Fire Emblem Echoes-Shadows of Valentia Review
Fire Emblem Echoes-Shadows of Valentia
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Genre:
PEGI: T
Comments:
Fire Emblem Echoes-Shadows of Valentia is the latest game in the Fire Emblem franchise. Last week I provided our readers with an in-depth look at the game with my review in progress. Please check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. Today I want to give you my final review of the game. Is Fire Emblem Echoes-Shadows of Valentia a good game?
Shadows of Valentia is huge game. It took me over 50 hours to complete it. There is also a ton of DLC available already and more is on the way!
The game’s story is very epic, and at times, a bit melodramatic. However the dialogue in this game is so good and the twists and turns in this game are so interesting that you can forgive some melodrama. The voice acting in this game, especially, really sells the story. It is a very good story overall! I thought the ending was very nice and I love how we found out what happened to everyone later.
At its heart, though, Fire Emblem Echoes is all about the gameplay. And while the basic strategy rpg battle system from previous games is there, there is also some key differences between this game and the others.
Exploring towns and dungeons doesn’t sound like something you’d find yourself doing in a Fire Emblem game. But thats exactly what you’ll be finding yourself doing in this game.
Fire Emblem Echoes is more of a role playing game than previous games in the series. The dungeons in this game are something right out of a dungeon crawling rpg. However, the strategy-rpg gameplay of Fire Emblem and the dungeon crawling do not blend perfectly.
You will yourself fighting the same enemies over and over again in these dungeons. There is not very much enemy variety in Echoes overall and its especially apparent in the dungeons. Most of the dungeons also only has one grid based map that you’ll be fighting on. The battles in the dungeons feel very repetitive and players may think they playing the same battle again and again.
These dungeon battles are important though because of Echoes rpg focus, there is much more importance on leveling up than in previous games. So you just have put up with some repetiveness here.
This is also a very challenging game. I was playing Echoes on Casual/Normal and still had some trouble with a few of the battles. Don’t let that difficulty turn you away because there’s a lot to love here.
Fire Emblem Echoes is worth any repetitive features. The Dungeons are fun to explore and there is so much to find in them. The treasure chests are worth the trip alone. Add to that the items you find in pots and these dungeons are well worth several visits.
The strategy rpg gameplay in Echoes is just as good as previous games and will help you through the repetitive dungeon maps. The main story based maps are well put together and make up for the ones that are not. However, there is one more flaw in the battles that I’d like to talk about.
When you get into battles where one character is facing off against another, generally the zoomed in camera works good. I did have a several occasions where the camera would be too close to a character or at some other weird angle. Its not a great camera, but its not a game breaker either.
Echoes does have great controls though. Everything from the buttons to the touch screen interface on the bottom screen works well. On the New 3DS, the little nub controls the camera when you are walking around in the dungeons. This is a very handy feature and it works well (this camera is much better than the battle one). The d-pad also can control the camera but its not as percise as the nub.
Echoes also makes use of the system’s 3D and it looks great in it. Of course, this game just looks and sounds great overall.
The graphics and sound in this game are amazing. Fire Emblem Echoes has some of the best graphics on the 3DS. The dungeons and close up battles look fantastic. The game’s animated cutscenes are a real treat too!
As for the game’s sound, the music in Fire Emblem Echoes impressed me a lot. One of my favorite scores is in the game’s final battle. I highly recommend playing this Fire Emblem on a New 3DS and turning the sound way up. Echoes also has pretty good sound effects.
Perhaps the most impressive part of the sound is the voice acting. As I mentioned earlier, the voices in this game sell the story. And despite any flaws that Echoes has, its story, gameplay, graphics, and sound come together to create one of the best Fire Emblem games ever.
Fire Emblem Echoes-Shadows of Valentia is a great game. Not everything about it is perfect, I wish the battles in the dungeons had been handled differently for instance, but the good in this game far out weighs the bad.
If you have been itching to play another Fire Emblem game, then you must play this game. If you are an rpg fan who has never played the Fire Emblem franchise before, this is the game where you should start.
Fire Emblem Echoes is, without a doubt, one of my favorite games in the franchise.
Thank you Nintendo for providing a copy of this game for review. Fire Emblem Echoes-Shadows of Valentia is now available via retail and the 3DS eshop.
Positives
- Very good story
- Excellent battle system
- Fantastic graphics
- Impressive soundtrack
Negatives
- Some Repetitiveness
- Camera Issues
Trailer
Article By Daniel Fugate
Daniel Fugate has wanted to be a writer since he was seven years old. He has a bachelor's degree in English and he's a huge Animal Crossing fan. The Wii U and 3DS are currently his favorite video game systems!
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