Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

[Megumin]

The Fire Emblem Gaiden remake has been announced in the Fire Emblem Direct!

[Megumin]

New trailer featuring more content

[Megumin]

A video released today covering some more on gameplay

[Megumin]

Some more features explained

[Luigidenne3DSGCN]

Like Fates, I'm getting the impression that Echoes sounds to be a mixed bag of steps forward and backward from the entry that came before it. On one hand, town/dungeon exploration are as wicked cool as it sounds and the cast, story, art, and combat are looking as solid as ever (keep in mind, this is North America's first access to the Gaiden saga) and the added content will provide extra narrative, but hearing that both the amiibo functionality and a majority of magic spells drain the users' health is a huge turnoff to me and not in my tactician's rule book, rendering them effectively useless, but I guess the lack of a weapons triangle almost makes up for it??? Keep in mind--my opinion; my play-style. I'm also pretty sad that marriage and A+ supports don't look to be making a return, but again, as Echoes is a remake, I can somewhat understand.

[The Shattered Legacy]

...steps forward and backward from the entry that came before it...

The game was kinda meant to be a remake of Gaiden so it's not so much doing a square dance in progression so far as taking 20 years of steps back and then modernising the dance routine but it's still unmistakenly Gaiden

...this is North America's first access to the Gaiden saga

There's only one Gaiden and not a saga (unless you want to say Archanea and Valentia form a saga together even though Valentia is self contained)

...the amiibo functionality... drain(s) the users' health...

I dislike the amiibo functionality for another reason, but the health drain is due to the amiibo summon being essentially similar to the Invoke or Messiah spells

...a majority of magic spells drain the users' health...

There's actually a reason for this in both lore and mechanically
Lore wise staves and tomes actually preserve the caster's soul whereas casting without them strains life force i.e. self damage
Mechanically RES growths suck except for like Dread Fighters? Magic also overrides the ridiculous terrain evade bonuses (graveyards) and if anything makes magic even more nukeworthy than later titles

...is a huge turnoff to me and not in my tactician's rule book...

Pillars of modern warfare such as paired units and predictable archers have no place in Valentia and neither does conforming to the tactical books of the modern era; jokes aside, is there any harm in adapting to something different?

...I guess the lack of a weapons triangle almost makes up for it???

Wait, in what way was the triangle a negative for your experience???

[Luigidenne3DSGCN]

...steps forward and backward from the entry that came before it...

The game was kinda meant to be a remake of Gaiden so it's not so much doing a square dance in progression so far as taking 20 years of steps back and then modernising the dance routine but it's still unmistakenly Gaiden

Yeah. I guess so; just like no custom outfits in ORAS, despite everything it added to the original.

...this is North America's first access to the Gaiden saga

There's only one Gaiden and not a saga (unless you want to say Archanea and Valentia form a saga together even though Valentia is self contained)

Me from last night: "Multiple stories going on at once + Big number of years = Saga"

...a majority of magic spells drain the users' health...

There's actually a reason for this in both lore and mechanically
Lore wise staves and tomes actually preserve the caster's soul whereas casting without them strains life force i.e. self damage
Mechanically RES growths suck except for like Dread Fighters? Magic also overrides the ridiculous terrain evade bonuses (graveyards) and if anything makes magic even more nukeworthy than later titles

Hm.

...is a huge turnoff to me and not in my tactician's rule book...

Pillars of modern warfare such as paired units and predictable archers have no place in Valentia and neither does conforming to the tactical books of the modern era; jokes aside, is there any harm in adapting to something different?

Nothing wrong with being different; I just don't fight that way and I got the impression that I'm forced to, as I consider generally HP to be too important of an asset to lose and sell all berserker-type weapons ASAP and always give my Charizard Dragon Rush in Smash.

...I guess the lack of a weapons triangle almost makes up for it???

Wait, in what way was the triangle a negative for your experience???

I never minded the weapons triangle. It's just, this time, "I'm limited in my magic, but I at least I have no reason not to throw my spears at guys with axes...Suckers!", so it's kinda even.

[Megumin]

Some announcements about the DLC

[Maradon]

Thanks for the link.