|
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (JP) is a tactical RPG game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. This is a full remake of the Famicom game, Fire Emblem Gaiden, the second installment in the Fire Emblem series.'The games cutscenes were done by Studio Khara.
The game follows Alm and Celica, childhood friends who set off on their own journeys across Valentia in order to restore peace.
Plot[]
Long ago, the sibling gods Mila and Duma fought for control over the continent of Valentia. Mila's worshipers would form the kingdom of Zofia, a land of plentiful bounty that over time spoiled and corrupted its people through complacency, while Duma's worshipers created the kingdom of Rigel, a desolate land whose people grew in strength but became numb to emotion.
Gameplay[]
New Features[]
Pre-release screenshots shown that the magic stat was removed, like the original game. Other new features include the world map now featuring the passage of time, reverting mistakes with Mila's Turnwheel artifact.
amiibo Support[]
The game also has amiibo compatibility similar to Fire Emblem Fates. The Alm and Celica amiibo figures can perform the following:
- The Alm and Celica amiibo unlock special dungeons respectively called Duma's Ordeal and Mila's Ordeal.
- Players can save the current strength of Alm or Celica in the game to the corresponding amiibo figure.
- The Super Smash Bros. line of Fire Emblem amiibo will summon illusory copies of those characters that will act as a temporary ally for a single turn. This also sacrifices a portion of Alm or Celica’s health.
- All other currently available amiibo will summon an additional monster in battle.
Support and Base Conversations[]
Acts[]
Characters[]
The entire cast from Gaiden returned, with two new playable characters, Faye, for Alm's party, and Conrad, for Celica's party, therefore bringing the playable roster to 34 characters. Three new antagonists also appear in the remake, Berkut, Rinea, and Fernand with the exception of Shizas, who was superseded by Berkut.
| Characters | Paths |
|---|---|
| Alm | Alm's Path |
| Atlas | Celica's Path |
| Boey | Celica's Path |
| Catria | Celica's Path |
| Celica | Celica's Path |
| Clair | Alm's Path |
| Clive | Alm's Path |
| Conrad | Celica's Path |
| Corrin | amiibo (Male and Female) |
| Deen | Celica's Path |
| Delthea | Alm's Path |
| Emma | DLC |
| Est | Celica's Path |
| Faye | Alm's Path |
| Fernand | DLC, Cannot Be Recruited in the Main Campaign |
| Forsyth | Alm's Path |
| Genny | Celica's Path |
| Gray | Alm's Path |
| Ike | amiibo |
| Jesse | Celica's Path |
| Kamui | Celica's Path |
| Kliff | Alm's Path |
| Leon | Celica's Path |
| Lucina | amiibo |
| Lukas | Alm's Path |
| Luthier | Alm's Path |
| Mathilda | Alm's Path |
| Marth | amiibo |
| Mae | Celica's Path |
| Mycen | Alm's Path |
| Nomah | Celica's Path |
| Palla | Celica's Path |
| Python | Alm's Path |
| Randal | DLC |
| Robin | amiibo |
| Roy | amiibo |
| Saber | Celica's Path |
| Shade | DLC |
| Silque | Alm's Path |
| Sonya | Celica's Path |
| Tatiana | Alm's Path |
| Tobin | Alm's Path |
| Valbar | Celica's Path |
| Yuzu | DLC |
| Zeke | Alm's Path |
Bosses[]
Development[]
Development for Echoes began following the completion of Fire Emblem Fates in 2015. Nintendo series producer Hitoshi Yamagami began considering a new Fire Emblem game for Nintendo Switch, but it was too early to be developing for that system.
While considering what would come next, several Intelligent Systems staff said they wanted to introduce features that were removed from Fates in a remake of Gaiden. An alternative plan was creating an all-new game, but early planning was already in place for the planned Fire Emblem title for Switch, so it was considered too late to begin a third original 3DS game.
Rather than the calling the game "New Gaiden", the team chose the English word "Echoes" to give it worldwide appeal, enable its differentiation from the other side stories within the Fire Emblem series, and as the potential branding for a new series of remakes.
Gallery[]
| Main article: Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia/gallery |
Reception[]
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia received "generally favorable" reviews on Metacritic, getting a metascore of 81/100 based on 76 critic reviews.[1]
Reviews[]
Famitsu gave the game a positive review, with all four reviewers praising the mechanical quality, dramatic story and the mechanics carried over from Gaiden. One reviewer said that the efforts spent on Fire Emblem Echoes had elevated Gaiden from being the series' black sheep. Kat Bailey of USgamer criticized it for being too hard, lacking elements of the series such as the weapon triangle, inventories that can hold more than one item, and marriage (which had just recently returned to the series in Awakening and Fates). However, she thought of the world map and dungeons positively. Martin Robinson of Eurogamer recommended the game, but did not believe it to be the best of the three 3DS games. Robinson liked the Mila's Turnwheel feature, believing it to be an "elegant alternative" to resetting the game, and hoped it would become series standard. Heather Alexandra of Kotaku criticized the game's pacing, believing the early game to be too slow, and the endgame too hard.
