very quickly, and it’s not just my favorite Fire Emblem game, but one of my favorite video games. I’m still waiting for the next game, hoping it’s a remake of Genealogy of the Holy War so I can play the inspiration for my favorite game in the series legally, and hopefully with Shadows of Valentia levels of quality presentation.
With you there on FE3H. One of my fav games ever.
I find this infuriating. You mentioned a list of best non Square Enix RPG's. I literally hate every game they do. I cannot get in to any Final Fantasy. 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 15. Couldn't get in to any of them. Kingdom Hearts, Nier, Trials of Mana. I love Action JRPG's, I thought Nier Automata looked amazing but then I didn't enjoy it.
It actually took me until Ara Fell at 40 years old to get in to menu turn based RPG's because I had never enjoyed any Square games. It also took Ys and Tales of to get me in to AJRPG's.
I tried DQ 11 but again it was boring. It doesn't seem to matter what decade they're from, I just can't get in to them.
FF9 was absolutely raved about. Annoying rat, even more annoying Tinman, awful colours and textures and a lame copy of Orko from He Man. Horrible dialogue. Clunky as hell.
I just do not like that companies games. I find it near impossible to understand their success.
IS picked a god, prayed, and the series was reborn, so I guess this was a pretty good move
And after this they nearly crashed it on the rocks but then saved the series a SECOND time pretty crazy
I remember being a middle schooler and bonding with a new friend over the Fire Emblem Awakening demo on the 3DS, saving up, and then heading over to GameStop to buy our copies. There was a good many months of fun playing together and sharing teams on Streetpass. For all its faults, FE Awakening will still hold a special place in my heart as my favorite (and first) Fire Emblem.
Not to mention that I still listen to the OST to this day, dear lord does it slap!
As an Awakening baby, I think there was just a whole lot of things about the game that appealed to me, but I think one major aspect is the way the game encourages customisation and replayability, and the overall feminisation of the franchise. Being able to mould my avatar however I want, and pair up characters however I chose for both story and gameplay reasons, really made each playthrough seem different. While the story is definitely not perfect, the children were, in my opinion, a really heart-tugging cornerstone of the plot, and that reveal scene with Chrom and Lucina always makes me feel a little emotional every time. It's an aspect of the game that is hard to replicate, because the plot only really makes it work here; Fates had a way messier implementation of the system.
The art style is amazing in this game, and the music is also great. Pair up is a broken mechanic, sure, and the plot needed an editor to focus it, but for what it's worth, Awakening is a worthy game to the series and one I have so many fond memories of. I'm currently playing a Gay Awakening mod at the moment and the possibilities that's opened up is really cool.
"Feminisation"? I'm...unsure of what you mean by this part. Sorry, just saw it and was confused.
@@ramenbomberdeluxe4958 I read it as the heavier emphasis on relationships between characters, kind of like a dating sim that has turn-based combat instead of a visual novel as the main gameplay. The addition of more social aspects to the newer games (running around the school and interacting with the students) added could fall under "feminisation" as it broadens focus from just war and combat (more traditionally associated with the male demographic) to the lives and personalities of the characters, which can be enjoyed by any player and not having any traditional association.
Sorry to the OP if I'm wrong, but the wording also got me thinking and that's my best explanation, feel free to add or correct anything if I'm mistaken.
@@ramenbomberdeluxe4958 he’s saying he likes the rpg focus awakening took, as opposed to a more strategy focus.
@@petermaguire8139 I definitely think this game appeals to those who like dating sims, so I think your explanation fits.
The artist, Yūsuke Kozaki, is still one of my favorites. I recently picked up AI: The Somnium files just because I love his work.
I'm... one of those people who got into Fire Emblem because of Awakening. The demo is what gave me a taste, and then I got the game for my birthday and fell head over heels for it. So much, I played it twice, and it stood for a time as my most-played 3DS title with over 200 hours (I think). As I continue to stay a fan of Fire Emblem, I always look back to Awakening as my all-time favorite, it will always hold a special place in my heart~
I'm an awakening baby...so proud of it...can't believe it...ten years have gone by...more power to you...and I do agree...this is the main reason why we still have fire emblem...so ecstatic...😀
Awakening is quite possibly my favorite video game of all time. I was a casual Fire Emblem before Awakening but it wasn't til I played Awakening that Fire Emblem became my favorite Video Game franchise of all time. I will always be grateful to it. Silly as it sounds, I think it was the support conversations combined with the personal Avatar character that really sold me. These weren't just characters to me. They were my friends, my comrades in arms. Their hurts, pains, regrets, became mine as well. Cordelia's support chain with Robin in particular moved me to tears and helped me work through internal pain in my own life.
