As you might have seen, I’ve recently got my hands on Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. I’m not far into it (because I’m cursed to be slow at video games) but I thought I’d give some first impressions on it. Also, something I did just before Echoes arrived, was complete Fire Emblem: Fates. It’s not 100%, I haven’t got all the support conversations, but I have done all three Branches and the story DLC, so I’ll also give my thoughts on Fates as well. First Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. Echoes is a remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, the second ever Fire Emblem, hence the ‘Echoes’ in the title. Now, this is an obvious point, but it seems so many people who comment on this game seem to be completely oblivious to this fact. They tend to criticise some of the mechanics that are missing, saying that it is ‘dumbing down’ the game. However, that is not the case. It’s more the focus of how to fight has shifted. There are no pair-ups, but Terrain has a larger effect. You can only carry one item not five, but that item will have a much stronger effect. Magic tomes never run out, but magic costs HP to cast. There are no class skills, but you learn skills the more you use certain weapons and other items. There is no weapon triangle, but bows have greater min and max range, more powerful weapons reduce speed, spears and swords grant different skills etc etc. I hope you see what I mean. It’s not been ‘dumbed down’ or been reduced to just ‘Leeroy Jenkins’ing across the map. It just plays to a different type of tactics. Having said that, Echoes does feel easier than the other FE games I have played, even though it does less handholding. This might be because I’ve played a few FE games at this stage, but I do expect there to be a rapid difficulty curve, if not a spike, ahead. But the gameplay hasn’t stopped being fun. A new, ahem, sorry, returning addition are the third-person dungeons to explore, where encountering foes triggers a small FE Battle. These are fun, though this risk in dungeons is less from one single fight, and more from the fatigue that occurs as your characters take more damage as they go, through there are ways to cure this. While exploring dungeons is fun, it does lead to the one criticism I have of the game this far. The camera. It lags horribly when your character turns, if it turns at all. There is a button to center the camera behind you, but that only helps after the turn, not during. Given enemies can sneak up behind you, it’s a rather annoying niggle. But as I’ve said, the only one so far. Outside of gameplay, the characters are strong, and many are pretty fun, though more… grounded than those seen in Awakening or Fates. I’ve really enjoyed all the conversations with them, and it’s worth exploring around to find other conversations with them. As for the story, it’s just getting started to far, but it looks intriguing. For now, it’s mostly being driven by the characters, rather than the events for now. So, in short, I’m having a lot of fun with Echoes so far, and everything I’ve seen looks very promising that this will continue. I’m not sure if I would recommend it to newcomers, but if they don’t mind the lack of aid they, and anyone who likes strategy, will likely find it fun. And now…. Onto Fire Emblem: Fates Oh Fates…. So Fates is the latest non-remake (and non-mobile) Fire Emblem game. It’s big selling point is that it has three campaigns that tell a different version of the story, Birthright, Conquest and Revelations. Though you need to buy all of them separately (grrr) and only one is considered the ‘true’ story, which is Revelations. Which is also DLC onlt (more grrrr) Horrific money-grabbing polices aside, the gameplay in Fates is strong, very strong, particularly in Conquest. Revelations too is good, even if the maps can be a bit gimmicky. The only real flaw in the gameplay is the weapon system. Rather than Weapon Degradation, Fates tried out unbreakable weapons, with more powerful weapons having greater penalties…. Unfortunately, they kinda messed it up, and the penalties are so harsh you’ll be using mid-tier weapons most of the time. That and the upgrade system, while a nice idea, is rather a slog to get the resources for. The music is another strong point for the game, though a lot of your enjoyment of it will depend on how much you like ‘Lost In Thoughts All Alone’, the games Theme song, which plays as a leitmotif throughout the game, as well as being an actual plot point. But the rest of Fates…. The rest… is so disappointing. It seems to be a clear case of ‘Quantity over Quality’. The characters are the first problem. Only about 25% of the characters are good, well rounded characters. About another 25% are bad (including the main character), and the rest are either one-dimensional (though some can be fun) or just plain bland. And then there is the story. The woeful mess of a story. The trouble is, you can see the potential it could have had with just a few tweaks. The *ahem* main villain Ganon… sorry, GARON, is just a cartoonish moustache twirling villain, and yet we are told he used to be a ‘wise just ruler’. Show, don’t tell game. Show us this great man falling, don’t just tell us. There are also the (numerous) character deaths, most of which have no impact because we don’t know the characters who are dying that well, other than “Oh, by the way, you care about this person. Feel sad.” Fates wants to make you feel, but isn’t willing to do lay the groundwork necessary. And I’m not even mentioning the plot contrivances or holes, or the horrible lack of character development for the main character who couldn’t be more of a Gary/Mary Sue if the writers had tried. Or how the actual villain and other important characters history is only told in DLC. And then there are the child characters, who are only included because they were popular in Awakening, but whose existence here is explained by the most horrible lazy way possible. Basically, there are small bubble worlds where time moves faster. So throw the baby in there, watch them grow, and suddenly they’re grown up ready to fight, and probably have parental issues given their parents were in the ‘real’ world during most of that time. There are SO MANY things like this. And yet, every now and again, Fates will suddenly put some effort in, and will suddenly and briefly become amazing, and manage to affect you emotionally. The aforementioned DLC is a prime example of the. The small Hidden Truths and Heirs of Fates campaigns are pretty much the strongest the story is in all of Fates. In short, while the gameplay and music are strong, the rest of Fates suffers from too much content spread too thinly, leading to a game that has so much potential in story and characters, but which almost never reaches that potential. If you just want a solid turn-based combat game, Fates will work for you. If you want more, then it would be best to look elsewhere, or just try and make the most of the few, occasional moments where Fates kicks into gear and make an impact. Sing with me one last time, for light's sacrifice, Endless dawn came but not without a price, Lost in the waves there glimmers a pale blue stone. I think of you, all alone. You are the ocean's gray waves, destined to seek Life beyond the shore, just out of reach Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time The path is yours to climb You are the ocean's gray waves...
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