Limited edition artbook + character spotlight
2 and 3 (20th December 2012)
Customers who preorder Fire Emblem Awakening at GameStop
(currently United States only) can get their hands on a limited
edition "character artbook" while supplies last. This can be done online
(if redirected, navigate to the United States site and search for
"Fire Emblem Awakening") or at stores.
(Click images to enlarge)
Meanwhile, Nintendo of America continues their character spotlights
on their Nintendo 3DS facebook
page.
Frederick:
"Frederick is a Ylissean knight who is sincere to a fault. He
demands tremendous effort from the other Shepherds who fight
alongside him to defend the borders of Ylisse." (Source)
Lissa:
"Chrom’s tomboyish little sister, Lissa, joins the Shepherds and
fights alongside her brother to defend Ylisse from Plegian bandits."
(Source)
English character spotlight 1 (14th
December 2012)
In anticipation for Awakening's North American release,
Nintendo of America has started posting details about the game's
characters on the Nintendo 3DS facebook page. And where better to
start off than with the main hero Chrom:
"The prince of Ylisse and descendant of the Hero-King, Chrom leads a
band of soldiers called Shepherds to defend the borders of his
kingdom." (Source)
(Click image to enlarge)
Special thanks to Hejiru206 for the heads up!
If you've been following the latest Nintendo Directs, you'll know
that Chrom's home nation is no longer called "Iris" in the English
version, but the exact spelling has evaded us for some time. Well,
now we know and it's a, um, pretty interesting spelling. Well, at
least they kept "Hero-King", which means I don't have to change
anything in the Heroes of Light and Shadow translation just
yet!
English official site up... maybe (13th
December 2012)
With less than 2 months until Fire Emblem Awakening releases
in North America, Nintendo of America has started work on the
official site for the game.
As reported way back in April, the official
site is located at www.FireEmblemAwakening.com.
At the moment, the site has few details--with a full site being
promised soon--and is apparently still being worked on; sometimes it
will redirect to the main Nintendo site instead.
Special thanks to Hana for the heads up!
Miscellaneous updates (10th December
2012)
The Fire Emblem Awakeningdeco stickers
are out in the wild! These are the 24 stickers you can expect to
find:
That's a lot of ladies! Samples can be found at g-ig-i's blog.
Additionally, some nuggets of information from the recently released
"Knights of Iris" book:
In a similar fashion to the ancienttext in Path of Radiance
and Radiant Dawn, there is a set of translatable ancient
glyphs in this game too. Although, chances are, you probably won't
ever see them in the actual game...
According to the designers, there are carvings on the Falchion that
read "sniamer llits erutuf eht tsol si esle lla nehw", which when
reversed produces an English sentence (it's a bit spoilery, so I'll
let you reverse it yourself).
"White flame orb holy light
Black flame orb dark night
Blue flame orb starry heavens
Red flame orb lifeblood
Green flame orb mother earth"
The text is a direct reference to the five holy orbs from Marth's
games, e.g. Lightsphere, which are now known as "White Flame" etc.
Knights of Iris update 5 (7th December
2012)
Today, the Fire Emblem Awakening Material Collections "Knights
of Iris" book is officially out in Japan.
According to Dengeki, the first print run has pretty much sold out
(to suppliers?). However, fans who haven't managed to secure a copy
(like me) don't need to worry, because there will be a reprint
starting 18th December (Source -
spoilers).
In any case, Japanese bloggers have already started to spill the
goods. You can find all the new official artwork (of Priam, Yen'fay
and the children), plus various concept pages and etc., at g-ig-i's
blog. You can also find a large variety of samples at Akiba
Blog (warning: some NSFW ads).
Here's the general rundown of all the pages:
001: Front cover
002-007: Official Illustration Gallery- Promotional artworks
(eg. Nintendo points card designs)
008-061: Character official artworks
062-075: Series 1 DLC artwork and the remaining promotional artworks
076-137: Concept Artworks- character, class and weapon
designs
138-175: Event Illustration Gallery- Story cutscene
artworks, confessions and movie storyboards
176-183: Player's Voice- Character rankings and etc.
184-217: Character Profile- Character profiles,
illustrations from the Background site, legacy character cards,
keywords and staff credits
218-319: Scenario Archives- Support conversation transcripts
and etc.
320: Back cover
Nintendo Direct news (5th December 2012)
(Click left image to enlarge)
In their latest Nintendo Direct videos, Nintendo has confirmed that
Fire Emblem Awakening will be releasing on 4th February
2013 in North America (Source)
and April 2013 in Europe (Source).
Marth, Ike and Ephraim were also shown as DLC characters in the
European Nintendo Direct.
Like previously, there are a couple of name
changes from the Japanese version.