That demo was what sold me on the game. I'd never come across anything from the series before and kind of just downloaded it at random to play out camping one night. I think I ended up playing that through about three or four times before the game was released. There was something about just the mechanics, the character designs, the dialogue, and oh those cutscenes that just clicked with me. Naturally I've poured hundreds of hours into the game, and while it's certainly got it's flaws, I still love it to pieces. There's just so much heart in it really.
I hate those confession scenes so much though, they're so awkward. The Three Houses ones are such a step up.
Awakening was such a great experience, I'm one if those players who tried the demo and shortly after bought the full game. After that I bought all the dlc, older games, new games as they came out, played feh, and now I'm eagerly awaiting the next game.
What sucked me in Awakening was the supports. It was simple but efficient in gaining my interest and then getting me sucked into the gameplay. Then I got all of Fates and then 3 Houses. Now I’m waiting for the next big entry. Never looked back since.
I recommend Path of radiance and radiant dawn. The story is perfect
i think awakening will always remain my favorite of the series. Fates was what got me interested in the game, but awakening i decided to play first. chrom remains one of my favorite characters in any video game, and the ost is still, in my opinion, the overall strongest (though sov is up there too). overall the style of the game, the idea of the shepherds being a ragtag group, remains the most appealing to me. like i said though, sov is really a very close second to me, and i think the two are very similar
Fates is what got me into the game, I didn’t play awakening after I played all three of the fates games, but awakening was definitely my favorite of the two. My favorite on the 3DS though was echos, i liked the mechanics more
@@thecharmer5981 I played them in order. Awakening, Fates and Echoes. But yeah I agree, Echoes ended up being my favorite as well. Didn't really even care too much that it was fully voiced, but the voice acting and music was just fantastic, especially for a 3DS game. And the DLC classes were so godly looking and broken. Loved it all.
Yeah same. I actually bought Fates Birthright by accident thinking it was Awakening (I had played the demo for Awakening a while back and I just forgot the title, so when I saw a new-ish looking FE game I just bought that one LMAO) and I ended up loving it. I bought Conquest shortly after, and then Shadows of Valentia. I never got to play Awakening because my 3DS got messed up, but I just recently bought Three Houses and I'm super hooked yet again.
@@khoshekh7419 you should really go back and play awakening, it’s not as good as echos or TH but it’s an amazing game
Did not expect that 8 year old me playing a demo of this random rpg I was interested in would then completely alter my life lol. I need to replay it some day soon…
Awakening was my intro to the series. I was absolutely enthralled by the vivid characters and fun gameplay. When I finished my first playthrough I remember feeling moved, like I had just watched a TV series that was created with a lot of care and passion. It started my love for the franchise and spurred me to play any other fire emblem I could get my hands on. I think this video is possibly the best answer to the "how it saved the series" question. I'm glad it did, since I would have missed out on so many great stories had it not.
(Lucina best girl)
“Fire Emblem: Children from the Brink” sounds so frigging awesome and I low-key wish that was the name we got for the game.
Would be a pain in the ass to abbreviate though. "CFTB"? "CFB"?
FE: Awakening was definitely the Swan Song that reached my heart.
I never knew about Fire Emblem outside of Smash Bros. and was even half convinced Marth, Roy, and Ike were Smash Bros. original characters. Yeah, no kidding.
So when I learned about FE:A, I didn't really pay that much attention to it. Even playing the demo I wasn't sold on it. That was, until my brother told me something about the game that would change my life.
Marriage.
I'm not kidding, my interest in the game skyrocketed and convinced me to try the game because of the marriage system. After all, at that point in time, there weren't many games that featured romance as a choice or mechanic, much less both. (At least, not many games that weren't Rated M or AO.) So when I learned about Awakening's feature of not only being able to make your own character, but then being able to MARRY your favorite girl/boy, and even more so, have a child come from the future to help you in the war!?
Shut up and take my money! (Was basically my response, except I didn't have any money to spend at the time cuz I was only, like, 14?)
I was definitely a late bloomer to the game too, since I played and finished it just before Fates was announced, but I fell in love with the game, and for the most part, the series much later.
So yeah, this game means a lot to me, and learning about it's development was definitely interesting. Thanks for this video, it was a cool topic to learn about!
(Fun fact: FE: Awakening almost made me cry the first time I played it. The ending choked me up a bit.)
EDIT: Just to clear some things up, after re-reading this. I didn't have money, but my brother did. He got the game and I borrowed it.
How it changed my life is it influenced greatly my interest in video games, and the quality behind them. It also introduced to me the intrigue of difficulty in video games- that challenge was enjoyable, not a burden. Just thought I'd clear that up.
