Many Fire Emblem fans would believe that the inclusion of a casual mode has opened up the series to a wider audience. Surprisingly the game’s director, Genki Yokota, flat-out rejected the idea originally. One could understand his sentiments as the series has long been known for featuring its brutal permanent death aspect.
Yokota spoke a little on the topic during a Nintendo developer interview, “Personally, the first time I heard about [the idea of Casual mode], I was like “no way.” My boss brought up the idea, and just like Higuchi-san, I was angry at the thought of going too casual. But in the end, we figured giving players a choice would help expand the appeal of the game. Plus, with Awakening, there are a lot of good characters — you can see how some people would want a mode where they could keep all of them alive and not have to worry about death all the time.”
He went on to admit to having played through on casual mode but commented that he felt it took away some of the fun of the game. Yokota followed up by saying that he believes the casual mode will become a mainstay in the series moving forward.
What are your thoughts on casual mode in Fire Emblem: Awakening? Do you feel it detracts from the experience or are you fine with it as long as the classic permanent death mode remains? Let us know in the comments section below.
Also be sure to check out our review of Fire Emblem: Awakening here.
