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Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Review Thread - No Chrom, Sorry

K

kayos90

Tragic victim of fan death
Gamespot: 9/10

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is an enjoyable game despite a few changes to the gameplay. While some strategic elements were eliminated, the game still maintains a lot of what made the series enjoyable in the past, plus throws in some new elements such as the third-person dungeon exploring. If you don't mind the strategy being dumbed down a bit, Fire Emblem Echoes is still a great game worth checking out for fans and first-timers alike.
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IGN: 7.8/10

On the battlefield, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shades of Valentia is a delightful look into the simpler combat of Fire Emblem's past. Elsewhere, it carefully guides the series forward into new territory. There's not as much depth as I expect from this series, but whether I was exploring 3D forests and caves in a series first or learning first hand why Fire Emblem's early entries are considered a formidable challenge, it was usually good old-fashioned fun.
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Gaming Nexus: 9.5/10

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is an enjoyable game despite a few changes to the gameplay. While some strategic elements were eliminated, the game still maintains a lot of what made the series enjoyable in the past, plus throws in some new elements such as the third-person dungeon exploring. If you don't mind the strategy being dumbed down a bit, Fire Emblem Echoes is still a great game worth checking out for fans and first-timers alike.
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Cubed: 9/10

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.
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Nintendo Life: 9/10

Proof that the 3DS still has life left in it yet, Echoes is a phenomenal Fire Emblem and a wonderful tactical title to tuck into.
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Destructoid: 7.5/10

Fire Emblem Echoes could have been held back by its need to usher the second iteration back into the fold, but it still feels like a fresh new entry. It is weaker than the last few games, but those bars were set so high that I won't hold that against it.
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NomComms: 8.8/10

It's a video... Can't transcribe... lol
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Gamexplain Video Review

Video review
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Nintendo World Report: 9/10

Overall, I really enjoyed what Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia had on offer. The sheer amount of quality is impressive and delightful. You can see it in how the story, presentation and scenarios are set up which are on the top of their game. I flew through the game in 18 hours and am already ready for another playthrough. That being said, there are two knocks I have against the experience. The game felt somewhat on the easier side and the dungeons could've had a little more to do. Those are minor things in a journey that doesn't slow down from start to finish. If you're here to be enchanted, Fire Emblem Echoes delivers in spades.
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Switchitalia: 8.5/10

A well balanced mix between old approach and new elements, for an episode that risks to become the most beloved Fire Emblem on the 3DS family system for a certain group of FE fans
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GameRant: 4/5

All in all, Shadows of Valentia is a title that many fans likely never thought they would have the opportunity to play. The dumbed down combat mechanics give way to a pure strategy-driven venture that's sure to sink its hooks into unsuspecting newcomers and veterans alike. On top of that, it doesn't hurt that the narrative is expertly told through a series of animations and dialogue snippets that feature some of the best voice acting the series has featured so far.
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US Gamer: 3.5/5

Intelligent Systems has done a fine job of updating the look and feel of Shadows of Valentia, and it's always nice to see developers remembering their roots. But in this instance, they may have remembered them a little too well for their own good.
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Eurogamer: Recommended

This isn't even the 3DS' best Fire Emblem, ultimately, but it's certainly one of the most interesting entries in the series' long history, an eccentric offshoot with an identity all of its own. It forgoes the soap opera of recent games and delivers a different brand of strategy that's remarkably refreshing - and it's a chance to spin back the turnwheel and see what might have been.
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Kotaku: No Scale

From start to finish, Echoes presents a grueling experience. Its war is a brutal grind of bodies and mud. If you can endure the challenge, you'll find a satisfying mixture of tactics and story. Just don't be surprised if you're left with a few nasty scars in the process.
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Metro: 7/10

The thing is Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright was already a perfectly good place for new players to start, so in that sense Echoes doesn't feel all that necessary. Especially as it has clearly, and understandably, been made with a lower budget than Awakening or Fates. But it's enjoyable and addictive as all Fire Emblem games are, and while it's not the most essential entry in the series it's amongst the most accessible and easy-going.
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GamesRadar: 4/5

