Fire Emblem is a long-running Japanese turn-based strategy series from Intelligent Systems and Nintendo, and Nintendo 3DS console owners will get a new installment this year that follows a previously untold story for the first time in five years.

Story & characters

The subject of the story of the new Fire Emblem is the encounter of two characters, one of whom you will be able to design yourself. Not literally of course, but the range of customization will be unusually wide and you will be able to influence not only the appearance of the character, but also its characteristics and abilities. Only one thing will not be changed, namely that your character will bear the symbol of a dragon on its body.

The game's story begins with your encounter with Krom, the current prince of the kingdom of Iris, who wears an identical symbol to you. The proximity of the two ornaments will trigger a force that awakens a pair of dragons from their deep slumber, who are now enraged and intend to devastate the entire continent. And that's just the beginning of all the trouble.

Gameplay

Faced with a gigantic enemy and many other problems, you join Krom and his group to avert danger and restore order.

You are separated from your goal by several chapters full of missions, in which, after an animated intro introducing you to the plot, you find yourself on a game map that is divided into squares. Each square represents one step that you can take with your unit in one turn.

In short, it's a turn-based strategy game where you take turns with your opponent and have as much time as you need to make your moves. When you encounter an enemy, you can calmly choose which weapon you want to attack them with, and the game will then switch to another mode where you can watch the beautiful animations of your fight.

The maps and missions are traditionally of high quality. If you don't believe me, you can try one of the previous installments in the series or one of the Advance Wars series (for Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS) or the console Battalion Wars (for Nintendo GameCube and Wii).

News in the series

The new Fire Emblem will feature a special mode with a lower difficulty for novice players for the first time. It's called Casual Mode, and its main change compared to the classic difficulty is that deceased characters will reappear as alive or playable in the next mission. In normal mode, the dead will remain dead forever.

For the first time in the series, you will be able to play in cooperative multiplayer, and popular Nintendo 3DS console features, StreetPass and SpotPass, will also be supported.

The biggest novelty of the title, however, is the possibility of purchasing downloadable additional content, called DLC for short. Those who are not satisfied with the missions that the game's rich story brings will be able to download more, which will extend the enjoyment of playing. Additional characters will also be available. However, those who are not interested in additional content need not worry. Additional content is a bonus and is not required to complete the originally intended story.