SF/Japanese
name
NOA name
SF/Japanese
name
NOA name
Liz
Lissa
Eliwood's Steeslword
Eliwood's Blade
Callum
Kellam
Arum's Supremeblade
Alm's Blade
Ronku/Ronkuu
Lon'qu
Healing Sword
Soothing Sword
Flavia
Flavia
Felia
Ferox
Double
Pair Up
Holy King/Queen
Holy Ruler *
Sealed Falchion
Falchion
Krom's Vigilantes
Shepherds
* According to the promotional materials; Exalt in the actual game.
Additionally, the first boss also seems to have had a name change,
in the European version at least, from Grendel (in the last North
American video) to Garrick. I'm not sure if this means the European
version will have slightly different names, ala Shadow Dragon,
or his name was changed in both versions. Judging by the rest of the
familiar names in today's European Nintendo Direct, I'm assuming the
latter.
Knights
of Iris update 4 (1st December 2012)
With but a few days until it hits the shelves, Dengeki has published
further details of the "Knights of Iris" material collections
book that will be releasing on 7th December.
Main features:
Full character artworks - official artwork of every playable
character (minus the Avatar), including Yen'fay, Priam and the
children characters (which includes both Morgans), plus the
series 1 DLC characters (Marth to Ike).
Concept artworks - character rough sketches and designs, class
designs and weapon designs.
Event illustration gallery - story and confession cutscene
artworks and CG movie storyboards.
Character popularity poll - top male and female rankings, plus
a host of other rankings.
Character profile - character profiles, level up dialogue,
illustrations from the Awakening Background site, plus
card illustrations.
Full support conversation collection - also includes
developers' comments, Barracks dialogue, shop dialogue, endings
and death/retreat dialogues.
You can also view four double page samples (which contains spoilers),
but you'll need to download a slightly bothersome plug-in. Or...
you could make do with my slightly lower resolution samples below.
Like the other "Ultimate Training" episodes before it, the The Strongest One's NameDLC nets you a bonus character upon
completion. Earlier, I made a rather ridiculous
guess that the next character would be Kris, the Avatar from Heroes
of Light and Shadow, but it seems I wasn't completely off the
mark, because it's actually his/her "love interest" Katarina!
Bizarrely, there's already a free, SpotPass version of Katarina out,
so I'm not sure what they were thinking.
Still, I can't complain, especially not when the artist is Yusuke
Kozaki--the official artist for the game. This is also very nice
timing, because the Heroes of Light and Shadow
English translation patch was released
yesterday. Hmm, I wonder if Nintendo knew we were going to
release the patch around this time? I'm too scared to think!
Like the Summer of Bonds episode before it,
this episode focuses on character interactions and fan
service. The 2 most popular male and female children
characters--Lucina, Severa (above), Owain and Inigo--each have special scenes (spoilers) where they
don a yukata (a traditional Japanese bath robe). Curiously, the
children dye their hair blue in the scenes, so no weird and wacky
hair colours for you. Other characters can share some of the yukata
love if they're of the Swordmaster class; all Swordmasters on this
map have a yukata fitted to their battle model.
Meanwhile, there are 72 new conversations mainly between the
children characters. The biggest surprise is that story characters
recruited from SpotPassparalogues, such as Gangrel, finally
have new conversations, after being shafted in the previous two
"Other-world Resort" episodes. For reference, the total "Other-world
Resort" conversation count comes to 236, which is a little bit above
the promised 200. Anyway, that's it for the "Other-world Resort"; I
hope you had fun!
DLC update 19 (15th November 2012)
The end is nigh. Next week, the DLC
series 2 finale--and possibly final DLC episode period--will be
released. It looks like a tough one too...
Another Story: The Strongest
One's Name (22nd Nov~)
Herein lies the castle of the strong. Heroes who have
become too strong are said to eventually arrive at this
castle in their search for worthy opponents.
Difficulty: MAX, Price: 300 Yen Category: Ultimate
Training
This
map pits you against five consecutive battles. Routing the
enemy does not guarantee victory, but instead triggers the
arrival of the next enemy force. The enemies are the
strongest ever: powerful beyond limit. The path to victory
against such exceedingly strong foes will become clear to
the ones who surpass even them. Your strongest soldiers
and your ultimate stratagem: this map will require both.
Knights of Iris update 3.5 (14th
November 2012)
Following from yesterday's update, Amazon Japan has updated their product
listing for the Knights of Iris book. Now, you can find the front
cover in high resolution (spoilers). Lovely isn't it?
Knights of Iris update 3 (13th November
2012)
Dengeki has posted the front cover
(spoilers) of the upcoming Knights of Iris book on their Twitter
account. Sadly the release date has been delayed to the 7th of
December, a day before the Wii U is released in Japan.
DLC update 18 (8th November 2012)
The third and possibly final "Other-world Resort" DLC episode will
be released next week.
Another Story: Secret Spa of
Bonds (15th November~)
This time, the merchant Anna invites Chrom and his gang to
a secret spa. But, surprise surprise, they're met with
risen soldiers in the hot spring.
