The Fire Emblem franchise has been around for a long time, and it has managed to impress gamers and critics with its strategic turn-based gameplay for years. In 2005, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance was released for the Nintendo GameCube. Much like its predecessors, Path of Radiance features a gripping story and addictive gameplay that holds up as well today as it did four years ago.
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance Storyline
In Path of Radiance, players take the role of Ike, the newest member of the Greil Mercenaries. Under the watch of his father and commander, Ike slowly begins to learn the ways of the combatant. However, things soon go awry, and Ike is tasked with leading Commander Greil’s mercenary company despite his inexperience.
It isn’t long before Ike is faced with several dilemmas. After discovering that Daein, a neighboring country, has set out to take over the kingdom of Crimea, Ike decides to aid the capital city against Daein and help Elincia, the Princess of Crimea. He enlists the help of the laguz, a group of demi-humans whose relations with the human race (or beorc) are rocky as a result of years of feuding.
Despite having the odds stacked against him, Ike sets out to help Princess Elincia, restore peace between the beorc and laguz, and save the kingdom of Crimea from Daein’s invasion, orchestrated by King Ashnard. In his quest to accomplish all of these feats, Ike must make several decisions which directly affect the Greil Mercenaries as well as Crimea itself.
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance Gameplay
A tactical role-playing game in the purest meaning of the term, Path of Radiance features heavy amounts of turn-based gameplay, combat, and character customization. Players are placed on large, grid-based maps, and they must assign commands for each of their units. Helper units (if there are any) make their moves once the player is done, and then enemy units move about the map.
When the player meets an enemy unit, a simulated battle takes place. Certain weapons work better than others against one another, with swords beating axes, axes beating lances, and lances beating swords. Character stats also have an effect on the battles, though, so despite the game’s rock-paper-scissors set-up, a stronger character can easily trump a weaker character regardless of his or her armaments.
While the beorc race relies on weaponry to do battle, the laguz rely solely on sheer strength. The tough hides of the laguz are highly resistant to enemy attacks, and their own offense is very powerful and deals a significant amount of damage. The one catch is that laguz eventually transform into their human forms for a number of turns. During these periods, the laguz are susceptible to damage and can’t perform attacks of their own.
Added into the mix are long-range units. Archers and snipers can’t engage in straightforward combat, but they can attack from a distance and are especially effective against airborne units. Certain types of spears can also be used to attack enemies from afar, and these weapons aren’t exclusive to long-range attackers.
Mages are unique units in that they rely on magic to deal damage. These units can be highly effective when taking on heavily armored units, laguz, and dragons. Healers are another type of energy-based unit that don’t equip standard weapons. Unlike mages, healers can’t inflict damage and are used solely to restore HP (Hit Points) to fellow party members or cure them of ailments.
Post-battle, characters earn experience points. When hit, units earn a small amount of experience. The aggressors in battle always earn more experience, and when a unit wins a battle, even larger amounts of experience are accumulated. After accruing 100 experience points, characters level up and see an increase in stats such as strength, speed, magic, and luck. It should also be noted that characters that fall in battle are lost forever.
In between chapters, players can purchase vulneraries, elixirs, and weapons (or they can forge their own high-powered weapons) from the base for a fixed price. Here, character interactions can also be made, and bonus experience points earned from battles can be assigned to different characters. The base primarily serves to help players prepare their characters for the battle that follows, and it’s a useful feature to say the least.
Graphics and Sound
Path of Radiance has a variety of looks. The in-game presentation consists of simple 3D graphics. There’s nothing amazing about these graphics, but they get the job done. The game’s lengthy story, on the other hand, is told through beautifully drawn cut-scenes, and these scenes have the look and feel of a high-quality anime production. There are also a handful of CG cut-scenes thrown in for good measure, but these are few and far between.
Unlike its Japanese counterpart, Path of Radiance lacks narration, save for the end of the game. There’s voice acting in the game’s few CG sequences, though, and it’s all done well. What the game lacks in voice work, however, it more than makes up for with its beautiful, melodious soundtrack. The game’s music has an orchestrated sound, and it is truly epic and grand in its design.
Lasting Value
Gamers are sure to spend around 30 hours playing Path of Radiance. With three different difficulty levels and some unlockable content, that number can easily increase exponentially. True, a large portion of that time will be spent reading text, but that aspect of the game works well with the addictive gameplay and robust character customization that has become the standard for Fire Emblem games.
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance – A Modern Classic
It’s safe to say that Path of Radiance isn’t for everyone. The game’s slow-paced gameplay and heavy amounts of text are sure to turn off those with more action-oriented tastes. But for gamers looking for a strategic gameplay experience with a deep, emotional story, it doesn’t get any better than Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.
Score: 9/10
David Sanchez - David Sanchez is a college student and freelance games jounalist. What was once a hobby for him is now a passion, and he looks to someday ...
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