Sound is overall good. The musical accompaniment is appropriate to actions and pretty dramatic. The little voice-over work there is here is okay, but there is far too little of it since only the rare cutscenes have any voice work at all. Sound effects, like the clash of arms and such, are serviceable but not outstanding.
In the end analysis, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance really does nothing particularly better than its predecessors have done. It is a traditional strategy RPG in almost every way. The lack of in-chapter save points coupled with long missions and the unforgiving permanency of character death can cause some frustration. While these things bring the score down from perfection to only a well-above-average B+, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is still a must-buy for any GameCube strategy-RPG player. Just be sure you have a big chunk of time available when you play. The 35 to 40 hours this game takes to complete can steal your life as you always think, "Just one more chapter before bedtime."
