FIRE EMBLEM 6: The Binding Blade Retrospective - ShaneBrained

[@GamesBrained]

Clarification: I am not criticizing the 2RN system here, only its implementation. The game can generate random numbers however it likes. Edit: A lot of people took issue with me calling Lilina a dodge tank. I raised her to 20 and promoted her, gave her +7 hp and she was nigh untouchable for me. This was anecdotal, and it seems like my experience was not at all typical. Don't @ me about Shanna or Rutger though.

[@lagspike7763]

ShaneBrained I actually wanted to point out something about how the 2 rn system affects FE6 and onwards. Fe6 features unprecedentedly low amount of hit rates in even accurate weapons. This along with the generally high avoid benefits of the terrain and stronger enemies compared to the other GBA games only serves to exacerbate the problem. In fe7, for example, axes are more unviable because of a lot of axe units being Garbo and not axes being Garbo. In tellius (FE9 & 10) for example, axes are the best weapon type but that’s mostly because those games are weird for the sake of being weird and that’s what makes them fun. I hope I didn’t digress too much and I hope you get my point that the system of RN in Fe6 works like a modern FE game but the numbers on your units are those of Kaga era games which works to the games detriment

[@emmetth3726]

Endersteve I mean like the warrior duo are trash but don’t diss hand axe chucking Raven and Harken. Not to mention Marcus and any other Paladin potentially.

[@THEFEZFEZ]

I honestly prefer 2rn alot. The argument of "It's how peoples brains perceive chance" may be a bit overstated, but nonetheless it DOES feel bad missing a 90%. And now that that only happens 2% of the time instead of 10% of the time, it mitigates alot of anger and frustration. Also Axe users almost always have greater than 50% hit as well (Baring hammers on unleveled fighters), making them MORE viable, not less. The problem with axes in this game is more about the crap characters who have access to them than the axes themselves.

[@lpfan4491]

@@THEFEZFEZ no, the axes are actually the problem. axes, as in the items, not the weapontype itself

[@OnlineVideoSurfer]

Lilina is actually a little underrated, even on hard mode, and is still pretty dodge tanky there if grown. Not perfectly so, I wouldn't rely on it, but pretty good at it. I think a lot of her criticism comes from people evaluating her from an experienced "efficient play" or even LTC mindset where her use is more niche. But if you're evaluating her in a casual blind/semi-blind mindset where you don't know where the ambush bombs begin, where the desert treasures are located, what character recruits what, etc and you're just recommending characters to make the game easier and more flexible, she's pretty good. She uses high accuracy 1-2 range weapons in a game starved for reliable weapons, grows quickly even just on a small number of enemies (meaning it's not a Nino slog to get her going), hits on the better resistance stat giving her the best chance at fighting stiff like Manaketes without special weapons, and her magic growth combined with her surprisingly fast supports with key characters like Roy means she will do that work quickly. And if you're playing even semi-blind you'll want her regardless because she does recruit a couple of characters. She's obviously not the best character or anything, and becomes less useful the better you know the game, but I think she needs a little defending if there's serious pushback against her.

[@kai_824]

I love how Rutger is always somehow near the thrown in the Gameplay. That pretty much sums up how OP he is lol

[@GamesBrained]

I used a lot of boss kill shots so there you go lol

[@kai_824]

@@GamesBrained BB bosses are notoriously hard to kill Rutger is like one of the only reliable units to kill them with

[@butteredsalmonella]

Dealing triple damage almost all the time is just that good, even the lance users gets fucked up horribly.

[@sed1589]

Throne but yes he is the best boss slayer

[@tameemhasan9001]

Somehow I managed to fail to recruit Rutger.

[@sarahhowell4519]

I think the big thing with a 2rn system as opposed to a 1rn is that humans are really bad at measuring chance. If a person sees they have a 90% chance to hit, in their head, it's basically guaranteed, even though there's a 10% chance to miss. 2rn just makes the dice rolls feel closer to how humans tend to interpret them. I do with there was an option to show True Hit, but I also wish there was an option to show growth rates. I understand why after playing the older games first 2rn looks bad, but I guess, starting with the 2rn games helps me see it in a more positive light.

[@INFERN0FIRE]

It's a good system for most people, because most people don't know how numbers work. Sword users benefit most from it, but swords are also the worst physical weapon type in all FE games that use the system aside from this one.

[@Oblivion776]

Also worth noting that for most of us, our introduction to 2RN was probably with one of FE7-13/16. Hit rates are *much* better balanced in literally every entry that isn't FE6 and so feel like they're accomplishing their goal of stacking the deck a bit in the player's favor (and are *reasonably* well balanced across the weapon types, even if axes are usually "the bad one"). I was rather perturbed at his reaction to 2RN myself as I consider it a *dramatic* improvement that should never be removed, but thinking about it I can understand why if you started with this game it might rub you the wrong way.

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

2rn is a great idea. It makes things seems more natural for the player, and leads to a less frustrating experience overall. But it was not balanced correctly. It ended up hurting not only axe user, but mainly Armor Knights. In the GBA games, Avoid is far too important. I would even argue that a unit with high avoid is pretty much as good as one with high defense (it's part of what makes Rutger so good, since he has moderate defense) So, that makes their only advantage pretty much useless (the fact Paladin are the most broken class ever made, and those specific Knights are pretty bad just add insult to the injury)

[@RealityMasterRogue]

As a person who started with 2rn, 1rn feels AWFUL. Losing one of my units to a 23% feels awful, even if that would get hit about every fourth hit.

[@weepingdalek2568]

Mmm this comment is exactly why they switched to 2 RN 1 RN feels unfair because you see more low hit chances hit and high hit chances miss than you're expecting

[@benjaminborkowski12]

One thing i don't remember being mentioned in this video (if it was i'm just dumb) is Hard mode. While Gaiden and Thracia had Easy modes which double EXP gain and Genealogy has Clever mode which makes the enemies slightly less but still very brain-dead, Binding Blade gives you the option to play on Hard Mode after beating the game (Blazing Sword also locks it to second playthroughs, Sacred Stones onwards you can play harder difficulties from the start) which effects Enemy stats (which can also effect enemies you can recruit, leading to some units being better on Hard mode due to extra stats), Weapons, when Promoted enemies start appearing and how many Enemies are in each chapter. So some of your complaints about the difficulty are addressed with there being a Hard mode, with Normal basically being a Easy mode for experienced players.

[@emmetth3726]

Benington I mean FE1/2/3/4 are all immensely easy games and FE6 Normal Mode is probably harder than all of them still

[@rhoa3952]

Fe6 normal mode is harder than the old games except for fe4 gen2 and Thracia.

[@pizzabagel3840]

Hard mode is mentioned in the video at 5:01.

