Nintendo had the latest episode in their Nintendo Direct webcast this morning, and they kicked it off with a bang, starting the presentation with the announcement of a brand new game for the Nintendo 3DS- a new Fire Emblem game, to follow up on 2013’s Fire Emblem Awakening.
The game looked to be using the same art as Awakening, and seems to be using the same engine as well, although the influence this time around seems to be medieval Japan as opposed to the western fantasy aesthetic that pervaded Awakening. Iwata confirmed that the game was being worked on by the same team as Awakening, with a brand new big name manga writer from Japan having been brought on board to help with the story (Awakening’s plotline was one of the few things about it that warranted criticism).
Apart from that, we really were not told much, although the trailer that we got looks awesome. Presumably, the new game (which is titled Fire Emblem If in Japan, although we have no official western title yet) will continue to build on the new mechanics that Fire Emblem Awakening brought to the series, such as marriage, the casual mode, and social simulation, while also bringing back features from older games, such as fog of war.
No matter what, though, we are just excited that this game exists- Fire Emblem Awakening was one of the best games of 2013, and two years later, still stands as one of the best games on the 3DS. With it having been a worldwide commercial success as well, it seems there will be a built in fanbase waiting eagerly for this follow up.
Stay tuned, because we will keep you posted.