I just beat Fire Emblem Echoes on Hard/Classic, and I have to say, my god was that a thoroughly exhilarating final battle! This game, despite some frustrating bits here and there, was some of the most fun I've ever had!
This Fire Emblem game is a remake of the second installment in the franchise, Fire Emblem Gaiden, which was originally released in Japan in 1992. The gameplay definitely reflects that, as they basically copy/pasted the map layout and unit placement, with some tweaks here and there. The mechanics are a mixed bag- some were a refreshing change from modern installments in the franchise, and some felt very outdated and were clearly intended to pad out the game back when it had much less dialogue and cutscenes. There are some downright
ridiculous antics in this game to slow you down, such as deserts and swamps to slow movement and enemies that spawn more enemies. The maps, while fun at times, were a little wonky, with maps that were too big for no good reason and forts that took forever to breach. However, the remake added in plenty to make this more bearable, such as support boosts and Mila's Turnwheel, a device that allows a player to reverse a bad decision or unfortunate accident a limited amount of times per battle. And as much of a slog it could be at times, the game was still very challenging and thoughtful in its unit placement.
There were also a number of differences from modern Fire Emblem that I rather enjoyed. The World Map allowed for more freedom of movement and decision-making than any other Fire Emblem game I've played. Towns could be visited to talk to NPCs. There were many, many sidequests that were both fun and rewarding. The dungeons were a blast to explore, containing much in the way of treasure and experience. The game even had fun with the fact that you had two different, seperate armies controlled by duel protagonists (which was itself a novel idea), with Peddlers to send items between armies and one army's actions affecting the other.
The story and characters, while not exactly revolutionary or fresh, were presented beautifully due to stellar writing and fantastic character designs, voice acting, and cutscenes( though these could be a little wonky). I loved all the characters in my army(s) with the exception of Faye, for reasons that should be quite clear to anyone who has played this game. Alm and Celica were both badass but deeply-flawed lovers that wanted nothing but a peaceful life together, but fate would not allow them that, and I felt more and more sorry for them as the burdens they carried increased.
Lastly, the music. One of the best final boss themes I have ever heard aside, this soundtrack was really something special. Each piece did a great job of immersing me in this game, from the enemy and ally battle themes to the world map themes. I can tell the composer had fun with Berkut's second theme!
Overall, I had a lot of fun with the game despite its outdated gameplay mechanics due to refreshing differences and amazing presentation. The story surprised me with how complex and mature it was, with little-to-no black and white morality to found. All the villains had understandable motivations (except Desaix, the classic mustache-twirling villain), and the game did a great job of showing how both Duma's AND Mila's ideals could have disastrous consequences. This is a 9/10 game, and I recommend it to anyone and everyone who likes tactical RPGs, although I should warn anyone that does play this that the game can be rather frustrating at times, particularly on Hard difficulty.