Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Reviews
Fire Emblem Gaiden had explored different approaches, which appear even bolder through this remake on 3DS thanks to an absolutely epic staging, a more developed narrative and many modern gameplay adjustments, while staying true to the original Famicom version. Despite some relics from the past and a less strategic philosophy, Echoes : Shadows of Valentia proves that these pragmatic concepts are still relevant today, indeed for the future of the franchise.
Review in French | Read full review
On the one hand Shadow of Valentia takes us back in time, paying homage to the golden age of JRPG, on the other hand the new gameplay features give a more modern feel to it. Shadow of Valentia is an atypical Fire Emblem that differentiates itself from the franchise in order to give a fresh approach to the genre.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia really surprised me. What I thought would be a simple spin-off game ended up being arguably the best Fire Emblem game I've played.
It's hard to say if the changes made in Echoes will be for everyone, especially fans that may have started with the more recent entries. Even so, it's refreshing to have a Fire Emblem game that feels so different, even though it's actually a remake of a 25 year old game. The spirit and backbone of Fire Emblem is still present, and it's an experience that only gets better the more you play.
Fire Emblem Gaiden is full of great ideas, but they don't make up for the huge amount of boring or tedious maps.
Shadows of Valentia helps Gaiden gain relevance in this day and age by infusing it with some of the best parts of recent Fire Emblem games, even if some of Gaiden's outdated elements bring the game down.
Overall, while I don't feel at all qualified to really place this game above or below others in the series, I feel confident that it's an interesting title for series veterans who never got to play Gaiden and newcomers alike. With a blend of old school and also lacking many of the modern nuances of today's games, it gives players a straight-forward, yet stout challenge.
While it won't be for everyone, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is a fun remake that showcases the history of the series with a brand new look. Seasoned fans of the games will find themselves slightly out of it with missing mechanics, but as the game's difficulty has been toned down since the original, it will appeal to more players. A fitting last instalment for the 3DS, the game is worth a look for those craving tactical RPG battles, or for long-running fans wanting to see the evolution of the series.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia proves that looking back doesn't mean missing something. In fact, this will definitely go down as one of the greatest Fire Emblem games in my opinion. Great characters, powerful story, challenging combat, this game has it all.
Its story has a few plot twists, though most are telegraphed well ahead of time.
Embracing a different take on Fire Emblem, Shadows of Valentia changes things up a bit to provide a weird but fresh experience for the franchise.
At first I wondered if I'd care. Another ancient kingdom, another gang of ne'er-do-wells that rise up to become warriors. But there's something uniquely satisfying about Fire Emblem's brand of combat and progression.
As inviting to new players as it is familiar to old, Echoes is far more than a Shadow of Gaiden.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is an excellent strategy role-playing game with thrilling tactical turn-based combat with some gameplay omissions which may split the existing fanbase.
It's 2017, and the 3DS is in its sunset years- but Fire Emblem Echoes stands as one of the best additions to its library yet, and one of the best games in a year that has so far been full of fantastic games.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, by no means a flawless entry in the nearly three decade-old franchise, may well be the closest the series has gotten to somehow finding a happy medium between past legacy and contemporary appeal.
It took me a little under 30 hours to complete the main game. The game was a complete saga. I bring this up because Nintendo has an aggressive DLC schedule planned for this latest Fire Emblem edition that may push the boundaries of decency. A season pass costs $5 more than the actual game. There are even two dungeons that are tied to the Alm and Celica Amiibos. This is another $25 if you want all the content for Echoes. All said that’s $110. But rest assured that when you spend your $40 you are buying a complete experience. Not a skeleton that will be fleshed out by nickel and diming you.
Fire Emblem Echoes doesn't make a strong first impression, but keeps entangling the player fight after fight, for each hard-earned victory. It also brings to the table many ideas from the original title, and a slew of fresh air in a series that has seen four games in the last four years.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Intelligent Systems has done an excellent job of bringing a classic title forward into the modern age.