[@boldknock7436]

@@rhoa3952 fe6 normal mode is still harder than thracia, thtacia difficulty is just if you play the game blind

[@boldknock7436]

@@pizzabagel3840 He mentioned hard mode but didnt talk about how it impacted gameplay (which is fair he already didnt like the game)

[@rollbustah]

Binding Blade has the outline for a great story, but it just misses the mark in execution. I think the game could benefit greatly from an Echoes type of remake that expands the story with more dialogue, voices, and added depth. Basically FE6 REMAKE WHEN??

[@MRfunnyordie3]

Good news. The team that did the Echoes remake did say that out of all the older games, FE6 is the one they want to remake next if they could pick. Not saying there will be a FE6 Remake, I'm just saying that there's a good change it happens. A 80% change of hit.

[@irmatrubura4620]

tbh i just want that remake for certain supports to be voiced. those supports being almost all of lugh's supports and the stolen nosferatu supports. but yeah a remake would be awesome

[@kurosan0079]

@@MRfunnyordie3 That's like 50% true hit% for player units, basically.

[@kimitohanahala8674]

@@kurosan0079 hahahahaha get Binding Blad'd

[@voltron77]

No it has a great story and great execution.

[@karinja3172]

46:16 Allen is counting the turns for making the supports

[@michaelshan22]

Very good video. The fact that you come into these games with experience of the previous entries rather than the later ones is what separates these reviews from others. It creates a perspective that is rare among this community, with several viewpoints that I’ve never actually considered before.

[@korinoriz]

Yea, too often people assume the older games are bad cause they're old, "broken", and/or too hard. Which is a shame. Especially with so many people saying they're interested in the series because of the likes of feh. In addition to liking a lot of features that are actually present in the older games.

[@voltron77]

Yeah except it’s a bad one cause fe6 is great and he’s just a moron.

[@willytan12]

Aside from a minor mixup in the game title (It's Fuin no Tsuurugi, FE7: The Blazing Sword is Rekka no Ken), this was an amazing video. Thanks for all the hard work!

[@GamesBrained]

剣 is both 'ken' and 'tsurugi', I may have gone off of instinct after reading that character as 'ken' so much. What a catch!

[@willytan12]

@@GamesBrained absolutely no problem man. Especially appreciate the copious amount of Rutger clips. Makes it accurate to the actual game.

[@hylianfelldragon1308]

@@GamesBrained Not like the official English translations are much better. Seriously "The Binding Blade" & "The Blazing Blade" who TF thought it was a good idea to give the elibe games names were the only difference is 3 letters? It's because of this that I generally prefer to call them in their numerical names Fire Emblem 6 and Fire Emblem 7.

[@thrasher698]

@@hylianfelldragon1308 Eh, Nintendo has always been pretty bad with names like these, just look at the Wii U and NEW 3DS for how it persists to this day. There's a reason the community always refers to FE7 as "Blazing Sword" instead of "The Blazing Blade"

[@TheRedScizor]

Should be an interesting video. FE6 is a game I didn't like at first but has grown on me a lot.

[@TyGuy9001]

This was a pretty good video. I liked how you weren’t afraid to talk about the game’s true shortcomings and booms while giving it a decent overview as well! I look forward to the next one as it’s a game which has become more polarizing as it has aged.

[@lagspike7763]

“The best version of canto” Ohh I can’t wait for this guy to get into Tellius and just have his will shattered

[@lagspike7763]

Tellius is simultaneously the most bullshit and the most fun world

[@GamesBrained]

feast on my pain

[@korinoriz]

And Three Houses. It's funny how in Three Houses they clearly tried to nerf mounted units through map design and giving Cavalry lower Spd growths. But at the same time made maps big, gave fliers absurd speed and avoid, and brought back "super canto". Also more tangentially I find it stupid that sometimes you can't kill a Pegasus Knight with a bow. I can understand Wyvern Riders cause they're bulky, but Pegasus Knights? That's assuming it hits too.

[@blahmaster6k]

Clash is a fair and balanced chapter.

[@kaitotenjo4505]

@@GamesBrained Jugdral canto is the best canto, moving after attacking and changing weapons is busted as hell.

[@aidendavid2680]

36:08 binding blade is the exception In every other game it lances axes and swords are the bad ones past this point especially in radiant dawn

[@Mangs1337]

You did it justice.

[@mobileuser7962]

The Mango seal of approval..he's done it, gents!

[@ChillstoneBlakeBlast]

@meatballsahoy 92 Thank you for tainting the comment section by making a comment totally related to the video...

[@ChillstoneBlakeBlast]

@meatballsahoy 92 Yeah, I guess that is true. This is going to follow him for the rest of his online presence. Mangs has become the Community's Dumbledore. Mentioning his name anywhere is almost an Insta-ban. The reason I got angry here is the fact that I think it is slightly petty to spread the drama here. You won't see the Same type of Comments on Chaz's Video (and Yes, I believe Chaz did a much better job of proving his innocence, but I dislike the part where he fling more mud to Mangs) I personally consider Mangs a Creep but I want to see if he actually improves. I don't think people are unredeemable. I don't hate anyone involve, I hate some of the actions people commited but not the individual. This drama has almost tempted me to Delete all social media but sadly, it is the only way I connect to friends at the moment.

[@Ferdoe]

@@ChillstoneBlakeBlast Your take on this is great. Bringing the drama everywhere is just terrible. I also want to see if mangs can improve instead of throwing him out entirely. Not that i agree with what he did but from what he's said hes been talking to his therapist a lot and connecting with his family so there's that going for him. I dont really follow him much i just keep up with what he's doing to see if he deserves any respect...

[@ChillstoneBlakeBlast]

@@Ferdoe according to a guy that still pays him on patreon, He has been giving actual updates to them about his improvements. Why he does not share this to his channel is questionable, but I think it is because he plans to compile it into one Video on the End of the Year (It was one of his things to do to make a Video on the End of the Year). I know most won't give him a Second Chance/ forgive him but putting his head on a pike is definitely not going to fix anything.

[@lpfan4491]

Guinivere's plan was to force Zephiel to stop the war by removing herself and the fire emblem from the picture, making him think that enemy forces breached bern's protections and potentially would retrieve the binding blade. it did not work of course, but just wanting to clarify. Btw, when it comes to the story in general, in fe7 you get plotpoints being mashed together and being resolved in the worst possible way instead of some things not really being resolved, but being logically structured. Have fun, that experience will probably suck.

[@voltron77]

Yeah I feel like Shane brained didn’t understand the story of fe6 and didn’t do it justice.

[@midnight-fox7456]

​@@voltron77 my one issue with his story analysis is how he didmisses Zephiel's trauma as "his daddy was an asshole". No, Zephiel endured years of phychological mistreatment and neglect, with his dad despising him and mother seeing him as political tool for a long while. In FE6 we learn that desmond tried to kill him, which is the basis of his belief, humans are horrid irrational creatures that would plunge the world on chaos over meeningless things. Shane has horribly misunderstood and misrepresented the de facto main villain of this game, as well as some of the bigger questions the games poses.

