The game received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the combination of Fire Emblem and Dynasty Warriors gameplay and drawing favorable comparisons to Hyrule Warriors, originally released in 2014 for the Wii U.
Fire Emblem Warriors is a hack-and-slashaction role-playing game similar to the Dynasty Warriors series in which players take the role of Rowan and Lianna, and characters from several Fire Emblem games. Games represented in Warriors include the Fire Emblem games Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, Gaiden, The Blazing Blade, Awakening, and Fates. The player defeats enemies with any character, accomplishing specific goals to beat maps. In addition to hack-and-slash combat, the game includes the ability to give tactical commands to units and the Weapon Triangle, which originated from the Fire Emblem series.
Weapons in the game include axes, lances, swords, bows, tomes, and dragonstones. When characters assist, heal, or fight alongside each other in battle, their bond strengthens. Like in Fire Emblem games, if two characters' bond increases enough, a support conversation will be unlocked. The game will also utilize all existing and future Fire EmblemAmiibo figurines, which give weapons related to the character represented by the Amiibo that is used.[2]
Synopsis
Setting and characters
Fire Emblem Warriors is set in a medieval fantasy world, and focuses on the neighbouring kingdoms of Aytolis and Gristonne.[3] The story's events are set off when a dark force uses a magical gate connecting to other worlds to summon monsters into Aytolis.[4][5] The series recurring "Fire Emblem" is featured as a powerful artifact dubbed the Shield of Flames, which is tied to the game's story.[4][6]
The main characters are Rowan and Lianna, twin heirs to the throne of Aytolis gifted the Shield of Flames by their mother Queen Yelena. An important secondary character is Darios, crown prince of Gristonne and a childhood friend of the twins.[4] A number of characters appear from other Fire Emblem titles, primarily from New Mystery of the Emblem (2010), Awakening (2012) and Fates (2015).[7] Additional characters are taken from Gaiden (1992),[8] and The Blazing Blade (2003).[9] Anna, a recurring merchant character across the series, also appears.[10]
Plot
When Rowan and Lianna are sparring with the visiting Darios one day, Aytolis is attacked by monsters summoned from the portal within the castle. Yelena is captured during the assault, but she successfully gives the twins the Shield of Flames, a sacred artifact which can repel darkness due to its blessing by a Divine Dragon. The group learn that Darios's father Oskar is in the process of reviving the Chaos Dragon Velezark, and to stop it the Shield of Flames must be empowered with Gleamstones, crystals created from the power of heroes from other realms. Rowan and Lianna travel across Aytolis, rallying support from the heroes of other worlds that have been brought to Aytolis. During an attack on a stronghold of Gristonne, Darios is possessed by Velezark, and steals the completed Shield of Flames
rallying support from heroes from the otherworldly nations of Ylisse, Hoshido, Nohr, and Altea. During an attack on a Gristonne fortress, Velezark successfully possesses Darios, who steals the Shield of Flames just after it is complete. Rowan and Lianna pursue him to Gristonne, where they discover Yelena has been captured to be used as a sacrifice to revive Velezark. Rowan and Lianna successfully rescue their mother, leading to Darios sacrificing Oskar to complete the ritual to revive Velezark. Now freed from the possession, Darios returns the Shield of Flames to the group before falling into a spatial void.[b] The twins, united with the heroes of other worlds, wield the Shield of Flames' power and defeat Velezark. With the threat ended, the heroes return to their own worlds and Yelena crowns Rowan and Lianna as twin monarchs of Aytolis.
Fire Emblem Warriors was developed by the same team as Hyrule Warriors, a collaboration between the Dynasty Warriors series and The Legend of Zelda.[12] The game was co-developed by Koei Tecmo studios Omega Force and Team Ninja and Fire Emblem developers Intelligent Systems.[12][7] Koei Tecmo first proposed the project to Nintendo, who were more than willing to collaborate, making the game a title for their in-development Nintendo Switch hybrid console.[7] The idea of the game came during the development of Hyrule Warriors Legends, as the touchscreen controls bore similarities to those of the Fire Emblem series.[2]
The game was announced in January 2017 as part of a Nintendo Direct broadcast dedicated to the Fire Emblem series,[12] although it had already been in development for around two years before this time.[2] It was released in Japan on September 28, 2017, and released in North America, Europe, and Australia on October 20, 2017.[13]
Downloadable content
Three packs of paid additional content were announced before the game's release.[14] Each pack added three new playable characters, new support conversations, and three new maps for History mode, in addition to new weapons, costumes, and other content.[15][unreliable source] Each of the DLC on a different Fire Emblem game: Fates, Shadow Dragon, and Awakening respectively. If all three packs were bought together in the season pass, an additional costume was unlocked.
Fire Emblem Warriors received mixed reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic, with the Nintendo Switch version holding a score of 74/100 based on 72 critic reviews and the New Nintendo 3DS version receiving a score of 69/100 based on 12 reviews.[16][17] The game received praise for bringing a more nuanced, textured experience to the musou genre,[24] but drew criticism for its shallow take on traditional Fire Emblem mechanics and roster choice.[25]
The Nintendo Switch version sold 41,491 copies within its first week on sale in Japan, while the New Nintendo 3DS version sold 18,357 copies.[26] In April 2018, Koei Tecmo revealed that the game sold 1 million copies worldwide.[27]
During the development of Fire Emblem Warriors, Intelligent Systems were working on the next mainline entry, Fire Emblem: Three Houses for the Switch. Wanting the game to release by 2019, Intelligent Systems contacted Hayashi about the possibility of Koei Tecmo assisting development. Hayashi agreed, and Three Houses was co-developed with Koei Tecmo's Kou Shibusawa division.[28][29]
After production finished on Three Houses, Koei Tecmo approached Nintendo and Intelligent Systems about developing a sequel to Fire Emblem Warriors; due to their earlier collaboration, it was decided to produce a follow-up based on the Three Houses setting. Hayashi returned as producer, while Hayato Iwata came on board as director and Intelligent Systems's Toshiyuki Kusakihara acted as character designer and project supervisor.[30][31] The game, titled Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, released worldwide on June 24, 2022 for the Switch.[32]
Notes
↑Known in Japan as Fire Emblem Musou (ファイアーエムブレム無双)
↑According to an interview, Darios's fate is left deliberately ambiguous.[11]
↑Jeremy Winslow (October 18, 2017). "Fire Emblem Warriors Review". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
↑Meghan Sullivan (October 24, 2017). "Fire Emblem Warriors Review". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 18, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
↑Janine Hawkins (November 20, 2017). "Fire Emblem Warriors review". Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 28, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
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