My favourite Fire Emblem.

Beautiful art direction, talented voice cast, and some of the best music in the series. I honestly don't mind the more simplistic gameplay either.

Pretty much every map on Celica's route can suck my left nut though.

Absolutely adore this game. I wish some of the maps were a little smoother to play through, the cantor enemies absolutely did my head in on multiple occasions, but still, I thought this was wonderful. The best part is easily the characters. The entire game is fully voiced. Every single line, apart from a couple of odd NPC interactions. The voice cast is excellent, and brings out everyone's personalities wonderfully.

Also a big fan of the main plot, and how it's split between two routes that happen concurrently, each one led by the two protagonists, Alm and Celica.

The soundtrack also deserves a mention. Lord of a Dead Empire, Twilight of the Gods, and the credits theme, Heritors of Arcadia are all especially good.

Fire Emblem Echoes tells a fantastic story with a great cast of characters (albeit just a few are 1 dimensional) but is weighed down by some frustrating gameplay.

This is evident in the fact that with Alms side of the story you mostly come across plains with lots of soldiers that you tactically navigate around. While on Celica's side...You come across some of the most painful map designs ever, with a prime example being Dead Man Mire which is flooded with swamp tiles that deal 5 hp per turn and are slower to navigate and I ALSO HATE CANTORS. I also do like the inclusion of dungeons overall but there were a lot of aspects that were just exhausting to get through such as Duma Tower and think the game is incredibly grindy.

I genuinely think that the time wheel as an addition to this remake is a huge saving grace because I would not like to feel what it was like to tackle these areas in Gaiden.

But there is more good to say about this title and that is, I love Hidari's art style and want to consume more games with them behind it like the Atelier Dusk trilogy because it just is so charming.

The soundtrack is phenomenal with this title and helps sell the scenarios that you are undergoing throughout the game, really allowing you to take in each environment that has a special track to go with it.

Overall: I enjoyed how this title came together, with its excellent voice acting, its art style, and the way it sounds. The title delivers those aspects. It's if you want to go into this title expect some real garbage maps because it will force you to go through pain.

I really liked the beginning. The aesthetic was great and the story setup really had me invested. When chapter 2 started and i realised i got to control two armies at the same time i was really excited. Unfortunately the two plots barely intersect at all and alm and celica both make dumb decisions. Anyway, it was hard to stay invested in the plot because the atrocious combat made me take almost 2 years to complete this 40 hour game. If this game didnt have turnwheel i probably woul have dropped it sooner. Awkening hard mode is less bs that this on normal mode. I never want to think about the gameplay side of this game ever again, but was this playtested? Can you even beat the game without genny spamming invoke to distract the hundreds of gargoyles you have to claw your way through each turn? And if alm happens to die, then you cant use your turnwheel which bit me in the ass more than a few times. I know it has a postgame dungeon but unless i go through psychosis/get shot in the head and have complete personality change, i will never play it. I wish they would do a second remake but ship of thesues tf out of everything except the characters and art. Also characters have the majority of their personality in their little combat animation but if you leave those on the game will actually take 10 billion hours to complete. Ok so i said i had roughly 40 hrs on my complete file but checking 3ds activity log i have 60. hooooly shit. I can see why back in the day only nerds played games because what sort of well adjusted person is enjoying themselves playing this on the nes. LIke sure other games were also shit at the time but you could still go walking or read a book or smth. LIke how did playing the "strategy " game fire emblem gaiden beat out literally any other activity that someone could have spent their time doing. At least 3 houses learned from it or smth

Its solid, The story is good the gameplay and maps are tedious.
The game has some unique mechanisms for the fire emblem franchise like dungeons which i dont like but i like the 1 inventory slot and unbreakable weapons and forging.
Also found the characters and support conversations lacking.
Torn between 3 and 3,5 stars for me.

Also the character art is great!

Some well designed maps and decent story. Having the two different parties allowed for more characters to get their chance to shine on the battlefield. The actual unit types didn’t seem very balanced and I eventually benched a chunk of the cast and started wrecking enemies. Despite some parts of the map being too vulnerable to repetitive random battles, I liked the game. All complaints are minor. I’d like to see an expansion of some ideas here, with more fleshed out dungeons being a main one. Simplistic story is a strong point.