[@voltron77]

@@midnight-fox7456 Yeah he really misunderstood fe6 and didn’t even play hard mode.

[@lebrickwall2880]

The large amount of Rutger footage shows what the game is truly like. Fantastic analysis!

[@megamike15]

" creator leaves" rng: allow me to introduce myself.

[@voltron77]

Bro the older games where is are even worst because of 1RN.

[@grimrapper5202]

"I just hope the later series have better implementation on their stories" "Next series will be FE7" Mekkah: ...oh no, why my son is tormenting me again

[@BardockSkywalker]

Oh Shut Up Mekkah, Ur Nothing But An Elitist Little Shit

[@yunuss58]

@@BardockSkywalker I can't stand him and mangs.

[@ShrimpRice]

@@yunuss58 Oof thats Aggressive

[@mcihay246]

@@BardockSkywalker He's not really elitist if he doesn't force others to play efficiently. Only to be aware of misconceptions. Plus, the fact that his plot review on FE7... It's that by using an off-putting voice makes it so that the words he states doesn't necessarily have to be taken seriously. Which was the entire point.

[@raphaelsorel6907]

@@mcihay246 Though he can be rather condescending.

[@overlorddystroy4044]

I woke up with the most bizarre urge to play the Binding Blade. I’m scrolling through my feed, determined to click on anything FE:tBB related. I saw this video and, considering how much I love your retrospectives, I knew this was it. What a strange and funny feeling.

[@sirpig7141]

I think the best kind of game is the one you can love despite its flaws. For me Binding Blade is the epitome of that idea.

[@CosmicToad5000]

Binding blade is pretty good imo. While I hate the early game and the roster for the part is pretty meh to me, I find myself really enjoying the mid to late game, despite not feeling all that much attachment to the characters (which is usually why I love FE). Though I do have to commend it on being the first GBA game. The GBA trilogy’s UI is great and the Animations are easily the best in the series.

[@KGDavis-fi2tq]

I agree, except for that Sacae route mid-game. I played blind and used Shin and Sue more, because nomads are fun units. Then I was punished by the most difficult chapters, fighting hordes of nomads and their reinforcements... Had to end up playing Turtle Emblem in the corner of the map like a corned animal lol. I hope there is a remake in the future for better supports, like you said, the characters were lacking.

[@CosmicToad5000]

@@KGDavis-fi2tq ah yes, Sacae is awful. it is kinda funny that Archers become enemy enemies phase until though. Shin & Klein were MVPs for me. tbh the supports themselves are honestly some of the better ones in the series imo, it's just that they're stupidly hard to trigger

[@KGDavis-fi2tq]

@@CosmicToad5000 Yeah, Shin and Sue saved me. Along with Bors, who killed so many of the Djutes. I suppose I didn't see many of the supports and I was unlucky with the ones I did. ( The ones with the calvary and nomads are very generic.) But when I googled it, some are pretty good. Fae's and Gonzales' stand out.

[@radicalcrash]

I've found a certain appreciation for each section of the game. The early game feels like an uphill battle for a small band of heroes. In a world they can't trust. With an uncertain future. Uncommonly, I prefer the Sacae road to the Ilia road because the extra combat makes the odds feel higher. I also love the environment. It's like they're venturing into a secret place... By that point, usually all my team are at the top of their game, so it's hardly a problem. The open-field battles are preferable to the snow-hindered slogs. But most of the game's maps are well done. You know, except chapter 14...

[@voltron77]

Nah the roster is great and the early game is very fun!

[@aidendavid2680]

Ironically you learn about supporting by getting a B support conversation between Yoder and Dayan the earliest you can get this support is in chapter 21X

[@GamesBrained]

Well that's just logically the best place

[@naheemquattlebaum2267]

These videos are a great addition to the ever-growing Fire Emblem You Tube community. Everyone has their opinions of the GBA games, but I felt it was necessary to the longevity of the series for Intelligent Systems to start from scratch. Kaga's direction was for a certain type of player (*eyes Chaz and his Thracia love*), but his ideas weren't for everyone. FE 6 was made as an introductory game, being presented in its most basic form. It wasn't a perfect presentation (*looking at axe users*), but it was an attempt to have all unit types stand out from each other. I think Roy was designed to be weak on purpose so you don't rely too heavily on him (*looking at FE 4 protags*). In the story, Roy relies heavily on those around him, and I believe the gameplay wanted to reflect that experience. I think his milk toast personality (and those of other protags) was meant as a way to help ease the player into inserting themselves into their shoes.

[@slavicsandvich5967]

Mangs gave a shout-out to your Thracia vid, really good stuff you got here man!

[@0y1on]

And now also this vid

[@GamesBrained]

He's been really helping me out!

[@pf9878]

Wait, when did he? I remember him watching one of the others but I thought only Mekkah commented on fe5

[@michaelpisciarino5348]

0:16 Chapter 1: A Perplexing Position 1:58 Chapter 2: Picking Up The Pieces 6:43 Chapter 3: The Second Scouring 7:11 Five Nations: 1. Etruria 2. Ilia 3. Sacae 4. Bern 5. Lycia 8:41 Lord Hector 😢 9:29 To Ostia 10:00 The Fire Emblem 10:36 Save Hector’s Daughter, Lilina & Obtain Durandel 11:25 Etruria Reinforcements force a Ceasefire 12:10 Roy fights bandits in the West 13:05 It was a trap, but Roy would stay and finish the task 13:53 King Mordred is out, Zephial takes over, Milady makes a save 14:40 Cecilia was saved by Sophia 15:30 Fae, Dragon Girl & Etruria is rescued 16:55 To The Shrine of Seals 17:42 Roy Slays Zephial 18:20 Fighting The Dragons 🐉 18:47 Zephial wanted to create a world ruled by Dragons 19:54 Roy vs Idun. Roy restores Idun and brings Peace back to the land 21:02 Jump to Story Analysis Chapter 4: Failure to Climax 27:45 Jump to Gamellay Analysis 33:25 Chapter VI: Rolling off the track Double roll RNG

[@niftysun393]

This was an amazing take on one of my favorite fire emblem games and I feel all your points have value

[@ItsNep]

When I originally played Binding Blade, it was right after I had gotten into the series in 2014 via the GBA titles.. I loved FE7 and Sacred Stones SO much, but binding blade just felt very frustrating and unfair. I never even got the 'good' ending because I didn't collect all of the relic weapons. I went back and played it again around 2018 (at that point I had played and beaten every game but gaiden and thracia) and fell utterly in love with it. Collecting all of the relic weapons is especially a really fun time, trying to efficiently conserve their uses while dishing them out against tougher foes adds a special depth to the gameplay I feel is missed in a lot of the other games. Story isn't anything to write home about but fighting and overcoming Zephiel at the end feels so rewarding, especially on hard mode. All of your scrappy, inexperienced soldiers turning into efficient toolboxes is so fun. It really is the peak of GBA era fire emblem.

