Echoes: This Week’s Pre-release Videos

In just over a week, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is set to arrive in the West. To keep you occupied for a bit, here’s a recap of this week’s videos and trailers in case you missed them.

Firstly, GameXplain has uploaded two new videos of the English version, including 45 minutes of gameplay from Act 2–the start of Celica’s journey.

We see Celica leaving the Priory on her journey to the Temple of Mila, along with her close friends Mae and Boey (and Genny if you choose to drag her along), and the footage ends after the first sea battle.

Of note, Dracozombies have apparently been renamed to “Necrodragons”, which is neat, although the timing is a bit odd. Similarly, the villainous Dach who’s seized control of Zofia’s seas is now “Barth” (not to be confused Barthe from Binding Blade).

Note: Past here, there are some mild lore spoilers.

The second video is dedicated to the amiibo functions, specifically the bonus dungeon unlocked via the Alm amiibo: Duma’s Ordeals.

Both dungeons–Mila’s Ordeals and Duma’s Ordeals–pits the player against a series of increasingly powerful foes. Between each battle, there is a stone tablet that reads a passage from the Book of Valentian Revelations.

Interestingly, Echoes has decided to outright confirm that Naga from Archanean lore is in fact a woman. In the original versions of Marth’s tales, Naga is never referred to by gender since the Japanese language generally lacks gender pronouns.

However since Naga is called a “king” (lit. “ruler”), it was generally assumed that Naga was a man. Later, Genealogy of the Holy War revealed that Naga was actually a woman and this fact has carried onto Awakening and now Echoes.

Moving on, we have a sprinkling of deja vu as Nintendo UK has uploaded their own version of the Overview/Introduction trailer. Amusingly, the trailer has been edited so two errors have been fixed or removed (Silque the Sage and Alm fighting “Alm’s Army”).

Additionally, some scenes are very slightly different–most notably the selection of Combat Arts.

  • Thunderclap: Previously Distant Bolt; boosts attack range and apparently halves terrain bonuses (either a mistake or a new effect)
  • Foudroyant: Previously Thunderclap (this is going to be confusing); doubles attack power
  • Tempest Lance: Previously Gale Lance; boosts attack
  • Tigerstance: Previously Tiger Flurry; adds Skill to damage (very powerful in the right hands)

We also have new confirmed item names: Shadow Sword (previously Darkness Sword; a direct parallel to “Shadow Dragon”), Luna and Mila’s Bow (both unchanged).

Finally, Nintendo of America has provided us with a glimpse of the extended TV commercial. There’s not a lot we haven’t seen before, but it certainly does a good job of building hype! (And getting people to joke about Alm’s blue “lipstick”.)

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