Bro, i'm sorry but touch some grass
@@zachh2864 ufck-y oyuself-y
I couldn't help laughing at the phrase "This is want we wanted Awakening to be" being used while showing Lucina in a swimsuit
This is a really great video. I was one of those that got hooked by Awakening and fell in love with it but still preferred the simple Shadow Dragon approach and loathed FE7 back then. Being torn between the 2 warring sides of elitist and Awakening babies which I stood in the center of. Now everything has changed and I treasure them all as good games that offer different enjoyment. It was fun seeing the community grow.
Fire Emblem: Awakening has quite possibly some of the deepest cast members in the entire franchise. Since you can get as many supports as you want on a file besides S I have been trying to max out every support in the game. I now only have 4 child characters left who just need to mark out their fathers. The supports and customisation are what keep me coming back. It sucks as a strategy game but absolutely BANGS as a do-whatever sandbox that lets you shape the narrative with pairings and child characters.
I'm an Awakening baby and my first experience with it was standing in the video game aisle of my local Target in February of 2013 trying to pick out a new 3ds game. I saw the cover art and thought it looked cool so I picked it. I fell in love with the game instantly and replayed it over and over again. Even after playing several other releases in the series (both old and new) it remains one of my favorites because of how intertwined the story and mechanics are. Not to mention the godly ost.
I loved the GBA games but it wasn't until Awakening that I truly got seriously into Fire Emblem. This game did so many things I personally enjoy and many of which have carried into the games that came after. This was a great video for truly understanding what Awakening did and what went into it.
For me, it was Sacred Stones that got me into the series, solely because I got it for free from the 3DS Nintendo Ambassador program and decided to give it a shot. I bought Awakening without really looking at marketing because I had really enjoyed the gameplay and characters in Sacred Stones. Oddly, though, the game failed to truly grab me and I stopped shortly after the chapter in which Chrom's sister died. It took Three Houses for me to get interested in the series again.
Edit: I actually wanted to amend this. I cracked open my old Awakening file, and it turns out that I actually stopped on Chapter 15 with like 50 hours into it. Apart from getting distracted by other things in my life, I think I got a bit overwhelmed by the idea of optimizing the children and burnt myself out a bit. I started another file for fun and am trying to resist the allure of crafting another Gale Force army.
THIS WAS SUCH AN GOOD VIDEO. I felt the excitement through watch it, feeling how it was and now being happy where we are at. Thanks a lot King!
Honestly, as a "semi veteran" (Sacred Stones was my first game, though I've played every game in the series), what appealed to me the most about Awakening was the addition of casual mode! xD I like the stories of the FE games, but I'm a terrible strategist, so I''d always get frustrated while playing. Being able to play the game without worry drove my engagement with the game. I'm so glad modern FE games have casual mode. Awakening remains my favorite FE game for that reason.
Sacred Stones was my first game as well!
I miss the Tellius days. I know I sound like a cranky boomer, but Awakening amd everything after just don't do it for me. My first FE game was Radiant Dawn. Seeing all the references to the Mad Kings War and having to put the pieces together myself, without knowing that the game I was playing was a sequel, was an unforgettable experience. Hearing about Sothe's tales of General Ike. Seeing him reconnect with friends from the war. Thinking Tormod was the boss while Maurim was the strong, silent body guard. Meeting the Black Knight as Micaiah's savior only to be thrown for a loop when Sothe is afraid of him and hates him. Hearing Elincia pine over Ike and then seeing the hero I had only heard legends about swoop in to save Lucia. Knowing immediately from that cutscene that Shinon and Gatrie would be my favorites. Then one day, I found an emulated FE7 on a Windows phone my sister gave me. A whole world opened up as I had to know everything about the series. I had to play Path of Radiance to truly understand each of the Greil Mercenaries. Then I had to play through Radiant Dawn again to get it all. So many pieces just fell into place. It's the kind of magic that I don't think the series will ever give me again.
One of the biggest factor you didn't mention was its critics. This game got amazing reviews and it ended being one of the best reviewed game on the 3ds. Otherwise good video. In my personal experience I got into this game and the franchise due to friends recommending it and I remember seeing a nice discount earlier to the smash game for the 3ds.
I was still in high school when awakening came out, that was AGES ago
Don't you just love hearing about these tales of game developers pulling off something amazing, therefore making a game that either broke new limits, or was just a very well done game?
I can appreciate awakening for what it is, I still prefer the GBA games and the Tellius series, but Awakening (and I’d argue Three Houses as well) brought this series to many more people.
Great video as usual man, love the depth you take the videos along with the passion. Really dig anytime you do character analysis or support sciences.
Awakening, Fates and 3H all brought more players to the series than the last 1 as all 3 of them got the title of "best selling game in the series" when they came out, while that's not even counting the impact Heroes did as well.
