Introduction, Chapter 1 - Chapter 7
- Location
- Third planet from the star named Sol
- Pronouns
- He/They
A few days ago I picked up Fire Emblem Awakening and started playing it. I've gotten up to Chapter 8 and have been enjoying it a lot. I decided to record and share my thoughts for posterity.
No particular reason why or anything, just felt compelled to and as I have no big incentive not to, I will. I've only played one Fire Emblem game, and it was a partial playthrough of a ROM Hack of the first English adaptation that my friend had (I think the main character was the woman named Lyn?), so I'm aware of the Dating Sim/S-Rank mechanic.
Full disclosure, I went into this game spoiled on the Robin=Grima the Evil Dragon connection. It's pretty much impossible to avoid and I think I first learned about it in 2014. I also know that Lucina is Chrom's daughter and that she and a bunch of other party characters are kids from the future trying to stop Grima. Of the future characters I only know Lucina, Severa, and I think Morgan. I know of no one else.
I think Robin dies in the end/can die at the end, but I'm far from positive on that.
If there's anything else, no spoilers!
Last and final thing I know is, thanks to all the Pokémon/breeding simulator memes that passed my dash back in the day, that the kids' classes are based off which characters become their parents.
Premonition/Prologue:
I made a female character, went with Robin for a name. I played through the tutorial and watched the intro cutscenes, and I immediately decided to pair Robbin with Chrom as soon as she stabbed him in the stomach. Dude just said 'not your fault, please run away,' and then when Robin wakes up she just focuses on his face. Considering what I know about future plot-twists, this just makes the whole story both dramatic and melodramatic, which is my fucking jam. Let me eat that shit up, please and thank you!
I like the first group of characters, even if the dynamics are nothing special. Lissa's nice, Frederick works well as the strict mentor/guardian who probably has a scripted death half-way through the story.
The amnesia wasn't much of a surprise given the whole 'Grima' thing needs some reason to be hidden. I like how the game mechanics work to give Robin a bit of character, with her being an experience Strategist and Tactician and using the stuff to her group's advantage.
And Chrom's a cool if straightforward dude, but strikes me as a big of himbo. 'What's that, strange woman I found lying on the ground? You know my name, but not your own, and possess a whole slew of skills that really help me out on this coincidentally timed bandit raid? I immediately trust you and want you to accompany me everywhere I go.'
Chapter 1, Unwelcome Change:
We just get right into things going wrong, with an earthquake, a volcanic eruption, and giant eyes are opening in the sky to spit out super zombie warriors. Actually, now that I think about it, no one has really talked about the earthquake, eruption, or the giant eyes. They should really be talking about that stuff. Yes, the Risen and Pelgia are important but there's very overt supernatural shit going on.
I am digressing, I'll get back to this. Oh hi 'Marth.'
Sully's awesome with her crude and brash masculinity. Virion...eh. He's a suave pretty boy who comes across as a bit obnoxious. I understand these two can be more rounded via Supports, but I might just focus on Sully's.
Chapter 2, Shepherds:
Ahh, monsters on the road and more characters to meet. First off, Vaike, how the fuck did you lose your axe? Miriel found it right where you were. Stahl, you seem good, especially with your mobility. You pair up well with Sully. Don't die- oh you died because I over extended you. Welp, time to reload.
Btw, I'm Hard/Classic because that's how REAL Gamers play. I also save scum if a character I like dies, because I have no shame.
I played a bit more cautiously and got through the chapter without need to reload. By this point Robin and Chrom were becoming a bit monstrous in how they kept cutting through enemies and getting to B rank with each other.
You know, I think the bath incident went rather well. Chrom gets to be a bit himbo-y but no actual animosity comes from it because they have a calm, collected conversation and move along.
Chapter 3, Warrior Realm:
Ah, the good old 'Proud Warrior Culture,' and it's barbaric 'violence is diplomacy' stopping them at the border fort. At the very least, the game gives the fig-leaf that they're on edge due to a bunch of raids from 'Ylissean' bandits.