Difficulty: 2
star, Price: 200
Yen Category:
Other-world Resort
This
map features many conversations between the children
characters. In addition, Owain, Inigo, Lucina and Severa
each have scenes where they don a yukata, plus special
conversations with your Avatar. This map is recommended
for those who love dialogue between characters.
Calendar update (6th November 2012)
If you remember, there was an Awakening calendar
being released in Japan some time in October. I was kind of too lazy
and low on funds to order it, but some person at Inside
did and has now received it. Here's what each sheet contains:
Also, a little bit of wisdom: apparently the Awakening deco
stickers (see news entry below) are targeted towards female adults
and male children.
Miscellaneous updates (1st November
2012)
The Summer of BondsDLC episode was released today. Usually I
don't report on the episodes when they're out, but this episode is
kind of, um, "special".
(Images credits to shadowofchaos)
As previously advertised, there are some pretty cool swimsuit scenes
for Chrom, Gaius, Cordelia and Tharja (who were the top 2 male and
female parent characters in the official poll). Chrom's scene is
shown above and you can find the others here
(spoilers). Additionally, for some reason I'm currently
unsure of, all characters of the Sorcerer class have their battle
model changed into a swimsuit version (like Cordelia above) for the
duration of this map. There are also 72 new conversations between characters
who don't have support relations
(including Chrom and Cordelia!).
(Click to enlarge)
Meanwhile, Amazon Japan has updated their listing (spoilers)
for the Awakening deco sticker and gum boxes. Personally I
think the stickers look rather neat. Is there anyone out
there who could get some for me?
Swapnote stationary (31st October 2012)
Around the 29th of this month, an exclusive Fire Emblem:
Awakening themed stationary was released for the Nintendo
3DS's Swapnote/Letter Box application.
(Image credits to @YamiHoshi.nl)
The stationary was sent with a greeting message from Tohru Narihiro,
the series producer, which begins with: "Hello, this is Narihiro,
producer of Fire Emblem: Awakening".
DLC update 17 and other updates (25th October
2012)
Update:
(Click left image to enlarge)
The latest
North American Nintendo Direct features a trailer (at around
the 20 minute mark) for the English version of Fire Emblem:
Awakening. As suspected, the final title is "Fire Emblem:
Awakening" and a bunch of characters and stuff have new names.
SF/Japanese
name
NOA name
SF/Japanese
name
NOA name
Krom/Chrom
Chrom
Miriel/Myriel
Miriel
Emelina/Emerina
Emmeryn
Soiree
Sully
Perezia
Plegia
Viole/Viaur
Virion
Frederick/Frederik
Frederick
Corpse Soldier
Risen
Sumia/Smia
Sumia
My Unit
Avatar
Donny/Denis
Donnel
Geriba
Grendel
Vake/Wyck
Vaike
-
-
It was kind of
quiet last week, but things are looking bright again!
Another Story: Summer of
Bonds (1st November~)
The merchant Anna invites Chrom and his gang to a beach
retreat to thank them for saving several Outrealms.
However, they didn't expect plunderers to appear...
Difficulty: 2
star, Price: 200
Yen Category:
Other-world Resort
This
map features many conversations between the parent
characters. In addition, Chrom, Gaius, Tharja and Cordelia
each have scenes where they don a swimsuit, plus special
conversations with your Avatar. This map is recommended
for those who love dialogue between characters.
Awakening assorted merchandise (16th
October 2012)
I was hoping Awakening--the best-selling Fire Emblem
since the SNES era--would have more merchandise than currently and
fortunately Ensky is ready to deliver.
In mid-November, two Fire Emblem: Awakening themed jigsaw
puzzle sets will be releasing. The first, based off the cover
artwork, contains 300 pieces and measures 26 x 38 cm. The
second, a collage of most of the recently-revealed character
artworks (but missing Olivia, Cherche and of course Anna), contains
352 pieces and measures 18.2 x 51.5 cm. The jigsaws cost 1,575 and
1,890 Yen (about 20 and 24 USD) respectively. (Source)
Some time in December, Ensky is also releasing Fire Emblem:
Awakening themed sticker and gum boxes. Each box contains 20
packets, each packet containing 2 stickers and 2 gums. If I'm
reading it right there are 24 stickers to collect and be wary--one
box may not contain all 24 different stickers (those
money-grabbers!). One box will cost you 3,150 Yen (or about 40 USD).
(Source)
Also, in case you missed it, Ensky is publishing the 2013 calendar too.
Personally I could do without the slightly uninspiring jigsaws, but
Fire Emblem stickers? Hell yeah!
Knights of Iris update 2 (13th October
2012)
Dengeki has added a mini-site for the upcoming "Knights of Iris"
material collections book here (contains spoilers).
There aren't any new details from what was revealed
earlier, but you can get a sneak peak of some of the content
and/or pre-production materials.
DLC update 16 (11th October 2012)
The third and possibly final Future of Despair DLC episode will be releasing next week.
Another Story: Future of
Despair 3 (18th October~)
The war in the future of despair has reached its final
battle. Can the future of the children really be changed?
