Iwata Asks: Fire Emblem Fates

To tie in with the game’s release (in Japan), Nintendo graced us with an insightful Iwata Asks interview for Fire Emblem Fates–and in English, no less!

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A few highlights from the interview:

Why Shin Kibayasha?

The developers admitted that while Awakening was extremely well-received, its story was not one of its strong points. To keep up with fans’ expectations, Shin Kibayasha–a famous manga author–was enlisted to help direct the game’s story.

Surviving the 25th Anniversary

This year, the Fire Emblem series celebrates its 25th Anniversary and the developers expressed their joy, while also reflecting on how Awakening was potentially the last game in the series, due to the series’s dwindling sales.

Thankfully, Awakening sold far more than expected, becoming the first game in the series to hit 1 million worldwide sales. Obviously, with such great sales and the series back on track, a sequel being highlighted was only natural.

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The 3rd Campaign

Besides talking about the past and the present, the developers also hinted about the future–specifically regarding Fire Emblem Fate’s third campaign, which releases in Japan during the middle of July.

In this campaign, the player doesn’t ally with Hoshido or Nohr and the story plays out a lot different. We’re also told the third campaign’s name is slightly different to the others. In fact, it’s known as Fire Emblem if: Invisible Kingdom in Japan.

Benefits of Marriage

Nintendo kept this information close to its chest, but Marriage is back in Fates. I was originally planning to keep it a secret on the site, but it’s become increasingly difficult to hide… plus, it’s hardly unexpected given Awakening’s popularity.

Although Marriage works like in Awakening, there is an added bonus: When two characters marry, each character can reclass to their spouse’s base class (using a Marriage Seal). For example, if a Knight marries a Ninja, they can reclass to a Ninja.

Bond Units

By repeatedly visiting another person’s My Castle, your friendship with that person will increase. Once it reaches its maximum value, the player will receive a special “Bond Unit” as proof of their friendship.

At the moment, I don’t have any information on Bond Units, except the Bond Units you acquire depend on the combination of the players’ chosen route. Including the 3rd campaign, there are 6 possible combinations.

About the Author: VincentASM
Fire Emblem fan since 2002 and webmaster of Serenes Forest. Occasionally an online content editor or brand ambassador. Is a sucker for mage girls and has an unhealthy stash of Sylveon plushies.
Author Website: https://serenesforest.net