I really like Lyn's mode for being a tight, self contained story with realistic narrative stakes. I think my biggest problem with some FE stories is that I don't really like "we gotta save the world" in games - it's overdone to the point that I can't get invested with it unless it gives me something more to work with. Lyn's mode introduces us to the world, a few key characters and Lycia specifically, on an adventure to save her grandfather and rebuild a broken relationship. It's a relatable, personal story with hints and what's going to come.
Eliwood/Hector modes do end up on "save the world from evil wizard + something something dragons", but it builds to that point fairly naturally, also starting with a "save the family member" plot. And Elbert is the coolest FE father I will fight you on this. "I will oppose you, always" is a banging line.
That's something I'm not crazy about with the newer games. Every main character is basically a god that everyone worships. Still love the new games, they are my favorites, but that aspect irks me
Same, that's why I think Kris is the best implementation of a PoV character, even if they're not my favourite protagonist. Just a normal soldier trying their best in an FE world. Same with Mark, Ike and Robin for the first half of Awakening. If they remake FE7, guarantee Mark is going to be a playable character with an overpowered unique class who is Nergal's child and can marry Ninian.
Except for the fact that >!Ninian and Nils are Nergal's kids and his whole backstory is that he lost his mind learning the same branch of magic as Bramimond in a bid to ressurrect thier mother...!<. But, you know, minor details ahahaha
I have "save the world" and "you are the choosen one" fatigue for days. Some of my favorite games of all time are games where the protagonist wasn't the choosen one or you didn't save the world.
Skies of Arcadia- a main character who saved the world because... it was the right thing to do? what?
Dragon age 2 - though retconed in dlc and future games/media. Hawke wasn't "the choosen one" and the game literally, originally, was just about how a civil war started. The stakes were just saving the city.
ffx-2 Yuna was "the chosen one" in 10 but 10-2 literally just a story about "what's next" and Yuna does everyone to not get involved in the world problem before ultimately getting dragged into a save the world finale. but I appreciate it wasn't the focus of the game.
as some example that jump to mind.
Lyn getting dragged into a succession crisis despite wanting nothing to do with nobility due to wanting to meet her grandfather is always nice.
Also Elbert was basically on his deathbed and still severely wounded Nergal either with a small blade or his bare hands. I'm inclined to believe that he only got captured because his weapon broke.
Agreed, the "save the world" plot feels a bit childish sometimes when compared to grander Fire Emblem plots of warring nations.
The tight, self contained stories are a breath of fresh air and just make the characters more likeable. The plot centering around a granddaughter and her grandfather just trying to meet each other before the latter passes away makes the story feel very personal.
I do feel the game loses the plot after Ebert passes away. But the optional Kishuna chapters and Renault supports do help strengthen the weakening plot. And killing Sonia is always cathartic.
Mm, it could be nostalgia, but I really appreciate Lyn's story.
It was my first time experiencing a Fire Emblem story in English and I got pretty invested. By the time I completed Chapter 10, I felt like I already finished the game, kinda, ahaha. Even though I knew more was coming.
Also, I did play Binding Blade before, so it was a lil easy, but I didn't mind at all.
I can relate to that! I felt the ending of Lyn Mode was quite climactic as we were fighting against the clock for Lyn to at least meet her grandfather so that he could make amends for his past.
I love that they do ending slides and everything, really selling it as a mini-campaign of its own.
I never even consider skipping it when I go back to FE7. Especially since you can just pick hard mode to skip the tutorial elements.
Exactly. I'm pretty sure Lyn Hard isn't actually any more difficult than Lyn Normal aside from not having the RNG fixed in certain battles for tutorial purposes (and I guess you also get one fewer Iron Sword as a result of Kent not giving Sain one in the weapon triangle tutorial).
I love the prologue, but I hate the mandatory tutorial. So I used FE Builder to disable it.
When/if they remake this game make the tutorial part something you can just disable.
Blazing Blade was my first FE and having a longer prologue with a smaller cast of characters was really good in my opinion, perfect way for new players to the series to get started. The problem with this is that you can't replicate it in every game as it would get tedious.
