One Life Left: Fire Emblem Awakening

There are two very specific genres of video games that I love above all others: third person hack-and-slash games that have no regard for realism (Ninja Gaiden, Bayonetta, Devil May Cry, God of War etc.) and grid-based turn-based strategy role playing games (Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics, Advance Wars etc.).
The newest installment of the Fire Emblem franchise, Awakening for the 3DS falls in the latter category.
The game allows you to create your own character, a first for the series, and by using a small yet varied collection of options, you create your tactician, down to their particular strengths and weaknesses.
Along your travels you will meet a multitude of characters, all of which bring different strengths and weapon types to the field, adding versatility to your team.
The game follows a simple yet effective formula:  a scene of dialogue between various characters before conflict arises, followed by a selection of which units you want use and then combat.
Combat goes through two phases: yours and the enemies. During your phase, you can command your units in whatever sequence you want. But there are a multitude of things to keep in mind: the weapons in the game follow a rock-paper-scissor format and one must make sure not to leave any weaker units alone, as units gain combat bonuses when attacking next to a friendly unit. There are also certain special units such as archers and mages that do not follow the typical weapon triangle and must be dealt with accordingly.
What this culminates into is a deep and complex combat system where thoughtful planning is key.
As you will quickly find out, one mistake can mean the death of your unit. And much to the Fire Emblem tradition, if one of your units dies in battle, he or she stays dead, unless of course, you decide to play on casual mode, which I really do not recommend.
Fire Emblem has always been a franchise about careful planning and thoughtful strategy and by removing the fear of losing a unit forever, the player can throw caution to the wind, which I believe leads to a lesser gaming experience.
But as some people have pointed out to me, there is absolutely no reason why you cannot just shut down the game and restart again right before the mission in which you lost one of your units.
But this is not the point of Fire Emblem, the point is to acknowledge that your decisions to carry the heavy burden of consequence through each and every mission you choose to partake in.
This is especially true for the optional missions one encounters every so often to possibly recruit new members to your party. I highly recommend you take these up whenever possible as it is always good to have some backup units as you will be losing some every so often.
A new addition to the series that I particularly enjoy is the fact that you can actually foster relationships between your units, and this will affect the bonuses they give each other during battle. The player can cultivate good feelings among his/her units through a couple of different means. The first is too visit the barracks, a small home you establish for you and your units to rest in between missions. Here you can overhear conversations between characters. The other method is during combat itself, you can place units so that they finish their turn next to each other which will cause an adorable little heart to appear above their heads afterwards, signaling that they have become somewhat close as a pair.
If they grow fond of each other, they may even marry and have children of their own, which you can also recruit to join your team.
So not only are you in charge of their battle tactics, but their love lives as well. It’s great to be king.
The story is about a war that is currently taking place between two different kingdoms. While this war is going on, interdimensional zombie soldiers are attacking the land, known as “The Risen.”
While this sounds completely ridiculous on paper, it actually sets up the stage quite nicely. While most of the story is told through dialogue, the game sprinkles in some beautifully rendered and voiced cut scenes. These are the only instances in which I would recommend turning on the 3D on the 3DS, as it looks terrible in absolutely every other instance of the game.
Frankly, I have nothing bad to say about this game; it is highly accessible to veterans of the Fire Emblem series, while still making it accessible enough for new players without dumbing it down. I’d say this game may even be worth the investment in a 3DS.
Fire Emblem Awakening receives a 10/10.