I'm actually getting quite excited to play the soon to be release "Fire Emblem: Awakening." I've never really given the Fire Emblem serious much of a go and I'm interested in it. Does the serious have a long going chronology or story that would be hard for me to familiarize myself with, or is it friendly for newcomers? I'm talking strictly the story, not the gameplay, which I already know is very challenging.

For the most part, it's pretty damn friendly. The series trades off universes about every 2-3 games, and while Awakening is set in the Akaneia universe that Marth has made home, Awakening is still its own stand-alone story. So yea, you can jump right in without knowing the story behind other games.

The few games in the series that I have played have been pretty well self-contained. There are probably some winks and nods in there that you wouldn't get without the background knowledge, but you won't be lost and confused with the plot.

@Video_Game_King said:

For the most part, it's pretty damn friendly. The series trades off universes about every 2-3 games, and while Awakening is set in the Akaneia universe that Marth has made home, Awakening is still its own stand-alone story. So yea, you can jump right in without knowing the story behind other games.

So what other games in the series are set in this particular universe?

Yeah? I've never really payed it too much attention myself.

Also, they going back to sprites or those crappy 3d models they used for characters in the past couple of handheld games? My purchase pretty much hinges on it.

@Triumvir:

The Akaneia universe? Well, it's strange, since even though the games all I'm gonna talk about technically take place in the same universe, very few actually reference one another very strongly. Basically, the first five Fire Emblems take place in Akaneia, as do the DS ones and Awakening, but only two games take place in the same story arc (four if we're counting Shadow Dragon and Shin Monshou no Nazo separately, even though they're remakes). Gaiden takes place in Valencia, but gets lumped in with Akaneia by virtue of the Pegasus sisters, and Seisen no Keifu/Thracia 776 are in Jugdral, which is Akaneia 1000 years prior. That's why the most connections you'll get for Jugdral are an easily missable Easter egg midway through Seisen no Keifu.

@Video_Game_King said:

@Triumvir:

The Akaneia universe? Well, it's strange, since even though the games all I'm gonna talk about technically take place in the same universe, very few actually reference one another very strongly. Basically, the first five Fire Emblems take place in Akaneia, as do the DS ones and Awakening, but only two games take place in the same story arc (four if we're counting Shadow Dragon and Shin Monshou no Nazo separately, even though they're remakes). Gaiden takes place in Valencia, but gets lumped in with Akaneia by virtue of the Pegasus sisters, and Seisen no Keifu/Thracia 776 are in Jugdral, which is Akaneia 1000 years prior. That's why the most connections you'll get for Jugdral are an easily missable Easter egg midway through Seisen no Keifu.

Damn, King. You love you some Fire Emblem. Seems to me like it would still be pretty approachable, none the less. Ever since XCOM, I've gotten the bug for turn based tactics again. I think I might jump into the series here, myself.

@Triumvir said:

Damn, King. You love you some Fire Emblem.

I played Tear Ring Saga before the translation came out. Of course I love Fire Emblem.

@Video_Game_King said:

For the most part, it's pretty damn friendly. The series trades off universes about every 2-3 games, and while Awakening is set in the Akaneia universe that Marth has made home, Awakening is still its own stand-alone story. So yea, you can jump right in without knowing the story behind other games.

Thats kind of the nice thing of what I played of the series . One game you play as Roy and the next you play as his dad, but do the two wars really have to do with each other other than some characters? Same with Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, Radiant Dawn still has Ike and his crew, but it's more focused on side characters from the first game right?

(I've only played the Path of Radiance and the GBA one with Eliwood so maybe I'm wrong.)

Marth is a guy from Super Smash Bros. All you have to know.

@Nottle:

Radiant Dawn is a sequel to Path of Radiance, so it'd help to play Path of Radiance first. Fire Emblem's a prequel to The Binding Blade, so you can just jump the hell in without knowing anything about Zephiel commanding a dragon lady.

@Video_Game_King said:

@Nottle:

Radiant Dawn is a sequel to Path of Radiance, so it'd help to play Path of Radiance first. Fire Emblem's a prequel to The Binding Blade, so you can just jump the hell in without knowing anything about Zephiel commanding a dragon lady.

It's been like 6 years since I've played Radiant Dawn but the sequel follows Soethe and some pink hair lady, not Ike, Titania, and Soren.

Of the two FE games I've played something always stopped me from finishing them. I'm thinking about playing the SNES ones and working forward.

@killacam said:

Marth is a guy from Super Smash Bros. All you have to know.

Also, Ike is like Marth but taller.

@Video_Game_King said:

@Nottle:

Radiant Dawn is a sequel to Path of Radiance, so it'd help to play Path of Radiance first. Fire Emblem's a prequel to The Binding Blade, so you can just jump the hell in without knowing anything about Zephiel commanding a dragon lady.

It's been like 6 years since I've played Radiant Dawn but the sequel follows Soethe and some pink hair lady, not Ike, Titania, and Soren.

Of the two FE games I've played something always stopped me from finishing them. I'm thinking about playing the SNES ones and working forward.

@Nottle said:

It's been like 6 years since I've played Radiant Dawn but the sequel follows Soethe and some pink hair lady, not Ike, Titania, and Soren.

@Video_Game_King: This box art was what I was going off of. Looked like a very light violet or pink to me.

As said above, while there are a lot of Fire Emblem games set on the same continents, they're mostly self-contained, exceptions being Radiant Dawn and Thracia 776.

I hope so because it looks awesome!

Has been friendly for me so far (just started yesterday)!