This was a bit tricky, as my dumb ass thought to split my forces and attack both flanks at once (I hadn't realized they would stay still with no target in range).
It took me a few reloads because I kept loosing people, but I managed to stay on one side. I like Sumia, her range, and her high speed letting her quickly get double attacks in. She's also sweet. I actually didn't interact with Kellam until the game called me out, which makes his 'no one ever notices me' shtick better. Don't like him much though, so he's going on the bench. Thanks for the javelins though.
I'll also talk a bit about some of the Supports I've gotten.
SullyxStahl: I love these two. Seriously, their relationship is so wholesome, both of them training and improving each other. Sully pull's Stahl along in her wake, refusing to let him rest, and keeps pushing her ahead, helping her stay centered.
I love Miriel's completely analytical lense to everything, from Vaike's 'musculature' to Stahl's 'repetitions.' I don't know if I'm reading too much into it, but I can't help but suspect ulterior motives with how she sees them and is just like 'I must observe more.'
Chrom and Lissa's relationship is nice. Protective but supportive older sibling and the younger sibling in the shadow of brother and sister.
Paralogue 1, Sickle to Sword:
Donnel's got Magikarp power up written all over him. Just gotta work on grinding him up. Sorry Frederick, I know you don't have any Supports with him, but you're on babysitting duty thanks to all your stat bonuses.
Otherwise, not much to say. Killer Lance is cool, and it turned Sully into a power house. I also killed one of the Thieves after he opened the chest, so I've got an extra floating in my Storage. This'll be relevant later.
Chapter 4, Two Falchions:
Hey 'Marth,' are you here purely for the Falchion foreshadowing, or did Chrom/Lissa die in this duel otl? Or do you just want to test yourself against your young Old Man?
Nothing much to say. Lon'qu looks interesting enough, but I've yet to had a reason to use him over someone else. Honestly Virion's in much the same place. Archer seems nice, but he kept dying or being useless in the restarted Chapters I tried to use him in so he's on the bench as well.
I like Regina Ferox's Khans, but I kinda wish they had more than just two. Give me a true confederation with layers of internal politics that game will be able to actual delve into, dammit!
ChromxRobin's A-Rank is just funny to me. Another accidental walk in with no hard feelings, and a promise to keep it a secret between them. Honeys, you were both screaming and shouting during those events. There's no way the rest of the army doesn't know.
Chapter 5, The Exalt and the King:
Fuck this Chapter. I had to reload so many times, and only half of them were because a character I liked died. The rest were Robin or Chrom just getting surrounded and killed by all those enemies. I put a bunch of effort into saving Ricken and Mirabelle at first, but by the end it was more incidental of just figuring out my overall tactics. In the end I had my first actual 'death' with the Boss getting Ricken right at the end before I was finished.
Story-wise I'm of mixed feelings. Gangrel is just a standard 'evil mad king leading the evil nation.' His story about wanting revenge on Chrom, Lissa, and Emmeryn's dad for the brutal holy war he led 15 years ago is interesting, but it feels a bit 'Good King-y.'
The old war ended as soon as Emmeryn took power, and the story from Chrom afterwards is a bit too focused on the people blaming her. Granted, it underlines Emmeryn's commitment to pacifism, but it also makes the common folk feel kind of villainous for…being upset over the old Exalt leading them into years of brutal war.
she's a good ruler because she wants Ylisse to be at peace and to avoid war at all costs, meanwhile Gangrel can just declare war with the most paper-thin of excuses and his people will follow him. There's some nuance because he seems to feel the need to get a casus belli, but there's no way his people don't know about the constant raids into Ylisse's territory. Maybe Plegia has internal division, between those who want revenge and those who don't, and he needs the excuse for his own base? Not sure, honestly, depends on how this develops later on.