I have never played a game quite like Fire Emblem Echoes before, and I understand that I also never will again.
For my first Fire Emblem game, this game has left a deep impression on me in countless ways- it absolutely flourishes in every major area I can think of a tactical JRPG wanting to succeed in. I’m fairly certain my experience with future Fire Emblem games is all downhill from here, but I’m so happy I was able to experience this game the way I did. I don't care.
There is a deep implicit bias throughout my playthrough and this entire review that is worth noting for many reasons- a close friend, who happens to consider this his favorite game of all time, replayed this game alongside my first playthrough, guiding me, discussing with me, and honestly giving me the most perfect first playthrough experience one could ever ask for. His passion for this game is so palpable and contagious. I feel so blessed to have experienced this with someone who cares so deeply for a video game and wanted to show me exactly why- and so blessed that he trusted me to share this passion with. So I hope you can understand why I, too, consider this one of my favorite games of all time.
I’d first like to briefly touch on the artistic direction given to this game as a whole. I have so much love and respect for illustrator and character designer Hidari, whose work the entirety of this game’s identity revolves around. I could not have come up with a better choice of artist. The harmony the art direction achieves with the gameplay, the story, and even the technical limitations of the 3DS is undoubtedly an achievement. The relative sophistication of the character designs and setting are unexpected of a Fire Emblem title, and so deeply appreciated. The maturity the art direction provides gives the narrative a sense of legitimacy it thrives in.
Though my usual protocol is to talk about a game’s soundtrack last, I think it needs to be front and center alongside the art direction. Like Hidari’s impeccable work on the art of Fire Emblem Echoes, this game’s identity also hinges on its soundtrack. JRPGs are known for their robust and often orchestrated soundtracks, but I believe this is on another level even among its contemporaries. At many moments, this soundtrack feels truly flawless. This game should always, no matter what, be played with the sound on, if nothing just for the beautiful weaving of the game’s main leitmotif throughout your journey.
Finally, it’s time to speak about the gameplay of Shadows of Valencia. I’m unable to offer valuable comparisons to other Fire Emblem games, or even to other tactical JRPGs, due to my inexperience with both, so I’m going to judge the gameplay on purely its own merits. And, by my account, the gameplay is incredible. For reference, I played Echoes on normal difficulty with no permadeath, as deliberated by my friend and I to be the best experience for a new Fire Emblem player. From the moment you start playing a map you realize how addicting it is. This game has mastered the sense of micromanagement and control in a way that makes every battle feel genuinely satisfying to overcome. Fire Emblem has had many years and many generations to perfect its core mechanics, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but I was consistently impressed with how silky smooth the battles felt to navigate. Every choice intentional, every enemy balanced- as someone with a very heavy background in Pokemon, I was taken aback by how pristine the core mechanics felt to use; Fire Emblem is a much more methodical design. Most importantly, there was not a single moment in this game where I felt that a battle was unbeatable. To me, that is one of the strongest signs of a well designed video game in any genre or series. My friends' coaching, while invaluable in helping me understand the mechanics and meta of this game in a way the text alone does not provide, I didn’t find to make the game easy at all. In many cases, my pitfalls actually came from having too much information on the game’s mechanics than I probably should have for my skill level, resulting in being too conscious of things like turn count and specific strategies and not comfortable enough with how my units work and what each classes excel at. At every turn, the depth of the gameplay astounded me. I am not the type to talk about specific gameplay instances in reviews, but I do think it’s worth noting the interesting and often despised map gimmicks of Celica’s route- the ships, deserts, and swamps that she and her army navigate. I enjoyed these a lot. Of course there is frustration there, but it’s not unintentional- where Alm’s route plays map design very straight to allow the player full control of their army, Celica’s maps offers a, in my opinion, welcome departure from the free micromanagement of an open field. With her abundance of ranged attacking units and trio of pegasus knights, once crossing the Regelian border especially, the maps offer tough love, and become an enemy in their own right to overcome- something that ties in narratively to Celica’s journey through Valentia.
With that, we arrive at the story of Fire Emblem Echoes. For all the game’s triumphs, this one is the most beautiful to me. I will play many games in my future with a stunning art direction. I’ll play many games with a beautifully arranged soundtrack, and many more with gameplay systems so satisfying I dread setting my console down. I’ll play games that my friends want to share with me, and spend many more hours talking with people I love about a game we enjoy. I’ll play so many games with stories that captivate me. But I will never play a game quite like Fire Emblem Echoes again in my life.
It’s difficult to explain why this game’s story is so special compared to the countless power struggles of wars and gods in the history of the JRPG. And I understand why someone jaded playing this game would see little value or importance in the path this narrative takes. But Shadows of Valentia is a story that expects something from the player. If you are willing to listen, and engage in good faith, you will receive so much more in return. Fire Emblem Echoes has so much to say about both gods and man, how they influence each other, how they inspire each other, and how they tear each other to the ground. And what the solution to this struggle looks like for a young generation of people who have watched this ongoing battle shape the lives they live. It delivers these messages through well written characters- where they come from, their actions, and their relationships with others, from the most insignificant NPCs to the two characters spearheading this narrative- the Bearers of the Brand, Alm and Celica. These two’s relationship, and its juxtaposition to the relationship between the worldviews they stand for, is fascinating, and provides a strong foundation for a story. The depth given to Alm, Celica, and the fantastic cast of supporting characters in both the protagonist and antagonist’s parties, aided by surprisingly competent voice acting and the undeniable charm of the 3DS’s pre rendered cutscenes, make this story enjoyable all the way through. Despite two glaring stumbles (a woman in Alm’s party and a woman in Rigel’s royal court), every supporting character is written with some complexity and growth, and it shows. Where Alm’s story reaches enjoyable and dramatic, though somewhat conventional, heights, Celica may be one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever met in a video game. Her story is so compelling, and despite a few writing slip-ups towards the end, her journey ends up a fantastic character study and a beautiful narrative. The biggest issue with this game by far, in any area, is Celica’s antagonist falling short of the complexity and nuance her story requires- though in the end, she still shines through as something deeply special. There is little more I can say without beginning to discuss specifics, but it should be clear that I feel this game’s narrative is something special, and I’m doubtful I was able to do it justice in this short paragraph. What was able to do it justice, however, were the hours upon hours my friend and I spent just discussing the game, its story, everything we loved and everything that frustrated us. For a game’s narrative to inspire that kind of conversation is an undeniable triumph. And I suspect we were not the only ones doing this kind of analysis out of pure love.
Throughout my hours with Fire Emblem Echoes, I experienced a kind of love for a video game I don’t think I’ve ever had. Completely captivated throughout the six months it took me to work my way through. I knew before the first chapter was complete that this would be one of my favorite games of all time. But I didn’t know it would be going toe to toe with Breath of the Wild for the number one spot. I saw this game, slowly, carefully, live up to all my expectations, one by one. That is something I will never experience again.
I had a very emotional connection to Heritors of Arcadia for YEARS before I ever bought the game because of someone I was very close with when I was younger. It, embarrassing it may be, has been a constant that was with me through something difficult I experienced when I was young. Watching, and participating, in the making of a story I had heard sung countless times unfold before my eyes was an absolutely unforgettable experience. An experience that can only be achieved in the medium of video games.

