I agree with what your trying to say for sure, Kyra, the blacksmith, Begona and the main villain all throw me for a loop but i have seen women like that in real life(not really like Begona though since she seems to be a very haggard and battleworn individual) but its kinda nice to see a real world parallel instead of “every woman is waifu and dropdead gorgeous”. i also chalk it up to wanting to be distinct in its art style from typical “anime” fashion. I’ve definitely seen worse portraits and art style in even some AAA games so try not to let it unimmerse you from a grand and amazing tale told in this kind of medium. (closest i can think of is Abby from the last of us, not your typical “woman in a video game setting” but its mocapped so its an actual portrayal of someone real) also i feel like it puts more emphasis on head canon and giving a reason to WHY they look like that.
Nothing exists in a vacuum, everything is political simply by virtue of either challenging or kowtowing to the status quo.
That said, banging agenda, my saint. You just know some people would explode if they walked into pride parade.
Ruben, I forgot to mention it when I was writing my thoughts out the other day, but…
Summary
I would absolutely accept a hug from Begona (I don’t know how to write the accent over the ‘n’).
Even if I get my spine broken, worth it!
A full review:
Wow, you’ve done it again! This is such a well-written story and I loved every minute I was in it. You have such a gripping premise (just one healer) that I was enthralled and wanted to see where Apate and Kyra went… and you kept me going with a very colorful cast of characters, many of which everyone has already talked about.
I don’t know if you want to see all their stats necessarily, but I will talk about some of my favorite characters if you’d like.
Endgame Spoilers
General Emblem? Don’t mind if I do. A man of excellent taste you are.
That being said, I will now rank the Generals.
Tiresias > Telemus > Soter > Orlaith > Raleigh > Alonso
Tiresias was a surprise addition to their number. Sure, I could have a unique Bishop. OR. I could have this really cool colored General and give him lots of stats and caps, so I totally did. He wasn’t invincible (no one in this game is) but man, he was fun to toss out and start wrecking stuff. Plus, as previously mentioned, I think Tiresias was pretty hot. It’s secondary to everything else, but it helps a lot.
Telemus is my second favorite. Boy, am I glad I listened to that civilian on his stage. That was a really cool little secret, and his return was triumphant. Loved his passion for art, and all of his interactions were fun to read. Couldn’t help but cheer him on with Phobo’s mom. Get it, dude!
Soter is my third favorite. YES! I enjoyed using him! I’m sorry! I even wasted a promotion item on him! I liked his story, which made his heel turn ever more compelling. He was a really well needed unit for me throughout the whole game (well… half of it, I guess). He was rather highly leveled for most of it, so I tried not to rely on him overmuch once he had been, but he was so handy.
Orlaith was nice, as the sole female Armor. Her colors were neat, and she was a solid member of the team. Though not gifted with magic, she was a solid wall that nothing overcame. She ended up being a little lower leveled than all the others except Alonso. Maybe I just kept moving her too late and she ended up behind. Still, definitely pulled her weight.
Raleigh was interesting. I remember never feeling super impressed with them, and yet their stats were amazing. Capped Strength and Speed, almost Magic and Defense, I mean, wow. I gave 'em the Curious Herbs. I would honestly be curious what I think if they weren’t on my team- maybe they were doing more than I realize? I’ll be trying it out in the next run.
And now… Alonso.
You know, maybe it’s just me. I heard about Alonso in the topic here and was excited to recruit him. I just LOVE those dumb Don Quixote types. If it was personality alone, Alonso would be clashing with the Two Ts, forget the other Armor Knights, way behind them. I gave him the first Mind Scroll. I said “Hell yeah old man, you get those gains!” and then he didn’t.
It was rather disappointing. Now granted, I didn’t want miracles. I know he had lacking areas. But there were some levels he didn’t even get Speed. I think my Alonso just ended up on the low side of things and I was rather disappointed. Maybe I could’ve given him better weapons, but he had trouble killing things by himself. I played before your latest patch that altered his growths, so I don’t know if that would’ve been worse or better. Maybe I should have made him a Dragoon instead? But the bond of the steel is greater than the bond of the horse (at least for me) and so it was a no-brainer originally.
