Chapter 9: Another Trial
Chapter 9 introduces players to the concept of Gaiden chapters, which are side chapters that become available under specific conditions. These chapters are crucial for recruiting new characters and bolstering your roster, especially if you've lost units in previous battles. Understanding how to unlock and leverage these side missions can significantly impact your campaign's success.
In Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, Gaiden chapters are triggered by losing a certain number of units. These chapters serve as a way to replenish your forces, offering new recruitable characters to prevent your roster from becoming too thin. This mechanic encourages strategic play, as even unit losses can open up new opportunities for growth and recruitment.
The game also features different difficulty modes that affect how unit losses are handled:
- Classic Mode: When a unit's health points reach zero, they receive a crippling injury, preventing them from fighting, but they continue to play a role in the story. Lord characters, however, cause a Game Over if defeated.
- Casual Mode: Introduced in Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem, this mode turns off permanent death. Defeated player characters return to your roster and are usable in the next chapter, easing the difficulty for new players.
- Phoenix Mode: In Fire Emblem Fates, this mode takes Casual Mode a step further. Defeated characters return to battle on the very next turn with full health, designed for strategy RPG novices.
For players new to the series, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade offers Lyn's Tale as an extended tutorial. In Lyn's Tale, permanent death is disabled, and defeated units return in Eliwood's/Hector's story, though they will be weaker than if they hadn't been lost. Additionally, certain NPCs must be protected, as their death can also lead to a Game Over.