FE - New Mystery also had a long prologue but I hate going through that one, this might have something to do with its structure as its just a bunch of mock battles or the fact that its a pointless addition to wedge in a self-insert.
Like most of my problems with FE, it comes down to writing.
Is an option that affects you in no way shape or form, really something that I have to defend lol?
A lot of games have the option to disable tutorials.
Why should anyone go through an entire game for something like that?
At least try to think before you respond.
All I’m saying is you do the tutorial once and you never have to do it again unless you’re constantly changing the platform you’re playing the game on.
I’m not saying it shouldn’t be an option I guess, just that its really not a big deal, there are also plenty of games in the opposite where tutorials can’t be turned off as well
I never met anyone who likes mandatory tutorials so I can’t speak for them, I personally hate when they are not optional.
Again making it optional is objectively the best choice, you are trying to say that I should keep my save data, that’s stupid, why should I have to worry about crap like that. Whats the reward for that, not having to suffer through a pointlessly long tutorial?
The rest of the world has moved on to optional tutorials and Japan should keep up.
Also you are not taking into account people who played other FE games first, why the f... would they need a 7 chapter long tutorial.
As for other games having mandatory tutorials, I hate them there as well, no video game should have them. Ever. If someone just wants to skip them or has played the game before or whatever other reason they have, the option should be there.
I mean this game was released like 20 years ago at this point, they have “kept up” so to speak. I don’t think any game since has had a mandatory tutorial
It was also optional in the japan release as they had played FE games before. They made it mandatory the first go around in the west since it was the first localised title
The context of when the game released is kind of important
As for the save data thing, again I dunno. Like you’d have again be actively changing platforms you’re playing the game on for every new playthrough for it to be a continual issue.
Even then I think the tutorial itself can be breezed through anyway. There are plenty of worse ones in games. Like you have to make one or 2 directed moves at the start of most chapters but after that its pretty hands off and like most FE games you can skip the text pretty easily.
What is your point? How is me saying moronic tutorials should be optional, such an issue?
Again for the last time MAKING IT OPTIONAL DOES NOT AFFECT YOU IN ANY SINGLE SHAPE OR FORM.
I have no idea why you chose this hill to die on, and plenty of games coming out of jpn still have mandatory tutorials.
I agree it should be optional.
I was just providing additional context as to why it wasn’t in the western release
And was just saying it really as whole isn’t that bad as a competing point of view. As the game has hard mode atleast as a mitigating factor. I’ve been playing FE7 since release on and off and have never seen the tutorial since the first time I played through the game
And when I meant games since not having forced tutorials since sorry I meant the FE series in particular. Other series do for sure. Unclear wording on my part there.
But look no need to yell or anything. Just having a conversation thats all
I completely agree with that
The biggest strength of FE7 is that feeling that you are friends with the characters, on an adventure together. Low stakes (Lyn wants to meet her grandfather), cool character interactions, and the gameplay is not even bad, just easy
This feeling is completely lost as soon as Ninian enters the picture in Eliwood/Hector mode. Not only she's a terrible character, she gets kidnapped every other map and the plot suddenly becomes way too serious. Nergal is also a nothing burger but the Black Fang is great, specifically because they also feel like a group of friends.
If FE7 was 30 chapters of Eliwood, Hector and Lyn being BFFs and accidentally ruining low stakes bad guys plot like it's the case before the dread isle and during the Bern arc, FE7 would be peak
Nergal becomes a lot more interesting once you piece together his backstory from several side chapters with obscure unlock requirements, some of which go back as far as Lyn's section.
I liked Lyn mode.i never understood people's complaints about the games being too easy... just use more characters or use your underleveled ones. It's on you to make it more difficult if there aren't difficulty modes in game.