Sales[]
During its first week on sale in Japan, Fire Emblem Echoes sold 135,195 units, topping gaming charts and selling through 80% of its initial shipment.
Upon its debut in the United Kingdom, the game was #5 in the all-format gaming charts.In Australia and New Zealand, the game was #2 in the all platform gaming charts, and #1 in 3DS charts. In North America, Shadows of Valentia reached #7 in the all-format gaming charts. According to the NPD Group, the release of Shadows of Valentia prompted a rise in portable sales.
Merchandise[]
In Japan, the game comes with cards for Fire Emblem Cipher and a Soundtrack collection of the game. The Valentia Complete edition includes more cards and a Bluray disc of high-defintion videos.
In October 2017, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Original Soundtrack which included more music including from the DLC was released.
An artbook for the game, called the "Valentian Accordion", will be released in Japan on March 30, 2018. No overseas release for the artbook has been confirmed.
3DS eShop Description[]
- North American version
In a continent that was torn asunder by warring gods, guide two armies through brutal tactical battles—as this reimagined RPG epic invades the West! Uncover the intertwining stories of Alm and Celica, engage foes, fend off dragons, and explore 3D dungeons. Your prowess will grow as you master this melding of modern and legacy Fire Emblem™ gameplay.
Alm and Celica lead separate armies united by a common goal: to stop the war and unify Valentia. Each army has its own path, units, and supplies, so balance their needs. Here, battle is waged in the traditions of elder Fire Emblem™ games, when the rules of battle were simpler, yet the challenge formidable as ever. When you encounter a dungeon, explore it in action-adventure style: smash false walls, break pots, or ambush enemies with a slash of your sword. You never know; you may stumble upon some uncommon items...or a hidden tactical battle with a brutal boss.
Build up your army with purchasable downloadable content. Some packs let you farm for items, experience, or in-game currency, while others offer more story content or add new characters.
- European version
Kingdoms clash over warring gods...
In a continent torn asunder by warring gods, guide legions of soldiers through tactical battles in this reimagined strategy RPG epic!
Uncover the intertwining tales of heroes Alm and Celica, engage foes, fend off monsters and explore 3D dungeons. Your prowess will grow as you master this melding of modern and classic Fire Emblem gameplay.
In Valentia, battle is waged in the traditions of elder Fire Emblem games, when the rules of battle were simpler, yet the challenge formidable as ever. To stop the war and unify the continent, you'll have to balance the needs of an army of soldiers with unique stats.
Master iconic Fire Emblem character classes, such as Mage, Paladin and Archer as you bring strategic skills to bear in the challenging grid-based battle system. When you encounter a dungeon on the world map, explore every corner in action-adventure style. You never know what secret you may unearth...
Trivia[]
- Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia had the shortest wait between Japanese and international release of a mainline Fire Emblem series title yet, with English-speaking fans having to wait a mere 29 days after the Japanese release. The most quickly localized game previously was Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, whose first international version to be released, the PAL localization, was released five months after the Japanese version.
- For April Fools' 2017, a new game called "Fire Emblem: Battle of Revolution" (ファイアーエムブレム 維新大乱) was announced, for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS. It prominently features Valbar, Kamui, and Leon. It takes place in the Edo period of Japan. Some text on the website is in traditional vertical writing, and all character and location names were written in kanji with the katakana names as furigana. DLC featuring Marth in was also announced for "Battle of Revolution". There would also be scrolls as a limited bonus. It was stated to be released on April 20, 2017, the same date as Shadows of Valentia.
- The spell Nosferatu can be used to kill Duma, despite the fact it is stated multiple times ingame only Falchion has this power. This is likely a reference to a glitch in the original Fire Emblem Gaiden with the same effect.
- The term "Hero-King" is used to refer to Marth in New Mystery of the Emblem and Awakening, the significance of this is currently unknown, but appears to be drawing parallels between Alm and Marth.
- This is the first mainline title from the Fire Emblem series to have full voice acting.
- An "echo" is a repeated sound, possibly referring to its remake status.
References[]
- ↑ Metascore of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of ValentiaMetacritic, Retrieved February 18, 2020
External links[]
- Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia at GameFAQs
- Official English website
- Official UK website
- Official Japanese website
| Fire Emblem series | |
|---|---|
| Console games | Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light • Gaiden • Mystery of the Emblem • Genealogy of the Holy War • BS Fire Emblem • Thracia 776 • Path of Radiance • Radiant Dawn • Three Houses • Engage |
| Handheld games | The Binding Blade • The Blazing Blade • The Sacred Stones • Shadow Dragon • New Mystery of the Emblem • Awakening Fates • Echoes: Shadows of Valentia |
| Spin-offs | Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE (Encore) • Heroes • Warriors • Warriors: Three Hopes • Super Smash Bros. |
| Related | Intelligent Systems • Shouzou Kaga • Yuka Tsujiyoko • Nintendo Wars • Project X Zone 2 • WarGroove • Dark Deity |