I got Sumia and Fredrick to B Rank though, and it's sweet to see her admire the way-too-hard-of-a-worker and want to be just like him, even though she's terrible at it. I've also decided she's the one instance where the game's language censoring is diegetic. She's exactly the kind of person to say 'Horse Plop.'
Paralogue, The Secret Seller:
*winces* yikes, two Predatory Gay Berserkers in the form of Victor and Vincent. I had fun with the tactics of the battle at least? Anna's cool, and a good egg for defending that village so fiercely.
Chapter 6, Foreseer:
This was an interesting one. Validar came back from the Premonition, and there's the first hints of Robin=Grima. I did like the end cutscene where Validar was dead and talking to that evil dragon.
Story wise I'm surprised 'Marth's' gender got revealed so soon, but the foreshadowing on the time travel stuff is a lot more blatant. Sure she said just saw the future, but I'd be most players would notice her hesitance, her similarity to Chrom, and her sword being literally called 'Parallel Falchion.'
During the set-up phase I noticed the chest in Emmeryn's room so I brought my spare key along, and boy am I glad I did. Gaius died only two turns after I recruited him. I misjudged how much damage one of the Fighter's would do to him, but I didn't really feel anything at his death. Besides, I had a key to open the chest with, it was fine.
Panne's cool, like a were-viera except less sexualized (barely). Turns out she's the last of them though which is like 'ok.' Introduce a cool race of giant were-bunnies and then have them all almost dead. Sure.
Sumia really came into her own here, joining Sully, Robin, and Chrom in the ranks of 'really very valuable.' I also used my first Master Seal to make Robin a Grandmaster, god your robes are shiny. Thanks Anna, your prices are steep but they're worth it.
Also, Robin and Chrom hit S-Rank, which led to a cute confession scene. Congrats Lucina, your mom is now officially Satan!
Chapter 7, Incursion:
And I immediately grab a second Master Seal from Anna and promote Chrom. The power couple is even more powerful now.
Just in time for wyverns to come pouring down the mountain sides as the royal family tries to evacuate to the East Capital. Also for the traitor to get immediately killed without any explanation for why he turned traitor or what it means for Ylisse's internal politics.
This one got to me a bit emotionally. Emmeryn is poorly suited to leading in wartime (not that I blame her), but goddamn does she love her brother and sister and will do anything to try and keep them from living in a time of war. Cordelia's clear trauma from watching her sister-knights all die is a bit haunting as well. That's actually more characterization than side characters have been getting. So maybe she plays a bigger role later?
My only real complaint with this chapter was how sudden the Wyven Rider reinforcements were. I thought 'more behind' would just be a story reason for why Cordelia was the only new unit for this chapter. Those guys just popped up and immediately killed Lissa, Maribelle, and Cordelia. Needless to say I restarted that chapter.
Virion played a role in this one actually, and he's almost at Rank C for the bow now. Really helpful with countering the Wyvern Riders.
And that's where I am currently. Future updates will probably be more detailed as I
Here's my current stats at the moment.
No particular reason why or anything, just felt compelled to and as I have no big incentive not to, I will. I've only played one Fire Emblem game, and it was a partial playthrough of a ROM Hack of the first English adaptation that my friend had (I think the main character was the woman named Lyn?), so I'm aware of the Dating Sim/S-Rank mechanic.
Full disclosure, I went into this game spoiled on the Robin=Grima the Evil Dragon connection. It's pretty much impossible to avoid and I think I first learned about it in 2014. I also know that Lucina is Chrom's daughter and that she and a bunch of other party characters are kids from the future trying to stop Grima. Of the future characters I only know Lucina, Severa, and I think Morgan. I know of no one else.
I think Robin dies in the end/can die at the end, but I'm far from positive on that.
If there's anything else, no spoilers!
Last and final thing I know is, thanks to all the Pokémon/breeding simulator memes that passed my dash back in the day, that the kids' classes are based off which characters become their parents.