Let’s see, who else did I enjoy? Glaucus. Man, his stats felt weird, and he definitely died a lot AND he didn’t like to grow Speed (45%? He was Eliwooded), BUT despite all that, he was my Magic swordsman after I dropped Kairos. Wish he had a little more defense, but I really liked using him a lot. I wanna see what happens when you tell him he can leave, though…
Everyone talks about the Bandit trio, and I don’t wanna talk your ear off about them, but I do want to say- as much as I liked her, Begoña was the least impressive. Which sucks, cause I love Brigands a lot. Maybe it’s because of that class, but she was taking a lot of damage all the time. Fango got better at it, and hell even López had better defense AND resistance! What I did like about her was her maturity and rugged leadership shown to the other two thieves and Phobos. Loved reading her segments.
Can’t believe Coronis was the least popular character. There’s a lot more I’d put down there before her. Come on, she’s cute and she tells riddles? And she has a horse? Don’t know what’s wrong with y’all…
I wanted to pick Fructuoso SO BAD, but I was just aghast at that ability. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. He seems like such a lovable loser though. I actually didn’t end up using any of the roadside units much, for which I’m ashamed.
Laertes’ gimmick actually got me mad at that old man. I mean it works, and the stats certainly help, but I’m kinda glad I didn’t use him, though I did humor his first two requests (and third I reset after doing just to see. Yanno.)
Wulfric was weird. He was quite dependable in one-shotting enemies, but should any enemy touch him, he was shredded. I wish he was a little faster, personally. Still kept him in my team all the way…
I wish I had used Jane more. Loved her, loved her ending, you go girl.
Sorry I missed your recruitment, Ziying. I can’t really think of how to get you.
Anyways, I think that’s enough from me. I’m also a little disappointed I only found this several months later on, after playing so many of your other projects shortly after release, but that’s on me.
Not everything is political, or at least I sincerely hope not. The world would be a worse place if everything was inherently political, and that is my firm, unchanging belief. You can’t tell me that games like Goat Simulator or Super Monkey Ball are pushing an agenda, unless that agenda is just ‘go nuts, have fun.’
The world needs more silly nonsense that exists for no purpose other than to put a smile on someone’s face.
That said; relevant to this topic a lot of if not all Fire Emblem games (both rom hack and official) do have some kind of agenda or moral lesson involved; it’s just part of the nature of the series.
Anyways, I don’t really care if there is or isn’t an agenda here, I’m too busy forcing my units to endure Lopez’s presence, triangle-attacking (if this isn’t a verb it should be) things, and benching those unfortunate enough to be unblessed by the RNG.
If I had any artistic skill whatsoever, I’d make a picture of Lopez chasing people around with a ‘free hugs’ sign, but alas… anything beyond stick figures is beyond me.
Yeah, they kind of are, by virtue of… doing and saying nothing. I said that up top. If you’re saying nothing, that itself is a political statement. Anyone who’s withheld from voting for any reason can tell you that.
EDIT: I’m not saying that things that don’t take a political stance are inherently bad or worse than those that do. I love Super Monkey Ball and-- wait what? They used to be sponsored by Dole? Who donated several thousands to Trump over 2016, 2018, and 2020? I’m sure removing Dole’s product placement wasn’t a political statement when it was chosen, but it DOES have a political effect because… everything is politics. Even when I wish it wasn’t.
Here’s the thing: I’m transgender, right? I’m also disabled but that’s another kettle of fish. Right now, my having fun, my simply being seen in public, my “I’m having a nice walk in the sunshine” is inherently political because the world is trying to kill me, using politics. Yeah, I’m just “having fun” and “going nuts”. But you’ve never really considered the political ramifications of just existing – until faced with people seeing you in public (with an ice cream or walking your dog etc.) who think it’s a physical threat to their safety, have you?