Echoes é um fire emblem conturbado, principalmente tendo em vista quando que ele veio, estavamos em uma época de mudanças pra franquia, depois de fazer uma realocação de valores e perceber que pra vender ela pra mais pessoas seria necessário dar a opções de grinding e isso criou um foco em buildar personagens.

Awekening foi recebido com muito conforto pela grande mairoia de fãs no seu lançamento, então por que não repetir ele? Bem.... disso saiu Fates, que todo mundo (menos os fãs novos da franquia) odiou, onde eles jogaram pro caralho maioria das coisas que fazia Fire Emblem Fire Emble e focou no aspecto de build e ideias repetidas do awekening.

Então pra tentar apelar pros dois públicos a Nintendo decide lançar um remake do segundo Fire Emblem, e nisso saiu o Echoes, que seu maior problema é justamente tentar apelar pros fãs antigos e novos ao mesmo tempo. Temos a melhor história de Fire Emblem, principalmente pelo romance dos dois protagonistas e a trama política.

Tirando a história a gameplay é dividida, como não temos tantas opções de classe todo personagem meio que vai seguir sempre o mesmo caminho (sem ser os villagers) e eu não curto muito isso, curto mais a liberdade de escolher o que cada boneco vai ser. Os mapas são divididos, os mapas do Alm tem um foco em te fazer jogar rápido e ofensivo, a equipe dele é feita pra isso e os mapas também e são uns dos mapas que mais me diverti em todos jogos táticos, agora os da Celica... Bem eles são gimmickys pra caralho, no primeiro ato dela os mapas são baseados em spam de inimigos, na segunda em tiles que dão dano e a terceira é os dois junto e isso é uma merda.

Então por isso acho que esse jogo vale muito pela história e maps do Alm, mas me divertiria muito mais podendo customizar o jogo mais, principalmente pros mapas da Celica.

Best music in the franchise, best visual presentation in the franchise, best voice acting performances in the franchise.