Difficulty: 5
star, Price: 250
Yen Category: Future
of Despair Note: Does not require Future of Despair 1 or 2
This
map requires you to fight alongside Lucina, Gerome, Severa
and Laurent in the battlefield. To prevent powerful enemy
reinforcements from appearing, the children fight encamped
by the stairs. If you don't co-operate well, the children
will be defeated and reinforcements will swarm. If the
mothers and fathers move next to the children of
this world, special conversations can be viewed. This map
is a must for those who are interested in another future
where only the children survived.
Knights of Iris update (6th October
2012)
Dengeki has posted a news entry
about the upcoming "Knights of Iris" material collections book,
first mentioned in September.
Fire Emblem Awakening Material Collection Knights of Iris
Price: 3990 Yen (includes tax)
Size/pages: A4, 320
Release date: 30th November
Features:
Character popularity poll results
Full support conversation directory
Full cover illustration by Yusuke Kozaki
Series 1 DLC character artwork collection
Plus many more exclusives, such as storyboards, rough
sketches and character official artworks, including many
yet to be revealed (the Anna artwork to the left is
presumably one such artwork).
European
release & DLC update 15 (4th October 2012)
In an European-exclusive Nintendo Direct video, Nintendo of Europe
slightly narrow down the "1st half of 2013" release date to "2nd
quarter of 2013" (Source).
I assumed the worst, and it turns out it will be quite some time
before Awakening reaches English shores. It's hardly
surprising, giving that Awakening is quite possibly the
most text-heavy Fire Emblem title to date, thanks to the
massive amount of content, such as the character supports, not to
mention the DLC.
(Click image to enlarge)
SpotPass content seems to be over, but on the bright side, the next
DLC episode has been announced.
Another Story: Future of
Despair 2 (11th October~)
In the future of despair, the children's misery knows no
end. The children act as decoys, prepared to lose their
lives, to allow their companions to escape. Difficulty: 4
star, Price: 250
Yen Category: Future
of Despair Note: Does not require Future of Despair 1
This
map requires you to rescue four characters--Brady and
Yarne making a hurried escape and Inigo and Owain fighting
as decoys--from a large pursuing army. Powerful enemies
are approaching both the escapees and the decoys. So if
you don't assist them in time, they're destined to face
defeat at the enemy's hands. If the mothers and fathers
move next to the children of this world, special
conversations can be viewed. This map is a must for those
who are interested in another future where only the
children survived.
Fire Emblem Awakening Material Collection
(30th September 2012)
Amazon Japan has added a
listing for a book tentatively titled "Fire Emblem Awakening
Material Collection: Knights of Iris", which will be releasing on
2nd November for the rather princely sum of 3990 Yen (around 51 US
Dollars or 31 British Pounds). Besides the ISBN number(s) and
publisher (ASCII Media Works), no other information is known. With
this in mind, it's likely this is the same book as the (again)
tentatively titled "Fire Emblem Awakening Premium Guide" first
mentioned in July.
DLC
update 14 (27th September 2012)
The future doesn't look bright. There wasn't a DLC announcement or
release last week, but Nintendo didn't fail to deliver this week,
announcing the first episode in the "Future of Despair" category.
Another Story: Future of
Despair 1 (4th October~)
In a future different to ours, the world has fallen into
despair and the children's lives are endangered.
Difficulty: 4
star, Price: 250
Yen Category: Future
of Despair
This
map requires you to rescue Cynthia, Kjelle, Noire and Nah,
who are trapped in a prison and attacked by enemies. Each
girl is trapped in an individual prison, so you'll need to
formulate a strategy to rescue everyone quick. If the
mothers and fathers move next to the children of this
world, special conversations can be viewed. This map is a
must for those who are interested in another future where
only the children survived.
On the SpotPass side, Nintendo is
distributing what is likely the final piece of SpotPass content--the
Book of Naga. Afterwards, there will probably be no more new
content, but at least everyone can complete their SpotPass
collection at last!
DLC statistics and etc. (20th September 2012)
There isn't a DLC announcement today, however the CESA (Computer
Entertainment Suppliers Association) president revealed some key
statistics regarding the Nintendo 3DS and Fire Emblem: Awakening
download sales at a presentation during the Tokyo Game Show.
(Click image to enlarge)
The Fire Emblem: Awakening paid DLC
has been downloaded 1.2 million times, amounting to digital sales of
approximately 380 million Yen, which equates to just under 5 million
US dollars. In comparison, the game itself is thought to have
surpassed 500K sales and plugging in the R.R.P. of 4800 Yen, puts
the DLC sales at around 15% compared to the game.
Additionally, Ensky is publishing a Fire Emblem: Awakening 2013
calendar, which will be released during October 2012. It contains 7
sheets with dimensions of 59.4 x 42 cm and is selling for around
1600 Yen (or around 20 USD).
Finally, on the SpotPass side, Nintendo
is now distributing teams featuring "Other" (i.e villain or rival)
characters.
