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[Chaos17]

Nintendo has updated the official Japanese website for Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, which has new artwork for many of the game's recruitable characters, as well as some gameplay snippets.

Character art is in the gallery below. These are, in order:
- Alm's Route: Grey, Tobin, Cliff, Efi, Silque, Clive, Lukas
- Celica's Route: Mae, Boey, Leon, Saber, Genny, Valbo, Kamui

For more pictures, please visit the official website.

Most of these characters are from the original Fire Emblem Gaiden. Efi, however, is a new addition to Fire Emblem Echoes and is Alm's childhood friend. Another new character, Berkut, was detailed in the latest issue of Famitsu. (his art was provided in the original announcement).

Famitsu also provided a few further details on the game's systems. There will be a Normal/Hard difficulty toggle as well as a Classic/Casual 'permadeath' toggle - similar to recent games. Since there is no weapon triangle, terrain effects will play a key role in battle strategy. Placing a unit on a forest lowers enemy accuracy by 40%, for example. Magic negates these sorts of terrain effects, but will drain the caster's HP.

Silque holds the unique item "Mila's Gear", which can 'rewind' turns, although there is a limit to its use.

Nintendo posted a few short gameplay clips on the game's website:
- Advance: https://youtu.be/4Eeh9piw1V8
- Combat: https://youtu.be/zuMqeqe7QyY
- System: https://youtu.be/l5bLokesh74

Source: http://www.rpgsite.net/news/5406-fi...tia-gets-new-character-art-and-gameplay-clips

 

[Chrom]

Efi's English name is Faye.

 

[Lights and Waves]

I wish this new series of remakes didn't have such an obtuse title. I really like the artwork!

 

[Chrom]

It's not a series.

 

[woopWOOP]

Some of those villagers look nothing like the originals, but I really like the redesigns. Especially Grey and Boey.

Faye is an all new female villager, right? Pretty cool

 

[Blunoise]

I am excited for this wayyyy more than fates

 

[Chaos17]

I'm listening music on official japanese website, it's pretty cool.

 

[Linkstrikesback]

That art appeals to me so much more than the art in Fates. Classic FE.

By the way, your combat youtube link is incorrect I think, it's the same URL as the one right before it.

It's not a series.

Not yet. But if the remake goes well, it makes sense to have a clear indication in the title which games are remakes and which are new. "Fire Emblem Echoes : Blah blah blah" is an easy way to tell the difference for Joe bloggs.

 

[Dnetwork7]

Salty about the west not getting any special edition, I need that art book.

I love Hidari's artwork! ;-;

 

[Glass Rebel]

...art is better than Nohr route. Can't wait for this.

 

[Chaos17]

By the way, your combat youtube link is incorrect I think, it's the same URL as the one right before it.

Thanks, I edited it.

 

[Chrom]

Not yet. But if the remake goes well, it makes sense to have a clear indication in the title which games are remakes and which are new. "Fire Emblem Echoes : Blah blah blah" is an easy way to tell the difference for Joe bloggs.

You understand that something can't be a series if there's just one work, yeah? So it's not a series until otherwise.

 

[Griss]

I am excited for this wayyyy more than fates

I'm really hoping this is a return to form. Strongly disliked Fates.

 

[Lunar15]

Best art style the series has had in a long time, quite frankly.

 

[Blackquill]

Love the artstyle but I don't like when Fire Emblem are too much RPG-based

 

[Gai Murakumo]

Fantastic art style. Way better than Awakening and Fates art style. Also based on the videos the production quality of this game is much higher than the last couple of Fire Emblem games. In particular just the voice work alone, there is much more of it.

 

[JCX]

Looks great. Will probably be the last big game I play on 3DS.

 

[Chaos17]

Fantastic art style. Way better than Awakening and Fates art style. Also based on the videos the production quality of this game is much higher than the last couple of Fire Emblem games. In particular just the voice work alone, there is much more of it.

I liked the art in Awakening but for Fates some characters lacked some charm/ideas but I'm also happy with the actual art direction.

 

[RM8]

I legit would have never though we'd get a FE game like this after Fates took over. Literally everything about this looks way better then Fates, this is day zero for me as someone who could not finish Fates (and not because of difficulty, lol).

 

[Golnei]

It's not a series.

If they don't reuse the Echoes subtitle for hypothetical future remakes, this game's name will have crossed the line into being indefensible.

 

[DangerMouse]

Fantastic art style. Way better than Awakening and Fates art style.

Eh. I like 'em both a lot.

I liked the art in Awakening but for Fates some characters lacked some charm/ideas but I'm also happy with the actual art direction.

Yup. Both art styles are good.

 

[Jacobson]

i'm excited for this one, i haven't played any of the old fire emblem games

 

[Linkstrikesback]

You understand that something can't be a series if there's just one work, yeah? So it's not a series until otherwise.

