Gametraders Live September Magazine

Gameplay
As important as representing your series well
is, playing well is just as significant, and it’s
here where Fire Emblem Warriors shines over
Hyrule. A number of significant improvements
are either unique to or simply present in FE
Warriors that are not available in Hyrule.
Arguably the most significant improvement
is the ability to change characters on the fly,
which allows players to quickly be in several
places on the map rather than having to run
back and forth constantly. This function is
completely absent in the Wii U version of
Hyrule Warriors, and while present in both the
3DS and Switch versions, it’s significantly limited
and, in many cases, not even available.
FE Warriors also brings in the concept of the
weapon triangle from the Fire Emblem series,
which functions essentially as type advantages
between units. This, in turn, helps alleviate a
lot of the bullet (or sword?) spongy nature that
tougher enemies would otherwise possess.
Having trouble with a tougher foe? Plan your
units’ positioning correctly so that you can take
advantage of the weapon triangle and give
yourself an advantage in combat. This also adds
a degree of strategy to the game, and it adds
another much needed layer of complexity to
keep things interesting later in the game when
the joy of simple button mashing has worn
off. Hyrule lacks any equivalent, and as a result
many foes will require long stretches of running
up, getting a few hits, and ducking out before
they attack again. Taking down foes is almost
always enjoyable in FE Warriors, whereas it can
turn into something of a grind in Hyrule.
The last major benefit present is that, while
FE Warriors does copy a lot of its movesets,
the movesets that are there tend to be much
more enjoyable than the ones in Hyrule.
Playing Lucina/Chrom is probably the most
fun I’ve had in a Warriors game, and other
characters such as Lyn, Robin, Lissa, Ryoma,
Olivia, Frederick, Azura, and Oboro are all
incredibly enjoyable to use. While Hyrule has
a greater variety of movesets, they are often a
lot slower, more easily interrupted by enemy
attacks, and just don’t hold the same visceral
appeal as most of Fire Emblem’s. Out of the
movesets in Hyrule, I only found myself really
enjoying Ganondorf, Zelda, and Tetra, and
leaving a lot of the cast relatively untouched.
WINNER: FIRE EMBLEM WARRIORS