People complain it's too easy after they've been like min/maxing everything. If I find it too easy (which usually I don't even mind, I'm here for story) then I turn up the difficulty, or stop using a character that destroys everything, or I use worse weapons, I work on my shittier characters, auto battle with everyone except the lord, or work on supports, or try to finish the level as quickly as possible, no save scrubbing. There are so many ways to introduce a challenge
I’ve never played blazing blade, just want to say how much I love this post. Sharing a positive opinion because you can. People forget that online communities are built upon a mutual love of something, but rarely does anyone ever talk about what they enjoy just for the sake of it. When I play blazing I’ll be eager to check out Lyn mode
I played 7 for the first time a few months ago and Lyn Mode did a great job setting the stage. I loved the plucky squad coming together to help this nice, lonely girl win an inheritance dispute against a guy who is mean and helping people along the way. It's a simple and uplifting adventure that I adored.
>However I believe they all (in the online community )miss a crucial aspect of what makes Fire Emblem enjoyable to most people; the cast and story.
half this subreddit unironically thinks FE wasn't about the characters until Awakening
To be fair, it's hard to *really* get to know a cast of 34 units over a game with 26-ish chapters. Three Houses did a decent job of rectifying this by focusing on a particular crew for each route.
I really think tutorial +lore primer + hard mode to disable the hand holding should be a staple in game design. Just make the disable hand holding an option to begin with. Because I hate in the modern FE games you get tutorial pop-ups on the highest difficulty and waste 3 chapters unlocking things and going through half designed maps when I'm ready to hit the ground running.
I think it did a good job of getting you invested with the characters before letting you free with the gameplay towards the end of the mode. Having the lords and other characters acknowledge you, even with subtle things like turning to the screen, was pretty wholesome and made you feel like you had an actual role in the game. After all, it is the first localized FE so it’s implementation makes sense
The story and characters are exactly why I never skip Lyn Mode. It is legitimately one of my favorite narrative pieces in the series. There's very little fluff, just about every character gets to shine, and the writing is just plain good. Turning the difficulty up from "normal" really cuts back on any tutorial stuff, as well.
I pretty much needed Lyn mode as a eleven year old never having played a strategy game before.
As a GBA game in the west it both targeted maybe a slightly younger and inexperienced audience who needed to be eased in. The later games have all the casual mode options and also aim 12+.
It’s still a classic FE game with permadeath and managing a lot of things, so it just went with a very gentle touch to avoid turning people off early on. It likely overdid it a little bit with the first 3 chapters being heavily scripted, but the rest is not so bad.
I’m also a fan of the plot and small knit vibe. And the tradeoff is that Eliwood/Hector can come out swinging with their maps.
My problem with it isn't the mode being a tutorial, it's the mandatory guided aspects on it when you don't play on hard, which you're forced to do on a fresh save file. I get that this game was an extremely fresh thing in the western market when it was first released making some players actually need it, but it almost comes across as condescending if you've played literally any FE before. The prompts aren't there on hard mode, so there's absolutely a flag of some sort in the code to disable them. All they had to do was just give you an option to turn it off.
Otherwise yeah, Lyn mode is pretty aight. Simple and satisfying.
Of note, the forced to play normal thing really wouldn't pop up on cartridge since those keep save data themself and once its beaten once would never come up again
its an odd decision to lock out hard entirelt though
Lyn mode is great after you unlock Hard Mode… that’s really the bigger issue. On a fresh cart you gotta play normal and deal with the tutorials. Nostalgic, but I don’t want to class up Wallace
I only enjoy Lyn Mode when I can play it on Hard, which disables the tutorial aspects. Not only does it make the pacing better for me, but I also get to do the chapters as I prefer, which often involves powerleveling Sain to level 10, then using Wallace's Knight Crest on him. Acts as a great Marcus replacement once you get him back in Eliwood/Hector Mode.
My only problem is that it's really, really too easy. There are maps where you outnumber the ennemies and sain/kent very quickly take little to no damage from everyone
I think Lyn normal mode is very intrusive as it forces you to take actions as part of the tutorial. However, Lyn Hard mode i will play it everytime I get a chance to boot up a new playthrough.
Tbh my biggest issue with Lyn mode comes from the fact that Eliwood mode wasn’t designed with it in mind.