Premonition/Prologue:
I made a female character, went with Robin for a name. I played through the tutorial and watched the intro cutscenes, and I immediately decided to pair Robbin with Chrom as soon as she stabbed him in the stomach. Dude just said 'not your fault, please run away,' and then when Robin wakes up she just focuses on his face. Considering what I know about future plot-twists, this just makes the whole story both dramatic and melodramatic, which is my fucking jam. Let me eat that shit up, please and thank you!
I like the first group of characters, even if the dynamics are nothing special. Lissa's nice, Frederick works well as the strict mentor/guardian who probably has a scripted death half-way through the story.
The amnesia wasn't much of a surprise given the whole 'Grima' thing needs some reason to be hidden. I like how the game mechanics work to give Robin a bit of character, with her being an experience Strategist and Tactician and using the stuff to her group's advantage.
And Chrom's a cool if straightforward dude, but strikes me as a big of himbo. 'What's that, strange woman I found lying on the ground? You know my name, but not your own, and possess a whole slew of skills that really help me out on this coincidentally timed bandit raid? I immediately trust you and want you to accompany me everywhere I go.'
Chapter 1, Unwelcome Change:
We just get right into things going wrong, with an earthquake, a volcanic eruption, and giant eyes are opening in the sky to spit out super zombie warriors. Actually, now that I think about it, no one has really talked about the earthquake, eruption, or the giant eyes. They should really be talking about that stuff. Yes, the Risen and Pelgia are important but there's very overt supernatural shit going on.
I am digressing, I'll get back to this. Oh hi 'Marth.'
Sully's awesome with her crude and brash masculinity. Virion...eh. He's a suave pretty boy who comes across as a bit obnoxious. I understand these two can be more rounded via Supports, but I might just focus on Sully's.
Chapter 2, Shepherds:
Ahh, monsters on the road and more characters to meet. First off, Vaike, how the fuck did you lose your axe? Miriel found it right where you were. Stahl, you seem good, especially with your mobility. You pair up well with Sully. Don't die- oh you died because I over extended you. Welp, time to reload.
Btw, I'm Hard/Classic because that's how REAL Gamers play. I also save scum if a character I like dies, because I have no shame.
I played a bit more cautiously and got through the chapter without need to reload. By this point Robin and Chrom were becoming a bit monstrous in how they kept cutting through enemies and getting to B rank with each other.
You know, I think the bath incident went rather well. Chrom gets to be a bit himbo-y but no actual animosity comes from it because they have a calm, collected conversation and move along.
Chapter 3, Warrior Realm:
Ah, the good old 'Proud Warrior Culture,' and it's barbaric 'violence is diplomacy' stopping them at the border fort. At the very least, the game gives the fig-leaf that they're on edge due to a bunch of raids from 'Ylissean' bandits.
This was a bit tricky, as my dumb ass thought to split my forces and attack both flanks at once (I hadn't realized they would stay still with no target in range).
It took me a few reloads because I kept loosing people, but I managed to stay on one side. I like Sumia, her range, and her high speed letting her quickly get double attacks in. She's also sweet. I actually didn't interact with Kellam until the game called me out, which makes his 'no one ever notices me' shtick better. Don't like him much though, so he's going on the bench. Thanks for the javelins though.
I'll also talk a bit about some of the Supports I've gotten.
SullyxStahl: I love these two. Seriously, their relationship is so wholesome, both of them training and improving each other. Sully pull's Stahl along in her wake, refusing to let him rest, and keeps pushing her ahead, helping her stay centered.
I love Miriel's completely analytical lense to everything, from Vaike's 'musculature' to Stahl's 'repetitions.' I don't know if I'm reading too much into it, but I can't help but suspect ulterior motives with how she sees them and is just like 'I must observe more.'
Chrom and Lissa's relationship is nice. Protective but supportive older sibling and the younger sibling in the shadow of brother and sister.