Shadows of Valentia is a fascinating glimpse of what might have been that has, paradoxically, come to pass. It's a change of tack that just about works – even if the results aren't quite as convincing, this remains a riveting, challenging tactical RPG.
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WCCF Tech: 8.5/10

This might be the most well-rounded and best Fire Emblem game on 3DS. It's a good enough reason to put the Switch down and dust off Nintendo's dual screen wonder.
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Gamekult: 7/10

French
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Polygon: 6.5/10

But these breathers come to feel all too brief over the course of Shadows of Valentia. Make no mistake: This is a game about sitting through cutscenes and playing battles. That gets tiring more quickly than a better-balanced game would — especially because Shadows of Valentia is committed to preserving those same dated systems. Its story was gripping enough to pull me through, but mustering the energy to sit through obtuse battles was Shadows of Valentia's biggest challenge.
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RPG Site: 9/10

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is unlike most other game in its series and offers a fresh take on the series' usual formulas. It's an interesting mix of seemingly weird components that all come to together in a delightfully satisfying way. It may not be for everyone, but Echoes is definitely an intriguing entry in a great franchise that might be just up your alley.
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Aggregate:
MetaCritic'
GameRankings
OpenCritic

---------------

If you would like me to post a review on here I missed then please send me a PM or link. I will update these as I scour the internet. If there is no quote I'm sorry.
 
S

Shiggy

Member
Can you maybe remove some reviews? Are really all of those needed?

Kidding. Thanks for taking care of this.
 
C

Chrom

Junior Member
Sorry for the trouble earlier! No links to any aggregate sites though? You can do better than this!
 
L

Li Kao

Member
Can anyone that has played the game comment on its difficulty level ?
I'm discovering the series and it seems like Awakening normal mode was weak.
I'm no stranger to TRPG, surely not a beast either, if that helps put me on a scale. So what say you, normal or hard ?
 
L

Lord of Ostia

Member
Li Kao said:
Can anyone that has played the game comment on its difficulty level ?
I'm discovering the series and it seems like Awakening normal mode was weak.
I'm no stranger to TRPG, surely not a beast either, if that helps put me on a scale. So what say you, normal or hard ?
Click to expand...
If you thought Awakening was easy, play this on Hard.
 
M

Mr.Deadshot

Member
Is there an OT? Couldn't find one.

Will pick this up later this evening and try it out. Really exited about playing it. I have a strange relationship to the Fire Emblem series. Something makes me buy all of the games
but I actually ONLY played the first game on the Gameboy Advance. I will challenge my curse and start with this one Day 1.
 
L

Linkstrikesback

Member
Mr.Deadshot said:
Is there an OT? Couldn't find one.

Will pick this up later this evening and try it out. Really exited about playing it. I have a strange relationship to the Fire Emblem series. Something makes me buy all of the games
but I actually ONLY played the first game on the Gameboy Advance. I will challenge my curse and start with this one Day 1.
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There is an import OT, but I think GAF rules are OT only goes up the day before now at earliest, so expect it sometime today.
 
K

kromeo

Member
Presumably the last game I ever buy for 3DS... I've still got to play through Conquest and Revelations first though
 
L

Lord of Ostia

Member
Li Kao said:
Unfortunately I can only base myself on user comments, it will be more or less my first real FE. Can you lower the difficulty on the fly ? I suppose it's not the case.
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I don't believe so, you haven't been able to lower difficulty mid game with any of the other games in the series. If it's your first game in the series, play normal/classic and see how you like it. You can always switch to hard or to casual on a different file if it's too hard or too easy.
 
B

B00TE

Member
Hoping UPS shows up early tomorrow, hyped to jump in and play! First 3DS FE game I didn't go digital for because I managed to get that sweet Limited Edition.

