The first example comes from the very beginning of the game with the elderly Paladin, Jagen. In order to get around this wall, Fire Emblem used a more nuanced method of characterization to flesh out the minor characters: the stats and growths of a unit. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the system, all the characters not relevant to the plot receive no dialogue or interactions to flesh them out after their introduction scene. Throughout the game, he recruits several characters of varying backgrounds to join his army, and these are the units that follow him into battle. Originally released in April 20th, 1990, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light told the story of the Marth, prince of the kingdom of Altea trying to regain his kingdom and calm the seas of war in the continent of Archanea. Gameplay cannot simply be ignored due the nature of the medium.įire Emblem is an example of one of the series that manages to marry these two elements together in a natural way. Player input and the decisions he makes throughout the game is a significant part of the narrative that ends up developing throughout game time. While it’s possible for a perfectly coherent and satisfying narrative to come from games that segregate these two core elements, an essential part of what makes video games unique is lost. As described in The Play Versus Story Divide in Game Studies: Critical Essays, it is stated, “…in emphasizing only the game’s story the question of what the player does is shunted aside.” Another is when a character in battle can take hits from mythical creatures and deities but dies to a stab wound from a sword during a story event. For example, when a character dies in a cutscene and cannot come back to life with a revival spell or item it makes the player question why these tools they receive during the gameplay cannot apply to the story. In video games, particularly in RPGs, the story and the gameplay exist on two isolated planes due to their contradictory nature. Fire Emblem’s Use of Numbers to Tell its Story

Fire emblem souen no kiseki isolation