Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is a tactical role-playing video game created by Intelligent Systems and released by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS in 2017. It is the fifteenth game in the Fire Emblem series and a remake of the 1992 Famicom game Fire Emblem Gaiden, which was the second game in the series. The story follows two main characters, Alm and Celica, who work to end a war using different methods. Alm fights in battles to resolve the conflict, while Celica seeks peace through guidance from the Goddess Mila. Fire Emblem Echoes uses the main gameplay features of the Fire Emblem series and includes mechanics from Gaiden, such as exploring dungeons.
Development of Fire Emblem Echoes began in 2015 after the release of Fire Emblem Fates. It was intended as the final Fire Emblem game for the 3DS platform. Many staff members from Fire Emblem Fates and Fire Emblem Awakening worked on the game. The game kept the unique gameplay elements from Gaiden and updated the story and gameplay based on recent Fire Emblem games and the team’s desire to add more role-playing features. While Gaiden was only released in Japan, Fire Emblem Echoes was translated and adapted by 8-4. The game sold over one million copies and received mostly positive reviews for its story, new gameplay features, and high-quality voice acting. Some critics noted older-style elements, such as the map design, and the absence of certain features from Fire Emblem Awakening and Fates.
Gameplay
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is a tactical role-playing game where players control two groups fighting in a war on the continent of Valentia. The game has two difficulty levels (Normal and Hard) and two modes that determine what happens to characters who are defeated in battle. In Classic Mode, defeated units cannot return to the game, a feature common to earlier Fire Emblem games (though Echoes allows limited revivals of fallen units). Casual Mode lets defeated units be brought back to life after a battle ends. Players explore the world of Valentia using a map, visiting different locations that advance the story or offer optional challenges. The game includes battle maps, towns where players can interact with non-playable characters who run shops, and dungeons that can be explored. Encountering enemies on the world map or in dungeons starts a battle.
Like other Fire Emblem games, Echoes uses a turn-based system where each unit on both sides takes turns moving and acting. Battles occur on a grid-like battlefield, with players and enemies alternating turns. During attacks, the view shifts from a top-down perspective to a side view. Unlike many Fire Emblem games, Echoes does not use the Weapon Triangle (a system where certain weapons have advantages over others) or limited weapon durability. Instead, units have standard weapons that last for the entire game and can be replaced with special weapons that provide passive benefits. Each unit can carry only one weapon, which unlocks special abilities called Combat Arts as the unit gains experience and levels up. Combat Arts are weapon-specific moves that can increase damage or help units support each other. Each unit has a unique class that determines their weapon and actions: archers attack from a distance, melee fighters attack up close, and mages use magic but lose health to do so. Units can evolve into stronger class versions after reaching certain levels. Villagers in towns can be recruited and trained to use any available class.
When units fight in dungeons, their Fatigue meter increases, and their maximum health decreases. Fatigue can be reduced by giving units gifts or using special statues at the end of dungeons. During battles, nearby allies can talk, which affects their teamwork and performance. In dungeons, players can move freely with a group of ten characters, avoid fights if desired, and break objects to find money or items. When enemies are encountered, the view switches to the standard top-down battle screen. A new feature in the game is Mila's Turnwheel, which lets players rewind turns to correct mistakes, from one character’s move back to the start of a battle. The game also supports Amiibo figures. Using Amiibo figures of main characters Alm and Celica, or characters from earlier Fire Emblem games, summons temporary helper units for one turn at the cost of health. Amiibo from other games summon monster allies, and using Alm and Celica’s Amiibo outside of battle unlocks special dungeons.
Synopsis
The main story is the same as in Fire Emblem Gaiden. Long ago, the gods Mila and Duma fought for control of the continent of Valentia. They eventually agreed to stop fighting and each took control of half the continent. In the south, Mila’s followers created the Kingdom of Zofia, a land with plenty of resources. Over time, however, the people became lazy and lost their values. In the north, Duma’s followers formed the Empire of Rigel, a harsh and empty land where people grew stronger but stopped feeling emotions. The game follows Alm and Celica, childhood friends who travel across Valentia to restore peace.
After finishing the game, players can start a new post-game chapter where Alm, Celica, and their allies sail to Archanea, the setting of the original Fire Emblem. There, they discover a large labyrinth hidden in a nearby desert. Inside, stone tables describe an alchemist named Forneus, who tried to create a perfect life-form using divine dragon blood and brought the dead back to life to serve him. Forneus was punished and trapped in the labyrinth for his cruel experiments. At the deepest part of the labyrinth, players face Forneus’ "perfect life-form," a monstrous creature called "The Creation." This creature is the final boss of the labyrinth and is strongly suggested to be Grima, the main enemy in Fire Emblem Awakening.