They never show up early ;-;
 
W

wrowa

Member
Li Kao said:
Can anyone that has played the game comment on its difficulty level ?
I'm discovering the series and it seems like Awakening normal mode was weak.
I'm no stranger to TRPG, surely not a beast either, if that helps put me on a scale. So what say you, normal or hard ?
Click to expand...

Hard/Casual is my personal recommendation. It's generally on the easy side (the first acts can feel rather mindless, honestly), but later maps have hard to reach summoners that can summon an endless amount of reinforcements. Those battles aren't really fun to play and can be really annoying, so being able to rush through those is definitely my preferred way of playing Echoes.



Since I'm already posting in this thread, I might just as well repost my impressions from the locked review thread.

wrowa said:
My review isn't online yet but here are some impressions regardless.

- I love that they kept Gaiden's oddities. Being only able to carry one additional item with you - might it be a better weapon, shield or potion - forces you to evaluate your priorities. Magic is crazy strong, but the self-damage requires you to be thoughtful. Dungeons aren't really worth talking about - they are very simple and short - but they are a nice change of pace. Being able to interact with NPCs in towns makes the world feel more believable. Goddess statues that can resurrect a small number of fallen friends is a nice addition as well.

- Keeping Gaiden's peculiarities is also its biggest fault. I actually don't mind the early maps: they are very simple, straight forward and short, but that's actually a welcome change after Fate's long maps. It's less stressing, more relaxing. A bit like a bigger version of FE Heroes.

- However, some of the later maps are incredibly annoying. Maps have several hard to reach summoners that can endlessly spam reinforcements and progress comes to a screeching halt. The game is generally rather easy, but in order to get these maps over with quickly I'd nevertheless recommend playing on casual...

- Oh, and I love the game's structure. Having two protagonists with different armies that you can change between any time (well, after the beginning at least) is pretty cool. Also means you can just continue the other side if you are stuck on the other.

- Presentation is great. 99% of the game's dialogues are voiced (only exception being requests - I wonder if those were added late into the development) and it's great. Adds a lot of personality. Art style is so much better than Fates/Awakening. Anime scenes are sadly compressed to hell and back and look quite awful.

- Story is leagues above Fates and Awakening. Echoes' story might not be very original, but it's well-made and entertaining. The characters are cool too and talk a lot about themselves even outside of support conversations.

- World map, towns, dungeons are actually fun additions and not just useless nonsense that ruins the pacing like "My Castle" in Fates. Generally, Echoes has a lot less weird bullshit.

The game has its weaknesses, the map designs leave something to desire, but I daresay that it's nevertheless my favorite FE on 3DS. It made me realize how much I miss the classic, more down to earth and honestly more classy approach to FE. It's a damn shame the next main FE will inevitably follow Fates' path of awfuly dumb waifu characters and alienating pandering once again.
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A

aravuus

Member
eliochip said:
I was disappointed in Awakening and never tried Fates so I'm pretty excited for this
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I found Awakening to be solid fun for the most part and never tried Fates, so I'm slightly more excited than you for this

Not sure if I'll get it day one, but sometime soon anyway
 
L

Lunar15

Member
The production values for this game are really pulling me in. I'm probably going to give it a shot, but not until next month.
 
K

kswiston

Member
Amazon.ca is delaying my shipment until next week... I suppose I still have about 65% of Persona 5 to get through, but I hate how late Nintendo preorders tend to be on Amazon. At least for games with smaller shipments. I waited a week and a half for Xenoblade X as well.


BTW, what happened to the first version of this thread?
 
A

Aostia

El Capitan Todd
Limited edition ready to ship, despite having he review code
Thy deserve it imho
Really a great exercise of balancing old and new FE vibes
 
D

Draxal

Member
GwyndolinCinder said:
Poster refused to update the OP.
Why? Cause they are a special snowflake or something like that. Same guy whos always like "Dont call them social links!!!!"
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Reality of the situation is that fire emblem gaf has hated each other and always will, and it bubbled up in that thread.
 
K

khaaan

Member
I see a few reviews mentioning simpler gameplay, what's that all about? Is it just missing the pairing and skills, or something more? I'm not really into the nuances but I never really felt like there was markedly more strategy involved in the newer games compared to some of the older ones.

