Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
- May 19, 2017
- 70h median play time
It's 2017, and the 3DS is in its sunset years- but Fire Emblem Echoes stands as one of the best additions to its library yet, and one of the best games in a year that has so far been full of fantastic games.
"Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia" is a single-player turn-based strategy game with an intriguing story of heroes Alm and Celica. The game features outstanding mechanics, combining classic and modern Fire Emblem gameplay, and a beautiful soundtrack. Explore 3D dungeons, engage in challenging grid-based battles, and discover secrets in action-adventure style.
Reviews
- story76 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
- gameplay46 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
- music15 mentions
- 87 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
- graphics6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
- funny1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Critic Reviews
The Rigelian Empire Strikes Back – Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Review
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is a quality Fire Emblem game, no doubt about it. It’ll feel strange at first for those who started with Blazing Blade or a later title, but not in a bad way. Once you get used to its little quirks, any Fire Emblem fan will love this game. It’s got an engaging story, likable characters, and multifaceted gameplay that stands together with the rest of the series in some ways and sets itself apart in other aspects. Whether you were looking for a change of pace or just more Fire Emblem, this game is sure to satisfy.
90%Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Review
As the last Fire Emblem chapter on Nintendo’s heroic handheld, Echoes delivers a perfect swan song for the series’ 3DS days. This is a satisfying, deeply strategic adventure with an engaging, personal story and beautiful presentation, full of appealing art and lovely details that come alive as you play. But more than that, it’s also just delightfully different from its predecessors, in ways that only broaden its appeal: if you loved Awakening and Fates, this is close enough to be comfortable but with plenty of tweaks and additions to feel exciting and fresh; if you didn’t like those entries and yearn for a more ‘traditional’ Emblem experience, you’ll love Echoes’ throwbacks and unique touches; and if you’re a JRPG fan who’s never understood the appeal of the SRPG chessboard, explorable towns and dungeons make this a perfect point of entry to crossover.
90%Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Review
This is decidedly a very classic feeling Fire Emblem, with enough freshness to captivate even veterans of the franchise and comes with a welcome accessibility that makes it the easiest for newcomers to get into. This entry goes to show that there's room within the franchise to make different looking Fire Emblem entries that still feel true to the series but which also dare to not only tread new ground, but to do so in a great way. It's a well rounded package that is well balanced to please the majority of its audience, like the entire trilogy of Fire Emblem Fates before it, but while keeping it all confined to just one game with the complete epic story being accessible just from buying this one piece of software instead of it being spread out, and that's something to be thankful for. Overall, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, while feeling like an older entry, might very well be moving the series forward in certain aspects that could potentially return in future outings.
90%
