Things HoshiDOES that Nohr doesn't.

[Chase]

Not. My best thread title...Yikes...

 

After booting up Conquest again over the weekend, I was reminded a bunch of why I happen to have a predisposition toward my family that lives in perpetual nighttime. This also caused me to think "is there anything that Hoshido does BETTER than Nohr, or has that Nohr doesn't have?"

 

What do you guys think? I have one to start.

 

'You of The Light' is the far superior Sibling boss theme over 'You of The Dark' 

 

For as potentially "bland" the Hoshidan royals may be perceived as, they ARE categorically badass antagonists who KNOW you made the wrong decision and WILL let you know about it.

 

• Ryoma, much like his son Shiro despite being a bit more disciplined and much more reserved and refined, has a penchant for recklessness, which makes him fit 'You of The Light' in a unique way. Swordmasters and frenetic, soaring tunes just work.
• Hinoka OWNS this track in every encounter you have with her. It's particularly great in Notre Sagesse when you choose to encounter her with Camilla - causing the two to share special catty dialogue (essentially, Corrin picked me and not you, Deal with it.)
• Takumi is the least "fitting" of 'You-Light', but it isn't far-fetched either as the oriental background does match the devil's advocate dislike of you he has had the entire time.
• Sakura's second encounter with Conquest!Corrin's army is HER first usage of this track, making for a strong finish. Here, Sakura actually is a decent mini-boss, actually can deal damage, and is overcoming her fears to defend her nation. Even from her sibling. It's great.

 

'You of The Dark' attempts to keep pace with it's Hoshidan counterpart, and can also be described as "frenetic" - but for the following reasons, it's not a strong representation of the Nohrian royal family.

 

• Xander's usage of this song may work in Cyrkensia, but your chances of defeating him are likely not very high as the objective is to escape (meaning, you're probably losing a unit here and who cares about the damn boss music when "Everlasting Nightmare" or whatever it's called should be playing instead.) In his second appearance, this tune just doesn't fit the mood. Xander has just killed his/your baby sister, and he's essentially fighting you because he believes he doesn't have a choice. A funeral dirge is more appropriate here.
• I've heard an argument for Camilla's appearance in Cheve being acceptable. Big Sister, who despite resigning herself to killing you as punishment for rejecting her specifically, sounds like her usual doting self and the boss music can be seen as imposing. However, with music, it's the last thing that your ears experience. Slightly deranged Camilla may be the best bet for 'You-Dark' - and I would contend the song is too 'happy' for her considering she's losing her mind in the most literal sense during the events of Birthright.
• This doesn't fit Leo at all. Next.
• Elise, despite having the courage to take on the Hoshidan army already, joins your party in spirit instead of engaging with you on the battlefield, meaning the song never applies to her. This is sad, because Elise might be the best wielder of the tune!

 

'You-Light' is a beautiful "heroic" tune. When you listen to it, it's got this really neat effect of making you feel conflicted because it's not playing for YOU, the so called protagonist of the game. It's playing for the family that is defending its homeland from unwanted conquerors and perhaps trying to beat some sense into their sibling, who has no idea what they are doing.

 

'You-Dark'....doesn't seem to know what it wants to sound like. On the one hand, there are instances of "oh shit" - such as Camilla (Cheve) or getting caught by Xander in Cyrkensia because you suck at Fire Emblem or are very brave - where the tune does hold to being a boss-fight score. On the other, the tune is much too frenetic to match any of the personalities and their situations well at all. Both Takumi and Leo seem like afterthoughts when it comes to these tracks, but Takumi's ever-present resolve gives him a leg up on Leo, who is trying to mask his displeasure with having to fight a sibling with fake confidence.

 

Nohr would probably prefer their royals have a more "serious" sounding tune - and I'm in the camp that believes it would have been okay to make the Nohrians "sound" like sinister villains. The track's indecisiveness over if it should sound "happy" because they are your family members or "scary" because they are the antagonists is just jarring, and the instrumentation makes it sound more "hokey" than it should.

[5hift]

Setsuna.

 

That is all.

[Chase]

Man, ....is it because Setsuna is a meme?

 

I like her personality, but .....Takumi joins in literally the next chapter. And WELL beforehand in Revelation. ....he's also a meme but he is also the better bow unit....

 

(I like Setsuna too.)

[The Swordsman]

If you are a fan of Awakening, like I am, it is implied that Corrin and some of the Hoshido second generation units are the past lifes of Awakening's cast.  I had Corrin/Robin marry Caeldori/Cordelia since they are my favorite ship in Fire Emblem. Hoshido also has the better promotion path for Corrin, making him/her essentially an actual paladin.

