Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

"The earth split, the seas parted, and the heavens themselves threatened to come tumbling down. The battle transcended any that history had yet known."

- The Book of Valentian Revelations, Chapter 15.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (ファイアーエムブレム Echoes もうひとりの英雄王 Faiāemuburemu Echoes Mō Hitori no Eiyū'ō, Fire Emblem Echoes: Another Hero King in Japan), is a Japanese tactical role-playing game for the Nintendo 3DS, developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. It is a remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden. It will be released in Japan on April 20, 2017 and internationally on May 19, 2017.

Development
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia was first announced during a worldwide Fire Emblem Nintendo Direct on January 18, 2017 as a remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden. Echoes marks the third remake of a previous Fire Emblem installment, the first two being Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem. The game will receive a full visual remake with full 3D models and new animated cutscenes produced by the animation Studio Khara, and will be the first core series Fire Emblem title to feature full dialogue voice-acting. The updated character designs were created by the Japanese illustrator Hidari, previously known for her work on the Toukiden and Atelier series, as well as a variety of light novels and other media.

Setting
Echoes is a retelling of Fire Emblem: Gaiden, which takes place in the continent of Valentia. Within the Fire Emblem universe, it takes place in the same world of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem, but the story takes place between the two. With the release of Fire Emblem Awakening, Valentia is further connected to other games as the continent of Valm is the future version of Valentia. While most characters in Gaiden are new, some characters from Shadow Dragon and New Mystery of the Emblem makes an appearance in the game, such as the Whitewings.

Plot
See also: Fire Emblem Gaiden.

Fire Emblem Echoes follows the same basic plot as Fire Emblem Gaiden, with the protagonists Alm and Celica fighting in a war that has consumed the nations of Rigel and Zofia on the continent of Valentia. It is currently unknown what changes, if any, have been made to the plot of Echoes compared to its predecessor.

Gameplay
Fire Emblem Echoes retains and updates many mechanics that originated in Fire Emblem Gaiden. Among these include a navigable world map, as well as freely explorable towns and dungeons. Such exploration takes place from a third-person behind-the-back perspective, and when an enemy is encountered during exploration, the game transitions to a traditional Fire Emblem tactical battle. If the player can preemptively strike the enemy icon in the dungeon to start the battle, the enemy units will begin the fight with a slight reduction to their HP.

New/Updated Features

 * Echoes will have compatability with the amiibo line of figures. It is unclear which ones will be compatible and what functions they will perform. An Alm and Celica amiibo are scheduled to be released the same day as Echoes and is compatible with the game. It is sold as a bundle in North America and Europe and individually in Japan.
 * Casual Mode has been added as a feature for Echoes.

Removed Features

 * S-Support Conversation/Marriage System was removed.

Collector's Editions
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia will release alongside two special editions with bonus items in Japan: the Limited Edition, and Valentia Complete, which will cost 7,538 and 11,858 yen, including tax, respectively. The Japanese My Nintendo Store will also offer the full set of bonus items from the Valentia Complete edition without a game copy for 7,538 yen, including tax.

Limited Edition

 * Copy of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
 * A Fire Emblem 0 limited card of Alm with a drawn illustration
 * Download serial to get an extra DLC set that will be available as soon as it is published
 * Sound Selection Echoes - A CD that contains both music from Gaiden in its original Famicom format and the arranged versions in Echoes

Valentia Complete

 * Copy of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
 * A Fire Emblem 0 limited card of Alm with a drawn illustration
 * A Fire Emblem 0 limited card of Celica with a drawn illustration and hologram
 * Download serial to get an extra DLC set that will be available as soon as it is published
 * Sound Selection Echoes
 * Valentia Artbook (A4, hardcover, 40 pages)
 * Fire Emblem HD Movie Collection Blu-Ray - A collection of HD movies used in the games from Radiant Dawn, Awakening, Fates and Echoes (90 minutes in length).

Trivia

 * Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia has the shortest period of time between the release dates of the Japanese version and the international versions, with only a 29 day difference in time.
 * Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is the first main series Fire Emblem game to feature full voice-acting for in-game dialogue, and the second in the entire franchise, preceded by the crossover title Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE.