Please note that the subsequent review is based on playing Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright only and is the PAL version.

With sword or dragonstone in hand, Fire Emblem Fates offers three story branches to series newcomers and veterans. Yet it’s in the gut-wrenching, tense and raw storyline combined with gripping gameplay that makes Birthright so enthralling, you’ll be playing for hours on end.

Known to veterans for its strategy and deep challenges, the Fire Emblem series has been a considerable success for Nintendo over the years. Developed by Intelligent Systems, the tactical Japanese RPG rose to critical acclaim and has since spurned many releases, with the thirteenth main instalment Fire Emblem: Awakening released on the 3DS in 2013. Having arrived in Japan in 2015, Fire Emblem Fates returns to the 3DS, with similar visuals, weaponry and character classes, though with three distinct paths of fate to choose from. With each branch differing in its storyline and final outcome, Fates alleviates the pressure for newcomers in Birthright; provides deeper, intense and often devastating challenges in Conquest; and brings a balanced but mixed difficulty in Revelation.

For those in unfamiliar territory in Fire Emblem Fates, Birthright gives newcomers the best start to the franchise. Challenge battles can be initiated in between the main storyline to gain extra experience and gold, plus you’ll have the ability to scout for extra battles by paying in gold. Conquest on the other hand gives you limited experience and limited gold per map, as well as additional options for strategic battles, so there’s a big risk versus reward available for veteran players. Revelation is, of course, a blend of both in terms of difficulty, so you’ll be able to obtain gold while playing varied battles.

Fire Emblem Fates’ Avatar, Corrin. The beautiful Songstress, Azura. The busty purple-haired beauty from Nohr, Camilla. The strong-hearted future King of Hoshida, Ryoma. The dashing blonde-haired handsome future Nohrian King, Xander.

As my first foray into the franchise was Awakening, siding with the protagonist’s Hoshidan family in Birthright felt like the correct choice. But the game doesn’t make choosing any easier than it should be, so you’ll be torn between those who raised you in Nohr and your blood brothers and sisters in Hoshido. Forced to choose a side as Corrin – your customisable in-game avatar – within the first five chapters, you’ll be drawn into a war between Nohr and Hoshido after witnessing a particularly horrendous sequence with your birth mother at the expense of the main antagonist Garon’s handiwork.

The script work is utterly commendable here, with the raw atmosphere chipping at your bones, chilling you to the core within the first few hours of gameplay. It’s remarkable how guilty you feel choosing between your brothers and sisters – and that’s testament to the work between Intelligent Systems and Nintendo’s SPD division. But it’s just unfortunate that the game is separated into three different packages, nullifying that feeling of complete betrayal, since you’ve already purchased one branch.

Sparked by a deep rage after Garon’s disturbing move on Hoshido, the protagonist transmogrifies into a dragon on the battlefield. Luckily the draconic rage can be quelled by use of a dragonstone, allowing the protagonist to change seamlessly in battle. It’s both a unique and satisfying element to Fates, which only strengthens the title’s familiar and tactical grid-based gameplay. And when your in-game children can share similar skill sets to you, it’s richly fulfilling to see two dragons fighting side by side.

Putting faith into the magical number three, Fire Emblem Fates implements everything as a trio of choice. While there are three difficulty settings in normal, hard and lunatic, there are also three game modes too; Phoenix where units are revived after each turn, Casual where units are revived after each battle and Classic where units who die in battle can never return. As the heartache of classic would render me useless, I opted for casual mode on hard to keep the peace.

But in keeping with the magic number, Fates also brings back the weapon triangle, adding a twist to incorporate rods, bows and hidden weapons with swords, lances and axes. What may seem confusing at first is carried impeccably throughout the game, with critical exclamation marks against foes, alongside up and down arrows to note the weapon compatibility. A small but essential part of the game which can help newcomers immensely.

Deceit and betrayal lies ahead in Fates. Unleash the Dovahkiin. Wait, no. Unleash the Draconian rage! Dragons are smart and lethal. Select your units to battle and move them accordingly. The blue zones are the spaces your units can move. A Pegasus isn’t just for Hercules. A beginner’s map for those with keen eyes.

As it stands, Birthright offers the easiest route through the game’s storyline but has very little battle variation. Taking place across various map locations, players usually only have one of three options for battle victory; rout the enemy, defeat the boss, or reach the escape point. Players must navigate their selected characters across the grid and defeat enemies on the way, either by fighting individually, adjacently, or by pairing up for support. To alleviate the monotony of the most simplistic maps, Fates allows Nobles from either Hoshido or Nohr to use Dragon Veins. These mechanisms are both a blessing and a curse as they open up pathways or reveal traps to damage both enemies and allies within.

A particular sore point in Birthright comes down to supposed blatant luck when choosing a dragon vein in Chapter 21. Needlessly extending the battle, it was considerably frustrating when enemy units revived every turn while my team was stuck horribly burning alive on hot lava coals. Though I’ve always been an unlucky soul, what could have been a 20-minute chapter turned into an hour-long painstaking battle with very little satisfaction. Apparently the game gives a subtle clue as to which vein to select, though I clearly missed that memo. While it was one of the more intriguing map layouts in Birthright and swerved away from thick forest, desert wastelands and mountainous settlements, it’s oddly orchestrated by the developers.

In a bittersweet moment in Birthright, one of the best maps takes place in the ice village, where visiting houses alerts you to the enemy. In stereoscopic 3D, battles within the snow and ice are visually stunning and add some terrific variation to Birthright’s aesthetics, which are for the most part a little too bland at times. Battle animations are solid and can clearly be seen, surprisingly when using the fast forward option too. When characters initiate a skill based on their specific class, though, the visual stakes are increased and are a joy to watch, especially the Ninja’s skill lethality in Tarantino-styled brutality. And while the camera panning between battles are excellent, it’s a real shame there are minor frame rate drops in stereoscopic 3D only, even on a New Nintendo 3DS.

A beautiful melody at the Opera House. Now’s the time to choose; fight with Nohr or Hoshido. Cruelly kidnapped by Garon when you were just a baby. Your Hoshidan mother. The battle of the kings: Xander and Ryoma.

Though Birthright can be surprisingly bleak during its main storyline with repetitive voice acting, some of the game’s best moments are initiated outside of battle in support conversations, where C to S rank can be achieved between characters. Intertwined with awkward confrontation, witty sparks of debate, and adorable melodramatic dialogue, characters are brought to life in these interludes, giving them room to spread their three-dimensional roots.

During this period, you’ll be able to wander around your own Castle – a settlement which you can build from the ground up by placing various buildings such as the arena, smithy, armoury and prison to name but a few. Players can also marry their units and have children in their settlement, spawning different paralogue chapters within the game.

Fans also have the option to view other castles by using the StreetPass option available in-game, and can pick up food items and ores that are otherwise unavailable. Battles can also be initiated between castles that take the form of conquer or defend; it’s both thrilling and a sweet change of pace that enables your characters to level up within their class, though it doesn’t enable you to do so in Conquest. Alongside the StreetPass function, Fire Emblem Fates also brings a neat multiplayer mode to the table. By choosing a team of five, players can work their way through five different map areas with turns limited to five minutes. Although it can be a little slow for veteran players, it’s an ample area for newcomers to get to grips with different tactics and teams.

With just under 30 chapters for Birthright, it’s a lengthy 40 plus hour campaign that plucks at your heart strings time and time again. While there isn’t enough strategic battle variation coupled with a few minor grievances in gameplay, the twists and turns of the storyline is enough to set those goose bumps prickling. Simply put, I’m yearning for more heartache in both Conquest and Revelation. Though perhaps it would be easier if we could stop time, or pillage for additional gold.

9/10