A while back I decided to revisit all of Fates, and take it in what many would consider to be the recommended order (BR->CQ->RV) for the full experience. As someone who remembered Birthright being my least favorite at the time, I enjoyed this replay far more than I expected myself to.
Fates, as a whole, is a game that I think has far more merits than it is often given credit for. It has many flaws, most of which are extremely apparent and off putting at first glance (Corrin doesn’t really work as an avatar character and also really shouldn’t have had the option of marrying their siblings, each route’s story makes a few questionable decisions, it’s weirdly horny at times for some reason, My Castle is a bit of a convoluted mess, the baby dimension is stupid, etc.), but beneath all of that is an incredibly fun game with a likable cast and engaging mechanics that offer more strategic options than most games in the Fire Emblem series.
I see the gameplay as an evolution of Awakening's combat. For one, the way pair-up is handled in this game means having to make decisions on whether you want to play offensively or defensively. Even the children, while logically at odds with the story, make for an incredibly fun mechanical addition, and the way their paralogues are designed and the way that the level you recruit them scales with which chapter you're on greatly reduced the tedium of giving them the right skills and being battle ready for the main story. Weapon durability was also removed entirely, in favor of balancing certain weapons with natural drawbacks so that there would rarely be just one weapon a unit would use in every situation. The Weapon Triangle also received an advancement, now to include Tomes, Daggers, and Bows, which each contain the advantage and disadvantage of Swords, Lances, and Axes respectively. This places even more importance on your choice of weapon and makes it so that nearly every player unit has matchups that they wish to avoid.
Birthright in particular also feels unique in this series for its primarily eastern aesthetic that features many unique weapons and classes, which while accessible in other routes take center stage here. As far as other route-specific points go, this one was pretty straightforward with mainly "Route the Enemy" and "Defeat Boss" maps without trying anything to gimmicky aside from some Dragon Veins here and there. This is part of the reason I think Birthright is a good starting place for someone looking to fully experience Fates. I also found myself more engaged with the story this time, with certain moments at the end being genuinely impactful.
I think the main takeaway from my experience here is that there's no getting around the fact that certain aspects of the game will leave you shaking your head, but most of these are incredibly minor issues that don't really hinder the experience all that much from the perspective of someone fully aware of these flaws. As long as you're willing to accept some of these annoyances and suspend your disbelief a little, there's a worthwhile experience to be found here.
Fates, as a whole, is a game that I think has far more merits than it is often given credit for. It has many flaws, most of which are extremely apparent and off putting at first glance (Corrin doesn’t really work as an avatar character and also really shouldn’t have had the option of marrying their siblings, each route’s story makes a few questionable decisions, it’s weirdly horny at times for some reason, My Castle is a bit of a convoluted mess, the baby dimension is stupid, etc.), but beneath all of that is an incredibly fun game with a likable cast and engaging mechanics that offer more strategic options than most games in the Fire Emblem series.
I see the gameplay as an evolution of Awakening's combat. For one, the way pair-up is handled in this game means having to make decisions on whether you want to play offensively or defensively. Even the children, while logically at odds with the story, make for an incredibly fun mechanical addition, and the way their paralogues are designed and the way that the level you recruit them scales with which chapter you're on greatly reduced the tedium of giving them the right skills and being battle ready for the main story. Weapon durability was also removed entirely, in favor of balancing certain weapons with natural drawbacks so that there would rarely be just one weapon a unit would use in every situation. The Weapon Triangle also received an advancement, now to include Tomes, Daggers, and Bows, which each contain the advantage and disadvantage of Swords, Lances, and Axes respectively. This places even more importance on your choice of weapon and makes it so that nearly every player unit has matchups that they wish to avoid.
Birthright in particular also feels unique in this series for its primarily eastern aesthetic that features many unique weapons and classes, which while accessible in other routes take center stage here. As far as other route-specific points go, this one was pretty straightforward with mainly "Route the Enemy" and "Defeat Boss" maps without trying anything to gimmicky aside from some Dragon Veins here and there. This is part of the reason I think Birthright is a good starting place for someone looking to fully experience Fates. I also found myself more engaged with the story this time, with certain moments at the end being genuinely impactful.
I think the main takeaway from my experience here is that there's no getting around the fact that certain aspects of the game will leave you shaking your head, but most of these are incredibly minor issues that don't really hinder the experience all that much from the perspective of someone fully aware of these flaws. As long as you're willing to accept some of these annoyances and suspend your disbelief a little, there's a worthwhile experience to be found here.
Reviewed on Apr 15, 2021