Awakening is an interesting one for me; I picked it up when I was a few years into college out of curiosity and a bit of hope. I've been a fan for a while; Sacred Stones was the first one of the series I was able to get and I really enjoyed the Radiant Duology, but after Shadow Dragon, I was concerned that the series was going the way of Metroid or F-Zero.
While Awakening is far from perfect, and there were some things it brought to the series that I wasn't totally sold on (I'm not a -huge- fan of avatar characters, myself), it made a huge difference for the franchise.
Hey, I’m currently replaying Awakening! I always come back to this game every once in a while. It has a lot of replayability 😁
In addition to what you said I think another big thing that helped Awakening was that it was the first FE to come out after social media really hit its stride, allowing for an even greater spread of word of mouth. The pairing mechanic also helped to facilitate discussion of the game which helped it spread even further.
I had already played most FE games that were out at the time Awakening came out (started with Shadow Dragon DS and worked my way through the other games via emulators and borrowing from friends) so I was already a bit of a veteran. Awakening just hit the right spot for me and after all these years I consider it my favorite game just because of the impact it had and me loving the cast. Awakening came out right as I was finishing up highschool and starting college so that helped it be a big part of my life.
No game has ever been carried by an OST as hard as awakening and I’m here for it
Fire Emblem Fates thooo. Lol
I disagree. I dont think the ost carried the game, as many things about Awakening made it great. I agree with this if it were fates as mentioned above.
@@Kado_the_Avo ???? You ever pick up the game and look at the mechanical depth it has? That’s madness
Awakening is a very special game to me. It was my first Fire Emblem game and it really helped me get through a rough time in my life. I'm actually replaying Awakening right now and i'm thoroughly enjoying it. I love the music, I love the characters, I love the visuals, and I love making wacky character builds. I can acknowledge it's flaws like it's love of ambush spawns, several infuriating maps, and the tedium of grinding for skills without DLC, but I still think it's a fabulous game and is up there with some of my all time favorites.
Your avatar is so detailed and full of reference as if it could fit in as its own fire emblem character, or even suikoden. I'm usually embarrassed by TH-camr avatars but I'm surprised to find that yours is actually good.
I like that fact that your thumbnail is extremely relevant to the topic
Awakening will never be my favorite, but this video helped me to appreciate it better and give it more credit than I thought it originally deserved.
This is how you make a case for a game's popularity despite the controversy it created later.
The thumbnail immediately made me think of the Together We Ride parody
Awakening was my introduction to the series, and it didnt happen until well after the release of Fates in the west. Id become interested in the series after seeing people talk about it online since i like fantasy stories, as well as the characters included in smash bros being interesting to me, and so I began asking around (on ifunny of all places lol) where i should start. most people recommended Awakening as the best experience for a newcomer, so I spent a while scouring stores for copies until i found one. Despite the flaws, I immediately fell in love with the story and characters, and its since become one of my all time favourite video games. Everything from the games themes that clicked with me, to the banger sound track, really cemented it as an experience that will live in my heart forever
For everyone who complains about how Awakening started the decline of perma death and other trends in the series, at least Awakening (and in a way, Fates) kinda had the unit numbers to sustain the system. I know I want to see perma death return to it's rightful glory, and I'm one of those people who is STILL struggling with the tendency to reset after losing a unit! Basically, I wish we could find a balance like Awakening had between good characters and sizeable unit rosters again, not extremes with barely any units or extremes that were necessary in the old days that made most units either limited in dialogue or barely saying a word if at all.
I frankly don't get why people have a problem with resets when a unit dies. It doesn't make the game any easier...
@@MrGksarathy Right!? On the other side of the spectrum, some people complain that "but you'll just reset so why bother being on classic!?", even though you can just...NOT do that? Again, I should know how this feels since I struggle to not do that myself, trust me! But thats not the games fault-
More importantly, New Mystery started it.
@@ramenbomberdeluxe4958 Honestly, when you think about it, Permadeath is a weird concept. It doesn't add anything to the gameplay; it just makes mistakes and bad RNG hurt more. If you are good at the game (and don't get unlucky), you probably won't worry about it too much. I think that is why IS has such a hard time trying to balance Permadeath vs mechanics that undo mistakes.
I'm ok with the current timewheel/pulse system, still have to reset if someone dies but with a few do-overs in case of a mistake (or in my case, accidentally press "sothis shield" again)
This wasn’t my first FE game. Instead, I played it in 2016 when a new friend realized we were both fans of FE. I hadn’t touched Fire Emblem in a couple years (I only ever had FE7 and 8, and played them to death as a kid) and it absolutely reignited that childhood love I had for the series. It brought me into the rabbit hole, and I haven’t looked back since. It’s been a fun ride, and videos like this remind me how much I love this series. Thank you for another look into the development of these games, Ghast. I can’t wait for more videos like this!