Development
Fire Emblem Echoes is a complete remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden. Gaiden was the second game in the Fire Emblem series and was released in 1992 for the Famicom. It was known for changing the gameplay style of its predecessor, Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. While it kept the tactical turn-based battle system, it added new features, such as towns and a world map similar to those in traditional RPGs, and simpler rules. These changes made Gaiden different from other games in the series, and many of its new ideas were not used in later games. Like its predecessor, Gaiden was not released in Western countries.
Development for Echoes began after Fire Emblem Fates for the Nintendo 3DS was completed in 2015. Nintendo producer Hitoshi Yamagami considered making a Fire Emblem game for the Nintendo Switch, but decided it was too early because the console’s details were still being planned. Some staff at Intelligent Systems wanted to include features that had to be removed from Fates in a remake of Gaiden. Since Gaiden had not received much attention before, Yamagami believed they could quickly create a remake and release it before the Switch launched. Another option was making a new game, but planning for a Switch game was already underway, so starting a third 3DS game was considered too late. The game was first planned to release in September 2016, but the team delayed it to 2017 to ensure quality.
Nintendo staff member Kenta Nakanishi, a lifelong Fire Emblem fan, joined as a sub-director for Fates. Genki Yokota, the director of Fates, was busy with another project. Toshiyuki Kusakihara, the director for Intelligent Systems, took charge of Echoes. He had previously worked as an art director for Fates and its predecessor, Fire Emblem Awakening, and understood Gaiden’s unique gameplay. Instead of calling the game "New Gaiden," the team chose the name "Echoes" to make it appealing globally, differentiate it from other Fire Emblem side stories, and use it as a brand for future remakes. Echoes was meant to be the final Fire Emblem game on the 3DS.
Character designs were done by Hidari, who was chosen after Kusakihara praised his work. Hidari had previously been too busy to join Awakening or the Fire Emblem trading card game. For Echoes, a meeting was arranged in advance, and Hidari agreed to work on the project. His first design was for Alm, who went through four changes to help Hidari understand the game’s art style. The rest of the characters were designed by him. The game also includes animated cutscenes created by Studio Khara.
Nakanishi and Kusakihara said the original story was not as detailed as later Fire Emblem games. The remake allowed them to rewrite the story to match what modern players enjoy. The story was expanded by adding the main conflict between two nations, which was only mentioned in the original game’s manual. The character Saber became the narrator to avoid limiting the story’s scope. The team also improved the character writing. A new theme about royalty and its effect on characters was added. New characters, Berkut and Rinea, were introduced to show contrasts between Alm and Celica. Berkut was designed as a foil to Alm, highlighting their different backgrounds. A new character, Faye, was added to Alm’s army to include more female characters and create unpredictability. Characters like Celica were changed to have royal blood. The team focused on the original protagonists, Alm and Celica, instead of using an avatar as in Awakening and Fates. Their sibling relationship and roles in separate rebel groups were what drew Nakanishi back to the game.
The gameplay was redesigned using technology from Awakening and Fates. The team felt this was necessary because the original game’s mechanics were hard to understand. They kept the role-playing elements but combined them with newer Fire Emblem mechanics. A feature called free roaming, which was cut from Fates due to quality concerns, was added back because it was part of Gaiden’s original design. The game’s difficulty was lowered to make it easier for both longtime fans and new players. The team avoided adding the Weapon Triangle system, which would have required more characters or changes to the original cast. They also did not include the Marriage system from Awakening and Fates, as it would have disrupted character relationships. However, the Support system, which helps develop characters, was added.
The game’s music was mainly composed and arranged by Takeru Kanazaki, who also worked on Fates. He was helped by Yasuhisa Baba, Shoh Murakami, and Takafumi Wada of Dimension Cruise, who handled mixing and editing. Hiroki Morishita, the composer for recent games, was not involved because he was working on Fire Emblem Heroes. The official soundtrack was released by Symphony No. 5 on October 25, 2017, and included five discs, with the fifth being a data disc. The team used the original music from Gaiden, composed by Yuka Tsujiyoko, as a starting point. They tried to include as many live instruments as possible. All song lyrics were written by Kusakihara. The vocal ending theme, "The Heritors of Arcadia," was performed by Janis Crunch and written from the dragon Mila’s perspective. The English version was sung by Bonnie Gordon, who also voiced the character Silque. She was surprised by the song’s high notes due to her low singing voice.
Release
The game was first introduced in January 2017 during a Nintendo Direct broadcast that focused on the Fire Emblem series. In Japan, several versions of the game were released. These included the standard version, a limited edition with a special soundtrack, and a "Valentia Complete" edition that added items like an artbook to the limited edition. The game was released in Japan on April 20, 2017, in North America and Europe on May 19, and in Australasia on May 20. Amiibo figures of the game’s main characters, Alm and Celica, were released at the same time as the game. The game includes full voice acting for all characters except minor ones, which was a new feature for the Fire Emblem series. However, the English version does not include dual audio, which was available in earlier games like Awakening. The game’s translation was done by 8-4, a company that previously worked on Awakening and Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon for the Nintendo DS.