I could wax lyrical about how having a butch protagonist and a plethora of non-gender conforming and LBGTQ characters (and disabled) in Ruben’s hack is both normalisation through entertainment/fiction and an important statement on our humanity in a time where the community is being targeted both legally and in the general mindset (especially trans folks, and trans folks of colour), but like… we know this. We all went to school here. We got reading comprehension.
I’m grateful for SaintRubenio’s choice. We could have had the characters designed to be just the same as any other generic fantasy protagonists. Or if they were simply designed to be “realistic” and “stand out”, that they were chosen to be designed in such a way that they echo real-world current trends and communities. That was, however unintentional and/or subconscious, a political choice.
I like Kyra’s design because Hag already flips a bunch of the usual FE tropes on their head, so it makes sense for the main character of a game like this to be an opposite of the usual FE lord.
FE protagonists tend to use swords, have more of a skill/speed focus than pure strength, are nobles, and tend to be men with lighter skin tones.. Kyra’s a ranged fighter who has an amazing strength growth, is a commoner, and she’s a woman with a darker skin tone. To me it doesn’t really feel like it’s trying to pander to anyone, she’s just the MC of a Fire Emblem story that takes a bunch of twists on the usual formula including character design.
Also, I just kinda like seeing people happy about seeing a character they really relate to. It’s contagious to me and puts me in a good mood.
Dang, Super Monkey Ball was a bad example to use. I should’ve picked some other random game that I associated with mindless fun from my childhood 20 - 25 years ago, which was the intention. The only statement I intended to make was that I want there to be more things in the world that exist for fun with no strings attached.
There’s a lot here that I’m not going to address because I’ve already messed things up enough, and I’m sorry to everyone reading this for that.
All I have to say is that I’m someone who seeks to find as much joy as they can in life. You didn’t ask, but I feel like it’s important to say this. Everything I have said here is from the position of a deeply depressed person who has spent years wrestling with self-worth and self-esteem. Increasingly frequently, I’m considering if my continued existence is nothing more than a burden on those around me.
I’ve been looking forward to the Hag in White for a while now for my own reasons. I won’t go into it here in public, because I’ve already made enough of a mess of things, but outside of FEU, Ruben is directly responsible for helping me reach a much healthier mindset and state of being. If I can make even one person smile, then I’ll know that my day had meaning.
I don’t want to continue clogging up Ruben’s page, so if you have anything more you want to say, message me directly. I’ll be happy to speak with you or anyone else in private.
i wouldnt kick kyra out of bed bc thatd be mean to her
She was a beast in my playthrough
Man, if every piece of art has to be directly related to the government society and “making a statement” then just kill me and delete my art. I don’t want to live in human society. /gen
I didn’t react that much to the character’s designs beyond brief surprise and an idle “i wonder what they’ll be like”. I don’t even know what else I can say about it, I am not too far into the game and I am still coming to learn about them. But I was not thinking “what was the author/artist trying to say about the real world”. I don’t like examining everything under these lens, it feels limiting to me.
I’ve spent ten minutes staring at this draft, trying to think of how to put my feelings into readable words… I’m not sure it’s worth it at this point
Again, as I said, that something is political one way or the other doesn’t make it bad. I enjoy, uh… mindless fun from my childhood, let’s see… the original Spyro the Dragon series?
Also a piece of art being political doesn’t mean the author intended it as such. Think of it like this, using trans people as an example since that worked so well last time:
- if your game has transgender characters who aren’t exclusively villains, it’s promoting transgender people as normalised
- if it has them exclusively as villains, it’s demonising them
- if it hasn’t got them at all, it indirectly contributes to their erasure
I don’t play Spyro the Dragon and go “hmph, it’s got no trans characters, this is erasure!” However, it is still, intention or not, making a statement on many things. The statements are subconscious things like “girls have long(er) hair and tiny waists and kiss boys” (Elora and the fairies), “boys do sports” (every minigame in the series ever with Hunter and Spyro), and uh, …“arabian clothing is for thieves”. Hm.
