An unexpected pleasure in recent years has been the resurgence of Fire Emblem in the west, Intelligent Systems' fantasy tactical RPG making the unlikely crossover from exquisite curio to Nintendo staple. This 3DS offering, coming late in the handheld's life-cycle, is one of three Fire Emblem games out in 2017, and I wouldn't be surprised if by year's end it emerges as the very best.
It can certainly boast some of the most interesting heritage. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, to give it its full and gloriously overstated name, is a remake of 1992's Fire Emblem Gaiden, a late Famicom game that never found its way out of Japan. Famed for being an idiosyncratic follow-up to the original Fire Emblem - the Zelda 2 of its own series, if you will, offering a very different take on the formula with ideas never to be seen again in a Fire Emblem - there's a certain novelty to be found in this full-blooded makeover, where all those quirks are embellished in lavish detail.
Gaiden was, to date, the only mainline Fire Emblem to feature dungeons, and in Shadows of Valentia they're now glorious 3D affairs for you to crawl through. Towns can be visited from the world map, explored by moving from screen to screen and being treated to the wonderfully wistful work of illustrator Hidari, who brings Gaiden's cast to vivid life. Hidari's character art, in all its fulsome beauty, speaks to a sense of innocence that lifts so much of Shadows of Valentia.
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