[@Xertaron.]

This section with supports was golden. It is a shame because FE6 has amazing supports like Astore/Igrene, Treck/Juno or Niime/Hugh. If only they weren't locked behind "End turn, now do it 119 more times".

[@voltron77]

Yeah but like, it doesn’t matter.

[@Yarzu555]

FE6 is one of my top 5 FE games, so if it does get a remake and fix these issues I’d love it even more

[@aidendavid2680]

Meanwhile in radiant dawn hand axes have 12 weight 75 hit 9 might cost 625 gold and has 25 uses Javelins have 11 weight 65 hit 7 might Costs 600 gold and has 20 uses Wind edge (1-2 range sword that isn’t magic based) has 10 weight 60 hit 6 might costs 700 gold and has 20 uses

[@lordmudkip7344]

Path of Radiance has in my opinion one of the best support systems, units simply need to be deployed in the same map. It also has a really good plot. FE7 plot is.... well, let's just say that there is a really long analyses on how many plot holes and problems it has

[@laggalot1012]

Path of Radiance also benefits from this change of the support system by having some conversations only unlock after certain story events, even if you deploy the relevant units at every opportunity, allowing such conversations to refer back to those story events without the writers having to account for many different possible circumstances. Though even then there are still some conversations that change if certain characters are alive or not, and one in particular changes depending on if you have or haven't beaten a certain chapter when you play that support. I appreciate these a lot.

[@laggalot1012]

@Eduardo Smanchez In a sense, yeah. The way they do it under the hood is a little different, but in practice it functions basically the same.

[@Ephraim225]

By who?

[@RushAnthem69]

What are some of the biggest plot holes?? Haven’t played the game in years but off the top of my head I can’t think of any glaring ones. Unless you’re referring to inconsistencies with 6, in which case I don’t care. Maybe I will if they ever officially release it in English but until then it means little lol.

[@borjankosarac3645]

I feel those plot holes are exaggerated in terms of “badness”, honestly; plug them, and the games enhance each other and their world.

[@lolosyntonia]

great video! fe6 is easily my favourite game in the series, and I've played it countless times now, but I still know there's plenty to criticise, and I think you were being critical in the right places. The story really doesn't do much more than inform your march across the continent; it feels like the story was informed entirely by the gameplay, rather than the two being woven together. Despite this, I would still call it my favourite fire emblem, mostly because of the gameplay. That said, I was quite sad to hear you call it the easiest game yet towards the end of the video, so I was wondering if you'd played the game on hard mode yet. If only taking normal mode into consideration, I'd definitely agree, this game is pretty easy, but on hard mode, the game gets much more complex and starts to really feel like a strategy game. The enemy units are far stronger, even paralleling your own, so you often have to use the combined strength of multiple units to take out each enemy. Even by the late game, when you'd typically have superhuman units, it's *rare* for any unit, even the top tiers, to consistently one round KO enemies. This puts far more focus on the player phase, rather than putting a unit into position to take out waves of enemies on the enemy phase, which I think leads to far more interesting gameplay. And there I go rambling about my deeply beloved fe6 once more. In short: I think that if normal mode was too easy for your liking, hard mode is worth a try, since it feels like a totally different game, rather than just normal mode with more enemies.

[@GamesBrained]

I'll probably go back to this one on stream one day to do a hard more run, it sounds interesting. The way you describe it makes it sound really tantalizing. For now though, I have many other Fire Emblems calling me!

[@lolosyntonia]

of course, there are quite a lot left, and I’ll love to watch your retrospectives on those. hope you enjoy fe7, it’s not for me personally, but it’s still a favourite for many.

[@voltron77]

Nah the story is amazing! It’s simple, but very well executed!

[@voltron77]

@@GamesBrainedyeah you didn’t understand shit about the story, it’s simple yet so well executed. It feels like a real continent fighting in a real war and it’s cool to see Roy take back elite and defeat zephiel. Also zephiel is an amazing villain and you didn’t understand anything about his character. You should go back and play the game again one day and I assure you you’ll realize all the mistakes you made in your video.

[@hylianfelldragon1308]

Wow. That upload time was quick compared to the last few retrospectives.

[@GamesBrained]

Hold on to your socks

[@TheJadeknight7]

I forgot how wholesome the true ending is.

[@Bimbus225]

18:28 “this dragon’s name is John.” Idk why but that really cracked me up.

[@runefaustblack]

Have you played The Legend of John?

[@runefaustblack]

I think the really great thing about the 2 RN system is that it gives a big boost to the game's predictability. I will always love Genealogy, but that game had a lot of functions that could decide the death of an unit, or the outcome of a battle, locked to randomly activating skills (Adept, Charge, Big Shield, etcetera). Being able to accurately predict the outcome of battles means there is a lot more safety to having clever strategies from the get-go and executing them, which is one of the most rewarding parts of a, ahem, *strategy* game.

[@PringePie]

So excited for gba era reviews!!

[@BananaLugh]

I like the video! As a self described fe6 apologist I found some of the criticisms unfair (a bland story is better than a bad one, 2RN is nothing more than a nitpick to me and fixes a lot of newer player's problems with the game being "too rng", unit balance doesn't matter in a single player game everyone can just use good units) but I think you really did a lot of the things I like about it justice. I am pretty biased but I really love this game and always come back to it and I think you did a good job at a fair take.

[@voltron77]

Yeah the story is simple, yet extremely well executed.

[@MACZ2021]

I started watching this series of videos on the Fire Emblem games last night, and I'm finally at this one, only to find out it got uploaded on my birthday this year. Really looking forward to the video now :)

[@Flarezetta]

This video was very well done, I love Fe6 and seeing this video was great, I love how you said that they purposely made Roy bland, to add on that, they made him bad to reflect how he's inexperienced and still has many things, the boy even suffers from depression! Overall, I love it. Very well done.

[@TheRedScizor]

I find it interesting how much you dislike 2RN especially since I personally love it. I guess it's a different of perspective since 2RN is what I'm used to.

[@TheRedScizor]

it may also just be FE6's hit rate issues effecting things, especially since axes get a lot better in games like Radiant Dawn or even FE7/8 with how useful hand axes are.

[@neog8029]

I don't know either. It seems like his bigger gripe is with the false displayed hit chance. Understandable to a point, but it's a system intended to help the player more than hurt the player.

[@Kuma5655]

42:55 cumbersome as it is for the player, that's just taking into account Roy's already established bonds. Notice how all the ones with bases are people he knows before the plot kicks off. Edit: also, I think it's kind of a bad faith criticism to hoist the biggest number possible for support grinding. The support cap exists, so you literally can't even spend half of that on your chosen pairings. Like it's still tedious and I largely agree with your point, just kinda exaggerated there.