[Commander]

I think the biggest problem with these two nations is the fact that the lore and politics got kind of thrown out the window. It's really sad that it was making them so hard to overall compare but here's just a few things Hoshido does have over Nohr:

 

1. Takumi is one of the best archers of only one time with RD Shinon being his only true rival

2. Ryoma's Sword looks freaking amazing

3. They have Azama

4. There is a more diverse group of races/tribes to look at and analyze

5. While I prefer the classic class system, it was interesting seeing the new classes and their overall performance

I do think thieves should keep debuffing knives in future installments

6. The fact you can hear Road Taken

7. The samurai sword drawing swoosh noise

8. A storyline that didn't make you facepalm

 

I can't really think of anything else off the top of my head. 

[Magus]

Well Hoshido has Ryoma, who has the best voice line in that series when you crit. "You have breathed your last" is about has edgy as the Raijinto.

[Autumn Zephyr]

The Hoshidans are the ones behind the Dual weapons and Calamity Gate, as well as the dreaded Wakizashi. Granted, it probably isn't too difficult for one to pick some up in Conquest, but a point is a point, right?

 

Speaking of Calamity Gate, I personally prefer the Scrolls' animations to the Tomes' (Brynhildr notwithstanding). I mean, who doesn't like killing people with an ethereal rabbit?

[Chase]

I mean...I don't agree with that completely.

 

Fire > Rat Spirit

Ox Spirit is probably cooler than Thunder and Mjolnir, although Mjolnir is a great tome.

Sheep, Rabbit, and Monkey Spirit look.....almost exactly the same? All of them have some Indigo-ish, blue, purple color and I can't tell them apart.

Dragon Spirit -is- pretty cool.

Calamity Gate looks more like a head than a gate. Unless the calamity is that it's hideous looking...then I guess the name kinda works..

 

Meanwhile, Fimbulvetr is a cool ice tome, Nosferatu is consistent dark magic, Ragnarok and Ginnungagap look extremely dangerous....

 

---

 

However, Healing Staves are much better in Hoshido. You did remind me of that.

 

---

 

After looking at the Hoshido cast, I would argue that Hoshido's non-nobles may not have loveable tropes that jump off the character's person immediately, but that the characters are slightly better written, with the exception of Niles and Charlotte on the other side being excellent personalities and Setsuna being ... hand picked out of nobility to be an unhelpful retainer to Hinoka and a walking meme. (sorry...)

 

• Oboro is the daughter of two tailors who served the Hoshidan royal family and both were killed by Nohrians, leaving her with a beyond rational hatred for the entire nation of Nohr that manifests in both a scary facial expression and a really good Personal skill. She also has romantic interest in Takumi.
• Saizo comes from a long line of ninja (along with his brother Kaze) and was designated as the serious Christmas Knight of this game, while still being totally unique both in class and in character. He upholds a strict honor code that is only backed up with insane levels of verbal savagery. The war - in all three paths - serves as a kind of revenge tour for Saizo, who will always have help from Corrin and their forces (even if sent from Nohr) in killing the man who murdered his father.
• Orochi was a retainer for Queen Mikoto along with Reina before she was killed - and as a seer, was able to warn the Queen of her impending death. Rather than take measures to avoid being killed, Mikoto sort of embraced the reality and prepared herself to be laid to rest. Orochi comes from a line of nobles who served the Hoshidan royals with their fortune telling, and the entire family was not well-liked because they divined both good and bad futures. She overcomes this stigma by being an incredibly playful adult.
• Azama is a fantastic love-or-hate unit, but is a gold mine philosophical mind and his sense of humor is pretty great. Despite being an easy-going priest who seems to bend the rules of how a priest should act on the surface, he is quite serious about his duties.
• Kaze seems like a regularly devoted Hoshidan "retainer" to Corrin - but only because that was likely a role he could really "claim" for himself. He seems to be the incredibly-sexy-yet-oblivious-to-the-fact male character who is more concerned with being helpful and feeling needed than he is in returning the favor to those women. While lacking an A-Support in Birthright is disastrous writing, the story in the support best explains Kaze as a character in this cast. Without Corrin, Kaze legitimately is merely a ninja-for-hire to the Hoshidan royal family.

Not all of them are great.

 

Hana is forgettable outside of being a pretty face, Subaki could have been super cool but instead is literally just Man-Cordelia (except he's not actually perfect), Rinkah is a ....stoic?....angry person?.....Both?..... Reina is a....sadist?.....