After its release, five downloadable content (DLC) packs were made available over the next two months, along with smaller free DLC. A Season Pass allowed players to purchase all five DLC packs at a lower price. The DLC included new dungeons and maps with unique character classes, a story that introduces the main game’s plot, and a set of characters from the Fire Emblem Cipher trading card game.
Reception
The game received “mostly positive reviews” from Metacritic, with a score of 81 out of 100. Japanese gaming journal Famitsu said the voice acting and action-focused story scenes made the story more exciting and dramatic. Chris Carter from Destructoid liked the game’s large scope and realistic story, even though the characters were not as strong as in earlier Fire Emblem games. Ray Carsillo from Electronic Gaming Monthly described the story as a typical Fire Emblem tale involving kings, queens, dragons, and magic. Javy Gwaltney from Game Informer said the story and its main characters, Alm and Celica, were the reason he kept playing. Griffin Vacheron from GameRevolution praised the story’s style, which reminded him of visual novel games like Danganronpa, and appreciated the writing and translation. Heidi Kemps from GameSpot liked how the game balanced dialogue and combat scenes, while Chris Schilling from GamesRadar enjoyed the story and highlighted Celica’s storyline as the best part. Meghan Sullivan from IGN noted the story was familiar but called it a good “soap opera.” Morgan Sleeper from Nintendo Life said the simpler story was easier to follow than the complex one in Fates, while Daan Koopman from Nintendo World Report praised the story’s size and the way the two main characters’ different views on war were shown.
Famitsu said the game’s presentation improved the overall experience, and Carsillo liked the full-motion cutscenes and character portraits. Gwaltney enjoyed the cutscenes and battle animations but said the character models looked slightly unclear. Vacheron praised the cutscenes and visual style, comparing them to visual novels. Schilling said the colors were muted and the graphics seemed less detailed than in earlier games, while Sullivan said the cutscenes were well-made. Sleeper liked the variety of graphics and the ability to see environmental details, and Koopman said the visuals were the game’s biggest improvement over earlier 3DS games. Most critics praised the voice acting, though Carter said it was uneven in quality.
Famitsu said the game added new features and improved the gameplay from Gaiden, helping it become better than previous Fire Emblem games. Carter liked the gameplay flow but said some mechanics were not fully developed. Carsillo enjoyed the combat but said there were not enough different ways to win battles. Gwaltney said some parts of the game became too hard and made battles less fun, while Vacheron said older mechanics were updated in a satisfying way. Kemps liked the gameplay and new features like Mila’s Turnwheel, even though players had to repeat tasks to progress. Schilling praised the gameplay improvements but said the map design was weak. Sullivan said the old-style mechanics were enjoyable after getting used to them, though some parts were unfairly difficult. Sleeper liked the map design and said the new systems added more options for combat and strategy. Koopman said the combat and exploration were reasons the game stood out in the Fire Emblem series. The new dungeon crawling sections were mostly praised, though Vacheron said they lacked depth. Some critics noticed the absence of the series’ usual Weapon Triangle mechanic, which made the game feel different from earlier titles like Awakening.
In Japan, Fire Emblem Echoes sold 135,195 copies in its first week, becoming the top-selling game and selling 80% of its initial shipment. It reached number one on Japan’s sales charts within a week, selling 83,526 more copies than the second-place game. In the United Kingdom, it was fifth on all-format gaming charts. In Australia and New Zealand, it was second on all-platform charts and topped the 3DS charts. In North America, it reached seventh on all-format charts. According to the NPD Group, the game’s release increased sales of portable consoles. Nintendo reported in its financial statements that Fire Emblem Echoes was popular during that time. As of December 31, 2022, the game had sold 1 million copies worldwide.
Shadows of Valentia was nominated for “Best 3DS Game” in IGN’s Best of 2017 Awards. It was also nominated for “Handheld Game of the Year” at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards and for “Original Dramatic Score, Franchise” at the 17th Annual National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.
Legacy
In early 2017, several characters from the game Echoes were added as playable characters in the mobile game Fire Emblem Heroes to celebrate Fire Emblem Heroes' first release. Celica was also added as a playable character in the hack and slash game Fire Emblem Warriors. Four music tracks from Echoes are included in the 2018 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, along with collectible Spirit artwork of Alm, Celica, and the three Pegasus Sisters: Palla, Catria, and Est. Two game features first introduced in Echoes—Combat Arts and the ability to rewind time during battles—were later included in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the next mainline game for the Nintendo Switch. Additionally, the Alm and Celica Amiibo figures can be used with Three Houses to unlock music tracks for optional battles.