Fire Emblem Echoes -Shadows of Valentia-

Fire Emblem Echoes -Shadows of Valentia- is a full on remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, and unlike the usual Fire Emblem formula, Echoes ditches weapon triangles and marriage systems for a more dungeon crawly vibe. The story follows two childhood friends, Alm and Celica, as they lead separate armies across the continent of Valentia. Alm’s all about punching tyranny in the face with his Deliverance crew, while Celica’s on a more spiritual quest to figure out why the gods are being jerks. Their paths eventually collide in a classic "save the world from an ancient evil" scenario, but with some surprisingly deep character writing for a game this old.

Echoes keeps Gaiden’s weird quirks, like explorable dungeons, magic costing HP and no weapon durability, while smoothing out the jank. Battles are grid based SRPG stuff, but with new twists like free roaming dungeons and a revamped class system that branches as units promote. The lack of weapon triangle might throw series vets off, but combat’s more about positioning and managing your limited resources (looking at you, HP-draining spells ). The biggest addition is Mila’s Turnwheel, a rewind feature that lets you undo mistakes, super forgiving for newcomers.  

This game’s gorgeous. The shift to full 3D models and anime cutscenes gives it a fresh feel, and the character art by Hidari is amazing. But the real star? The voice acting. Every line’s fully voiced and the cast nails it, from Alm’s idealistic grit to Berkut’s unhinged meltdowns (special shoutout to Ian Sinclair for making a villain you love to hate). The soundtrack’s a banger too, rearranging Gaiden’s tunes with orchestral flair while keeping that classic Fire Emblem vibe.  

The plot’s straightforward, but the characters carry it hard. Alm and Celica’s dynamic feels real, even when the story forces them into dumb miscommunication tropes. The supporting cast gets way more development than you’d expect from a remake of a NES game. That said, some Gaiden quirks didn’t age well, like Celica’s controversial choices late game that feel out of character. Still, the writing’s a step up from Awakening and Fates, leaning more into classic Fire Emblem drama than anime tropes.

The working amiibo weapons mod is a neat lil fix for something that always was half baked in Echoes, the Amiibo weapons. The fact that they were in the game but practically unusable without hacking is weird, so this mod is a welcome change. Turning a maxed out Silver Sword into legendary blades like the Exalted Falchion, Ragnell or the Binding Blade for just 5 Gold is hilarious (and kinda broken, but who cares? ). The fact that they all share the same stats keeps things balanced, tho it would’ve been cool if they had unique skills or effects.  

The scabbard adjustments are a nice touch. The only weird hiccup is Alm’s compatibility issues, which is funny because you’d think the main character wouldn’t have trouble wielding these. Maybe it’s some leftover coding jank from the original implementation? Either way, it’s a minor gripe.

The 3D overhaul is a passion project, and it shows. Echoes already had great art direction, but some models didn’t quite match Hidari’s gorgeous character designs. This mod smooths out those inconsistencies, Lukas and Clive finally look right in their promoted classes, and even some of the creepy Terrors get visual upgrades.  

The fact that this has been in the works for five years explains why it feels so polished in some areas. It’s not a complete overhaul, Cantors and Arcanists are still WIP, but the attention to detail is impressive. Little things like armor textures, facial tweaks, and weapon models add up to make the game feel more cohesive.

Download

Mila’s Turnwheel spins once more, forge your path through the war torn land of Valentia by striking the download button below, or invoke the arcane rites of Remote Install through the shadowed halls of the FBI app.  When the ritual is complete, Alm and Celice shall emerge upon your HOME Menu. The battle begins anew. Will you stand with Alm and Celica... or fall to the gods’ folly?

Base game

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DLCs