Awakening was my first FE game back in 2013, it was fun, and I bought all the DLC. Then I encountered the FE fandom online, got influenced by the elitist fans and started shitting on Awakening for real or perceived flaws, all while playing some older games like RD and Blazing Sword. Then, I calmed down a bit, and after playing and hating Fates, I realized Awakening, while extremely easy and lacking quite a bit of depth, wasn't all that bad.
Also, I love the Outrealm lore Awakening added that set the stage for everything that came after.
I never understood the hate on the Awakening Babies. I'd been with the series since 2003, but it was always so weird seeing everyone shit on people who got into the newest game on GameFAQs. I'm honestly glad for Awakening since it gave me Inigo/Laslow (my favorite character in the entire series and the only character in any piece of fiction whom I could relate with and felt as though he was tailor made for me) and it made the series continue. I mean, I shit on 3H since I feel its gameplay is particularly lackluster, but anything that brings in new fans and allows the series to continue can never be bad. I might not like 3H, but it brought in money and more fans which means more people can enjoy the series and we all get more games. It's a win-win; just like Awakening was.
Tangent aside, I'm glad Awakening is finally getting some of the love it deserved. Popular opinion of Fates being the worst thing ever is finally shifting a bit too (especially since that game too is often overly hated for its story despite its gameplay being so fresh and so clean clean).
@@GreekDudeYiannis Gameplay for Fates was fine, but no gameplay can make up for the dumpster fire that was the plot, unfortunately. It made it much less fun, despite how Fates balanced the Pair Up mechanic and made enemy units a pain. If only Conquest wasn't the route that got the best gameplay.
As for Three Houses, I've always considered the game near perfect, but you do you. Fódlan to me felt like the most living, breathing world that any FE game had created, and unlike the others, the world building details were in the game itself as opposed to developer interviews you needed other fans to translate.
@@MrGksarathy I'm in the opposite camp. I liked 3H's story, but the good writing couldn't cover up for the fact that the gameplay was lackluster to me. It was hard for me to care about the world when I wasn't having fun playing the game. To this day, it's the only FE I've ever felt burnt out after playing. I can play all 3 routes of Fates back to back no problem, but getting through all 4 routes of 3H was kinda painful. Despite the interesting world, I have no desire to revisit it simply because the gameplay was just so...eh.
@@GreekDudeYiannis Wow, that was not my perspective. How could you get through even one route of Fates? I just could not. It was that unfun and unrewarding.
@@MrGksarathy I play FE for the gameplay first and story second. Don't get me wrong, I like me a good story, but if I wanna read/watch a good story, I'd get a book/movie. I play a game cause I wanna play. A good story doesn't make meh/boring gameplay better than the sum of it's parts.
Oddly enough, I've been with the series since the GBA titles in 2003 and Fates is my favorite of the entire franchise. Conquest in particular got the cleanest gameplay of the entire series, and I much prefer Fates' handling if the route split in comparison to 3H.
I don't wanna make this a big long post, but I have some major issues with 3H:
-~75% of the content is recycled between all 4 routes
-Route Split occurs over halfway through the game and the remaining 6-10 chapters hardly differ between routes (literally AM, SS, and VW have the same chapter progression up until Chapter 17 and that's only because SS lacks the Gronder Fight)
-SS and VW are practically identical
-choosing a different house doesn't change White Clouds in any meaningful way beyond dialogue (I guess characters too, but I recruited all the possible students on my first playthrough and could just rerecruit them for every subsequent one)
-Paralogues heavily recycle maps from the story and even between other paralogues (Sylvain, Annette, and Felix all use the same map, Ferdinand/Lysithea use the same map as Constance/Yuri, Marianne uses the same as Bernadette, etc.)
-Every objective is either Kill commander or Rout Enemy (no defending, escaping, or seizing)
-Map design is pretty standard/uninspired/uncomplicated throughout the game
-Golden Deer kinda does nothing with Claude's unique heritage or motivation and his final boss comes out of nowhere
-After doing the math, there's only 39 maps in total in the entire game, 13 of which we only see once while the rest are consistently recycled (including DLC) which lags behinds Fates' 76 unique maps that are only ever encountered once (before DLC). 3H has a total of 84 chapters with DLC whereas Fates has 96 before DLC.
