4/5 ★ – likevin96's review of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.

- Looks and sounds quite good - generally very impressed by the voice acting and love the artstyle, especially the cutscenes and character designs. Really great updates over th eoriginal while retaining the original spirit. I want them to remake 5 + 6 so badly - It's definitely interesting how different it is from the rest of the games, but I'm not quite sure I actually like those changes. Without weapon triangle and weapon durability, as well as many units not having their traditional weaknesses (e.g., mages being able to use their best spells over and over again, bow ranges) the actual moment-to-moment tactics are a bit too straightforward? It's not the worst thing in the world, but is a bit more brainless (especially with Mila's Turnwheel). - The dungeons are a good idea at first, but they end up just lasting way, way too long, especially some of the late-game dungeons - Some of these maps are so tedious - just waves and waves of endlessly spawning enemies. Definitely not my preferred map design here. There definitely are some interesting puzzles that can be interesting to figure out, but even those feel like they just go on forever. Worst example of this is with the last map, which honestly takes an absurd amount of time considering there are no real save points. - Big fan of the story! Not a masterpiece, but way above your typical Fire Emblem - real stakes and characterization, even though some of the plot twists end up being pretty dumb One of my favorite Fire Emblems despite its issues - drags a bit too long (could've been closer to 30 hrs v. 40 hrs), but overall think the story, aesthetics, and novelty of the experience make it a strong entry in the franchise