[@radicalcrash]

When this game came out, I bought it in its original Japanese form and taught myself to play it by sight because, like most people, I was intrigued by Marth and Roy in Melee. Eventually I remembered the internet existed, but it wasn't until long after I'd memorized where each of the commands was that I finally looked up the story translation. The rough original one that called Shanna "Thany." Which is still what I know and prefer. I don't know most of the rest of the series well enough to compare it to FE6, but I've never understood the story complaints. It's not the most complex tale on the planet, but it's a complete tale, with a sweeping sense of epic resolution. I like how it even feels like the world is older and more tired than FE7. Which, by comparison, feels like it piggybacks too much off FE6's story beats. The scouring wasn't big and impressive enough to be the mysterious backdrop event twice. But gameplay-wise, I never knew there were people who actually thought it was a mental gymnastic to build up the supports. They absolutely take too long and should be better communicated, but why would you not automatically deploy supporting characters together just as a matter of course? I build the entire crew around who supports who. Just send them off together at all times. It almost literally organizes itself. Did kind of think the numbers presented were some kind of lie, though. Even as a kid, it wasn't like I could fail to notice how often my 86 chance of hitting could miss, but then a 14 chance for the enemy could ruin the entire chapter. Not a bad analysis. I might agree with more of it if I cared to play more of the series. It's overall a good game. After all these years, the flaws start to either make sense or stop annoying. At least you didn't go on for a century about how terrible Roy is and how Rutger is God's gift to gaming. Neither of which are true, so, always a plus.

[@voltron77]

Well you see, even though you miss 86% and get hit by 14%, in the older games with the stupid 1RN you miss a 99% and get hit by a 1%.

[@radicalcrash]

@@voltron77 That happens in the 2RN system, too. The problem isn't how many RNs they have, it's the fact that they don't represent it honestly. When I'm playing a game run almost entirely off of random numbers, the numbers I see should be the numbers I get. If it tells me there's a 93% chance of hitting, then it should really be 93.

[@voltron77]

@@radicalcrash No it’s better to have 2 RN cause it’s reflective of real life. Also in 1RN just sucks because of how much bullshit 1% hits happen when in 2RN it’s much less common.

[@radicalcrash]

@@voltron77 Take a closer look at my first reply to you. I said that the problem isn't how many RNs the game has, it's how honestly it portrays the results. Having 2RN doesn't matter unless the game is lying or hiding part of the results. All they need to do is program the hit chance to show an honest number. Then they can use however many RNs they like.

[@voltron77]

@@radicalcrash Yes the problem is how many RNs there is. And it’s also better that 2RN exists cause it makes our odds of hitting and not getting hit better.

[@arte7125]

I am just gonna say it here, I *L O V E* the 2RN system. You could say that this was a way to make the game easier, while that is true, I think the best implication of that system is how it rewards the player for taking risks, which can make the gameplay more fun and faster. Instead of thinking "Well, that's 80% to hit...missing 20% of the time sounds a bit too high for me, better wait a bit until my other units can come and finish the job", meanwhile with 2RN you can always say "80%, those are some good odds! Let's go do it!" I probably didn't made the best explanation, but 2RN basically incentivizes you to use non-turtling strategies to finish the map, which is something that I can respect upon.

[@runefaustblack]

I'll try: 2 RN makes combat a lot more predictable, which in turn allows strategy to shine much brighter than luck. You can know be much more sure of how combat will go before it starts, you're no longer dependant on random skill activations, and crits are the only thing that can ruin your strategy without any fault to yourself. Better?

[@The_Pikaboi]

Fe6 has a small place in my heart. But damn its still a brutal one for me. Deke is one of the coolest lads.

[@Hilversumborn]

Ironically the supports flesh out Roy, which makes him a better character. I actually love that Zephiel is an unrepentant a’hole, plus I give him points for not being manipulated and even making sure his plan will succeed after his death. He and Roy are great foils of each other which IMO elevates the game.

[@edgelord8337]

This was a pretty good review.

[@Abundy]

I'm curious what you'll think about 2RN after playing more FE games, I have played all FE games (and recently Vestaria Saga which uses 1 RN) and vastly prefer 2RN balance and gameplaywise, FE6 is a unique case because you're more often in a position where your units actually go below 50% hit

[@voltron77]

No not really.

[@Practitioner_of_Diogenes]

36:05 Just fyi, this joke is only valid for FE6. In all future installments, it's the Swords that are the "bad one".

[@Posby95]

No, it's not totally ridiculous that Zephiel wants to end humanity because his father tried to kill him. His father wasn't just an "asshole", that's the understatement of the year. That kind of trauma scars people for life, and when one of your supposed protectors exhibits the worst in humanity and tries to kill you, it makes you wonder how fucked up the other humans must be. Zephiel is very much cruel, and the game doesn't try to paint him as a martyr. The backstory is just there to let you know that there's a reason for his villainy.

[@voltron77]

Also, what makes Zephiel amazing is that he’s right! Throughout the entire game you see traitors and supposed allies turn their back on their kings for a handful of coins and it’s interesting to see that Zephiel’s idea makes sense, but he just does it in the most radical way possible.

[@nathanlandolt5505]

In order to get ro the last 3 chapters, you not only have to get all of the sacred weapons, but you can't break them. For some reason, this includes Fae's dragonstone too

[@voltron77]

Binding blade IS the best gba game and probably the best fe game ever

[@danb1809]

Surprised that not much was said for the map design itself on this one, though everything else that had a focus that was pretty in-depth Interested in what you say for the story for the next one since the gameplay is very similar so I don't expect much out of that section

[@BHox01]

Great point, because fe6's and fe7's map designs' have pretty much opposite intentions despite a lot of the core mechanics being identical. Straightforward (for the most part) escorting your weak lord to seize every chapter while being forced to push through on player phase vs a litany of objectives with vague gaiden requirements and mowing down endless mooks on enemy phase

[@laggalot1012]

I've attempted to play FE6 multiple times, but could never muster the willpower to make it past chapter 9, I think. I loathe chapter 8 with a burning passion, and just in general I really don't like the game's overall map design, or the crazy number of units it throws at you across like the first three chapters alone, and it barely seems to slow down from there. One day I want to finish this game, but I've tried and failed so many times, I'm not sure it's gonna happen...

[@leargamma4912]

​@@laggalot1012git gud

[@laggalot1012]

@@leargamma4912 You must be bored stiff, if you're responding with something like that to a comment of over 3 years old, lmao.

[@leargamma4912]

@laggalot1012 kinda. I was tired AF last night after a 12 hour shift. If the game isn't for you, that's ok. But if you can't get past chapter 8 for a silly reason like it being too long, then FE isn't for you

[@Emiturbina]

I want a remake of this game just to fix a little bit the history and to get at least as a DLC some chapter from the heroes of the scouring and explain why that happened and how they made the legendary weapons

[@carlosavila4290]

That would be actually pretty cool. Also remake Hector's death, he had a BS death considering how cool of a lord he was.