-if we wanna get technical, that number for 3H unique maps drops since you have to replay White Cloud's each time to even get to the route split
-The promotion systems makes all the classes fairly homogeneous with the only thing differentiating them being what Faire skills they have
-Removing the weapon triangle and which weapons are unique to which class makes having different weapon types redundant to begin with
-Combat Arts and Battalions are only ever useful on Maddening, otherwise they serve no purpose.
-Crests don't really make that much if a difference in battle, especially towards late game.
-Monastery becomes a repetitive and pointless chore after the time skip and subsequent playthroughs
-3H DLC is kinda lame too; it adds in a 7 chapter side story, 4 classes that were introduced in Awakening or earlier and had been featured in games since, some more units, and some costumes. I mean, the 5 extra characters were neat, but nothing amazing.
I could go on, but those are some of the main issues I have with 3H specifically. But I've also been with the series for a while so I can understand why so many people are enraptured by this game. The writing is certainly some of the best in the series to be sure, but in my opinion, that's all it really has going for it.
Awesome video as always Ghast! I was a bit surprised there was nothing in there about the fantastic audio quality and a soundtrack bangin' enough for a vinyl release. Fates and Echoes sounded very muggy to me, I wondered what changed?
Let's be real here. The game that saved the Fire Emblem series was Smash Bros.
ooh, an excuse to talk about my awakening experience! (from what i’ve seen it’s pretty similar to a lot of other people in the comments, but i’ll still do it)
i had it recommended to me by a very close friend sometime in summer 2013! i’d gotten a 3DS for christmas in 2012, but i hadn’t used it much because i was pretty content to replay the same 4 or 5 games on my older DS systems so i figured it would be a good chance to actually use the new one, since i didn’t want to just let it sit there. i’d never heard of fire emblem, or even played a strategy game other than board games like battleship, or risk. (or chess, although i could only ever beat my younger siblings at chess.) but i fell in love with awakening INSTANTLY. the characters, the story, the music, everything. gameplay-wise, it’s been wild replaying it nowadays after years of fire emblem experience and realizing how easy it was, although bad strategist that i am i don’t think i would’ve been able to actually enjoy it that first time if it had been any harder and i think a big part of awakening’s success is that it was accessible to people like me who would’ve given up on any other fire emblem game after a few chapters.
also i got into it during a bad time in my life (parents were 2 years into their messy divorce, i was 15 and in high school, you know how it is) and because of all that the themes of love, friendship, and family were a huge comfort, and the game was (and still is!) one of my biggest sources of joy. although i’ve played other games since then that are better, i’ll never be able to take the title of favorite game away from awakening because no other game has affected me as much as awakening did. plus it introduced me to fire emblem, and while i’ve still only played the modern titles so far, i have plans to get into the older games (even forked over the money for secondhand copies of fe9 and 10)!
I'm not the biggest fan of the more "weabb-like" aspect FEA brought to the series. Specially the focus on waifu/husbando culture, with the marriage system etc.
Even them, i'm pretty happy about this direction being taken. As much as I dislike it, it was what was necessary to bring FE to a bigger audience, and the series could live on to make INCREDIBLE games, like FE3H, my absolute favorite even with those new elements I dislike.
The franchise has come a long way, and Awakening is probably the single reason it still lives!
Nice in-depth video. Good work
Dialing up the anime and good marketing are key reasons it sold. The game actually being good, fun, and more open to knew players is what saved the series.
i only knew of fire emblem because of smash bros melee. path of radiance and radiant dawn were hard to find so i never got to play them. so my first fire emblem game was awakening. and i fell in love instantly. its still my favorite of the FE games that have came afterwords. so i will always remember that this was the game that made me love the franchise.
The Tharja thing is only censored in the US, not in EU
As critical as I often am of the games story and some of its characters, I will forever be grateful to Awakening for saving the series I love and did back then feared had issues. I remember constantly checking to see when New Mystery would be announced for the West. Those were indeed dark days. Well, it’s always nice to say that I loved fire emblem before it was cool.
My first Fire Emblem game was Three Houses. I loved the difficulty of maddening mode so much that Thracia was my 2nd game followed by Genealogy(I remember saying "is that Ced's dad?" when I saw Lewyn the first time) Awakening was my 4th and my experience was "why did peole call this game skill emblem when you literally cannot double or crit without a skill in Genealogy"
Apparently Binding Blade HM is pretty difficult too.
While Awakening was the first mainline Fire Emblem game that I was made aware of thanks to an acquaintance in high school, it wasn't the first Fire Emblem game I've played nor is it my favorite in the series. The former was Path of Radiance on an emulator and the latter flip flops between FE4, Sacred Stones, one of the Tellius games and/or Three Houses depending on my mood.
That being said, I enjoyed it for what it is due to it having an entertaining narrative, some good build variety for each unit and having a large amount of side content. The fact that it helped boost the popularity of one of my current favorite gaming IPs when it wasn't doing so hot financially is enough for me to respect it for it's legacy.