Background update (14th September 2012)
Nintendo has updated the Awakening
background with the next parts of the World View & Story,
Anna's Strategy Corner and Wallpapers. Of note, there are new artworks for Olivia and Serge.
With this update, Anna's Strategy Corner comes to an end, while the
World View & Story still has a mysterious "Archive" to be added.
Whitewings complete (13th September 2012)
(Click image to enlarge)
As expected, the latest "Ultimate Training" DLC episode "Labyrinth Pursuit" includes Palla--the
third and last member of the pegasus sister trio--as an unlockable
character. Like Est, she has no SpotPass
counterpart, which makes her a slightly more unique character.
Now the big mystery is who's going to appear in the fourth and final
"Ultimate Training" episode, which will probably be the toughest
yet, featuring 5 waves of enemies with craaaazy
high stats? With Palla's arrival, the Whitewing trio is now
complete, although that still leaves their leader Minerva. However,
Minerva has already been released as a SpotPass character and
Nintendo has never released a paid, DLC character who has a free,
SpotPass version already out. My money's on Kris, the other main
character of Heroes of Light and Shadow, but
it could be anyone really.
DLC
update 13 (6th September 2012)
Are you ready for some more training? The third "Ultimate Training"
DLC episode has been announced for release next week.
Another Story: Labyrinth
Pursuit (13th September~)
Top secret military information has been stolen. To
recover the information, Chrom chases after the
perpetrator.
Difficulty: 5
star, Price: 250
Yen Category: Ultimate
Training
This
map requires you to chase after targets, as special walls
automatically open and close each turn. Because there are
several Revenant targets, you'll have to divide your
pursuit force wisely. Humongous Revenants exclusive to
this map are your enemies and, with their excellent
mobility and durability, will no doubt make it a difficult
chase.
On the SpotPass side, Nintendo is now
distributing teams featuring (New) Mystery of the Emblem characters. Which reminds
me, I've been busy working on the fan translation...
Whitewinged Parley (30th August 2012)
(Click image to enlarge)
Following Est's debut in the "Border
between Life and Death" DLC episode, Catria--the second member
of the pegasus sister trio, which includes herself, Est and
Palla--can be recruited in the newly-released "The Five Annas" DLC episode. Unlike
Est, Catria also appears as a free (although currently unreleased) SpotPass character.
At this rate, it seems we can expect to see Palla in the third
"Ultimate Training" episode and a fourth character for the fourth
and final episode in the category.
DLC
update 12 (23rd August 2012)
It's been a bit quiet on the DLC front lately, but Nintendo has
finally announced another new DLC
episode.
Another Story: Five Annas
(30th August~)
Five Anna sisters are mining ore in a lava cave when they
are surrounded by enemies and end up falling into a
life-threatening predicament.
Difficulty: 5
star, Price: 250
Yen Category: Ultimate
Training
This
map requires you to protect five Annas separated from you
by a distance. The Annas are weak and cannot withstand
many enemy attacks. So you'll need to plan well to prevent
the Annas from being attacked by the enemy. However it
won't be easy, as the enemy has many flying units at their
disposal and formidable reinforcements will appear over
time.
On the SpotPass side, Nintendo is now
distributing teams featuring Radiant
Dawn characters
Nintendo
Dream illustration booklet (22nd August 2012)
The latest issue
of Nintendo Dream (Volume 222, October) includes a bonus
"illustration fan book", which includes a couple of new character artworks.
Additionally, the booklet contains the results
(spoilers) of the character
popularity poll held by Nintendo Dream in an earlier issue (note
that this isn't the same poll as the one held by Nintendo). Which
characters made up the top 10?
Chrom (184 votes)
Marth (159 votes)
Gaius (127 votes)
Lucina
(127 votes)
Avatar (93 votes)
Tiki (79 votes)
Lissa (77 votes)
Inigo (71 votes)
Henry (71 votes)
Nowi (67 votes)
The top 5 characters aren't too surprising, except for Gaius who
seems to be popular amongst Japanese fans. Sadly, Tharja and
Olivia just failed to make the top 10 : (
Another
redesigned character (9th August 2012)
(Click image to enlarge)
Despite not being advertised initially, Nintendo has revealed that
Est can be recruited by completing the just-released "Border between Life and Death" DLC
episode. In a similar fashion to Eldigan, who can be obtained in the
"Infinite Divine Weapons" episode, Est
does not appear as a SpotPass character
can only be recruited via the DLC. However, unlike Eldigan, Est has
been blessed with a redesign, this time by Kinu Nishimura of Street Fighter and Code of Princess fame.
If we're lucky, perhaps the remaining 3 episodes in the "Ultimate
Training" category will have more unique characters for grabs...
DLC:
It's not over yet (6th August 2012)
Just when fans predicted the end of the Awakening DLC, Nintendo has announced on the official site
that there will be a second series of DLC
entitled "Path of a Grandmaster", which succeeds the original
"Spirit Talismans" series of DLC. This new series is further divided
into three category of episodes.