The authors don’t intend to make political statements, but art reflects the subconscious AND conscious thoughts of the artist or artists. Nothing exists in a vacuum. We wonder how AI turns up racist, but the AI didn’t just pop into existence, it had to be programmed, and art is the same.
Every single thing you do and create is influenced by your values, even if you know it or not, even if you intend it or not. That’s the point I was making. Every piece of art doesn’t “have to” make a statement on government or society, every piece of art does, with or without intention, without your consent or approval. That’s what it means to create, because you live in a world with other human beings who will interpret your art and what it says and what it doesn’t in their own way. Nobody studied death of the author in school here? C’mon.
This is the last I’ll say on the subject, because I don’t want to derail Ruben’s thread by talking about the sociopolitical impact of everything ever. If you don’t see the Hag in White or any other game or fangame as unintentionally political, good. It means you’re not overthinking the world. Doesn’t stop it from being so.
…And, for me, that was a positive. I saw myself in the chatacters and felt the genuine humanity represented in them in a time where my existence is increasingly politicised and my life threatened and it all resonated with me and I’m glad. I genuinely am grateful, thankful, joyful-- and both annoyed at being misinterpreted as well as devastated to derail the thread from everyone’s enjoyment of the hack. Anyone can hit me up with a PM if they want to continue arguing.
I was thinking not to post anything…but whatever. This game has nothing to do with politics period. I sympathize with Kampy’s plight and the character design did seem weird to me. It’s a new experience to me and that’s the best way to describe it. That doesn’t mean I’ll go on a rampage and say “Oooh Ruben is a leftist. He is spreading LGBTQ propaganda”. Is that what you want to hear ? Because that’s extremely stupid. I can dislike some things in game and I can like the other things in game. For example, I’m a sucker for good writing style and Ruben’s portrayal of Lyon in his Dark stone appealed to me very much. Kyra’s design may have seemed unconventional to me but so far she has proved herself a capable leader. I look forward to see how Kyra trains and turns that newbie archer into a beast like herself. (Was her name Pheme ? It’s been so long I played this game)
You’ve repeatedly said that “Something being political doesn’t make it necessarily bad.” So here let me tell you something : “A game representing trans or gay character doesn’t have to be political either.” It’s a game for crying out loud. Let it remain a game.
If your politics has to tie everything within a game’s design and philosophy then your politics sucks and your politicians are probably dumb. As simple as that.
(he then proceeds to force 2/3 of his worst enemies into Politics)
Of course, he lied. He is a politician, after all.
I don’t really agree, Tea, as an artist and a marginalized person, for several reasons. But they are very personal, so I’m not going to write it all here. But what you said is exactly what I thought you were saying.
So, about the game, I wanted to mention the color choices. I enjoy the changes in the player, enemy, and ally colors. They’re not too bright, but they’re still very saturated. I especially enjoy the olive green of the ally characters. I also noticed the general brightness/saturation of the tiles. It’s not as bright as general GBA graphics, which is good since most people are playing on an emulator.
The whole game so far has a grey, cloudy overlay to it. Even on the maps in game. It gives me a somber tone, much the opposite of cheery. It’s as if there is a shade over the land that we have to clear somehow. I studied color theory so it speaks to me.
While I’m genuinely impressed at how few posts we’ve had to delete on this topic, I think we are rapidly reaching the point where I have to put my foot down and say that this extended character design conversation is reaching territory that I’d rather not. When we’re getting flags over the phrase
(which, to be clear, is a reasonable thing to flag, even if I’m ultimately choosing to let it stand)
we should probably take a step back.
Let me remind everyone that, while you are completely within your rights to dislike a game’s choices and/or choose to stop playing a game for any reason you wish, FEU is not an airport, you don’t need to announce that you’re leaving.
Ok… I have no idea about wth I just stumbled onto, so in an attempt to break the tension, I hope this helps:
So upon seeing Boomerangfish also play General Emblem (W af choice btw man), as well as judge each and everyone of the armoured bois… I figured that maybe I should do one as well
Oh and before I rank them, I’ll just say this: None of the armours are bad perse, in fact all of them were pretty good. It’s just that some were REALLY good.