Edit: Fixed sentences and grammar
Excellent video as always, Ghast! 👏 I think my first experience with Fire Emblem Awakening was December 2014 as a birthday gift from my grandparents, and have been enjoying the game despite its flaws ever since (though, I still to this day have yet to finish the game simply due to me being incredibly lazy)! It really is fascinating on how the developers thought of ways to introduce newcomers to the series while still keeping veterans (more, or less) satisfied. The pair-up feature was an interesting new mechanic (even if it was beyond broken. Fates/If greatly improved it in my opinion by allowing enemies to team up as well). It does suck that Awakening did receive some changes via localization (though not laughably bad like Western Fates/If), such as character personality swaps, removal of playing as a mute avatar, though it’s a bit understandable, less voice options, changing foods (because other cultures don’t exist, am I right), and of course the infamous, and pointless curtain “covering” Tharja’s “offensive” tush (which is primarily the reason why I hate these kinds of changes when it comes to localizing anything as it can often lead to misleading information on the artists’ original vision), etc. Despite all of that, I’m glad that at the end, Awakening was able to rescue the FE franchise regardless how polarizing the game itself may be! Sorry you’ve been having a cold lately, Ghast. Hope you make a full recovery soon! 🙏
"This picture shows all the things we wanted to put in if we were given the chance to work on Awakening again"
My eyes cannot believe the picture I was thus shown
Fire Emblem Awakening is not my favorite FE, not by a long shot.
But I am glad it introduced casual mode and avatars. The series needed more accessibility, and if Three Houses is anything to go by, splitting up the protagonist to the player avatar, and the main character to the lord, allows for more interesting characterization on the part of the lord. As they can have the avatar be the relatable protagonist, giving the main character more room, to do more interesting and unique stuff.
Casual mode is also why I believe Conquest could get away with the encounter design it had.
It didn't introduce avatar and casual it was new mystery who did
@@LesGrosPiedsDeDeejay Technically FE7 introduced avatars :P But my point is that I dont mind FE being more accessible to more people. As long as they don't water down my experience. A wide variety of settings is a good thing.
as someone who started on Sacred Stones:
WHAT DO YOU MEAN AWAKENING IS ALMOST 10 YEARS OLD?!?!?!
I felt my bones turning to dust hearing that
Madhouse was behind the cutscene animations?! No wonder they were so beautiful.
Gosh I still LOVE Awakening. Friend of mine let me try it on his 3DS years back, and I was hooked ever since.
The accessibility of Awakening made me fall in love with Fire Emblem and tactics rpgs as a whole. Before I also found then too intimidating.
My first FE was Blazing Sword on the GBA but Awakening was really my first deep dive into the series and I have been a big fan ever since. This video is really making me want to revisit Awakening!
It was my entry point into the series, and to this day it's still my favorite. That presentation *slaps* (even if Echoes imo beats it).
Lucina best girl all day every day
"Lucina best girl" Amen brother
Can't say u wrong. Several second besto tho.
I can understand why, she is very pretty and a great character. But my favorite girl from Awakening has been Tharja for two very simple reasons, I find punk and goth chicks very attractive and Nosferatu is broke af.
Played Awakening in 2015, right after playing Radiant Dawn on my Wii U, and holy it was AMAZING, I was STUNNED by the sheer effort and content they've put into the game, it inspired me to complete EVERY single game in the series in the following year, and then Fates, Valentia, Three Houses..Man it was a long run, but definitely it is one of the games that cemented my love and passion for the franchise to this day. Really excited for what they will come up with after Three Houses
It's funny how close I was to being an Awakening baby, but I got a 3DS with some sort of like, early purchase bundle of virtual console games which happened to include Fire Emblem Sacred Stones, it took a couple months to get Awakening after which I just kinda spotted on the shelves at the game store
This game was literally my childhood
It was 100% the marketing, man. When I was 11, but a wee young lad with my brand new 3ds from Christmas that year I didn’t have any games, so I did what any kid would do, and started downloading any free demos I could find. I played through the fire emblem awakening demo so many times that the free trials ran out, and I was begging my parents for the game almost immediately. Almost a decade later and I’m 22 and still a huge fanboy for the series! I’m an awakening baby and proud of it goddamnit!!
My first fire emblem game was Shadow Dragon, and shortly after Awakening. As a result, this franchise is the one that I have consistently played. I wish it was easier to get ahold of older Fire Emblem games because I would love to play all of them eventually.