(Click image to enlarge)
The "Ultimate Training" episodes pit your characters against special
scenarios, such as a map filled with spiky floors that reduce units'
HP to 1 each turn, a lava-filled merchant rescue mission, a chase
against Revenants in a ruin with opening/closing doors and a
survival battle against 5 rounds of enemies. To top it off, the
enemies have been spotted with higher stats than previously possible
and lots of terrifying Skills at their arsenal. There will be 4 of
these episodes (and I think I've described all of them) and the
first one to be released is "Border
between Life and Death", which features the spiky floor traps
and promises a "special" range of tough undead enemies.
The "Other-world Resort" episodes seem to offer a relaxing change of
pace compared to the gruelling ultimate training, featuring over 200
new conversations between characters and new musical arrangements as
well. Scenarios include a festival (featuring Lissa with a party
hat), a beach (presumably where the bikini scenes occur) and a hot
spring (!!!). There will be 3 of these episodes and the first one to
be released is "Harvest of Bonds",
which lets players view conversations between same-gendered
characters. Until 30th September, "Harvest of Bonds" will also be
available at a discounted price.
The "Future of Despair" episodes are currently under development and
there are few details on them, but they seem to follow the gang's
adventures in the future timeline
invaded by Fell Dragon Grima.
For a teaser of the new DLC, make sure to check the new
trailer on the official site (but
be warned of major spoilers!).
Screen captures
Image from the "Other-world
Resort" episodes
Image from the "Future of
Despair" despairs
Some of the tough enemies you'll face in the
"Ultimate Training" episodes
The spectacular Other-world Resort
Various conversations can be triggered during the
festival episode
Map from the festival episode "Harvest of Bonds"
Map from the beach episode
Map from the hot springs episode
Some scenes from the "Future of Despair" episodes
The children characters in the "Future of Despair"
episodes
In other news, Nintendo is also preparing a new pre-paid points card
with a Tiki and Nowi design and are holding a character popularity
poll (link expired).
Fire
Emblem: Awakening Premium Guide (29th July 2012)
According to a questionnaire on Dengeki's online site, Dengeki will
be publishing a "Fire Emblem: Awakening Premium Guide" (tentative
title) during Autumn 2012. At the moment, there are no further
details about the book, but chances are it's a fan book of some kind
(please have all the
character artwork!). For reference, Dengeki also published the "Fire
Emblem Memorial Book: Archanea Chronicle" (link) in 2010.
The closing date for the questionnaire is 17th August, so presumably
the book won't be out before that date. Meanwhile, the questionnaire
itself asks fans questions on their favourite characters, chapters,
skills, cosplay models and etc, and the results will be published in
a special corner in the book. (Source, contains spoilers)
DLC
round 10 (19th July 2012)
The potentially final DLC episode will be
released next week.
With this episode's release, the current pattern of DLC episodes
will be complete and the episode's description suggests there won't
be any more episodes, at least not against returning characters (so
it's still possibly there might be a 5 star map against generic
enemies, for instance, like the "Army of Shadow" Double Duel team).
(Click on the images to enlarge)
Another Story: Light versus
Dark (Decisive Battle) (26th July~)
Light and Darkness--these two conflicting forces join
together as one to create a massive and overwhelming
force... Chrom challenges the Einherjar in a final
decisive battle.
Reward: Radiant Hero
Ike's Card (allows players to recruit "Ike from another
world"), Limit Breaker (teaches the Limit Breaker Skill,
which raises the character's maximum stats by 10) Difficulty: 5
star, Price: 400
Yen Artist: Eiji
Kaneda
Mystery
of Priam revealed (12th July 2012)
The possibly final SpotPass paralogue has been released, which
allows players to recruit the burly Priam.
Priam, to the left, does not appear at all during the main
storyline, unlike previous characters recruited through paralogues.
He claims to be the descendant of the Radiant Hero and possesses the
Ragnell, so in other words, he's a descendant of Ike. At the moment,
it's unknown what his significance is, but perhaps he's hinting at a
future Fire Emblem game
set after Ike's adventures? Well, that's just my (very) wishful
thinking anyway!
Fire
Emblem World (5th July 2012)
In a follow up to last April's update, Nintendo has updated the Awakening
background with the next parts of the World View & Story,
Anna's Strategy Corner and Wallpapers. Of note, there are new
artworks for Flavia, Nowi, Gregor, Lon'qu, Sully and Stahl.
DLC and
SpotPass round 9 (28th June 2012)
Another new DLC episode to be released next week.
(Click on the images to enlarge)
Another Story: Red versus
Blue (Decisive Battle) (5th July~)
The red-haired lion, Roy--Elibe's young hero. The Radiant
Hero, Ike--Tellius's infamous mercenary. These two heroes'
armies are locked in a never-ending war in the Outrealm.
In order to seal away the Einherjar, Chrom challenges them
to an all-out war.