[@EikeKusch776]

@@carlosavila4290 He had his run in FE7. It'd be pretty boring if there was no casualties in a war game.

[@carlosavila4290]

@@EikeKusch776 I know, I'm not saying he shouldn't have died, well, he shouldn't have, but if they are to kill him ten at least give him a honorable or epic death, the way he died was kinda lame tbh considering how op he is in fe7.

[@EikeKusch776]

@@carlosavila4290 "There is no honor in war. There is no glory; only death" Time weakens everyone. Hector returned Armads, engages in less conflict running Ostia and the Lycian League being tied to desk work & such also being a factor. Hector, including Eliwood were not in their prime as they were 20 years prior. Goes to show Bern is as strong as the two games have been prodding the player. Hector went out swinging though, he faced Berns army, 1 of 3 Bern Generals Narcian, War Dragons, with Zephial & Brunja on the side. That is a large opposition for even Hector. Wasn't the attack kinda sudden for Hector to be prepared too?

[@voltron77]

@@carlosavila4290i mean his death in fe6 was pretty cool also it’s fe7’s fault for making him the center picture of the story.

[@aidendavid2680]

Meanwhile in radiant dawn hand axes have 12 weight 75 hit 9 might cost 625 gold and has 25 uses Javelins have 11 weight 65 hit 7 might Costs 600 gold and has 20 uses Wind edge (1-2 range sword that isn’t magic based) has 10 weight 60 hit 6 might costs 700 gold and has 20 uses .they sure buffed axes from ff 7 and beyond

[@maxinearmata7698]

I remember playing this game for the first time because I saw some fan art of fir and I really liked her design so I decided to play the game.

[@omgxab2223]

Based. 👍

[@salem1451]

>Lilina god tier I'm gonna have to stop you right there

[@GamesBrained]

Lol okay you can erase that one, I think I just got blessed, as did a few others I spoke to

[@zaneheaston8254]

Ah I too remember Pain: the video game

[@expio4257]

I'm conflicted about this. I'm incredibly sad that you(seemingly)didn't enjoy FE6, as it's my personal favorite game in the series. I know it's not for everyone, and many people never give it a 2nd chance because of the rough first experience, but I know many who have grown to love this game after several playthroughs, and I was hoping you would be able to see why this game captivates certain players, but you yourself said you don't see yourself going back to this anytime soon. My only hope is that you'll at least like Sacred Stones. Oh, and if you think *this* game had wasted potential, just wait until you get to Fates and Awakening.

[@GamesBrained]

I did enjoy it, I just didn't love it. I will probably go back to it someday, but I have a lot of other Emblems on my plate for now!

[@james8981]

Wasted potential cough Cinder Shadows cough lol

[@voltron77]

@@GamesBrainedYou should love it it’s amazing!

[@spartandud3]

Roy! Roy! He's our man If he can't do it No one... will

[@voltron77]

The story of fe6 was amazing!

[@p_owl5925]

I always thought the idea of support taking the entire game to build up was the point of it. The text was small, the stat boost was tiny, and the game didn’t try to flaunt it. To me it was always more of an Easter egg than anything.

[@overlorddystroy4044]

Also, which of the 5 Kaga games didn't he direct? I really do not remember. I thought he had directed all 5, not gonna lie.

[@GamesBrained]

He didn't technically direct FE1, but was the major designer. Still bastically a Kaga game IMO

[@adsfefwqef]

Overall solid video. Made a lot of good points. However, I can't disagree with you more on the "weapons being unbalanced" viewpoint. In this game, they are arguably at their best. Axes suffer from poor accuracy, but a lot of that comes from how bad the axe units are in this game. Paladins make great use of axes as well as Heroes. The reason I think this game's weapons are so balanced, is because they all have a huge flaw. Swords have no 1-2 range (the light brand is garbage), axes are inaccurate, and due to the huge amount of axe users lances have a lot of trouble. Axes get more of a bad rap from the old games, but in many others like Fe7 or Fe9, swords are by far the worst.

[@michaelwright248]

Geneaology didn't have supports, it had lover bonuses. Thracia has supports, but no support conversations - they are ingrained bond supports between units.

[@Samsonsamurai]

Man The Maiden of Darkness looks like it had ps era graphics

[@neog8029]

It was planned to be an N64 game. I'm not sure what you mean by this. Edit: Planned to be.

[@NotAFakeName1]

Tbh axes in fe6 aren't bad weapons. Mid to late game you fight mostly lance users granting weapon triangle advantage and some excellent units can use them very well, percival for instance. It's just that axe units, especially in the early game, have really low skill and speed meaning they struggle to hit or double. The balance gets really bad in fe7-9, where bows are irrelevant, swords contribute nothing, and hand axes break the game in half

[@HoshiHero]

Great video. Sums up a lot of the problems I have with the game, especially its story.

[@voltron77]

I don’t like your take on Zephiel, he isn’ the bad guy because Roy is the good guy. He’s the bad guy because he’s right. Throughout the ENTIRE game many people betray us to get more power. Zephiel doesn’t want to kill all humans just because his father was bad but because humans in general betray everyone for power. That is a great villain and a great story and he doesn’t need to becomes good or anything

[@JUnit41484]

I love how all the master weapons that they gather throughout the quest are the same ones you get at the end of FE7...Which takes place before this game...

[@Mito383]

Having never played a Fire Emblem before Sacred Stones, I was surprised to find out the first one we got in NA (Blazing Blade) was actually a prequel.

[@dkdadon9863]

Well done breakdown...I always played final fantasy but just recently finished both Shining force which got me interested in this.

[@kimitohanahala8674]

Idunn is really what sold me in playing the game, when I heard about her backstory the desire to free her made me play the game. I hate the game generally and love some bits of it, everytime I play it I always aim for the true ending.

[@voltron77]

The game is amazing!

[@Elementalos]

"A controversial entry" I've been watching this series one by one and I think Shane has said that about every Fire Emblem so far...

[@GamesBrained]

Noted. *adds to list of words I use too much*

[@Elementalos]

@@GamesBrained Hey you're good. Just sort of sounds like depending on which parts of the community you look at every FE game is a black sheep-

[@celestialarmor695]

I really want to play this game

[@YitzharVered]

This inspired me to reopen the game. Hopefully I'll finish this time!

[@moisesbernal1749]

This is probably the first time I've ever seen some one complain about 2 RNs. Everyone else sees 2RNs as a godsend since humans see higher numbers and think that the odds are higher than they actually are. The 2 RN system helps to better reflect what humans think is going to happen rather than the "true" raw number values

[@Mishimachine]

I completely agree with you on the RN system. Maybe I've just played a lot of tactics games and gotten used to probability, it is also the feeling of being lied to, and mainly that it takes away the feeling where anything can happen in war where you need to regularly take this into account, which is a huge draw for me. This also make the actual outliers that do happen feel even worse because of how rare they actually are.