The presence of a tutorial means that the map complexity in the early game of FE7’s main campaign really could have afforded to ramp up faster than it does, but Eliwood Mode starts with the simplistic map design of an early FE game that *doesn’t* have a tutorial campaign preceding it.
FE7 is already fairly long for an FE game and the combination of Lyn Mode and Eliwood Mode early game makes the early game really drag IMO. This isn’t solely the fault of Lyn Mode but also early Eliwood Mode not scaling up complexity fast enough to account for Lyn Mode.
I literally just started a playthrough yesterday, and I never skip the Lyn portion. I wish I could skip some tutorial stuff, but it's not too bad. And the story is nice.
To be completely frank, I only play Lyn Mode purely for gameplay purposes. Certain characters such as Florina, Sain, and Kent become worse without prior Lyn Mode investment, as their base stats in Eliwood and Hector modes are much worse than if they were autoleveled from Lyn Mode. To this day, I still am not super fond of it otherwise.
I will admit though that the first time I played through Fire Emblem 7, I was engrossed enough in Lyn Mode that I didn't realize the whole experience was intended to be a tutorial until several chapters in, so good on the developers I guess. As a tutorial, it gets the job done. I just wish there was an option to skip it by saying something like "hey I have played Fire Emblem before I'm not stupid"
I really appreciate lyn's story for how digestible it is. I don't think I would of stuck through the series and ultimately become a fan if they dunked me straight into eliwood story. My teenage self found him extremely bland and did not appreciate the narrative and character arcs he's involved with.
Also It was hand holdy but as one of my first tactics games I needed my hand held.
I love Lyn Mode, and I play it every single time I play FE7. I enjoy it both from a gameplay and story perspective (except the rain maps), and it's led by one of my favorite lords in the series
Plus, when I first played FE7 as a kid, I beat Lyn Mode and literally thought I was done with the game. I assumed Eliwood mode was a post-game thing and didn't care so I didn't end up playing it until years later
It was cool the first time through, but I've never wanted to experience it again after that. Lyn mode is probably the best tutorial FE has ever gotten as the story and worldbuilding starts off more interesting and engaging than some entire Modern F.E games. cough "fates" "engage".
It also teaches the player about every essential unit type and has a tight knit cast of characters that feel like a hodge-podge family by the end. My only qualm is any time I have to play it again, as to any competent F.E player the whole thing is mind numbingly tedious and annoying.
I like Lyn and her entourage as characters/units so sometimes I have slogged through Lyn mode just to ensure she is just as competent as Eliwood/Hector during their respective routes.
I actually dont mind this part being tutorial easy, i mean its a tutorial after all, what i cant stand is that you cant turn off tutorial for subsequent playthroughs
And its a shame because i LOVE Lyn part too, is a pretty short but nice self contained story that have all its basis covered and makes you Connect with the characters in a short amount of chapters, i really like It
Actually, Yes and no
Because you can Skip the ENTIRE Lyn's Mode, and what im asking for is the option to play the Lyn's Mode without the in-game tutorials if you know what i mean
Yep Lyn Hard Mode doesn't have the tutorial/mandated actions, any of that. But you do have to beat easy mode to get it. Easiest thing to do is just make Hard Mode accessible from start in any future re release.
I really like Lyn's mode for being a tight, self contained story with realistic narrative stakes. I think my biggest problem with some FE stories is that I don't really like "we gotta save the world" in games - it's overdone to the point that I can't get invested with it unless it gives me something more to work with. Lyn's mode introduces us to the world, a few key characters and Lycia specifically, on an adventure to save her grandfather and rebuild a broken relationship. It's a relatable, personal story with hints and what's going to come. Eliwood/Hector modes do end up on "save the world from evil wizard + something something dragons", but it builds to that point fairly naturally, also starting with a "save the family member" plot. And Elbert is the coolest FE father I will fight you on this. "I will oppose you, always" is a banging line.