For me it was:
Alonso (Pre-nerf) > Eupraxia > Tiresias > Soter > Telemus > Orlaith > Raileigh
Alonso
Starting off with Alonso, the oldest armour in the game. His offences were… actually not too earth shattering. In fact many units outclassed him in sheer damage, most notably the Bandi-Trio, Orlaith, Eupraxia, and even his own retainer, Teresa. Admittingly this was partially due to him wielding less powerful weapons (an EQ tome was his go to), but even then I felt like his damage wasn’t as potent as the rest of the Armours.
The old, lovable fart had one thing over the others however: Bulk. With a guaranteed HP level at worst, and the best defence and one of the best speed growths in the game, he was one of the very few units I could confidently sent to the front knowing that he could take it all. And in a game where favoured units are either dodge-tanks or walls, this meant Alonso filled the distinct niche of having both sides of the spectrum working for him.
Eupraxia
Only fitting that Eupraxia was a close second. (man both the gramps being top tier armours what is this?). I’d say that General was among her best classes, for 2 reasons. The first is that she actually has defence (and while 15 isn’t as good as the other armours, it beat her non-promoted and even tier 2 options). The second is that she has a LOT of con. and with among the best magic growths, it meant she had no trouble slinging high power magic at her foes. Congrats Ruben, not only did you make fast Generals work, you also made Fenrir work!
Tiresias
Tiresias was a healing general with very high speed, Miracle, and admittingly… lower bulk. Sure his defence growth was good, but his base sure as hell wasn’t. The end result was a somewhat bulky general whose claim to fame was his healing utility and Aura-slinging.
Soter
Ah… Soter, his bulk was incredible, and this damage was higher than Alonso’s. But he was also noticeably slow. In a way, he was much like a normal GBA Armour and well? Honestly? that’s ok. Hell!!! f he was just a little bit faster, he’d be at the top of this list! But as it is, he stands with pride as a tank of an armour
Telemus
Telemus was the resident prepromote of the run, and had a leadership star. This compensates for his lower growths, but perhaps more importantly (or concerningly…) his lower Con. Still, he was an ole reliable I knew I could still rely on.
Orlaith
And speaking of Con… Orlaith. Don’t get me wrong here: she did a LOT of damage (having capped her strength), and was decently fast. even her bulk was decent. No. The only issue I found myself having with Orliath was her con of 12. This meant she was weighed down more often than the other generals, effectively meaning she was relegated to wielding ‘effective’ weaponry to compensate. Still, when she hit, she hit hard, but that Con was something I found myself more irked about than I had any right to be.
And Last, but definitely not least: Raleigh
This only leaves Raleigh. as the first true armour of the run, they were the resident Jack-of-all-trades of the run. His bulk was decent, his speed was good, both of his attacking stats were good. But none of his stats were outwardly amazing. they were outsped by Eupraxia, out walled by Alonso, and out damaged by their fellow Glamorgan armour, Orlaith. This doesn’t mean they were a bad unit, in fact far from it. Due to them being the first true armour, they served as the first, and only true wall for a very large chunk of the early game. And while he was outclassed by what I’d like to call the ‘specialist’ armours,
All in all, General Emblem was, as per usual, a blast. It was fun seeing how each armour had their own distinct role. I recommend this playthrough, even if you have half your entire units end up with 5 move. Trust me, it’ll all be worth it
This is a minor thing, but it’s also interesting to me on this note that Kyra’s primary outfit color is actually red, traditionally the enemy color in Fire Emblem, and she doesn’t have blue anywhere in her design at all where most FE Lords make a point to. It’s a small thing, and it’s not like zero official FE Lord characters have done similar things (a surprising amount of them have, actually), but I still find it a cool little detail.
Her color scheme in general is very nice, actually. Red and green are complementary colors, and combine with her darker skin tone to give her overall color palette a very earthy look, which still has a “benevolent” sort of feel in its own way. Reflects how she’s a different flavor of FE hero, but she is still a hero.