Paralogue 1, Sickle to Sword:
Donnel's got Magikarp power up written all over him. Just gotta work on grinding him up. Sorry Frederick, I know you don't have any Supports with him, but you're on babysitting duty thanks to all your stat bonuses.
Otherwise, not much to say. Killer Lance is cool, and it turned Sully into a power house. I also killed one of the Thieves after he opened the chest, so I've got an extra floating in my Storage. This'll be relevant later.
Chapter 4, Two Falchions:
Hey 'Marth,' are you here purely for the Falchion foreshadowing, or did Chrom/Lissa die in this duel otl? Or do you just want to test yourself against your young Old Man?
Nothing much to say. Lon'qu looks interesting enough, but I've yet to had a reason to use him over someone else. Honestly Virion's in much the same place. Archer seems nice, but he kept dying or being useless in the restarted Chapters I tried to use him in so he's on the bench as well.
I like Regina Ferox's Khans, but I kinda wish they had more than just two. Give me a true confederation with layers of internal politics that game will be able to actual delve into, dammit!
ChromxRobin's A-Rank is just funny to me. Another accidental walk in with no hard feelings, and a promise to keep it a secret between them. Honeys, you were both screaming and shouting during those events. There's no way the rest of the army doesn't know.
Chapter 5, The Exalt and the King:
Fuck this Chapter. I had to reload so many times, and only half of them were because a character I liked died. The rest were Robin or Chrom just getting surrounded and killed by all those enemies. I put a bunch of effort into saving Ricken and Mirabelle at first, but by the end it was more incidental of just figuring out my overall tactics. In the end I had my first actual 'death' with the Boss getting Ricken right at the end before I was finished.
Story-wise I'm of mixed feelings. Gangrel is just a standard 'evil mad king leading the evil nation.' His story about wanting revenge on Chrom, Lissa, and Emmeryn's dad for the brutal holy war he led 15 years ago is interesting, but it feels a bit 'Good King-y.'
The old war ended as soon as Emmeryn took power, and the story from Chrom afterwards is a bit too focused on the people blaming her. Granted, it underlines Emmeryn's commitment to pacifism, but it also makes the common folk feel kind of villainous for…being upset over the old Exalt leading them into years of brutal war.
she's a good ruler because she wants Ylisse to be at peace and to avoid war at all costs, meanwhile Gangrel can just declare war with the most paper-thin of excuses and his people will follow him. There's some nuance because he seems to feel the need to get a casus belli, but there's no way his people don't know about the constant raids into Ylisse's territory. Maybe Plegia has internal division, between those who want revenge and those who don't, and he needs the excuse for his own base? Not sure, honestly, depends on how this develops later on.
I got Sumia and Fredrick to B Rank though, and it's sweet to see her admire the way-too-hard-of-a-worker and want to be just like him, even though she's terrible at it. I've also decided she's the one instance where the game's language censoring is diegetic. She's exactly the kind of person to say 'Horse Plop.'
Paralogue, The Secret Seller:
*winces* yikes, two Predatory Gay Berserkers in the form of Victor and Vincent. I had fun with the tactics of the battle at least? Anna's cool, and a good egg for defending that village so fiercely.
Chapter 6, Foreseer:
This was an interesting one. Validar came back from the Premonition, and there's the first hints of Robin=Grima. I did like the end cutscene where Validar was dead and talking to that evil dragon.
Story wise I'm surprised 'Marth's' gender got revealed so soon, but the foreshadowing on the time travel stuff is a lot more blatant. Sure she said just saw the future, but I'd be most players would notice her hesitance, her similarity to Chrom, and her sword being literally called 'Parallel Falchion.'
During the set-up phase I noticed the chest in Emmeryn's room so I brought my spare key along, and boy am I glad I did. Gaius died only two turns after I recruited him. I misjudged how much damage one of the Fighter's would do to him, but I didn't really feel anything at his death. Besides, I had a key to open the chest with, it was fine.
