Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Review [Minor Spoilers]
Graphics and Animation
For a game that had only a year’s worth of development, I really feel like they nailed the presentation of the game out of the park. While the in-game model graphics have nothing really much to write home about, as the game runs on the same engine as Fire Emblem Fates, it’s the Visual novel aspects of the game that really showcased the game’s full potential. Each character design contains elements of both realism and vibrant colourfulness, making each character portrait pop out when placed against painted backgrounds. Each character in your army also gets their own unique victory pose animation, giving them each their own distinct flair in battle. This is the one strength that resulted from the game having limiting reclass options, compared to Fates where because each unit can essentially become any class, it becomes difficult for them to have their own unique animations, as doing so would result in a tremendous amount of time and effort that the developers probably just didn’t have.
The cutscenes however is a bit more of a mixed bag, as they rely heavily on CG (and not the good kind) to render their characters, making them look like something that came out of the 1990’s, made by a studio in the 2010’s. Thankfully you don’t have to see much of it, probably due to the tight budget the game had to work with.
You ok there Alm, you’re looking a bit on edge, need a cookie?
Music
Before talking about the music in Echoes, I would just like to point out that I absolutely love the music in the 3DS titles, I even have the Fire Emblem Awakening Soundtrack downloaded and still listen to it every now and then. So, I’m happy to report that the soundtrack in Fire Emblem Echoes does not disappoint, and might even be contender for the best Fire Emblem soundtrack in the 3DS era. Songs like March to Deliverance, with its fast violins and steady bass line provides a heroic, triumphant tune that gets me in the mood to crush some bastards, while Twilight of the gods, with its full mass choir performing together with the orchestra in playing the recurring motif of the game, really gives you the courage to face the tremendous odds that you are determined to overcome. There are many examples that I can keep listing, but I think you get the idea. The soundtrack is seriously amazing!
If you ever considered yourself a Fire Emblem fan, you owe it to yourself to pick up this game and experience it firsthand. I really liked the game myself, the story, while being predictable, is an absolute blast to play through thanks to the game’s excellent presentation in its voice-acting, its graphics, its animation, and its music. The gameplay however is what makes me hold back from giving this game a masterful status, as Intelligent System’s decision on keeping old traditions really hampered the experience for me. Granted the gameplay is still fine when all is said and done, but when you come in after playing Fire Emblem Fates, it really leaves a lot to be desired. For those that are still curious in trying out the Fire Emblem Franchise, my advice would be as follows. If you want to experience a well-constructed story, play Fire Emblem Echoes. If you are a player that prefers gameplay over story, play Fire Emblem Fates, and if you are a player that likes a balance of both, then play Fire Emblem Awakening.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed this review, and I will see you next time.
