Introduction

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is the ninth title in Intelligent Systems' long running series of turn based strategy games (the third to see release outside Japan), and marks the return of the series to home consoles from its highly successful three title stint on the GameBoy Advance. It's got all the things you know and love about Fire Emblem wrapped in a nifty 3D engine with all the benefits that brings; neat animations, a couple of CG cutscnes (with voice acting!), and a whole lot more screen real-estate to cram information into. Its plot follows Ike of the Greil Mercenaries and his unfortunate habit of getting tangled up in things that are bigger than him - notable because Ike is the first Fire Emblem Protagonist™ to not be a noble with implausible fighting skills. So that's something.

Fire Emblem is wonderful because, in stark contrast to its half-brother Advance Wars (or Nintendo Wars if you want to be pedantic), it is a highly character driven game. Each of your units has a name and a face in addition to a class and numbers, they can have conversations, form friendships, undergo Actual Character Development™, and even Die For Real™. In addition to this, its mechanics are nice and simple while not being shallow; all of the numbers that govern combat are visible at all times, formulae are straightforward and human-intelligible, and random numbers are involved only in determining if percentage rolls succeed. Further, there is lots of scope for variation between playthroughs (I'm counting on it!) due to the number of units available and the fact that they often turn out rather differently each time you play.

Fire Emblem is a bit infamous because of pretty much the exact same things. The most common grievance players have is with the way that, if the Gods of Random Number Generation don't like you, your characters can end up wasting entire levels and gaining nothing. The word "unwinnable" shouldn't be used lightly, but enough bad levels can ruin the viability of individual characters, although the sheer number of units and the influx of new units (and the laws of probability) mean your army should even out in the end - should. In addition, the concept of permanent unit death can make the game quite scary at times; many players, myself included, tend to view the loss of even a single unit an unacceptable mistake and will restart entire missions to undo such errors. This can make even the most calculated risks into a daunting prospect.

This LP will be an informative runthrough of Hard Mode (which isn't that hard but still). There will be audience participation according to what has become the "Fire Emblem LP Norm", that is, putting a few team positions in each chapter up for voting when appropriate. Game Mechanics will be explained as we go, although I have a sneaking suspicion that a large percentage of the readership will already be quite well informed.

You may enjoy some of these other Fire Emblem LPs:

Fire Emblem (1): Dark Dragon and the Sword of Light (by DKII)
Fire Emblem (2): Gaiden (by Hafl)
Fire Emblem (4): Genealogy of the Holy War (by Wind God Sety)
Fire Emblem (5): Thracia 776 (by Cake Attack)
Fire Emblem (6): The Sword of Seals (by Artix74)
Fire Emblem (7): Blazing Sword (by Artix74)
Fire Emblem (8): The Sacred Stones (by Katreus)
Fire Emblem (10): Radiant Dawn (by yours truly) _{but you probably shouldn't read it if you haven't played Path of Radiance yet}
Fire Emblem (11): Shadow Dragon (by TenaCrane)

You may also enjoy these Advance Wars LPs:

Advance Wars (by Paul.Power)
Advance Wars 2 (by Paul.Power)
Advance Wars: Dual Strike (by Alkydere)
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (by Seraphroy)

Fan Stuff

A Daein patrol was wiped out. Reports are sketchy, but one witness offered this impression of the attacker. (by McGwee)

Damnit, Marty, this isn't Thracia, Build doesn't work that way, mounted units can't be carried, and how the hell did you get her to agree to this? (by a friend of TheAsterite)

Her legend will endure through the ages, even if accounts vary. (by Orange Fluffy Sheep)

Recent evidence lends new weight to the theory that certain units of extraordinary ability can gain the ability to transcend continuities. (by vilkacis)

The timeless story of the Hero's Little Sister and the Supposedly Invincible Adversary is bought to life in an entirely new medium. (by Fedule (he counts as a fan, right?))

Since making avatars out of GBA-era sprites has suddenly now become a thing, I have taken the liberty of chronicling them for your entertainment.

The Let's Play Archive

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

by Fedule

Introduction

Table of Contents:

Fan Stuff