[@voltron77]

Nah the 2RN system is way better.

[@davidcollins1]

I feel like Mangs left one of those dislikes! Ha

[@jhumza]

The chapter 4 title caught me so off guard 😂

[@NinthSettler]

I think the Roy-Lilina support being so fast is a huge perk of Lilina as a unit and part of the reason why she's superior to Lugh, in my opinion. I share your opinions regarding hit%, supports, and underpowered units.

[@radicalcrash]

Old comment, but I literally never do a playthrough without Lilina. Even when I don't support her with Roy, she takes over his role as the boss killer once I get her. Then I raise her stave usage to level S so she can use physics with maximum range and effect. Critical unit in my opinion.

[@pksprite6401]

I disagree with a lot of your conclusions regarding the game’s quality, but excellent video. A very entertaining watch.

[@nilsbt3575]

Amazing video. I disagree with your conclusions. But, importantly, not in a "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT" way - I think your observations are mostly correct, but as someone who doesn't mind having a spreadsheet open while playing a game, they don't detract from my enjoyment of the game as much. Something that I really appreciate about this game specifically is that it manages to create very challenging gameplay from relatively simple mechanics. I'm coming from the opposite direction than you here - FE6 is the oldest game in the series that I've finished and I only recently played a bit of FE1-3, so my mind is comparing it more to the later games where skills are much more prevalent. %-based, auras, bonuses against specific enemies, what have you. In FE6, it's fairly easy to figure out the possible (and probable) outcomes of a battle. Hit once, hit twice, hit+crit, double crit, and you don't have to worry about dual strikes, enemies rallying etc. It's not that hard to get a full grasp of FE6's combat rules with a little bit of research, but there's still a lot of really tough maps, or at the very least difficult side objectives. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised when you called this an easy game compared to the previous titles, even though my contrary knowledge about FE1-5 is mostly second-hand. I really recommend a Hard run if you do want to replay this game; it's obviously still not kink-free, but to me, it feels like it's designed a lot more tightly. My favourite example: Marcus actually has exactly the correct stats to bring every generic enemy in the earlygame to low HP with an Iron Sword, which makes him a great help in raising your growth units. One thing that I fully agree with is your criticism of the hidden 2RN implementation. I think the balance aspect is positive overall - it makes the likelier outcome even more likely, and I think reducing the randomness that way is good - but I really think the game should've been upfront with how it works. In general, I think it's it's a valid criticism of the game that it withholds so much information from you, worst of all the gaiden chapter requirements.

[@darthsombra2102]

19:06 Oh hey look it's Muffin

[@Samsonsamurai]

29:00 Thats not Myssiltainn, thats Missiltainn. I should know, Owian is my main.

[@mcihay246]

Uh... I think you're mixing the games up. The weapon for those with Major Hezul Blood such as Eldigan or Ares is called and spelled 'Mystletainn'. Originating from Icelandic Folklore.

[@Samsonsamurai]

L1LE1 I thank you sir. I was never the best at spelling

[@irtijaadib42069]

Of the many greats and fails you showcased here I have one little thing to add. About the difficulty settings. BB has one more weaker hard modes. Weak in the sense that the strategy boils down to only a select few units thanks to the fact that recruitable enemy units get hard mode bonuses (notably Rutger and Percival) and axe users get shafted even further. The army essentially rides from Marcus to Rutger + chrismas cavs to Milady + Percival to legendary weapons. Anything else is either pointless or to just challenging oneself. Edit: I also wanted to say how far apart the difficulty is. In easy mode the game is cake walk while hard mode permanently keeps you on your toes.

[@mysteryguy2725]

To be fair most hard modes in fire emblem are design that way.

[@voltron77]

Hard mode of fe6 is amazing!

[@usvidragonslayer3091]

I love this game so much!

[@hirotrum6810]

God I never realozed how similar binding blade's official artwork looks to ZUN's artstyle jeez

[@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502]

As a massive fan of FE 6, id like to add to the voices of people saying you need to play this game on hard mode as soon as you aren't busy with anything else. I didn't love this game on my first run either, but hard mode makes the game so much more engaging that it practically becomes a different game entirely, to the point where id honestly say that not playing it makes this analysis feel incomplete (not to dismiss the effort you put into this, its still a great vid and I understand you have other projects to work on). i will warn you though, hard mode chapter 7 is kinda bull

[@anibal5845]

So we all want more FE remakes right?

[@EclipseHedgehog]

Really, Roy was devoid of any personality in smash. The only reason people liked him i find, The red somewhat spiky hair, the element of fire in his bigger looking sword, very strong, easier to pick up and play compared to Marth who you must be more quick and precised with. granted these were why i believe i liked him back then, and idk what else to expect from him in a serious story in a game about strategy and battalion tactics. Being brash, arrogant, self centered and hot headed to go with his fiery moveset would have been very cliche. Being the ultimate good guy who knows his morals aint a bad thing as long as its done well. I suppose its a tiny layer on top of the "Link" kind of character where the main protagonist serves as us the player.

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

I could say that fe6 just throw into war with units and you have to survive basically. The rng gets better after fe6

[@CorrellLeo]

I have to ask: Is imbalance in a strategy RPG really that bad? Perhaps my opinion of balance in this series is extremely tainted after certain games tried to strive for "balance", but I don't see it as much of a problem that the units in FE6 are really imbalanced. Same goes for the weapons. It feels that the Fire Emblem games that decided to throw balance and order amongst their units out the window felt like the most enjoyable ones to play, such as FE6, FE3, FE9, and FE16.

[@nachohangover5104]

Some units are always going to be better than others, but half the cast of FE6 are just terrible units. This both reduces the number of viable units that can be used to make multiple playthroughs more varied and makes losing units a more severe punishment. Most people aren't asking for everyone to be equally good, but just to prevent units that completely steamroll the game or are almost unusable.

[@CorrellLeo]

@@nachohangover5104 I guess that is a fair point. There aren't MANY units that steamroll the game, Percival comes the closest, but even then he is even MORE busted on Hard mode, and FE6 hard mode is pretty brutal. If they remake FE6 I hope that instead of nerfing characters like Miledy, Rutger, Marcus, and Percival, they just buff the not-so-good characters such as the ax bros, Noah, some of the prepromotes, etc.

[@lpfan4491]

balance is important, but not the most important. it is honestly better to have fe6 instead of fe7 which tried to balance but failed and fates which has almost perfect balance but is less fun for it.

[@CorrellLeo]

@@lpfan4491 The better way to conduct balance in these games is buff, not nerf.

[@voltron77]

@@nachohangover5104Not really, i would say that a quarter of the cast is bad, but when you have a total of up to 50 units, it doesn’t matter.

[@hyrayato7399]

1:17 this explains why i chapter 4 was so hard

[@jesfest]

Hey maybe space out the premiere launches a bit. Instead of being notified this was up, I got notified of the next entry having a premiere

[@GamesBrained]

Thanks for the feedback, I'll give it some more time next week!