Reward: Noblewoman of
Sacae Lyn's Card (allows players to recruit "Lyn from
another world"), Iote's Shield (teaches the Iote's Shield
Skill, which removes a character's flying weakness) Difficulty: 4
star, Price: 400
Yen Artist: Shirou
Miwa
On the SpotPass side, Nintendo is now
distributing teams featuring Fire
Emblem: Gaiden characters and Paralogue 22, which allows
player to recruit the lovely Aversa.
Localisation
update (22nd June 2012)
In their latest Nintendo Direct video, Nintendo of America has
confirmed that Awakening (still
without an official title) will be releasing in 2013 and will
include downloadable content. (Source)
Nintendo of Europe has also reconfirmed the game's release, but have
pushed back the earlier (likely tentative) release date of "2012" to
the 1st half of 2013. (Source)
DLC and
SpotPass round 8 (14th June 2012)
Another new DLC episode to be released next week.
(Click on the images to enlarge)
Another Story: Light versus
Dark (Dark Side) (21st June~)
Light--It protects people, guiding them towards peace.
Darkness--It opposes light and enters conflict with it.
These two forces continue their never-ending war in the
Outrealm. Chrom decides to lend a hand to the agents of
darkness to defeat the warriors of light.
Reward: Blessed Maiden
Celica's Card (allows players to recruit "Celica from
another world") Difficulty: 4
star, Price: 350
Yen Artist: Masatsugu
Saitou
On the SpotPass side, Nintendo is now
distributing teams featuring Thracia
776 characters and Paralogue 21, which allows player to
recruit Sword Saint Yen'fay.
North
American release confirmed (7th June 2012)
Awakening has now been confirmed to be hitting North American
shores.
Despite being completely absent from both the main E3 conference and
the 3DS conference, it seems the localisation of Awakening was accidentally let
slip, but in any case, Nintendo of America have formally
(pre)announced it via Twitter, with further details to come.
European fans need not worry, since a localisation was already
announced for us months ago. (Source)
Fire
Emblem World and N.O.M (1st June 2012)
Just when I thought Nintendo might slow down with their promoting of Awakening, they've decided to
attack on two fronts.
Fire Emblem World, the official Japanese Fire Emblem site, has updated with a special background
section dedicated to the game, which includes information on
the game's world and story, Anna's walkthrough of the game chapters
and wallpaper downloads. In particular, the world and story section
features new artwork for Vaike and Maribelle and a host of pretty
interesting takes on the English character names.
Additionally, N.O.M, Nintendo's online magazine, has a special
feature on the game, which is mostly a play report, but also
includes concept sketches for the in-game CG movies.
DLC and
SpotPass round 7 (31st May 2012)
Previously, new DLC was released every week, but there will be no
new DLC released on the week of 31st May. The next DLC will be
released a week later than usual, on 7th June, and features another
new class--this time, the female-only Bride (yes, that kind of bride).
(Click on the images to enlarge)
Another Story: Red versus
Blue (Radiance Side) (7th June 2012~)
The red-haired lion, Roy--Elibe's young hero. The Radiant
Hero, Ike--Tellius's infamous mercenary. These two heroes'
armies are locked in a never-ending war in the Outrealm.
Chrom decides to lend a hand to Ike to defeat Roy's army.
Reward: Restoration
Queen Eirika's Card (allows players to recruit "Eirika
from another world"), Wedding Bouquet (lets female units
change to the Bride class) Difficulty: 3
star, Price: 400
Yen Artist: Daisuke
Izuka (Heroes of Light
and Shadow)
On the SpotPass side,
Nintendo is now distributing teams featuring Genealogy of the Holy War 2nd
Generation characters and Paralogue 20, which allows player to
recruit the kind Queen Emmeryn.
DLC and
SpotPass round 6 (17th May 2012)
More DLC chapters ready for next week.
(Click on the images to enlarge)
Another Story: Infinite
Divine Weapons (24th May 2012~)
Divine Weapons--unique weapons that have received the
blessing of the gods. However, deep within some ruins,
twins of these divine weapons slumber. These treasures are
guarded by the Deadlords and nobody has been able get past
them. Is there anyone brave enough to conquer these
ruins...?
Reward: Silver Card
(lets the user buy items from shops for half price) Difficulty: 4
star, Price: 300
Yen
Another Story: King versus King (Decisive Battle)
(24th May 2012~)
Hero-King Marth and Seliph the Scion of Light. These two
kings join forces and combine the military might of two
continents. In order to seal away the Einherjar, Chrom
challenges them to an all-out war.
Reward: Scion of Light
Seliph's Card (allows players to recruit "Seliph from
another world"), Paragon (teaches the Paragon Skill, which
doubles gained experience) Difficulty: 3
star, Price: 400
Yen Artist: Rika
Suzuki
On the SpotPass front,
Nintendo is now distributing teams featuring Binding Blade characters and
Paralogue 19, which allows player to recruit the mighty enemy
Walhart.
