Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Reviews
It's a game for the here-and-now, made to give the 3DS one of its last hoorahs with a major franchise before all of Nintendo's developers move fully to the Switch.
Its story has a few plot twists, though most are telegraphed well ahead of time.
A revival of a 1992 Famicom game that never made it out of Japan, there's more to Echoes than a mere history lesson.
Fire Emblem: Echoes - Shadows of Valentia seeks to bring a Japanese exclusive title to international audiences. It does a great job of that, but it might not be for everyone...
Shadows of Valentia commits to its dated systems, for better and worse
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.
Despite never reaching North America in its original debut 25 years ago, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia makes for a fun, albeit simpler, adventure on Nintendo 3DS.
The perfect jumping on point for both new players and those wanting to fill in the gaps in Fire Emblem lore, although the game lacks the depth of more modern entries.
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.
Despite its strategic depth and craft, you can't help but feel that Fire Emblem has had its run on 3DS. This isn't a criticism per se, and it's more remarkable now than ever that the handheld console with a low-rent screen and barely any processing power is still able to churn out such deep and engrossing experiences. Intelligent Systems is likely looking to Nintendo Switch for its next big strategic adventure – but for now, Shadows of Valentia is great enough to warrant dusting off your indestructible little pocket toy for one last hurrah.
Fire Emblem Echoes changes enough to make you play the game differently while retaining most of the key aspects of what makes the series so great. The characters and story all connect well, the presentation is top notch and most importantly, the game is still very fun to play. While Awakening and Fates feel like more fleshed out experiences, Echoes bucks Gaiden's legacy of being the black sheep of the series by not only providing the solid Fire Emblem experience that has resonated with me for so long, but also providing a new, interesting way to play the game.
I both love and hate this game. The bulk of the package is so good that it's tempting to forgive its unbalanced difficulty. But alas, the combat comprises the majority of the game, putting Shadows of Valentia's more obnoxious qualities front and center. It's worth checking out, but be ready to be immensely frustrated.
The combat, although robust, tends to frustrate and the story, although impeccable in presentation, doesn't quite feel as sweeping and romantic as previous titles on the 3DS.
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.
While the Nintendo Switch is getting a lot of attention, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is a great reminder that the 3DS can still deliver great games. This is the first must-own 3DS title of 2017.
Despite being a remake, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is one of the most outstanding games to come to Nintendo 3DS this year. Also it's one of the best deliveries of Fire Emblem thanks to inclusion of novelties as exploration in 3D and classic elements of the saga.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Put aside any misconceptions you have about strategy RPGs, Shadows of Valentia demands your time and will make you feel good for it.
I'm already looking forward to replaying the scores of missions I'd already completed, this time with an aim to doing things a little differently and maybe saving some lives. And if my eager anticipation to replay a big chunk of a game I just played isn't a recommendation, I'm not sure what is.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is a nice way of playing Fire Emblem Gaiden but it fails to achieve the quality of the latest games of the franchise.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
It's funny how a remake of a game that never originally hit the West can feel like such a step forward. There are a couple questionable choices, like the removal of the weapons triangle, and series purists might grumble over some other changes like dungeon exploration, but overall Shadows of Valentia feels like the next great step in Fire Emblem.