This review was written in late November 2021, at the end of Book V.
Many mobile games are little more than cash grabs to allow the developers to make money off of microtransactions. Fire Emblem Heroes, however, is an enjoyable game in its own right, even if it isn't as deep as many of the main series games.
The plot, which takes place in a world in which it is possible to summon characters from other FE games, isn't anything special. It primarily focuses on the Original Generation characters, with characters from other FE games usually serving as mini-bosses. The setting is decent, but many plot threads never go anywhere.
The truly interesting part is the character interactions in the Paralogues and Forging Bonds events. These pair off characters with others from their own games or others for some fascinating scenes, whether funny(Ingrid meeting other Big Eaters) or serious (Alm enjoying the Day of Devotion with his father.)
The gameplay is fast-paced. Most of the maps are only 6x8 tiles, so battles often last for three turns or fewer and in a couple minutes real time. This can be a nice change of pace if you're tired of restarting a map you spent an hour on because you lost a unit.
There are a wide variety of game modes to play, with different levels of challenge. Some of the easier maps (e.g. story mode on Normal) will be a breeze even for newcomers, but some of the harder ones (e.g. Arenas at high rank) will require careful strategies and a team that's tailored to the task.
You have hundreds of heroes from various FE games to play with, each with various strengths and weaknesses. The sheer number of ways to strengthen units, from merging them with other units to applying Sacred Seals, can be daunting, but the game has hints and other tools for casual players. Many of the abilities can be rather convoluted compared to those in the main series, with myriad conditions and extra effects.
Combat features series mainstays such as the Weapon Triangle, but otherwise is a bit simplified. Unlike most games, units can't switch weapons in battle, nor can they use items. Instead, they have a standard attack, an ability to use on their allies(e.g. healing) and a "cooldown" attack. Units cannot miss, get critical hits or randomly proc skills, which removes a lot of the RNG, for better or for worse.
The game is free to download, but features microtransactions for things such as the orbs used to summon heroes. However, I've been able to get some good heroes on my squad with the orbs collected from completing quests and getting daily login bonuses, and haven't had to spend any money on the game.
If you have a smartphone and are interested in FE, whether as a newcomer or a veteran, I recommend checking Heroes out. It serves as a good entry point for the former, and the latter will likely enjoy many of the challenges and the chance to see characters from relatively obscure FE games.
The best free Fire Emblem game
This review was written in late November 2021, at the end of Book V.
Many mobile games are little more than cash grabs to allow the developers to make money off of microtransactions. Fire Emblem Heroes, however, is an enjoyable game in its own right, even if it isn't as deep as many of the main series games.
The plot, which takes place in a world in which it is possible to summon characters from other FE games, isn't anything special. It primarily focuses on the Original Generation characters, with characters from other FE games usually serving as mini-bosses. The setting is decent, but many plot threads never go anywhere.
The truly interesting part is the character interactions in the Paralogues and Forging Bonds events. These pair off characters with others from their own games or others for some fascinating scenes, whether funny(Ingrid meeting other Big Eaters) or serious (Alm enjoying the Day of Devotion with his father.)
The gameplay is fast-paced. Most of the maps are only 6x8 tiles, so battles often last for three turns or fewer and in a couple minutes real time. This can be a nice change of pace if you're tired of restarting a map you spent an hour on because you lost a unit.
There are a wide variety of game modes to play, with different levels of challenge. Some of the easier maps (e.g. story mode on Normal) will be a breeze even for newcomers, but some of the harder ones (e.g. Arenas at high rank) will require careful strategies and a team that's tailored to the task.
You have hundreds of heroes from various FE games to play with, each with various strengths and weaknesses. The sheer number of ways to strengthen units, from merging them with other units to applying Sacred Seals, can be daunting, but the game has hints and other tools for casual players. Many of the abilities can be rather convoluted compared to those in the main series, with myriad conditions and extra effects.
Combat features series mainstays such as the Weapon Triangle, but otherwise is a bit simplified. Unlike most games, units can't switch weapons in battle, nor can they use items. Instead, they have a standard attack, an ability to use on their allies(e.g. healing) and a "cooldown" attack. Units cannot miss, get critical hits or randomly proc skills, which removes a lot of the RNG, for better or for worse.
The game is free to download, but features microtransactions for things such as the orbs used to summon heroes. However, I've been able to get some good heroes on my squad with the orbs collected from completing quests and getting daily login bonuses, and haven't had to spend any money on the game.
If you have a smartphone and are interested in FE, whether as a newcomer or a veteran, I recommend checking Heroes out. It serves as a good entry point for the former, and the latter will likely enjoy many of the challenges and the chance to see characters from relatively obscure FE games.