DLC
round 5 (11th May 2012)
A day later than usual, but Nintendo has announced two new DLC
chapters, which will be released from 17th May.
(Click on the images to enlarge)
Another Story: Entombed
Heaven (17th May 2012~)
The Entombed--noble risen soldiers who are extremely rare
in numbers and are said to grant valuable experience to
those who fight them. By Anna's request, Chrom goes to
exterminate them...
Reward: Enemy Entombed
(lots of experience) Difficulty: 2
star, Price: 300
Yen
Another Story: Light versus Dark (Light Side) (17th
May 2012~)
Light--It protects people, guiding them towards peace.
Darkness--It opposses light and enters conflict with it.
These two forces continue their never-ending war in the
Outrealm. Chrom decides to lend a hand to the warriors of
light to defeat the forces of darkness.
Reward: Restoration
King Ephraim's Card (allows players to recruit "Ephraim
from another world") Difficulty: 4
star, Price: 350
Yen Artist: Koutarou
Yamada (Hasha no Tsurugi)
DLC round 4
and first SpotPass chapter (2nd May 2012)
Another Story: Red versus
Blue (Binding Side)
The red-haired lion, Roy--Elibe's young hero. The Radiant
Hero, Ike--Tellius's infamous mercenary. These two heroes'
armies are locked in a never-ending war in the Outrealms.
Chrom decides to lend a hand to Roy to defeat Ike's army.
Reward: Devoted Queen
Elincia's Card (allows players to recruit "Elincia from
another world") Difficulty: 3
star, Price: 350
Yen Artist: Douji
Shiki
On the SpotPass front, Nintendo is now
distributing teams featuring Shadow
Dragon characters and Paralogue 18, which allows player to
recruit the wonderful enemy Gangrel.
DLC
round 3 (26th April 2012)
Three more DLC chapters will be released from 2nd May, costing 300
to 400 Yen.
(Click on the images to enlarge)
Another Story: Spirit
Talisman 3 (2nd May 2012~)
The old fortune-teller blunders and somehow lets his
summoning cards fall into enemy hands. Twenty heroes have
been summoned from ten worlds. If Chrom can win this
battle, maybe he can obtain the Outrealm's ultimate
treasure...?
Reward: Priestess of
Dawn Micaiah's Card (allows players to recruit "Micaiah
from another world"), All Stats +2 (teaches the "All Stats
+2" Skill) Difficulty: 2
star, Price: 300
Yen, Pre-requisite:
"Another Story: Spirit Talisman 2" purchased Artist: Rco Wada
Another Story: Gold and Silver (2nd May
2012~)
Gold--a fiendish brilliance that attracts people. A theft
occurs in the military base and Lissa's secret savings
have been snatched by risen soldiers. Although reluctant,
Chrom marches into the enemy base to recover Lissa's
cash...
Reward: Funds Difficulty: 1
star, Price: 300
Yen
Another Story: King versus King (Holy War Side)
(2nd May 2012~)
Hero-King Marth--the kind King of Archanea. Seliph the
Scion of Light--the noble King of Jugdral. These two kings
continue their battles in the Outrealm and Chrom decides
to lend a hand to Seliph to defeat Marth's army.
Reward: Holy Ruler
Alm's Card (allows players to recruit "Alm from another
world"), Dread Scroll (lets male units change to the Dread
Fighter class) Difficulty: 2
star, Price: 400
Yen Artist: HACCAN
Observant fans have discovered that Nintendo of America has
registered a few domain names recently, including FireEmblemAwakening.com.
Like trademarks, domain names can be registered without being
publicly used, but hopefully this is a sign of good things to come
for American Fire Emblem
fans.
DLC
round 2 (21st April 2012)
In their latest Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo revealed the
next sets of DLC, which will follow the previous Marth scenario. The
next two chapters will be released from 26th April and will cost 250
Yen and 350 Yen.
(Click on the images to enlarge)
Another Story: Spirit
Talisman 2 (26th April 2012~)
Chrom visits the Outrealm again, this time chasing a
mysterious female who's stolen summoning cards from the
old fortune-teller. The mysterious female uses the cards
to summon forth ancient heroes and thus Chrom is forced
into another battle...
Reward: Young Lion
Roy's Card (allows players to recruit "Roy from another
world") Difficulty: 1
star, Price: 250
Yen, Pre-requisite:
"Another Story: Spirit Talisman 1" purchased Artist: Kimihiko
Fujisaka (The Last Story)
Another Story: King versus King (Emblem Side)
(26th April 2012~)
Hero-King Marth--the kind King of Archanea. Seliph the
Scion of Light--the noble King of Jugdral. These two kings
continue their battles in the Outrealm and Chrom decides
to lend a hand to Marth to defeat Seliph's army.
Reward: Sage King
Leif's Card (allows players to recruit "Leif from another
world") Difficulty: 2
star, Price: 350
Yen Artist: Sachiko
Wada (The Sacred Stones)
