Recently Russ Frushtick of Polygon sat down with with the two directors of Fire Emblem Heroes, Kouhei Maeda (Intelligent Systems) and Shingo Matsushita (Nintendo), to talk about the game and its future. Frushtick pulled many of his questions straight from the fan community online, and thus offered a chance for the two to respond directly to their core fanbase. Here’s some of what was discussed:
- Character artists are decided internally based on who Intelligent Systems feels would best bring out the character’s traits and personality, though sometimes they ask Nintendo for advice as well.
- When asked about some of the more risque art for the game (mostly the swimsuits), Matsushita notes that features like that have been in the main series for some time, and that while Nintendo is a family friendly company the FE audience tends to lean a little older. He also noted that the units were made for gameplay reasons as well as fanservice, and while they may seem a bit licentious they always intend to “maintain the dignity” of the characters.
- The developers responded to the prevalence of cavalry teams (sometimes called “Horse Emblem”) and the notion that they’re overpowered, stating that when they look at the data, only 20% of “the most passionate players” utilize mounted teams exclusively. While somewhat vague, they also reassured that they pay careful attention to data and will continue to do so going forward.
- When asked about power creep (a prevalent problem in gacha games), Matsushita stated that they’re taking action to prevent such things from happening and stated that they desire for everybody to be able to use the characters they love.
- Maeda stated that they’re thinking of ways to deal with ‘colorless hell’ (the fact that pulling colorless orbs tends to leave you with subpar units).
- The dev team has also heard complaints about the boon/bane system (similar to natures in Pokémon, each unit has one stat they have a slight boost in and another they have a slight deficiency in) and are thinking of ways to appease those complaints without simply allowing the players to change them willy-nilly, which they view as potentially problematic.
- Both were mum on what Sacred Coins do, though they said to “wait until October”.
- In perhaps the most intriguing part of the interview, when asked about supports Matsushita said to hold tight and wait for future updates, implying that such a system is in development and may be added soon.
- There likely won’t be any larger map sizes for the game, as they feel the current size is optimal for a mobile format.
- Noting that badges and great badges are piling up in players’ inventories, Maeda confirmed that they will have value and to wait for more info.
- The two couldn’t talk about the upcoming FE for Switch, lest they incite the producer’s ire.
That all formed the crux of the piece, but be sure to read the entire Polygon interview for more info.
Leave a Comment
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.