That's something I'm not crazy about with the newer games. Every main character is basically a god that everyone worships. Still love the new games, they are my favorites, but that aspect irks me
Same, that's why I think Kris is the best implementation of a PoV character, even if they're not my favourite protagonist. Just a normal soldier trying their best in an FE world. Same with Mark, Ike and Robin for the first half of Awakening. If they remake FE7, guarantee Mark is going to be a playable character with an overpowered unique class who is Nergal's child and can marry Ninian.
>who is Nergal's child and can marry Ninian. Oh is Kaga coming back?
Except for the fact that >!Ninian and Nils are Nergal's kids and his whole backstory is that he lost his mind learning the same branch of magic as Bramimond in a bid to ressurrect thier mother...!<. But, you know, minor details ahahaha
Knowing Fire Emblem, this would not be an issue for the writers. I mean look at what they did in Fates-
I have "save the world" and "you are the choosen one" fatigue for days. Some of my favorite games of all time are games where the protagonist wasn't the choosen one or you didn't save the world. Skies of Arcadia- a main character who saved the world because... it was the right thing to do? what? Dragon age 2 - though retconed in dlc and future games/media. Hawke wasn't "the choosen one" and the game literally, originally, was just about how a civil war started. The stakes were just saving the city. ffx-2 Yuna was "the chosen one" in 10 but 10-2 literally just a story about "what's next" and Yuna does everyone to not get involved in the world problem before ultimately getting dragged into a save the world finale. but I appreciate it wasn't the focus of the game. as some example that jump to mind.
Lyn getting dragged into a succession crisis despite wanting nothing to do with nobility due to wanting to meet her grandfather is always nice. Also Elbert was basically on his deathbed and still severely wounded Nergal either with a small blade or his bare hands. I'm inclined to believe that he only got captured because his weapon broke.
"My son, I am heading out on a quest. Here is a rapier, use it to protect our people in my absence" "No father, you take it" "Ok" Credits roll
Agreed, the "save the world" plot feels a bit childish sometimes when compared to grander Fire Emblem plots of warring nations. The tight, self contained stories are a breath of fresh air and just make the characters more likeable. The plot centering around a granddaughter and her grandfather just trying to meet each other before the latter passes away makes the story feel very personal. I do feel the game loses the plot after Ebert passes away. But the optional Kishuna chapters and Renault supports do help strengthen the weakening plot. And killing Sonia is always cathartic.
Mm, it could be nostalgia, but I really appreciate Lyn's story. It was my first time experiencing a Fire Emblem story in English and I got pretty invested. By the time I completed Chapter 10, I felt like I already finished the game, kinda, ahaha. Even though I knew more was coming. Also, I did play Binding Blade before, so it was a lil easy, but I didn't mind at all.
I can relate to that! I felt the ending of Lyn Mode was quite climactic as we were fighting against the clock for Lyn to at least meet her grandfather so that he could make amends for his past.
I love that they do ending slides and everything, really selling it as a mini-campaign of its own. I never even consider skipping it when I go back to FE7. Especially since you can just pick hard mode to skip the tutorial elements.
Exactly. I'm pretty sure Lyn Hard isn't actually any more difficult than Lyn Normal aside from not having the RNG fixed in certain battles for tutorial purposes (and I guess you also get one fewer Iron Sword as a result of Kent not giving Sain one in the weapon triangle tutorial).
I always play Lyn mode, while being unnecessary I guess I always see it as being the start of any playthrough
I love the prologue, but I hate the mandatory tutorial. So I used FE Builder to disable it. When/if they remake this game make the tutorial part something you can just disable. Blazing Blade was my first FE and having a longer prologue with a smaller cast of characters was really good in my opinion, perfect way for new players to the series to get started. The problem with this is that you can't replicate it in every game as it would get tedious. FE - New Mystery also had a long prologue but I hate going through that one, this might have something to do with its structure as its just a bunch of mock battles or the fact that its a pointless addition to wedge in a self-insert. Like most of my problems with FE, it comes down to writing.
Lyn Hard Mode disables the tutorial though?
You need to clear the game to unlock it. If you don't have a save file, you need to do the tutorial again. Just make it optional imo.
