NOTE THAT THIS SUPPORT BLOG WILL CONTAIN MAJOR SPOILERS FOR FIRE EMBLEM AWAKENING!

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IF YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED THEM AND WANT TO AVOID SPOILERS THEN KINDLY LEAVE THIS PAGE!

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VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED!

Now with that disclaimer out of the waaaay...

Super Mario 64 is perhaps one of my favorite 3D platformers of all time, but the nostalgic memories that I have for the game hardly compares to all of the array of emotions I've experienced in Fire Emblem: Awakening. Besides, there are much better platformers that accomplishes more than what 64 does, 'revolutionary accomplishments' aside. Fire Emblem Awakening is a fantastic entry that boasts a whimsical, colorful cast of characters with some great additions and twists to the strategic gameplay, and the title is incredibly vibrant with personality as a result.

If there is another thing that Awakening does wonderfully, it is having the music perfectly accentuate the themes and mood of the game. The beautiful, genius work of Rei Kondoh, Hiroki Morishita, and Yuka Tsujiyoko makes the soundtrack such a sublime experience the minute these songs entered my ears. Every tune just felt right whenever I found myself hanging out with the Shepherds or assisting them with my tactical expertise to prevent an apocalyptic hell-scape from becoming a reality. Even the endgame and credits themes were a love-letter to dedicated fans of Fire Emblem, almost like Intelligent Systems were making their final farewell to the franchise...

But none shook me to my very core than this song and the ensuing moments:

"Emmeryn would not have wished for this to come to bloodshed."

"Don't speak her name!"

“Your rage is justified, Prince Chrom. But the meaning of your sister's final sacrifice was not lost on me. I suspect many Plegians who heard her final words would say the same. If you lay down your weapons, I vow to protect you as best I can. ”

I knew, as I made the usual preparations, that what I was about to experience was heart-wrenching, but nothing could've prepared me for the pleas of the demoralized Plegian army, the unbridled fury of the Shepherds, and the anguish of the exalted family, with this song playing in the background. A whirlpool of emotions began to grip me once I progressed further into the chapter, between absolute pity for the Plegians' lack of will to continue fighting and grief for my brothers-in-arms. I had wanted to hold onto our unstable prince before he was gripped unspeakable anger, and I desired nothing more than to hunt down the man responsible for all of our woes: the Mad King Gangrel.

What I witnessed from the beginning was a slaughter, with the Shepherds unleashing their ire on the awaiting Plegian army. Even if the enemy had lost their resolve, they had no choice but to face the might of the Shepherds head-on, with their deaths inevitable whether they chose to fight or flee. The puddles, as a result of the unrelenting, weeping storm clouds, soon mixed with the blood of fallen soldiers. Combined with this song, I had begun to tear up for this somber, despairing battle.

And sitting at the edge of the Midmire was an honorable man, Mustafa, who was deserving of his rank with his morality. Even if his merciful offer was rebuked by Chrom, he was understanding of the prince's feelings of anger. What he wasn't deserving of was his demise at the hands of the Shepherds due to his unwavering devotion, not for his cruel king but for the protection of his family. If I could, I would've asked him to join us in our trek to dethrone the Mad King, but there was nary an option to do so.

Like what a soldier had mentioned earlier, there was no consolidation in hunting down these men; they finally realized the vision that Emmeryn wanted for the people of Plegia and Ylisse, but it was the expense of not only the life of the deceased Exalt but the lives of these innocent soldiers that want nothing to do with the conflict any longer.

“Well done, Ylisseans... Hrrggh! Please...spare my men...”

Moments like these are why I love Fire Emblem Awakening and why it has become one of my favorite games of all-time. Chapter 10, Lucina's judgment, the Endgame, and the Future Past sections brought out raw, powerful emotions that I've hardly ever experienced in video games.