Like the procrastinatory college student running out of hypothetical relatives to kill off to excuse lateness, Fire Emblem has a hard time selling death a second time. As discussed earlier, this problem is also present in Valkyria Chronicles, but not nearly as prominent. With its predominantly character-driven narrative and emphasis on relationships, Fire Emblem turns the attachment dial to 11. Fire Emblem is one of the finest examples of gaming with consequence. It's a truly painful thing to lose a unit in battle. You've learned their upbringing, why they're fighting, who they love. Perhaps more than any other game, your actions mean something: your mistakes mean irrevocable loss (provided you aren't a save-swapping sissy); your victories, celebration. As we've already seen, this usually wears off after a playthrough. The diverse and branching paths that characters take helps lessen the post-playthrough monotony, but you know a random ambush - which, incidentally, has also been robbed of its surprise - will never be as tense again.
A freelance games writer, you say? Typically battling his current RPG addiction and ceaseless perfectionism? A fan of horror but too big a sissy to play for more than a couple of hours? Spends far too much time on JRPGs and gets way too angry with card games?
Well that doesn't sound anything like me.
