Fire Emblem:
Path of Radiance

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is a turn-based Role Playing Game for Nintendo Gamecube. It is the 9th game in the series, but only the 3rd to be released in America. It was released in 2005.

In previous games, the main character was typically a prince or princess. In this game the player controls a mercenary named Ike. Ike's father, Greil, commands a mercenary company named the Greil Mercenaries. When the game starts, Ike begins his first job as a professional mercenary and is put in charge of the mission. Around the same time, a country named Daein invades their neighboring country, Crimea, unprovoked. The base of operations of the Greil Mercenaries is located in Crimea, so it is obvious that this invasion will be a major part of the storyline.

The gameplay for this series is fairly unique. You are given a group to command that you have complete control over. They are units of the Ally class. In some battles, there are Partner units that you have some control over. There can also be "Other" units. They are not enemies, but you also have no control over their actions. The Enemy units are your opponents.

Each unit class has their own turn phase. During the Ally Phase, you can command each unit to perform particular tasks such as attacking, using items, and trading with another unit. Attacking involves directing the character to move to a space next to an enemy unit, selecting a weapon to attack with, and viewing the percentages and damage possibilities. After that you sit back and watch the attack. If an ally unit is defeated and their HP is reduced to zero, then they die and can never return to a battle for the rest of the game. If an enemy unit is defeated and their HP is reduced to zero, then they die and disappear from the battle. Defeating enemies is a major goal in most battles. Items can be used to increase stats both temporarily and permanently. If you want a character to use an item that another unit is holding, move one of them next to the other and trade.


Overall Gameplay: 9/10

There are 31 chapters that each involve a battle. The player starts with 9 units to command. As the game progresses there are characters who can be recruited. In the end, it is possible to have a total of 43 characters on the team. After beating the game, the player can earn up to 6 Trial Maps. Each Trial Map puts the player in a particularly challenging scenario such as being surrounded by enemies in a small room with a very limited number of units. I've played the game start to finish at least 5 times and I still enjoy it.

Graphics: 7/10

There are 6 movies that have graphics that would earn 10/10. I wish there were more of them. The battle animations are good quality for a Gamecube game so they get 8/10. The graphics for the rest of the game are average, so that's a 6.5/10. I think 7/10 is a fair overall.

Sound: 7/10

The music for each battle varies depending on the scenery. There are also lots of different songs for different situations (prepare for battle, trouble brewing, etc). The music during the animated battle is always the same except during boss battles. It can get a bit repetitive, but it's still good quality music.

Playability: 9/10

It can take a little while to get used to the style of the game, but it's addicting when you do learn it. The controls alone are fairly simple, so that's not a problem at all.

Enjoyability: 9/10

31 Chapters. 6 Trial Maps. 43 Characters. The depth of the storyline is great. There are plenty of surprises to look out for. Every character has a personality and can develop support relationships with other characters that reveal their past. It's a great game.

Replay Chance: 9/10

I played it so many times that I nearly memorized the script. I still enjoy it every time I play it. There is a limit of 5 support conversations per character, so swapping the conversations can reveal even more secrets behind the storyline. It's also not really possible to win if you try to train all 43 characters. It's like Pokémon in that respect. You can play the game all over again with a completely different team.


This is one of my favorite games ever, so I decided to make it my first review. Also, the guy in my layout is Soren. He is the tactician for the Greil Mercenaries and one of my favorite characters in the game.

Overall Score: 8.5/10

wow....that was a really long review.... nice work! after looking at your review, it makes me want to play the game!

This game is ridiculously good (although not as good as Sacred Stones or Radiant Dawn) and your review did it justice, just wanted to say well done for managing to keep a review for this game relatively short, considering how much there is in the game, and for doing it without any spoilers. Awesome review!