No, I don't realise that. That's why my first two words were "not yet".

Spoiler

/s

 

[Chaos17]

From official website: before and after

 

[CertifiedFP]

Toilet Armor, is that you?

 

[TangerineCloud]

Hidari is the best character designer in the game right now. Can't say I was familiar with the originals, but all of these redesigns look fantastic.

 

[Chrom]

No, I don't realise that. That's why my first two words were "not yet".

Spoiler

/s

Not yet implies a certainty that it is even supposed to be one, which can easily set you up for disappointment when Nintendo hasn't really been making any effort to suggest that.

While it's a fun idea to entertain, it would be better to stick with what we actually know for now, that being Fire Emblem Gaiden is being remade as Fire Emblem Echoes.

 

[Alex_Mexico]

I love Celica's new design. Super elegant!

 

[Cow Mengde]

I hope they improve the maps. Fire Emblem Gaiden had some boring maps, and they're reused quite a few times.

Otherwise, everything looks great so far.

 

[SliceSabre]

Man I really am not really feeling those character designs, like at all.

 

[Golnei]

I love Celica's new design. Super elegant!

I'm more lukewarm on the rest of the characters, but Celica looks amazing. I think I'd be more in favour of this version of Alm if they had gone with a similar hairstyle to the Awakening art; that still seems like a preferable take on 'modernising' the original design.

 

[Strings]

Hidari continues to do phenomenal work. Love the designs.

 

[Kraq]

The character designs look good, but really I'm here for the gameplay. I finished Awakening about a week ago and the late game just falls apart gameplay wise, so I'm hoping Echoes doesn't follow the same path. The direction they took it in Conquest was much, much better. I'm really curious to see how having a no weapon triangle will play out.

 

[khaaan]

Art looks great but in-game has been a bummer since the DS. There are moments when this one looks nice but in general I think it still falls flat for me. I'm hoping the give it a fresh coat moving forward rather than doubling down on the current visuals.

 

[Femto.]

Can't wait for some of these characters to make their appearance in the next Smash Bros game so they can take up a huge chunk of the roster.

Spoiler

Sakurai is a huge FE fanboi

 

[HK-47]

Best character designs in years.

 

[AquaWateria]

Damn this artstyle looks amazing. I really hope they keep Hidari for new fire emblem game in 2018.

It really gives off a classic feel.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

Love the artstyle but I don't like when Fire Emblem are too much RPG-based

The series is a strategy RPG. It's never been pure strategy

 

[Draxal]

I hope they improve the maps. Fire Emblem Gaiden had some boring maps, and they're reused quite a few times.

Otherwise, everything looks great so far.

Tbh, other than the art and some character additions the game seems way too faithful to Gaiden

 

[Draxal]

That art appeals to me so much more than the art in Fates. Classic FE.
.

This art isn't classic Fe at all, it's much better than classic Fe.

 

[Strings]

Tbh, other than the art and some character additions the game seems way too faithful to Gaiden

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it a ton, but they're being bizarrely faithful to some of Gaiden's dodgier elements.

 

[ShadowSoldier89]

the knight looks weird to me and the mage is boring, but that cleric is fantastic

 

[darkhunger]

If they don't reuse the Echoes subtitle for hypothetical future remakes, this game's name will have crossed the line into being indefensible.

It's an improvement over Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem: Heroes of Light and Shadow though.

I see this title more as the "modern" way of naming games in the series - "Fire Emblem [English Word]", combined with a call back to the original game "Shadows of Valencia". And the Echoes refer to the two protagonists in this game.

 

[afreaknamedpete]

I'd love for Hidari to get to design the next batch of FE characters. Her work with the Atelier series was amazing and the best art direction the entire series ever had.

These ones are good too.

 

[Savitar]

Is that night wearing an iron maid suit dress?

That's what it looks like.

 

[Weebos]

I absolutely love the art for this game. Would love for Hidari to continue to do the art for any other remakes.

Love what Kozaki brings to the table as well, but Hidari's art feels nostalgic and seems like a perfect fit for remakes.

 

[Blackquill]

The series is a strategy RPG. It's never been pure strategy

It is, but I don't like when it's too RPG like in Awakening and Sacred Stones for example

 

[EndcatOmega]

The Knight's the first character design I didn't like. At least it's not as bad as the toilet armour. Can't wait to stick him on top of a gravestone for 60% evade.

 

[Niraj]

The art is great. The music is pretty solid too so far. Looking forward to this one.

 

[Cipher Peon]

I think the art is substantially worse than those of Awakening and Fates, but that's okay because it's cool to try new things

Also because I'm really on board with the game's existence I feel very charitable!!