Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (3DS) Review

An obscured classic, remade.

 Fire Emblem Gaiden, released back in 1992 for the NES, was commonly known as the black sheep of the series for its unconventional mechanics and being released as a Japan-only game. However, the game recently found new life on the Nintendo 3DS in the form of a remake, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. It follows the adventures of two childhood friends who are both caught up in a fierce war, with the two aiming to reunite with one another while also bring the war and the forces behind it to a close. While I've been busy trying to clear my long 3DS backlog, I got interested in Echoes after reading many good things about it (hey, one more game won't hurt). After taking my time with the grand adventure, I can gladly say that it was a fun time.


 In the land of Valentia, we follow Alm and Celica, two childhood friends that were separated from each other when they were young for unknown reasons. However, years later and they find themselves reunited again, this time it's in midst of a war between two rival nations Rigel and Zofia. Alm believes that force will end the conflict while Celica trusts in a more peaceful option. Throughout the game, you'll be watching the story unfold from both lead's point of view, with each perspectives being equally engaging. I personally liked both Alm and Celica, who were plain likable and as the story progresses, you'll get to know more of their pasts while also watching them grow as individuals. The supporting cast were also memorable, with characters each having a unique story to tell. Some standouts for me included Gray, Fernand, and Berkut. As for the villains, they're your generic "I'm evil for the sake of being evil" types and none were really noteworthy, but I actually enjoyed the world-building and insight from the villagers you meet throughout the adventure, which was a cool aspect.

The story's full great characters and plot-twists 

to keep you hooked.

 Fire Emblem Echoes plays similarly to the previous 3DS games, only with some slight changes. It's a strategy RPG where you control up to 10 units as you move them across the game's grid-like battlefield. Your units come in a wide variety ranging from mercenaries to archers to cavaliers. As you defeat enemies and earn experience points, you'll be able to level up and unlock new classes for your units, each packing boosted stats. That being said, classes have their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, mages can cast powerful magic attacks at the cost of health while flyers have high movements, but are weak against knights. So it's always best to know what units to choose in a fight. You can also equip weapons and shields to either increase your unit's attack or defense. However, you can only equip one item, unlike the cast with newer Fire Emblem games, which shows the game's old roots.

The classic turn-based gameplay is here, and

it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

 At certain points in the game, you'll have the ability to enter settlements and interact with the townspeople and hear what they have to say on the current events of the story. Sometimes, they'll give you side quests (mainly fetch quests) that will reward you with a hefty sum of coins to upgrade your gear at the smithy. You craft new weapons or sell your old ones for money, as well as upgrading current ones too. There's additionally a first-person mode, where you can search the environment for items like weapons and food, which is essential early on. Better yet, you can even recruit villagers to join you on the adventure, some of which are pack high stats early on. Gaiden was the first in the series to introduce the dungeon crawling mechanic. Basically, you explore dungeons in third-person view as you break pots and chests, searching for some valuable treasures. You can also battle enemies by slashing your sword at them, getting a preemptive turn in the battle. Dungeon crawling is essentially an easy way to earn some money as well as level up units who have been lagging behind, I easily spent a good chunk of time boosting my party before the next fight. Bear in mind that units will feel fatigued after constantly battling, resulting them in having stat decreases, so it's best to stack on food to get them back on top shape.

Some of the best equipment are tucked away inside

the game's many dungeons.

 In standard series tradition, Echoes gives you the option of choosing Normal or Hard modes, which is straightforward enough. However, it's the game's Casual and Classic modes are what sets the series apart from other strategy games. In Casual mode, fallen party members will flee the battlefield and become accessible in the next battle, whereas, Classic mode is more brutal. Any fallen party members that are killed in battle will be gone for good, and you won't have access to them unless you start a new game-- which is pretty hardcore. Thankfully, the game eases the frustration with Mila's Turn wheel, where you can undo any turn that will result in a unit's death so you can avoid it. As you explore more settlements, you'll obtain cogs that will increase the number of uses, but keep in mind that its not infinite.

Units can also talk with each other, increasing

their bond.

 Echoes took me around 25 hours and while the adventure slightly shorter than the other 3DS games, it was still a fun time. Despite that, there are few setbacks that hold the game back. For starters, the map design felt repetitive, as you're always starting out either on the upper or the bottom side of the screen, with the same exact goal of beating the enemy commander. There are a few battles that change things up a bit, but they're too far and few between to remember. I kind of wished that there was more enemy variety than the standard zombies and dark mages, but that could be just me. Still, none were outright annoying as the Cantor enemy that can endlessly spawn minions, dragging certain battle longer than they need to. And lastly, while the dungeons are a cool side-distraction, I have to honesty admit that they're pretty surface-level and shallow, as they offer little aside from some high-grade weapons.


 Visually, Fire Emblem Echoes isn't all that different from previous FE games on the 3DS. The character models can look blocky and the backgrounds are low-resolution at times, but that's mainly due to the 3DS' aging hardware. One aspect that I loved has to be the artstyle, which is reminiscent of classic 90's fantasy RPGs while also retaining a more modern, anime look. The character designs are bright and colorful, which compensates for the average-looking character model. Additionally, the game features CG cutscenes in many points of the game, which were entertaining since I always looked forward to watching them. Echoes is the first FE game to include full voice-acting either in English or Japanese, which will please both fans. I personally stuck with the English VA, which carried some commendable performances. The soundtrack is a pleasure to listen though I felt that some tracks such as the main battle theme grew old quickly. My favorite tracks are "Where the Wind Rustles", "A Song for Bygone Days", and "The Ark of Dawn".

Okay models aside, there is a lot to admire in

the game's presentation.

 Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia was an awesome journey from start to finish. While the story is great, it was the characters and the dialogue that made the game more memorable. The gameplay, while not without its shortcomings, is fun and just as hardcore as previous games in the series. I had a lot of fun grinding for levels and searching for weapons. The presentation is also worth noting, with the soundtrack and art-style being notable highlights. In terms of replay-value, the game is high on that since you can go back and experiment with some of the game's various classes and even check out the DLCs, if you're interested in getting the additional characters. I'd recommend that newcomers should check out Fire Emblem Awakening and Fates, as they have all the new gameplay mechanics and features before jumping into Echoes. Veterans will definitely find a lot of enjoyment to be had here, as it retains the classic series roots.