When it fills up you become an unstoppable animal and when it empties you revert back to a more vulnerable human form. Laguz are extremely powerful, yet can only attack while in animal form with the change between human and animal form is governed by a change meter. There are three important alterations though the main change to the fighting is the inclusion of a new race called the Laguz, who bring an extra tactical depth with them. The game plays pretty much identically to the rules set down by the previous titles, the pre-existing weapon and magic triangle remaining untouched, but with a game mechanic that strikes such a good balance between ease of use tactical mastering that it is a good thing they haven't changed it. It is good but it does not make much impact on the game whether you have the volume turned up or simply set to mute. With regards to the audio it has ticked all the right boxes but because so many other Japanese games have done the same the music fails to stand out.
Units such as Generals and Paladins, with their bolder schemes, look good but units such as the Wyvern Lord look washed out and featureless. And the cel-shaded aspect of the graphics allows the character designs, which range from poor to great, to keep their anime style but unfortunately at the expense of detail. Even the FMV, as good as it is, is quite short and this quality has been done and been bettered on both rival consoles. Very little has changed between Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and the two Game Boy outings that have hit the West, the most visible change being the graphics, which are not that much to write home about. If you have read or played the previous two handheld Fire Emblem games then you have a good idea of what to expect.