Super Rad 3H Countdown: New Mystery
Imagine with me, if you will, that there was a Fire Emblem game.
A Fire Emblem game that was a remake of one of the most beloved entries in the series.
A Fire Emblem game that originated modern series staples like a customizable avatar, Casual Mode, Lunatic Mode, and (free!) DLC maps.
A Fire Emblem game that concludes the story of fan favorite character Marth.
A Fire Emblem game that did not get a release outside of Japan.
There is no justice in the world and my proof is New Mystery Of The Emblem.
New Mystery is a remake of Mystery of The Emblem, FE3, released for the Nintendo DS. It serves as a sequel to Shadow Dragon and continues the story of Marth, from the POV of a young Altean recruit named Kris, who becomes Marth’s trusted friend.
(Spoilers for FE12 follow!)
It plays and looks very similar to Shadow Dragon, but this game is widely regarded as being miles better. I don’t disagree. It has tons of characters, maps, and unique items and weapons. The music is great. Characters that didn’t even get a line in Shadow Dragon have full support conversations! It’s not a perfect game, the graphics are still muddy and it’s got a few absolutely bafflingly bad maps, but I adore New Mystery. This was the first Fire Emblem game I was like, really excited to see come out, because I got into the series right as Shadow Dragon was releasing. To my dismay, (and despite my polite e-mails) it never came out in the United States, so I had to order a copy off of Amazon. I loved it, and still love it so much that my first ever real “thing” in the Fire Emblem fanbase was an LP of this game like five years ago. I dunno if that still holds up, but New Mystery certainly does, and it’s a tragedy that so many people haven’t gotten to play it, or even know that it exists.
Here’s another HOT TAKE and I’m sorry, but I adore Kris. They’re the My Unit for this game, and they’re very widely disliked. I entirely understand why, Kris takes some of the roles Marth filled in the original. There are certain things Marth struggles with that he didn’t in the past, and that’s where Kris comes in, serving as his right hand. That can feel a bit like “OC comes in and steals the show”, and I get that and even agree to an extent. But I think what Kris does for Marth, and the player, is important.
Kris’ role is to serve as a way to see Marth outside of the way he presents himself in public. A memorable scene early on sees Kris come across Marth in a secluded graveyard, which the prince says he visits every day to mourn those he lost in the Shadow Dragon war. In another scene, his sister Elice tells Kris that Marth acts collected in public, but is having a lot of emotional trouble behind the scenes. It’s easy to forget this, but Marth was only 14 at the start of Shadow Dragon’s prologue. Over the course of that game, he spent two years in hiding before going to war, losing beloved friends and allies, and learning that both of his parents had been murdered. Marth is 19 at the beginning of this game, and the way New Mystery portrays him is that he’s suffering with doubt and regret. I think Marth has PTSD in this game, and I find the narrative of a troubled young man overcoming his obstacles to save the world (again) with the help of his trusted friends more compelling than the legends of him being an unstoppable Hero King. Admittedly a lot of this stuff is me reaching a little, but it’s how I’ve always interpreted it.
Kris also serves as a way to interact with the other characters in ways the Royal Prince Marth never could. Kris’ supports (with every character in the game, btw) often run the gamut between extremely silly and emotionally serious, in ways that couldn’t really be expressed to a guy who’s technically your boss.
Favorite Music: Puppets Don’t Cry
Here’s a sad one. To really get the impact of this track, you have to get Katarina, and that’s something you should play the game for. If you can’t, though, here’s the rundown. Katarina is the first character Kris (and you) meets in the game, a timid young tactician in training trying to get into the Altean army. Over the prologue, she serves a deuteragonist, and becomes Kris’ closest friend. In the final Prologue chapter, she reveals herself to be an assassin sent to kill Prince Marth, and you join forces to fight her. She escapes, and over the course of the rest of the game you unravel a subplot about a cult of assassins, of which Katarina is a member. The games gaiden chapters focus on defeating these cultists, and you learn that they are lead by a cruel Bishop named Eremiah, who has raised them from childhood to kill. This is an entire assassin cult made up of brainwashed orphans.
When you confront Katarina again, if you recruit her (talk to her three times!), she can be convinced to lay down her arms and has a breakdown over all the years of abuse and the terrible things she’s done. As Kris tries to convince her that her life can still be worth something and that she’s their friend. That’s where this song plays, and it’s a pretty great scene. Katarina does live, and goes on to help Marth destroy the cult once and for all in a scene that I still think is the most fucked-up thing to happen in a Fire Emblem. Please play New Mystery and gape with me. gharnef what did you DO
Least Favorite Map: Chapter 3
turnnoffyourmind
jacobvanloon
dededos
andulkaphoto
theartofmadeline
