GAMER LOUNGE 20XX (NO CASUALS!!)

[Paladin]

I enjoyed playing awakening with casual mode, since I could play levels wherein my units were hilariously underleveled (meaning precise tactics becomes incredibly important) and continuing through the level when my units started dying, basically ACTUALLY living with the consequences, even if only in the short term (of course, you do still sacrifice gaining experience with those units)

Well, this is sorta the problem with casual mode, it changes the way you play. Normally, you're punished for losing a unit by either having to go through the rest of the game without them, or reset the map. In casual mode, these consequences have vanished, and you can utilise strategies that would otherwise be dangerous. I don't really have a huge problem with casual mode, but it seems redundant. I don't think it adds much to the gameplay except accessibility, which can often prove detrimental.

I can't say I'm very fond of a lot of these new mechanics, really. No Fire Emblem post-Radiant Dawn has really impressed me, which is kinda sad. Still, it seems like the maps in Fates might be a step-up from Awakening.