A truly to-the-masses appealing game that took nearly 2 decades of niche but unique stories and "saved" the franchise by dumbing it down to oblivion. It utterly flops in regards to story, characters, and gameplay. - Story 4/10: The story is divided into 3 parts - and while the first one is fairly decent - the second two are completely trash. The second is entirely disconnected from the plot of the other two and simply just unrelated filler and fanservice, while the third is just a somehow even more cliched and boring version of the standard "Evil Dragon Cult" plotline - all centered around the complete void of a "character" that is the avatar/Robin - Gameplay 3/10: Do you sudden ambush spawns that force you to restart the chapter? Do you like a somehow less impactful skill system than the one that came out 15 years before? Do you like sending all your units walking in a straight line down a wide open plain? Then Awakening is the game for you! - Characters 2/10: Fire Emblem Awakening is a moving story about a prince trying to redeem himself and his family of his father's crimes, while his daughter desperately tries to save him and her family from a future she barely survived. Together, the bonds of family overcome all, as in trying to tear this father and daughter apart the forces of evil created their own demise. Is what I'd say if this were a better game. Unfortunately they made Robin/The Avatar a character, starting the worst trend in the franchise (No, Kris and Mark don't count). Robin is as much a "character" as a bowl of cold soup. Flavorless, sad, and pointless, **** all creativity and character writing into the void of the avatar - rendering all around them warped in their wake. Oh right there's other characters... wait no they're all just a loosely collected pile of gimmicks. Great. If you want a game with a good story, play Thracia. Want a game with good gameplay, play Fates. Want a game with good characters, play 3H. Don't play this game - but at least its not Blazing Blade.
