Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Reviews
Combat is interesting and challenging to a point, character interactions are charming, and dungeons do help break up the monotony, but it isn’t fulfilling overall. FE: SOV is nothing special, but it is a perfectly serviceable title good enough to act as a gateway into the rest of the Fire Emblem series.
Shadows of Valentia commits to its dated systems, for better and worse
A decent Fire Emblem game with a good story but overall not as good as the other 3DS Fire Emblem games.
The simple graphics and story take you on a nostalgia trip but the fight with Fire Emblem Echoes was harder and longer than excepted. You really have to bring some frustration resistance to go through the long dungeons with the poorly made AI but the game still offers much for Fire Emblem Veterans as also for beginners.
Review in German | Read full review
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is an interesting throwback title, because it reminds me of what made Fire Emblem such an enduring video game series with many traits that have trickled down through the years. However, there are some unique aspects to the game as well, that also shows me how much the series has grown as well.
It’s great that Intelligent Systems and Nintendo is trying to further the genre, but this time they haven’t succeeded.
Fire Emblem Gaiden is full of great ideas, but they don't make up for the huge amount of boring or tedious maps.
Fire Emblem Echoes feels like it was rushed out of the gate as an afterthought for the final days of the Nintendo 3DS.
I both love and hate this game. The bulk of the package is so good that it's tempting to forgive its unbalanced difficulty. But alas, the combat comprises the majority of the game, putting Shadows of Valentia's more obnoxious qualities front and center. It's worth checking out, but be ready to be immensely frustrated.
Provides the challenge hardcore players seek, but the experience comes with its fair share of frustrations
The perfect jumping on point for both new players and those wanting to fill in the gaps in Fire Emblem lore, although the game lacks the depth of more modern entries.
Its story has a few plot twists, though most are telegraphed well ahead of time.
Fire Emblem Echoes could have been held back by its need to usher the second iteration back into the fold, but it still feels like a fresh new entry. It is weaker than the last few games, but those bars were set so high that I won't hold that against it.
At first I wondered if I'd care. Another ancient kingdom, another gang of ne'er-do-wells that rise up to become warriors. But there's something uniquely satisfying about Fire Emblem's brand of combat and progression.
On the battlefield, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shades of Valentia is a delightful look into the simpler combat of Fire Emblem's past. Elsewhere, it carefully guides the series forward into new territory. There's not as much depth as I expect from this series, but whether I was exploring 3D forests, shrines, and caves in a series first, or learning first hand why Fire Emblem's early entries are considered a formidable challenge, it was usually good old-fashioned fun.
"Echoes from the past."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Shadows of Valentia is more Fire Emblem but also a change of pace. More recent fans might not like the missing romance options, weapon triangle, and battlefield changes. These are sometimes dramatic differences, but those looking for a compelling strategy game with the series' staple excellent characters, will be pleased by what's included as well as the new features this remake has up its sleeve. Just be ready for some enemy AI shenanigans along the way.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is an interesting, experimental and awkward game. When it shines, it really shines, but moments of iffy design both leftover from the NES era and baked into the new gameplay changes drag it down a little. It's a fun game if you're willing to look past some rough spots. It's different enough from other Fire Emblem titles that longtime fans are not necessarily going to love it, but it's also good enough that those who don't normally like Fire Emblem may enjoy it. It's a welcome breath of fresh air for the franchise, and it's a solid send-off to the 3DS for the Fire Emblem franchise.
It's a game for the here-and-now, made to give the 3DS one of its last hoorahs with a major franchise before all of Nintendo's developers move fully to the Switch.