Those still playing Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave—which, given the latest entry’s heft, is most of us—know choosing a first route matters. Cai seems the intended starting point, with opening chapters full of explanations. Hedonic Dietrich is ideal for Three Houses fans seeking more Fódlan lore; Theodora offers insight into the cultures of Dagda and Saramis; and Leda is driven by vengeance after her father’s death.
Of the four, Leda stands out like a sore thumb. Her route has little to do with the overarching story of Fortune’s Weave and more to do with her personal vendetta. Yet, as someone who firmly believes in supporting women’s wrongs, I eagerly jumped to her route first anyhow. I don’t regret it, because seeing a woman allowed to be angry and make mistakes while pursuing her goal was so, so refreshing. I could think of only one other game that allowed that: Tales of Berseria, a painfully underrated RPG released in 2017.
Developed and published by Bandai Namco, Tales of Berseria follows Velvet Crowe, who witnesses her brother-in-law, Artorius Collbrande, killing her younger brother, Laphicet. She vows to keep fighting until she’s avenged Laphicet by slaying Artorius.
The parallels between Leda and Velvet are clear. They are both witnesses to the deaths of the people they loved most, and are forever changed by it. Unlike Leda, however, Velvet is utterly alone for the first few years afterward, forced into a stinking pit full of monsters in a basement cell.
When Leda and Velvet finally see an opportunity to get close to the men who ruined their lives—Leda through the Heroic Games, Velvet during her prison break—they seize it with both hands.
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