Warrior mentality
Fire Emblem hybrid blends titles from two disparate gaming series
Nintendo’s Fire Emblem series has earned a dedicated following among strategy gamers for its tactically sound and occasionally punishing battle simulations.
Almost a polar opposite, the titles in the long-running Warriors series are characterized by low-stakes, sword-swinging action that, despite the number of bodies being hurled around the screen, can be strangely calming in their violence.
When the announcement came in January that a Warriors game featuring characters and lore from Fire Emblem was coming for the Nintendo Switch and New 3DS, one could be forgiven for believing the resulting combination would be about as appealing as chewing on potato chips and gum at the same time. But Fire Emblem Warriors manages to take some of the best elements of the strategy series and fit it nearly seamlessly into a hack-and-slash adventure.
The combat in Fire Emblem Warriors does not deviate far from other Warriors titles. That means the player will undertake a series of missions against hordes of harmless enemies, dispatching dozens at a time with over-thetop attacks, until finally having to square off against one or two tough “boss” enemies.
What makes this combat less repetitive is access to a huge cast of characters from the Fire Emblem series, though the roster does lean heavily on the last two titles, Awakening and Fates.
Each character has his or her own attacking style, executed by pressing light and heavy attack buttons together to chain offensive combos. Characters fill a “warrior” gauge by defeating enemies, and when full they will be able to unleash a particularly devastating attack that can deplete the health of even the toughest enemy.
However, this is not simply an action game with some Fire Emblem fan service added in. There are several mechanics from the strategy series at play here, and they coexist surprisingly well with the basic core.
Combat in the Fire Emblem games is ruled by a “weapon triangle” paradigm — swords beat axes, axes beat lances, lances beat swords. That is also true in Fire Emblem Warriors, and can be used to the player’s advantage.
Fire Emblem Warriors also incorporates the strategy series’ team-up mechanic, where a player can pair two characters together. For extra challenge, players can even turn on the famed Fire Emblem permanent death option, where units lost in battle are forced to the sidelines for the remainder of the campaign.
Character management has a distinct Fire Emblem feel. You can improve your characters in between missions by crafting seals that give them stouter defence, more potent attacks or the ability to equip more powerful weapons.
The music and visuals are like a love letter to the Fire Emblem series, right down to the eight-bit sprites used on the maps.
The story here is the standard “worlds collide” contrivance we’ve seen in everything from Dissidia Final Fantasy to The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones. But it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
No disrespect to Warriors, but Fire Emblem had more to lose in this merger. Fortunately, both series come out looking good.
For the purposes of this review, the Switch version of the game was used.