Along with a handful of some of the absolute worst maps in the entire franchise.

It's a breathtakingly beautiful game with some really rocky moments.

my first fire emblem game and most likely the last i try in a while good god. the maps are so tedious to move on and i just couldn't care much about the writing overall. i wish i liked the characters more, they don't feel compelling enough for me to pull through the annoying maps and strategize my turns. not even my most useful units (saber, mae, leon, genny; notice how i'm not pointing out any of alm's units LMAO) make things fun.. but tbh maybe i'm not craving this right now. i might come back to complete it later though..

I originally played the first two acts of Echoes years ago but found it was a little slow paced. Particularly going from the end of Act 1 to starting completely fresh with tutorial maps in Act 2 kind of killed momentum for me. It wasn't until my amazing experience with Fire Emblem Gaiden that I decided to give the remake a second chance, and I'm glad I did.

Shadows of Valentia is a very faithful remake, almost to a fault, which manages to expand on the characters and story in a very strong direction. The presentation of the game is stellar, with outstanding music, artwork, voice acting, prose, and new 3D dungeons which manage to feel right at home in the game.

However, such a faithful remake also made many of the flaws of the original much more apparent. The pacing of the original, while also very slow, was accelerated by having less story beats, dungeon encounters, time taken for deployments, etc. It could be just from playing the games back to back, but SoV felt like a much longer game. Granted I played the DLC and extra maps, which added some time to an already long game, but it did feel like the pacing for this game was a little worse than Gaiden on 3x speed.

On the topic of new characters it had its ups and downs. Cleric Faye was a powerhouse and I thought she was a positive addition to make it feel like less of a boy's club. , I did not like the introduction of Conrad. I think he kind of ruined some of Celica's character development by telling her the act 3 twist, rather than her figuring it out herself. Fernand was a bit of a cartoonish villain for my liking, but I really enjoyed Berkut's final turn at the end. I thought his character had pretty believable motivation for doing what he did, and they handled it well. In terms of the DLC, I thought the new characters were interesting but they never really felt part of the team. I challenged myself to use Emma and Randal through chapters 4 and 5, but it came at the expense of appreciating Zeke/Titania who join late and have a much better story.

Story-wise, I think some of the twists, namely Alm's background and King Rudolf's motivations do seem a little more out of place than they did in FE2. I would have liked to have seen them change it up a bit more than they did, at least to make Rudolf's actions make a little more sense.

I beat the game on hard, and while I was happy to revisit the maps, I think they could have gone further revamping them. I don't think FE2 is particularly well known for its map design, and some of the uninspired choices made it over. The simple weapon system worked fine, and the consumables were a nice addition. The growths in this game were not as abysmal as Gaiden but still the growths are much lower and it always felt like it killed momentum when a character you like leveled up twice and only gained 2 points to a stat like Skill. I played around with reclassing a bit, but it felt a little like a dry run for Three Houses. Having everyone on the battlefield is nice and some of the endgame maps felt appropriately big. It is unfortunate there's no maddening, especially one with no grinding possibilities, but c'est la vie.

Overall, I feel great about the game, but I think I still prefer Gaiden as crazy as that sounds. Something about the minimalism was lost in translation, but this is still an excellent game that feels like a real mix of old and new Fire Emblem.

Solid entry in the fire emblem series with typically great gameplay and memorable characters and story. Biggest critique is definitely the dungeon crawling mechanic and how grindy this game can be. The dungeon crawling can be pretty bland visually and the encounters within are sometimes a bit boring and overall not as well designed as the normal missions. In terms of the grind - you probably wont need to grind much to complete the main story, but if you want to do the post-game content you'll be in for an absolutely ungodly grind session. I understand that optional content like this often requires some grinding but oh my god.... I had the patience to play through all of Megami Tensei (no not Shin Megami Tensei for the Super Famicom, Digital Devil Story Megami Tensei for the Famicom) and I did not have the patience to grind for this dungeon. This was the only fire emblem game with optional content where I didn't get around to completing it.

Apart from these flaws the game is overall enjoyable. Most people who like Fire Emblem will enjoy this game. It doesn't stand out too much but is overall a solid good time. Probably the most notable thing about this game is, strangely enough, the character art. This game has some of the most beautiful character portrait work I've ever seen in a game. I really hope whoever did the character art for this and (judging by appearance) for Tokyo Mirage Sessions as well get's brought back to the series or at least gets more work in the industry. It's absolutely gorgeous and by far the best art style the series has seen.