Aside from the DS remake Shadow Dragon, Western Fire Emblem fans haven’t had many opportunities to explore the series’ long and storied history, which stretches all the way back to Famicom. Fortunately, the resounding success of its two most recent entries, Fire Emblem Awakening and Fire Emblem Fates, has led to a renewed interest in the franchise, with no less than four new titles in the works for a slew of platforms, including one more traditional adventure for 3DS: Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.
Like Shadow Dragon before it, Shadows of Valentia is not a new entry in the series, but a reimagining of one of its earliest installments, Fire Emblem Gaiden (the second game in the series, originally released in 1992 for Famicom). In typical Fire Emblem fashion, players will spend the bulk of the adventure strategically positioning their troops around the map to battle enemy forces, but this time the game will feature a few unique gameplay twists that haven’t appeared since the original Gaiden. Perhaps the most radical is its greater exploration; players will occasionally guide Alm or Celica (the game’s two protagonists) in real-time around dungeons, and chapters will be laid out on a free-roaming world map. The presentation, likewise, has been completely revamped, featuring fully voiced dialogue and new animated cutscenes courtesy of Studio Khara.
Shadows of Valentia will also be accompanied by new Amiibo figures of Alm and Celica, though Nintendo has yet to detail their functionality. The figures will be released as a dual-pack and will launch alongside the title on May 19.
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