Wow its kinda disturbing that the tellius series sold that little. Radiant dawn was my first FE game and holds a very special place in my heart, if it wasnt for that game i never would have discovered the beauty that is fire emblem
damn the soundtrack of awakening hits different, i don’t know if it was because it was my first fe game and im just nostalgic of my first experience with the series but each time that hear these calm tracks in the background i feel so relaxed.
I know a lot of people have mixed feelings but I really love this game even for all its flaws.
Makes me want to play Awakening again
Fire Emblem (and dragon quest) taking the torch as real RPG carries after all these years is unbelievable tbh 💯
I still have my original copy of FE A and I still remember my experience with it, what an amazing game from start to finish. I would like other Nintendo franchises to see the awakening revival too. This game felt so fresh so new omg only good memories.
Another aspect which is a lot of the time overlooked is that Awakening probably got a HUGE boost from one of the most popular games of all time: Smash. People who played it would have been introduced to Robin and Lucina, and many people who didn't know about the (somewhat) new Fire Emblem would look up the game to try it.
I remember how I truly got into Fire Emblem. Out of boredom one day I downloaded the Awakening demo. I got to the avatar creation screen, put my 3ds down, and went out and bought the game. I don't recall exactly when I got it, all I know is that it was before Fates.
I remember playing Sacred Stones on an emulator before that, but didn't really become a fan till Awakening. And now? Now I own Sacred Stones, Awakening, Fates, Echos, and Three Houses and a ton of Dlc for all of them. Heck, I've got a nearly 600 hour long NG+ chain on Three Houses. And that's not even mentioning Heroes, which I've been playing since it came out.
Suffice it to say, I've been playing Fire Emblem most of my life and have driven my family quite mad talking about it.
Hey Ghast, thought maybe your latest video would be a good place to ask this. I was wondering if you will do more of your Three Houses X FE videos? I really enjoyed the 2 you did and would love to hear more.
Fantsstic video! Also, does anyone know the source for that Lucina art around 18:10? Looks absolutely stunning.
Fire emblem awakening came out when I was 12 and i remember discovering it distinctly. I got my 3ds at the time, my very first game console that i owned all by myself, the only game I really had at the time was some lego game i barely remember, and i remember constantly checking out the game demo section and then one day the fire emblem awakening Demo was there. It was like nothing I have ever seen before and exploded my little child brain. Awakening is probably still the game I spent the most time playing in total. Before I got rid of my 3ds I remember checking and I think it was around 600 hours in game. I'm glad it was my entryway into one of my favorite series of all time.
awesome vid dude
The bonds the development team forged let them pull through & make this wonderful game. Was my first entry back in 2014 and still love it to this day
I can't believe it's almost been 10 years.
Awakening was what made me decide to take the plunge and get into the series. Before that, the only thing I knew about Fire Emblem was from Smash Bros (boy was I wrong about Marth's personality!) The artwork and class designs were also a major stepping stone in my development as an artist in terms of outfits and armour. I would spend hours studying in-game models and art book concepts to get a better grasp on designing and posing characters.
This game will always be one of my favorite video games of all time. Awakening was my second Fire Emblem game and the one that truly got me into the series. It’s far from perfect but it’s a game I can always go back to and have fun with just like it was my first playthrough.
Marketing is by far the biggest reason for Awakening's success. The only marketing for the previous games was Smash Brothers. The only reason I shelled out $40 as teen for a used copy of Radiant Dawn was because I thought Roy and Marth were cool. Best video game investment I have ever made.
you got FE10 for 40? you got really lucky then lol
@@wildfiresnap I bought it fairly close to its original release date in 2007. The demand did not exist for the game at the time. The prices did not start jumping until after Awakening released.
@@bandit6894 i assumed so. that’s still lucky because you didn’t know they’d start going up
Awakenings was the game that did it for me. also was the most popular game time of over 900 Hrs played on it testing out stuff and being entertained for hours. a friend in school gave it to me to try out cause ive never tried fire emblem now i love the series kinda disappointed nothing can compare to Awakenings which is maddingly almost a decade old now jesus christ i feel old now. its probably the game i will forever hold in my heart as nostalgic. Its simple, fun and enjoyable best way to introduce someone to Fire Emblem to have them learn of the modern stuff.
What’s annoying looking at this is knowing for a fact I would’ve been interested in this series WAAAAAAY beforehand but I didn’t know it existed because Nintendo only made commercials for Mario and Pokémon and sometimes Kirby. If it wasn’t for a friend I made in the military i would still not have ever played these games and got into the series
3 Houses was my first FE game and since I’ve played Echoes, Awakening, and Fates and the only one I truly despised was Echoes. The others were fun with flaws but among them I’ve found Awakening my favorite.
Awakening is GOATED with the sauce, it feels like old FE but with a new little something. I miss it terribly.