Edit: Found the old thread, so it doesn't have support convo's, base, pairing, children. No big deal to me.
 
K

kswiston

Member
GwyndolinCinder said:
Poster refused to update the OP.
Why? Cause they are a special snowflake or something like that. Same guy whos always like "Dont call them social links!!!!"
Click to expand...

Review thread drama!


Anyhow, reviews are about what I expected. Outside of Awakening, it seems like this series lives in the low-mid 80s range.

khaaan said:
I see a few reviews mentioning simpler gameplay, what's that all about? Is it just missing the pairing and skills, or something more? I'm not really into the nuances but I never really felt like there was markedly more strategy involved in the newer games compared to some of the older ones.
Click to expand...

I haven't played Gaiden, but I believe it also lacks the weapon triangle (in addition to pairing, skills, etc). I don't think that necessarily means less strategy (depending on encounter design), but I can see why people are saying that the gameplay is simpler. The first two GBA games were also pretty simple compared to what followed, but they weren't easier.
 
G

Gai Murakumo

Member
An updated review thread, I did not see what fully went down in the previous thread, some drama I guess. Anyways glad to see the continuing of good reviews for Echoes. I cannot wait for Friday.
 
K

khaaan

Member
kswiston said:
Review thread drama!


Anyhow, reviews are about what I expected. Outside of Awakening, it seems like this series lives in the low-mid 80s range.



I haven't played Gaiden, but I believe it also lacks the weapon triangle (in addition to pairing, skills, etc). I don't think that necessarily means less strategy (depending on encounter design), but I can see why people are saying that the gameplay is simpler. The first two GBA games were also pretty simple compared to what followed, but they weren't easier.
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Huh, no weapon triangle either? That's interesting. I assumed that the weapon triangle was just always a thing with the franchise. So is it raw weapon stats against each other? I did a quick skim of the FE Wiki and it doesn't go into much detail outside of how magic works.
 
W

wrowa

Member
khaaan said:
I see a few reviews mentioning simpler gameplay, what's that all about? Is it just missing the pairing and skills, or something more? I'm not really into the nuances but I never really felt like there was markedly more strategy involved in the newer games compared to some of the older ones.

Edit: Found the old thread, so it doesn't have support convo's, base, pairing, children. No big deal to me.
Click to expand...

It does have support conversations.
 
K

kswiston

Member
ryushe said:
God, this and Disgaea 5 is going to ruin me.
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I feel like we went from complaining about having nothing but scraps in the JRPG space a couple of years back, to having way too much to play in the past 6 or so months.

First half of 2017 has been ridiculous, and that is after a pretty packed final 3 months of 2016.
 
M

Maxinas

Member
Chrom just can't catch a break. Hopefully this thread won't devolve into another old FE vs new FE...oh what the hell it will. The OT won't be any safer.
 
A

Aveyn Knight

Member
wrowa said:
It does have support conversations.
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I will warn you that support conversations are rather brief and limited in number.

The real meat is in the base conversations, where every character has 3 (except for Tobin and Gray because they love Clair so much).

It's not immediately obvious, but you should speak to your allies at the village entrances or Mila shrines after every major plot advancement.

Alternatively, there is a timeline for conversations list here.
 
D

Draxal

Member
Oxx said:
I'm less than a third of the way through the Fates games.

I'm never going to run-out of Fire Emblem at this rate.
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Tbh, I think this is the real reason echoes wasn't doing so hot sales wise, just too much fire emblem.
 
L

Lunar15

Member
Draxal said:
Tbh, I think this is the real reason echoes wasn't doing so hot sales wise, just too much fire emblem.
Click to expand...

I just kinda hope that's the reason Nintendo takes away from it because I don't want them to think that the art or something else caused it instead.
 
S

Sumio Mondo

Member
Oh yeah, this game and God Wars are really going to help clear away my current SRPG drought. Game looks potential handheld GOTY, looking forward to it.
 
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