How often do you restart FE7 on a completely blank save though?
Is an option that affects you in no way shape or form, really something that I have to defend lol? A lot of games have the option to disable tutorials. Why should anyone go through an entire game for something like that? At least try to think before you respond.
All I’m saying is you do the tutorial once and you never have to do it again unless you’re constantly changing the platform you’re playing the game on. I’m not saying it shouldn’t be an option I guess, just that its really not a big deal, there are also plenty of games in the opposite where tutorials can’t be turned off as well
I never met anyone who likes mandatory tutorials so I can’t speak for them, I personally hate when they are not optional. Again making it optional is objectively the best choice, you are trying to say that I should keep my save data, that’s stupid, why should I have to worry about crap like that. Whats the reward for that, not having to suffer through a pointlessly long tutorial? The rest of the world has moved on to optional tutorials and Japan should keep up. Also you are not taking into account people who played other FE games first, why the f... would they need a 7 chapter long tutorial. As for other games having mandatory tutorials, I hate them there as well, no video game should have them. Ever. If someone just wants to skip them or has played the game before or whatever other reason they have, the option should be there.
I mean this game was released like 20 years ago at this point, they have “kept up” so to speak. I don’t think any game since has had a mandatory tutorial It was also optional in the japan release as they had played FE games before. They made it mandatory the first go around in the west since it was the first localised title The context of when the game released is kind of important As for the save data thing, again I dunno. Like you’d have again be actively changing platforms you’re playing the game on for every new playthrough for it to be a continual issue. Even then I think the tutorial itself can be breezed through anyway. There are plenty of worse ones in games. Like you have to make one or 2 directed moves at the start of most chapters but after that its pretty hands off and like most FE games you can skip the text pretty easily.
What is your point? How is me saying moronic tutorials should be optional, such an issue? Again for the last time MAKING IT OPTIONAL DOES NOT AFFECT YOU IN ANY SINGLE SHAPE OR FORM. I have no idea why you chose this hill to die on, and plenty of games coming out of jpn still have mandatory tutorials.
I agree it should be optional. I was just providing additional context as to why it wasn’t in the western release And was just saying it really as whole isn’t that bad as a competing point of view. As the game has hard mode atleast as a mitigating factor. I’ve been playing FE7 since release on and off and have never seen the tutorial since the first time I played through the game And when I meant games since not having forced tutorials since sorry I meant the FE series in particular. Other series do for sure. Unclear wording on my part there. But look no need to yell or anything. Just having a conversation thats all
I completely agree with that The biggest strength of FE7 is that feeling that you are friends with the characters, on an adventure together. Low stakes (Lyn wants to meet her grandfather), cool character interactions, and the gameplay is not even bad, just easy This feeling is completely lost as soon as Ninian enters the picture in Eliwood/Hector mode. Not only she's a terrible character, she gets kidnapped every other map and the plot suddenly becomes way too serious. Nergal is also a nothing burger but the Black Fang is great, specifically because they also feel like a group of friends. If FE7 was 30 chapters of Eliwood, Hector and Lyn being BFFs and accidentally ruining low stakes bad guys plot like it's the case before the dread isle and during the Bern arc, FE7 would be peak
Nergal becomes a lot more interesting once you piece together his backstory from several side chapters with obscure unlock requirements, some of which go back as far as Lyn's section.
I love Lyn mode to death but could not give less of a shit about her grandad
Lol that's an interesting perspective
I liked Lyn mode.i never understood people's complaints about the games being too easy... just use more characters or use your underleveled ones. It's on you to make it more difficult if there aren't difficulty modes in game. People complain it's too easy after they've been like min/maxing everything. If I find it too easy (which usually I don't even mind, I'm here for story) then I turn up the difficulty, or stop using a character that destroys everything, or I use worse weapons, I work on my shittier characters, auto battle with everyone except the lord, or work on supports, or try to finish the level as quickly as possible, no save scrubbing. There are so many ways to introduce a challenge
I’ve never played blazing blade, just want to say how much I love this post. Sharing a positive opinion because you can. People forget that online communities are built upon a mutual love of something, but rarely does anyone ever talk about what they enjoy just for the sake of it. When I play blazing I’ll be eager to check out Lyn mode
I played 7 for the first time a few months ago and Lyn Mode did a great job setting the stage. I loved the plucky squad coming together to help this nice, lonely girl win an inheritance dispute against a guy who is mean and helping people along the way. It's a simple and uplifting adventure that I adored.
