In case you weren’t aware, the recently released Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia was directed by a relative newcomer – Kenta Nakanishi. A recent interview with The Verge has revealed many interesting facts about him.
After landing a job at Nintendo straight after University in 2009, Nakanishi went on to a technical support role for Fire Emblem Awakening, before getting the Director position for Shadows of Valentia. Nakanishi played the original game, Fire Emblem Gaiden, many times after receiving it with his father’s personal items after he passed away. After directing its remake, Nakanishi says “it made [him] love the game even more.”
His team was also very selective with what to keep in – the HP-draining spells and stat boosting springs were left to retain some of the original, but various other more antiquated features were cut.
Of course, the question now is if any more remakes are on the way. When asked, Nakanishi says he’d love to remake the GBA’s Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, which never launched in the west. The GBA game launched in Japan on March 22nd, 2002. It was the follow-up, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken, that became the first localized game, simply renamed “Fire Emblem.”
What’s most noteworthy about The Binding Blade is the main character; Roy. Despite appearing in both Super Smash Bros. Melee and later as DLC for Smash Bros. 3DS and Wii U, the west has yet to experience the game he stars in. It’s for this reason that Nakanishi would remake it, stating that “unfortunately [Roy’s] story has never been told, so it would be great if we could release a remake of his story.”
Will we finally learn why Roy is our boy? We’ll be sure to bring you news if such a remake is ever announced.
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