There are only about two weeks until Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia releases in Japan, which means it’s just about time for the advertising blitz to begin. The game’s official Japanese website has updated with lots of new information about characters and mechanics, along with three new commercials for the game.
The advertisements are fairly simple — one introduces the general concept of the game, another focuses more on battle and gameplay mechanics, and the third draws attention to the game’s story and characters. They’re all short, at 30 seconds a piece, but quick and exciting enough to draw in viewers. (Scroll down to view all three videos.)
A total of nine new or returning characters have been profiled on the site: three for Alm’s army, three for Celica’s and three villains. On Alm’s crew comes the overbearing Pegasus Knight Clair, sister to Alm’s friend Clive; the study-focused and serious mage Luthier; and his self-absorbed, bubbly magician sister Delthea. The three all make their return from the original Gaiden with some great new art and fresh personalities.
On Celica’s side comes three very familiar faces to FE veterans: the Whitewings. Hailing from the kingdom of Macedon on the continent of Archanea, these three sisters — Palla, Catria and Est — previously appeared in FE1, FE3 and their remakes, serving Marth and his quest. They showed up in the original Gaiden as well, and they’re sure to bring their iconic Triangle Attack move (which is a guaranteed critical hit) with them.
And finally, there are the villains. The returning Big Bad featured is Rudolf, 4th Emperor of Rigel and a man feared by many. While his conquests and achievements are well known, his purpose remains shrouded in mystery. Then there’s his nephew Berkut, who’s new to Echoes — he leads the invasion of Zofia to increase his military prestige. Finally is Berkut’s fiancée, Rinea, a reticent woman who cares for him deeply, even as he sets out for war.
A couple more gameplay details emerged as well. The Mila’s Gear mechanic, which allows one to undo certain actions, was clarified: You rewind whole turns at a time, rather than one or two moves. You can only rewind up to three turns at a time at first, but it appears there are ways you can increase it in the future. The class promotion chart was also revealed, being nearly identical to the original Gaiden’s — the only real wrinkle is that female villagers can be promoted to Pegasus Knights and Priestesses, and not Archers, Fighters or Mercenaries.
Shadows of Valentia releases on April 20th in Japan, and roughly a month later worldwide. Stay wired for more news as the game approaches release.
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