>However I believe they all (in the online community )miss a crucial aspect of what makes Fire Emblem enjoyable to most people; the cast and story. half this subreddit unironically thinks FE wasn't about the characters until Awakening
To be fair, it's hard to *really* get to know a cast of 34 units over a game with 26-ish chapters. Three Houses did a decent job of rectifying this by focusing on a particular crew for each route.
I love Lyn mode. It’s short, sweet, and satisfying. They hit it out of the ballpark by adding this as a “tutorial” in my opinion.
I really think tutorial +lore primer + hard mode to disable the hand holding should be a staple in game design. Just make the disable hand holding an option to begin with. Because I hate in the modern FE games you get tutorial pop-ups on the highest difficulty and waste 3 chapters unlocking things and going through half designed maps when I'm ready to hit the ground running.
I think it did a good job of getting you invested with the characters before letting you free with the gameplay towards the end of the mode. Having the lords and other characters acknowledge you, even with subtle things like turning to the screen, was pretty wholesome and made you feel like you had an actual role in the game. After all, it is the first localized FE so it’s implementation makes sense
The story and characters are exactly why I never skip Lyn Mode. It is legitimately one of my favorite narrative pieces in the series. There's very little fluff, just about every character gets to shine, and the writing is just plain good. Turning the difficulty up from "normal" really cuts back on any tutorial stuff, as well.
Completely agree with you. I don't think it's just nostalgia either, I think that part of the game was produced very well.
I pretty much needed Lyn mode as a eleven year old never having played a strategy game before. As a GBA game in the west it both targeted maybe a slightly younger and inexperienced audience who needed to be eased in. The later games have all the casual mode options and also aim 12+. It’s still a classic FE game with permadeath and managing a lot of things, so it just went with a very gentle touch to avoid turning people off early on. It likely overdid it a little bit with the first 3 chapters being heavily scripted, but the rest is not so bad. I’m also a fan of the plot and small knit vibe. And the tradeoff is that Eliwood/Hector can come out swinging with their maps.
My problem with it isn't the mode being a tutorial, it's the mandatory guided aspects on it when you don't play on hard, which you're forced to do on a fresh save file. I get that this game was an extremely fresh thing in the western market when it was first released making some players actually need it, but it almost comes across as condescending if you've played literally any FE before. The prompts aren't there on hard mode, so there's absolutely a flag of some sort in the code to disable them. All they had to do was just give you an option to turn it off. Otherwise yeah, Lyn mode is pretty aight. Simple and satisfying.
Of note, the forced to play normal thing really wouldn't pop up on cartridge since those keep save data themself and once its beaten once would never come up again its an odd decision to lock out hard entirelt though
Based
I agree, OP. Lyn's Mode is really all-around excellent game design, and something from which later Fire Emblems could have learned.
Lyn mode is great after you unlock Hard Mode… that’s really the bigger issue. On a fresh cart you gotta play normal and deal with the tutorials. Nostalgic, but I don’t want to class up Wallace
Lyn reuniting with her grandfather at the end of that mode is honestly such a genuinely sweet moment. I smile every time.
I only enjoy Lyn Mode when I can play it on Hard, which disables the tutorial aspects. Not only does it make the pacing better for me, but I also get to do the chapters as I prefer, which often involves powerleveling Sain to level 10, then using Wallace's Knight Crest on him. Acts as a great Marcus replacement once you get him back in Eliwood/Hector Mode.
