Quote Originally Posted by Vyk View Post
From what I've dabbled in with the series previously, I believe they were generally "more of the same" up until the DS game that went unreleased in America which first introduced the character creation and stuff. I know there were some minor tweaks here and there throughout the series, but nothing as drastic as what they're doing these days. Character creation, choices in the story, completely separate stories, voice acting, casual mode, tag-team support mode stuff. It's all great and I'm glad they're starting to take risks, and be a lot more creative. I think how cookie-cutter it used to be was part of what turned me off back in the GBA days
This is quite true. It's actually part of why I'm upset at the backlash If has been receiving from the most hardcore Fire Emblem fans.

The developers have said in several interviews that they felt stifled by the confines that the series had laid on them. They had wanted to branch out and try new things for a while, but couldn't. Heck, that's the entire reason Revelation of the Illusion #FE exists. When they received their ultimatum with Awakening, they decided to actually make some huge changes (like Pair Up, revamped supports, revamped skills, etcetera). Sure, they didn't all work, but it was such a breath of fresh air for the series that it really breathed new life into it.

With Awakening's success, they're going even further with If. They're introducing town building and resource management on a scale never seen before. They're introducing new ways to interact with characters, and with other players. They're adding more depth to the story and more personality to both sides of the conflict. They're trying ways to change weapon usage to be more intuitive and have better flow overall. All of these changes probably won't work out either. But they'll give the series more room to grow and evolve going forward.

This isn't the developers selling out to reach a more mainstream audience, this is the developers spreading their wings and trying ideas they've had, but could never put in before. And, at its heart, the game is still Fire Emblem. It still has that spark that makes the games special.