 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
- Nintendo Wii
- Price: $37.99
- Genre: Strategy
Common Sense Media says
Fantasy strategy game more mature than it looks.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this game involves mild but frequent fantasy battles. While the violence is relatively tame, characters who perish remain dead for the rest of the game -- a significant and potentially unsettling departure from most games. The high difficulty level could frustrate players who have never played a turn-based strategy game before. Because of this difficulty, we set the age at 11.
What's it about?
On the surface, FIRE EMBLEM: RADIANT DAWN, a sequel to the GameCube's Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, is just another turn-based strategy title. It's a chess-like experience in which you shuffle units with varying skills and movement abilities," a defining trait of the Fire Emblem brand.
Every unit at your command has his or her own backstory and compelling, ongoing drama -- that is, until he or she dies. If it's a primary protagonist who perishes, it's game over. But if any of the dozens of secondary characters bites the dust, the game continues and he or she is gone forever, their story cut prematurely short as a direct result of your shortcomings as a commander. If the dead characters were among your more powerful units, you'll sorely miss them in future missions.
Is it any good?
Many players replay battles with an aim to make it through with all their beloved characters intact. But take our advice and do this sparingly. As in all Fire Emblem games, Radiant Dawn is best enjoyed as it was designed to be played: with unpredictable, melancholy death lurking around every corner. Not only does it make battles more emotionally charged, it also forces you drum up better, more prudent strategies to ensure your heroes' survival.
However, it also makes an already difficult game much more challenging. Fire Emblem games have always required a keen tactical mind capable of thinking several moves in advance and keeping tabs on each unit's unique skills and weapons. However, brute strength is also required, and if you've lost your most powerful units, some missions will become an exercise in frustration.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how death is presented in video games. Why do most games simply allow characters to come back to life when they die? Does this idiosyncrasy make video game stories less believable than tales presented in other media, such as books and movies? Does the fact that most of this game's characters remain deceased when they die make it more believable? Does the threat of permanent death have an impact on your emotional connection with them?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
Kid, 8 years old
August 2, 2011
AGE
SCARY GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
well seeing how i havent played the game myself i have seen my best friend Ben playy it on wii so your a cople of kids and you walk around graveyards and caves and you kill lots and lots of monsters so i recomend this game for ages 9 & up thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
a great game
my mom REALLY loved it, and i played through the first time on easy. my mom is stubborn and wont let anyone die. the word D**n is used a few times, but its just fine.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Like hardcore chess.
The only reason I set the age limit this high is because of the difficult strategy required to make it far in this game. It is like playing an incredibly complex and detailed game of chess, in which the board, pieces, and rules are constantly changing. Its an incredible game though, really entertaining. I love the Fire Emblem games anyway, but the concept of adding the race of people who can change briefly into animals is very interesting.
This game is intended for older kids in difficulty level and story line, but there's little in this to make it inappropriate. No language, certainly; everything is very old english sounding and proper. However, there is death; you are trying to kill the enemy using your little army before they kill you, its like a board game of war. No blood, attacks not graphic, but your characters fall in battle (rather than dying, they get injured and you can't use them anymore) but enemy characters do die.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
This game is more violent than you think it might be. D%$& is used a few times. Some sad parts are when a child is shot by a soldier in the streets and whenever a character dies. Despite this this is a must buy!
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Another great FE game, but far too similar to Path of Radiance
This game is compelling and fantastic for anyone who can even mildly appreciate games of the turn-based strategy genre. Nothing to worry about here aside from the negligible amount of fantasy violence that might give young elementary kids that wrong idea. The Fire Emblem games are noted for having a story that is far more detailed and complex than the average video game and having realistic characters that develop as the story goes on. The game’s entire action takes place on the battlefield where the player controls the character's individually in a turn based gameplay style. If characters perish during battle they are not revived and are gone for the game. You will find yourself re-loading the game because of losing a character. This game provides a good challenge even on the easy setting so I would recommend it for children older than 10 for that very reason.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
It is goood!
THis game is fairly good, those who are put off by the "tactical" gameplay shouldn,t be it is more fun than you may think. Think: Final Fantasy War of the Lions meets Lord of the rings third age (except, when characters die, they really die.) Violence isn't too bad, people. Attacks are cutscenes so they can be more styalized. People fall down after being defeated. I say 9+.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Not the best of the Fire Emblem series, but a worthy addition
While it not my favorite turn based strategy RPG, overall it is a good game. You have a large amount of characters to choose, each with their own unique back story. Most of the game is spent on the battle screen, and while there it no blood, characters die. When this happens they say something and then they are removed from the game. The only questionable thing is the idea of losing a character that has grown on you. There is somewhat of a learning curve on this game. If you have played a FE game or something close to it, it should be a little easier to get used to. Either way and age limit should be 11+ due to the sometimes beastly difficulty.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
it is awesome........
this game is pretty good. i like the strategy involved in winning.this game is fun because you get all sorts of characters.(sages,fighters,etc.)but i dont like the names.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Fantastic sequel - great for kids of (almost) any age
This is the sequel to "Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance", and a great extension to the story. I have to say this branch of the series is my favorite to be released in the states so far. For those new to the series, the games play fairly similarly to chess - you move all your soldiers, then the enemies move, then it's your turn again. This particular story arc revolves around a continent of humans and demi-humans (called Laguz) who must pick sides in the impending war.
There's a few mild curse words - 'd**n', perhaps the term 'c*r', but it's all used fairly decently. It's violent but seen at a distance and there's no blood or gore - if someone dies they simply drop to their knees and disappear. It's probably okay for kids a little younger, but I'm going to say it's best for 10+ just because of the general content: for example my little brother probably wouldn't play it because there's too much reading and he has to take turns (god forbid) as opposed to free-form fighting. If you can get a little one to enjoy it, however, power to you - the tactical approach will keep anyone's mind at a good pace.
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Platforms: | Nintendo Wii |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Strategy |
| Developer: | Nintendo |
| Release date: | November 5, 2007 |
| Price: | $37.99 |
| ESRB rating: | E10+ for Fantasy Violence, Mild Language |
Contact us to give us more feedback on our learning ratings.
Review It
Tell us what you think about our new Learning Ratings. We value your feedback.
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already played it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