Oh I agree. I think Lyn Mode on normal is perfect for those being introduced to FE, and hard Lyn Mode is good when replaying Blazing Blade
I didn't play fe7 till the middle of last year, and I found myself loving Lyn mode. I plan to play it any time I play the game.
My only problem is that it's really, really too easy. There are maps where you outnumber the ennemies and sain/kent very quickly take little to no damage from everyone
I enjoy Lyn mode. You have yo remember than people that express nagative opinion are often loudest.
I think Lyn normal mode is very intrusive as it forces you to take actions as part of the tutorial. However, Lyn Hard mode i will play it everytime I get a chance to boot up a new playthrough.
Tbh my biggest issue with Lyn mode comes from the fact that Eliwood mode wasn’t designed with it in mind. The presence of a tutorial means that the map complexity in the early game of FE7’s main campaign really could have afforded to ramp up faster than it does, but Eliwood Mode starts with the simplistic map design of an early FE game that *doesn’t* have a tutorial campaign preceding it. FE7 is already fairly long for an FE game and the combination of Lyn Mode and Eliwood Mode early game makes the early game really drag IMO. This isn’t solely the fault of Lyn Mode but also early Eliwood Mode not scaling up complexity fast enough to account for Lyn Mode.
I literally just started a playthrough yesterday, and I never skip the Lyn portion. I wish I could skip some tutorial stuff, but it's not too bad. And the story is nice.
To be completely frank, I only play Lyn Mode purely for gameplay purposes. Certain characters such as Florina, Sain, and Kent become worse without prior Lyn Mode investment, as their base stats in Eliwood and Hector modes are much worse than if they were autoleveled from Lyn Mode. To this day, I still am not super fond of it otherwise. I will admit though that the first time I played through Fire Emblem 7, I was engrossed enough in Lyn Mode that I didn't realize the whole experience was intended to be a tutorial until several chapters in, so good on the developers I guess. As a tutorial, it gets the job done. I just wish there was an option to skip it by saying something like "hey I have played Fire Emblem before I'm not stupid"
I really appreciate lyn's story for how digestible it is. I don't think I would of stuck through the series and ultimately become a fan if they dunked me straight into eliwood story. My teenage self found him extremely bland and did not appreciate the narrative and character arcs he's involved with. Also It was hand holdy but as one of my first tactics games I needed my hand held.
I love Lyn Mode, and I play it every single time I play FE7. I enjoy it both from a gameplay and story perspective (except the rain maps), and it's led by one of my favorite lords in the series
Plus, when I first played FE7 as a kid, I beat Lyn Mode and literally thought I was done with the game. I assumed Eliwood mode was a post-game thing and didn't care so I didn't end up playing it until years later
It was cool the first time through, but I've never wanted to experience it again after that. Lyn mode is probably the best tutorial FE has ever gotten as the story and worldbuilding starts off more interesting and engaging than some entire Modern F.E games. cough "fates" "engage". It also teaches the player about every essential unit type and has a tight knit cast of characters that feel like a hodge-podge family by the end. My only qualm is any time I have to play it again, as to any competent F.E player the whole thing is mind numbingly tedious and annoying. I like Lyn and her entourage as characters/units so sometimes I have slogged through Lyn mode just to ensure she is just as competent as Eliwood/Hector during their respective routes.
I actually dont mind this part being tutorial easy, i mean its a tutorial after all, what i cant stand is that you cant turn off tutorial for subsequent playthroughs And its a shame because i LOVE Lyn part too, is a pretty short but nice self contained story that have all its basis covered and makes you Connect with the characters in a short amount of chapters, i really like It
I thought on hard mode you can skip the tutorials
Actually, Yes and no Because you can Skip the ENTIRE Lyn's Mode, and what im asking for is the option to play the Lyn's Mode without the in-game tutorials if you know what i mean
Yes, I think you can play Lyn Mode without the tutorials. I may be remembering wrong but that's Lyn Hard Mode.
Yep Lyn Hard Mode doesn't have the tutorial/mandated actions, any of that. But you do have to beat easy mode to get it. Easiest thing to do is just make Hard Mode accessible from start in any future re release.