That is extremely disappointing.Reading the reviews, I've noticed very few even bring up romance, let alone same-sex ones.
That is extremely disappointing.Reading the reviews, I've noticed very few even bring up romance, let alone same-sex ones.
I would like to speak to the Ombudsman of Games, personally. 😔lmao not only do they have Alois have an S rank (implying he is a romance option), you also get to give him a ring to express your love only to end up married to someone else
I don't even know what to think at this point except int systems and nintendo maybe don't know queer people exist and play video games??
lmao not only do they have Alois have an S rank (implying he is a romance option), you also get to give him a ring to express your love only to end up married to someone else
I don't even know what to think at this point except int systems and nintendo maybe don't know queer people exist and play video games??
it's really hard to not view it as intentionalWow, Alois's platonic S rank still haves you giving him your parents' wedding ring as a symbol of your love and then pulls that shit anyway?
Anyone still want to try and argue this doesn't have even a hint of malice from the devs?
Lucina and Owain were changed because they are cousinsSo here's a thought I had. Alois and Gilbert aren't the first platonic S-ranks in the series as Lucina and Owain in Awakening and a large chunk of the child characters' S-ranks in Fates were platonic too (for one reason or another) but only in the English version. In the Japanese version, these were all completely romantic.
My point is that there's a very small likelihood that Alois and Gilbert are indeed romantic supports in the Japanese version but were changed to platonic for the English localization. I honestly doubt this is the case but it's worth looking into at least.
Like, even if you give them the benefit of the doubt that this was written out of pure ignorance rather than with the intention to queerbait and then pull the rug out from under gay players, this is Fire Emblem's first worldwide release, which would have required Treehouse to work closely with the devs throughout development. Treehouse has already had to clean up Fire Emblem's mess before with the gay conversion shit in Fates, so I have no doubt they warned IS this was a bad idea. There's simply no way this made it into the final game without them knowing exactly what they were doing, and on top of that Nintendo made two statements to press saying they wouldn't reveal who the same-sex romance options were so as not to spoil the surprise (even though they made a statement ahead of Fates confirming who that game's same-sex romances were). Gee, it sure is a great fucking surprise to be forced into a marriage with a nameless woman after S ranking with a dude.it's really hard to not view it as intentional
like... really? really???
Yeah I know. The "for one reason or another" was directed at the children in Fates.
Did only the english script leak? Can't someone verify that right now on the Japanese script?Yeah I know. The "for one reason or another" was directed at the children in Fates.
There are no kids in Three Houses.In Fire Emblem, are you really disadvantaged if you don't romance a different sex characters or none of your characters have babies? I remember hearing something about this during Fates but reading the comments in those Tweets I'm seeing them again?
As far as I know, the script we have now is from a datamined English ROM. I don't know if the Japanese script is out but if it has it hasn't been translated.Did only the english script leak? Can't someone verify that right now on the Japanese script?
This was true in Fates. If you went with the same-sex options, you wouldn't get access to the protag's child unit, Kana. Most children in Fates are tied to their fathers, so a male protag who married Niles would also lose out on his daughter Nina.In Fire Emblem, are you really disadvantaged if you don't romance a different sex characters or none of your characters have babies? I remember hearing something about this during Fates but reading the comments in those Tweets I'm seeing them again?
Wasn't it because some were literal children like the Kanas?Yeah I know. The "for one reason or another" was directed at the children in Fates.
You'd think but they all do still have romantic supports, just not as many as the Japanese version.
Wow that really sucks.This was true in Fates. If you went with the same-sex options, you wouldn't get access to the protag's child unit, Kana. Most children in Fates are tied to their fathers, so a male protag who married Niles would also lose out on his daughter Nina.
Fates was the first game to have any real LGBT rep period.Wow that really sucks.
Is Awakening or the Advanced era games any better?
Same-sex relationships did not exist in any games before Fates.Wow that really sucks.
Is Awakening or the Advanced era games any better?
Raven and Lucius kindaSame-sex relationships did not exist in any games before Fates.
The closest thing the series got to that with with Ike & Soren, but that is essentially all subtext.
lmao not only do they have Alois have an S rank (implying he is a romance option), you also get to give him a ring to express your love only to end up married to someone else
Wow, Alois's platonic S rank still haves you giving him your parents' wedding ring as a symbol of your love and then pulls that shit anyway?
I would say Raven and Lucius has even stronger implications because that is Raven's only paired endingDefinitely. It's as strongly implied as Ike and Soren... there's little room for alternative reading, short of obtuseness. (Legault is clearly bisexual as well, but not in a relationship.) Then there's Marty and Dagdar which, while not too substantive, is pretty clear-cut.
For f/f, Lyn and Florina is similarly implied.
This game would be ridiculous even if the one guy was my dream guy (tho I'd tap Lindhart irl yeah)I would buy the game at full price, again, if the one queer guy had more appealing haircuts. I'm not that proud!
Oh, I agree. I'm just saying it wouldn't have been that hard to pry 85 dollars from me!This game would be ridiculous even if the one guy was my dream guy (tho I'd tap Lindhart irl yeah)
We're trying, but without some help from the media and large demographics, it's hard to break through.Is this not gonna really gain the traction here that it should because it's a Nintendo game people love? Because I'm surprised this is not a more pronounced issue, but at the same time I'm totally not.
Try sending this to the tip email at Kotaku or to one of the head editors.We're trying, but without some help from the media and large demographics, it's hard to break through.
I messaged Jason Schreier about it on Twitter, and tagged him in this topic, but got no reply from either. :/Try sending this to the tip email at Kotaku or to one of the head editors.
Is this not gonna really gain the traction here that it should because it's a Nintendo game people love? Because I'm surprised this is not a more pronounced issue, but at the same time I'm totally not.
I messaged Jason Schreier about it on Twitter, and tagged him in this topic, but got no reply from either. :/
"Yeah but have you seen our pride-ified Twitter avatar yet??"An entire article about how marriages are there to help the player connect with the play character. Not a single mention from the journalist about LGBT options.
I hope they are. I was expecting something by now from a few certain journos, but nothing yet.Jason is on leave from Kotaku at the moment while he works on his next book. You may want to try other Kotaku writers like Gita Jackson, Heather Alexandra, etc.
Waypoint's Austin Walker also brought up the issue in his review (and even linked this thread) and went in more depth on today's episode of Waypoint Radio, talking about how his frustration isn't necessarily over the lack of M/M options in the endgame (though of course he agrees it's a problem) and more with how the game is exceedingly heternormative to the point that the few queer romances there are stick out like a sore thumb. He and Patrick Klepek also put the issue in the greater context of the series (discussing how Ike/Soren was pretty much accepted by canon by the fanbase, for instance.)
I don't know if any of these outlets are working on a bigger piece or essay about the topic. I know in Austin's case he was up front that at time of writing/recording he hadn't been able to get to the end of the game and see how things played out with his own eyes (he was going for Alois) and that informed how he discussed the issue. It's possible outlets are waiting until the game's been out a little longer and reviewers/writers can see things like the supports themselves. (Hell, I was thinking about pitching a piece about the situation and how it sits in relation to the rest of FE, but I'm swamped with day job stuff at the moment and know I won't have anywhere near enough time to investigate this stuff for myself.)
Corporate Pride is generally meaningless unless they are held to account, sadly.