Panne's cool, like a were-viera except less sexualized (barely). Turns out she's the last of them though which is like 'ok.' Introduce a cool race of giant were-bunnies and then have them all almost dead. Sure.
Sumia really came into her own here, joining Sully, Robin, and Chrom in the ranks of 'really very valuable.' I also used my first Master Seal to make Robin a Grandmaster, god your robes are shiny. Thanks Anna, your prices are steep but they're worth it.
Also, Robin and Chrom hit S-Rank, which led to a cute confession scene. Congrats Lucina, your mom is now officially Satan!
Chapter 7, Incursion:
And I immediately grab a second Master Seal from Anna and promote Chrom. The power couple is even more powerful now.
Just in time for wyverns to come pouring down the mountain sides as the royal family tries to evacuate to the East Capital. Also for the traitor to get immediately killed without any explanation for why he turned traitor or what it means for Ylisse's internal politics.
This one got to me a bit emotionally. Emmeryn is poorly suited to leading in wartime (not that I blame her), but goddamn does she love her brother and sister and will do anything to try and keep them from living in a time of war. Cordelia's clear trauma from watching her sister-knights all die is a bit haunting as well. That's actually more characterization than side characters have been getting. So maybe she plays a bigger role later?
My only real complaint with this chapter was how sudden the Wyven Rider reinforcements were. I thought 'more behind' would just be a story reason for why Cordelia was the only new unit for this chapter. Those guys just popped up and immediately killed Lissa, Maribelle, and Cordelia. Needless to say I restarted that chapter.
Virion played a role in this one actually, and he's almost at Rank C for the bow now. Really helpful with countering the Wyvern Riders.
And that's where I am currently. Future updates will probably be more detailed as I
Here's my current stats at the moment.
S: Chrom x Robin
A: Sully x Stahl
B: Stahl x Miriel, Mirel x Vaike, Frederick x Sumia
C: Chrom x Lissa, Chrom x Sully, Chrom x Sumia,
Robin x Donnel, Robin x Lissa, Robin x Stahl, Robin x Miriel, Robin x Sumia, Robin x Panne
Sully x Frederick, Sully x Miriel, Frederick x Lissa
A: Sully x Stahl
B: Stahl x Miriel, Mirel x Vaike, Frederick x Sumia
C: Chrom x Lissa, Chrom x Sully, Chrom x Sumia,
Robin x Donnel, Robin x Lissa, Robin x Stahl, Robin x Miriel, Robin x Sumia, Robin x Panne
Sully x Frederick, Sully x Miriel, Frederick x Lissa
Chrom: lvl 1 Great Lord
Robin: lvl 3 Grandmaster
Stahl: lvl 8 Cavalier
Sully: lvl 10 Cavalier
Miriel: lvl 8 Mage
Sumia: lvl 12 Pegasus Knight
Donnel: lvl 5 Villager
Frederick: lvl 3 Great Knight
Lissa: lvl 12 Cleric
Virion: lvl 5 Archer
Maribelle: lvl 5 Troubadour
Cordelia: lvl 8 Pegasus Knight
Panne: lvl 7 Taguel (also seriously, her race is her class? Come on)
Vaike: lvl 6 Fighter
Lon'qu: lvl 4 Myrmidon
Kellam: lvl 5 Knight
Robin: lvl 3 Grandmaster
Stahl: lvl 8 Cavalier
Sully: lvl 10 Cavalier
Miriel: lvl 8 Mage
Sumia: lvl 12 Pegasus Knight
Donnel: lvl 5 Villager
Frederick: lvl 3 Great Knight
Lissa: lvl 12 Cleric
Virion: lvl 5 Archer
Maribelle: lvl 5 Troubadour
Cordelia: lvl 8 Pegasus Knight
Panne: lvl 7 Taguel (also seriously, her race is her class? Come on)
Vaike: lvl 6 Fighter
Lon'qu: lvl 4 Myrmidon
Kellam: lvl 5 Knight
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