Fire Emblem - Gameplay

Gameplay

The Fire Emblem series of turn-based tactics games centers around moving units through a map grid in order to defeat the opposition. Players use strategic movements and positioning to complete mission objectives such as seizing a base, surviving for a number of turns, or defeating a boss. Many conventions of traditional role-playing video games are also present; for example, there is extensive use of scripted cutscenes to advance the story, units gain experience points and grow stronger over the course of the campaign, and the player can visit shops to outfit characters with weapons and equipment. Depending on the game, these events may take place during or in-between battles.

Additionally, combat is decided based on the stats of units in combat. HP is the total amount of hit points that a character has. When hit points reach zero, the character dies. Damage to the HP is done depending on the weapon used, strength stat of the attacker and the defense stat of the defender. It is important to note that Magic strength stat and defense stat are separate from their melee counterparts, being called Magic and Resistance respectively. Speed modifies the amount of times a combatant can attack each turn; if one combatant's speed is a certain level higher than the opponent, they may "double" attack an opponent, meaning that they can attack the opponent twice while only receiving one counterattack. The skill stat, along with speed, affect the accuracy of each attack. Higher attacker skill equals increased accuracy; higher defender speed decreases accuracy of opponent attack. Lastly, the luck stat affects a variety of game-play mechanics such as lucky hits doing increased damage known as "critical hits".

Most weapons in the Fire Emblem series have a finite number of uses and will eventually break. Therefore, the player must often buy replacement weapons or spend gold to have broken weapons repaired. Typically, weaker weapons allow more uses than more powerful ones, and are often more accurate.