The latest in Nintendo's long-running strategy series, Fire Emblem, is fantastic. It has an engaging story with interesting characters to interact with combined with a wonderfully deep gameplay system that emphasizes smart thinking.
But buying it is somewhat confusing, because Nintendo has actually released three separate games with the Fire Emblem Fates name. They all start the same way, and only two of them are available at retail ... sort of.
Let's back up.
If you haven't played a Fire Emblem game, it's a turn-based strategy series in which you command a group of soldiers through a series of battles. One of the simplest comparisons to make for someone who doesn't play a lot of video games is chess. Both games are played on a grid, and each unit/piece at your disposal can move a different way and serve a different function. In chess, for example, your bishops can only move diagonally. In Fire Emblem, your archers can only attack from at least one square away, and your ground units can't cross water like your flying units can.
Historically, one of the things that has made Fire Emblem stand out is the permanent death of these units. If your favorite knight falls in battle then they're gone forever, and you can't use them on later missions. Fates, like the last game in the series, gives you the option to turn permadeath off, making the game much more accessible to the average player.
Fates is Fire Emblem at some of its best. It builds on the greatness of the last game, Awakening, to provide something that I would easily recommend to most Nintendo 3DS owners.
But how should we recommend it?
One of the biggest hooks in Fire Emblem Fates is the fact that the story branches dramatically. The plot is centered around the warring kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr. The main character in the story is Corrin, a prince or princess (you customize Corrin to your liking when you start the game) who has been raised in Nohr but has learned that they were actually born in Hoshido, to the opposing royal family.
So which side do you choose? The kingdom you were raised in, the kingdom you were born to, or (in an option that Nintendo recommends you play last), neither?
Each path is sold as its own separate game. On store shelves you will be able to find Birthright and Conquest, which each follows the path of a different kingdom.
Each game is, in fact, different. This isn't a Pokemon-style split where the differences in each version are minor additions or omissions. If you want the most complete experience, you really do need to play all three games.
Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright, the path of Hoshido, is the more easy-going of the three versions. You get more opportunities to make your soldiers stronger and more resources with which to keep them alive.
Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest, the path of Nohr, is tougher. Your access to experience and gold is more limited, and on this path you get less downtime with your characters.
Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation, the "neither" option, is where everything from the other two games comes together in a satisfying package that the developers want you to treat as a sort of "conclusion" to the story, despite the fact that it's not a sequel to the other two games.
You can walk into the store of your choosing (or hit up Nintendo's eShop) and pick up Birthright or Conquest without issue at the expected 3DS game price of about $40. You'll get a full game that's well worth its price that feels like a complete package.
If you're craving more Fire Emblem after that, you can digitally download the other story (whichever it was) at a discounted cost of $20.
The third story, Revelation, isn't intended to be played first and isn't sold on its own. You have to download that one as a $20 add-on as well.
So the trio of Fire Emblem Fates games will run you a total of $80. You are essentially getting three full games for this price, though.
Can you just buy one version of Fates and be happy? Yes. Don't worry about the high investment if you're not yet sure how much you'll love it.
The exception to all of this nonsense is if you were lucky enough to nab a copy of the game's Special Edition, which includes all three games on one game cartridge for $80. It's unfortunate that this option is so limited (pre-orders were hard to come by, even months before release), because it's really nice to get to know some of the characters before being forced to make the decision of which story path you're going to choose.
All of that complexity aside, Fire Emblem Fates is awesome. It's packed with hours and hours of strategy gameplay, and its portability on the 3DS makes it perfect for a road trip. It's easy to recommend to anybody who likes the series already, or anybody who just likes strategy games.
