Notes for my series replay:
- Serious tone shift for the series up until this point. There are parts of the other games that are dark, but this game feels bleak from the beginning.
- A very nice variety of maps and map objectives, among the most diverse gameplay in the series. This game feels like Kaga was hitting his stride in map design, as the maps range from kinda annoying, to holy shit this is fucking amazing.
- The one thing I REALLY appreciate about Thracia 776 is that the maps mirror the narrative. A bleak situation will be accompanied likely by a map that is equally as bleak and stacked against the player. The map objectives generally reflect this, which is neat, as up until this point they were essentially just seize or rout.
- Another thing, this game is super sandbox-y for a SRPG. Combat potential of units has a relatively low ceiling compared to most games, and as such, OP stats does not equate to facerolling the map (in most cases, save for Ced). Rather, you are required to use the tools at your disposal to solve the problem posed by the chapter, whether it's fog of war, enemies escaping with valuable loot, status staves, etc.
- Almost every single map in this game has a side objective or unique challenge about them. It makes maps memorable and gives the player a nice little dopamine hit when they finally clear a challenging one.
- Thracia 776 implements an interesting capture system, as now any melee units can capture another (non-mounted) melee unit with less constitution and take all of their items. Units with no weapons, or units that are asleep will be captured with no combat initiated. It's high risk, as the capturing unit suffers severe stat penalties for attempting to capture, but gives players a chance to take some of the enticing loot from enemies, creating an interesting economy compared to other entries in the series. I beat my entire replay of this game without buying a single weapon, rather I only bought five door keys in the chapters leading up to the end.
- Capturing can sometimes be unreliable though, as units that have 20 Con cannot be captured, and as I previously mentioned, neither can mounted units. That's why thieves are also very valuable units in Thracia 776, as thieves can yoink just about anything in the game, granted they're faster than the enemy and have more Con than the weapon weighs. It's a really neat system, and makes thieves some of your best units, even if their combat is less than stellar (which it often is).
- Support units are wildly valuable too, as staves are the number one tool at your disposal in Thracia 776. Staves can heal units, warp units, rescue units, unlock chests/doors, inflict statuses, cure statuses, and even steal items from enemies in some circumstances. It wouldn't be exaggeration to say that all of the units that can easily rank A staves in Thracia 776 are among your best units in the game. An abundance in powerful staves in the late game makes this even clearer to a shrewd player.
- Leif is a particularly interesting protagonist. He begins as a kid who has experienced hardship in his life, but doesn't really know what it means to be a leader or a king. He isn't necessarily charismatic, but rather a symbol of liberation that people flock to. His growth over the game makes him potentially one of the most dynamic lords in the series, which is fascinating when you recall his role in the previous game.
- The soundtrack is also really noteworthy. It's not as grandiose as the previous titles, but rather more determined and grounded. A lot of the songs actually sound like marches, save for Leif's theme, which is potentially one of my favorite FE map themes, ever. I think it's also one of the only FE games to have a near defeat theme, which is interesting as a majority of FE soundtracks have a near victory theme.
This game has a threatening aura to some FE newcomers, and I totally understand. It's a daunting game with some really hard and aggravating chapters. I think that being patient and armed with knowledge on some frustrating chapters can remedy alot of the bullshit. When you finally get to understand the workings of Thracia 776 and put in the time to learn it's quirks, it's genuinely one of the best experiences I've had with Fire Emblem as a whole. This is Shouzou Kaga's masterpiece, and it took me way too long to realize it.
- Serious tone shift for the series up until this point. There are parts of the other games that are dark, but this game feels bleak from the beginning.
- A very nice variety of maps and map objectives, among the most diverse gameplay in the series. This game feels like Kaga was hitting his stride in map design, as the maps range from kinda annoying, to holy shit this is fucking amazing.
- The one thing I REALLY appreciate about Thracia 776 is that the maps mirror the narrative. A bleak situation will be accompanied likely by a map that is equally as bleak and stacked against the player. The map objectives generally reflect this, which is neat, as up until this point they were essentially just seize or rout.
- Another thing, this game is super sandbox-y for a SRPG. Combat potential of units has a relatively low ceiling compared to most games, and as such, OP stats does not equate to facerolling the map (in most cases, save for Ced). Rather, you are required to use the tools at your disposal to solve the problem posed by the chapter, whether it's fog of war, enemies escaping with valuable loot, status staves, etc.
- Almost every single map in this game has a side objective or unique challenge about them. It makes maps memorable and gives the player a nice little dopamine hit when they finally clear a challenging one.
- Thracia 776 implements an interesting capture system, as now any melee units can capture another (non-mounted) melee unit with less constitution and take all of their items. Units with no weapons, or units that are asleep will be captured with no combat initiated. It's high risk, as the capturing unit suffers severe stat penalties for attempting to capture, but gives players a chance to take some of the enticing loot from enemies, creating an interesting economy compared to other entries in the series. I beat my entire replay of this game without buying a single weapon, rather I only bought five door keys in the chapters leading up to the end.
- Capturing can sometimes be unreliable though, as units that have 20 Con cannot be captured, and as I previously mentioned, neither can mounted units. That's why thieves are also very valuable units in Thracia 776, as thieves can yoink just about anything in the game, granted they're faster than the enemy and have more Con than the weapon weighs. It's a really neat system, and makes thieves some of your best units, even if their combat is less than stellar (which it often is).
- Support units are wildly valuable too, as staves are the number one tool at your disposal in Thracia 776. Staves can heal units, warp units, rescue units, unlock chests/doors, inflict statuses, cure statuses, and even steal items from enemies in some circumstances. It wouldn't be exaggeration to say that all of the units that can easily rank A staves in Thracia 776 are among your best units in the game. An abundance in powerful staves in the late game makes this even clearer to a shrewd player.
- Leif is a particularly interesting protagonist. He begins as a kid who has experienced hardship in his life, but doesn't really know what it means to be a leader or a king. He isn't necessarily charismatic, but rather a symbol of liberation that people flock to. His growth over the game makes him potentially one of the most dynamic lords in the series, which is fascinating when you recall his role in the previous game.
- The soundtrack is also really noteworthy. It's not as grandiose as the previous titles, but rather more determined and grounded. A lot of the songs actually sound like marches, save for Leif's theme, which is potentially one of my favorite FE map themes, ever. I think it's also one of the only FE games to have a near defeat theme, which is interesting as a majority of FE soundtracks have a near victory theme.
This game has a threatening aura to some FE newcomers, and I totally understand. It's a daunting game with some really hard and aggravating chapters. I think that being patient and armed with knowledge on some frustrating chapters can remedy alot of the bullshit. When you finally get to understand the workings of Thracia 776 and put in the time to learn it's quirks, it's genuinely one of the best experiences I've had with Fire Emblem as a whole. This is Shouzou Kaga's masterpiece, and it took me way too long to realize it.