[@Kuma5655]

47:35 oh I'd love to hear your thoughts on this game's hard mode. It's only unlocked after your first run (also applicable to the next game) so it's understandable that you'd miss it.

[@DK-ym8jr]

Very nicely done

[@robinmattheussen2395]

While it's been a while since I last played this, I do admit that I have quite a bit of fondness for all the GBA entries, including this one. I will admit that, because I started with the FE series as soon as it was released in the West (my dad even bought in in the US and brought it back to me in Europe as a present when he was over there for a few months for work because I hadn't been able to find it in my local stores), I initially played these games when I was quite a bit younger and maybe not quite as critical as I am now. As someone who was fond of both strategy and role-playing games from a very young age, the GBA Fire Emblem games were like the perfect upgrade from the awesome Advance Wars games that I had already played to death. Yes, even I agree that the storytelling in the GBA games is rather weak, but I'd still choose their "lighter" substance over the godawful storytelling in the likes of Awakening or Fates any day. One thing I will say though, is that you claim to only dislike the implementation of 2RN, but I didn't actually find that many reasons in the video that supported that argument. I understand where you're coming from: the numbers that are displayed are slightly skewed. Ok sure, I get that criticism. But to go and then claim that it "taints" the entire experience is a little over the top in my opinion. I'm willing to bet good money that, for example, Fire Emblem 1 also doesn't give you accurate information due to the very likely presence of certain bugs and potentially lacking RPNG routines on the NES/6502. I can't even begin to count the amount of games I've played over the years that "lied" to me, not on purpose, but due to incorrect implementations or because of incorrect information in manuals. As someone who has played tons of CRPGs from the 80s and 90s, I can recall A LOT of games that have this issue. Personally, I have never felt that this ruined the experience, as long as the overall balance wasn't COMPLETELY destroyed, and such is the case for this game. The numbers still give a fairly good impression of your chances, definitely more than good enough to make calculated tactical decisions. For the majority of the game, I'd say odds are actually skewed in your favour, so you rarely actually run the risk of making mistakes because of it. Again, I understand where you're coming from, but personally, I think it's much ado about nothing. I think it's the IDEA that bothers you more than the actual implementation itself. As a counter-example, I completely agree with your criticism of the support system. I absolutely hate how the game completely hides almost all information, gives you the finger and tells you to consult a guide instead. With the 2RN system, you still get very useful information. With the support system, vast swathes of the system are completely hidden from you for no good reason at all. It's why I never bother that much with support in this game cause I hate the way it's implemented.

[@runefaustblack]

Actually FE1 and 2 don't ever tell you your combat numbers. The Def you can pull from the stats screen, but nothing tells you about weapon Mt or Hit or Crit. In combat, Hit, Atk or Def are just numberless gauges. For Hit that's probably OK since a gauge can pretty clearly communicate a probability, but for Atk and Def to be helpful you'd have to subtract one from the other, which is impossible and makes them useless. Just wanted to rant about that xD

[@superblanco444]

My favorite fire emblem :)

[@Blazecap]

Fire emblem 6: Easily the hardest of the GBA titles and for good reason. Bosses are actually a challenge, unit growths are pretty low, and perhaps the biggest reason for why this has a infamous reputation for its “RNG” are the weapon hit rates. Seriously compare even the basic iron weapons from this game to blazing sword(this game’s sequel) and you’ll notice a huge buff. That being said this game is very how shall I say unpolished or not as refined compared to the other two GBA titles. I don’t know where to put my finger on it but maybe it’s a bunch of factors I listed above. At the same time this game(as well as the all the GBA titles) are rather simply to understand even to newcomers. It’s literally just comparing your stats to the enemy(with the only complex part being factoring supports). There’s no capture, no skills to factor in(especially compared to games post GBA), no BS, no fatigue, no grinding(except for arena), just you and your own wits. No relying on skills and the most you can hope for is for Rutger to get a crit. As far as story it’s actually pretty political and has some complexity. However all that’s being dragged down by Roy who literally just reacts but never really does anything. And gameplay isn’t helping him either(Smash Bros isn’t represented of his performance). The only redeeming things is the fact that he is of the Fire affinity(which gives attack). One last aspect I wanna talk about is the legendary weapons: I think this is the best way FE has handled legendary weapons. I love how unlike in more recent entries you actually have to earn them and go out of your way to get these powerful weapons. There important in terms of lore(and to actually get to the final map) but aren’t super connected to the plot. Compared to Fe 4 where not only can they be used instantly(if you have the right blood) and only by certain units, but are also have tons of uses, are OP Af, and can be repaired. In Fe 6 on the other hand pretty much anyone can use them so long as you train your weapon rank. You actually need to work in order to use them in the first place, and you can’t just spam them either they have limited uses(20) and you can’t break them or else you won’t get the true ending. That’s balanced and I feel the intention was that you save up those weapons for the final map in which at that point you can go wild and kill dragons with them as you please. That satisfying and I feel rewarded for my patience. In conclusion Fe 6 while has its clucks and flaws it still absolutely worth playing. I give it 6.5/10

[@korinoriz]

Growths aren't too important. However, enemies are much tougher which is why this game is challenging. Only a handful of units can one round enemies. As opposed to a lot of other titles where about half can one round most enemies.

[@runefaustblack]

I'm pretty sure bosses are challenging mostly because thrones give 40 avoid, meaning that without some minmaxing you'll be whiffing a lot and can't do anything about it.

[@voltron77]

Bro you should give it 10/10 it’s amazing!

[@korinoriz]

"The easiest in the frachise so far" Wait I thought Fe 6 was on the harder end. I know fe 4 and 5 aren't that hard either but they somewhat have a reputation for being hard when really they're just tricky, especially 5. Having played a bit of fe 4, I know it's not that hard either first hand. Don't know about Fe 1 or 3 though, but I know their remakes have a reputation for being kinda difficult and they're not too different. Gaiden is Gaiden.

[@Choops6969]

I honestly have no idea where this notion that FE6 is one of the "hardest" FEs comes from. I thought even on hard mode it was par for the course.

[@superblanco444]

Chaz Aria LLC it’s harder than the other GBA games that’s for sure but that doesn’t mean much lol

[@korinoriz]

@The Eternal Anti Boomer I guess it's just the early game that's tough, from what I'm reading.

[@korinoriz]

@@Choops6969 From what I'm reading, I'm guessing it's just the early game that's tough. I think the notion comes from the fact hit rates are "bad", and only a small handful of units being able to ORKO as opposed to other games where about half the cast can do it. Oh and of course "Roy sucks".

[@picklejuice7041]

@Rebel Friend I feel like the hammerne staff should just be exclusively reserved for the Warp staff. Rutger only needs the Killing Edge really. I feel like players should only start using the legendary weapons when they face Zephiel because after him, you face more manaketes and ofc the true final boss.