FE1 is outdated. I think that's just a fact of life, but I'm making my judgement on the game that exists, not the fact that modern technology is capable of and has created better games. I'm trying to be fair to the game because it's old.
So, with that said, FE1 is actually pretty good! You can see that the core Fire Emblem gameplay loop started off very strong from the original. Several of the maps, while ugly to look at and very green due to technical limitations, are actually well designed and clever. This game does have some oddities and UI jank, such as the way the game handles items (the storage system that is the early archetype of the convoy) and the way that magic works, but you get pretty used to it after a few chapters and honestly, it's not that bad.
The ending falls off a little bit. The last few maps (21, 24, 25) are not that great, throwing a lot of bullshit at you for you to deal with. The final boss is only susceptible to Marth with the Falchion, which creates two problems:
a) you can softlock yourself out of being able to win the game in Chapter 19 if you don't get the spheres, or Chapter 22 if you don't get to the village with the spheres
b) Marth is not an amazing unit and if he can't get to Medeus and survive, it's over
But overall, I think this is a good game and an excellent start to the series. If you can get used to the quality of the NES, it's a worthwhile play if you're into Fire Emblem the series, if only to experience a historical relic.
And also, Bantu is good in this game. Never forget what they took from us.
So, with that said, FE1 is actually pretty good! You can see that the core Fire Emblem gameplay loop started off very strong from the original. Several of the maps, while ugly to look at and very green due to technical limitations, are actually well designed and clever. This game does have some oddities and UI jank, such as the way the game handles items (the storage system that is the early archetype of the convoy) and the way that magic works, but you get pretty used to it after a few chapters and honestly, it's not that bad.
The ending falls off a little bit. The last few maps (21, 24, 25) are not that great, throwing a lot of bullshit at you for you to deal with. The final boss is only susceptible to Marth with the Falchion, which creates two problems:
a) you can softlock yourself out of being able to win the game in Chapter 19 if you don't get the spheres, or Chapter 22 if you don't get to the village with the spheres
b) Marth is not an amazing unit and if he can't get to Medeus and survive, it's over
But overall, I think this is a good game and an excellent start to the series. If you can get used to the quality of the NES, it's a worthwhile play if you're into Fire Emblem the series, if only to experience a historical relic.
And also, Bantu is good in this game. Never forget what they took from us.