![]() ![]() Often, this means that battles begin to feel like a slog, particularly when encountering more powerful groups of enemies. Between villages and dungeons, players are likely to face off against several hordes of enemies before reaching safe harbour. What is less enjoyable is the frequency and amount of battles that players face in their journey across Valentia. Patience and dedication is rewarded well through these battles, as watching your party members level up and gain new class options is a genuinely enjoyable experience. Even in the opening stages, battles can be very difficult and require either intense planning, or a grinding in dungeons in order to defeat over-levelled enemies. Throughout the game, I began to enjoy the relative calm of these turn-based battles, and I’m glad I did, as in-game progression largely relies on hours of grinding to level up your characters. Despite this, the battles never feel dull, as gameplay is broken up by action fuelled in-game cutscenes as your characters battle their enemies. Each battle is time consuming and relatively slow, with a lot of dedication needed to position your team and set up effective formations, though there are options for quick formation and charging manoeuvres. As one unfamiliar with games of the turn-based strategy variety, having only ever experienced the style through the highly underrated Pokémon Conquest, it took some getting used to the pace and action of Shadows of Valentia’s battles. Much more enjoyable is the former, as casual mode creates a much more enjoyable experience, and one in which difficult battles can be undertaken multiple times until victory is effectively planned for and achieved. The game presents a variety of options for battles, including a casual mode where fallen characters are resurrected after battle, or classic mode, where characters that die in battle stay dead. Careful planning, and a great deal of thought is required for even the most simple battles, as the game drops you into fairly difficult battles from the very start. Strategy is absolutely essential to crafting the perfect team, as a range of long-range and short-range fighters are needed to defeat a variety of enemies. My favourite companion quickly became Faye, who rose from being the weakest member of my party to becoming the most valuable mage through the levelling up system. Each character is able to take on a variety of classes and new abilities, with a need for Alm to build a balanced team to lead them to victory. Throughout Shadows of Valentia, you meet a variety of interesting characters, many of which may be added to your party to take part in a variety of turn-based battles. ![]() Shadows of Valentia is a genuinely gorgeous looking game, with animated cutscenes from Evangelion’s Studio Khara, and a range of neatly designed characters and worlds. The story, which largely suffers due to the game’s nature as a remake, is illustrated beautifully, however, and features some of the best graphical sequences of the 3DS system. The essence of the story also largely reminded me of the epic JRPGs of the past, including a personal favourite of mine, Dragon Valor. It leans heavily on clichéd tropes, and brings with it a feeling of great familiarity, presenting a tale that does little to differentiate itself from its fellow RPG and strategy games. The moment Alm opened his mouth and uttered the line, “I know I’m meant for more than this,” I found myself rolling my eyes and sighing. Being a remake of 1992’s Fire Emblem Gaiden means that despite the stellar new graphics, newly voiced characters and great dungeon exploration segments, Shadows of Valentia still feels like a game stuck in the past. While the story itself is skilfully told through a range of gorgeous illustrations, anime-style cutscenes and narration, its inherent simplicity and reliance on common fantasy tropes was a disappointment. The initial prologue created an intriguing, if somewhat well trodden hook, weaving a story about the intertwining destinies of the aforementioned pair as Celica goes into hiding from the Rigelian Empire, and Alm trains to become a soldier under his uncle, Mycen. Following childhood friends Alm and Celica as they lead separate armies to war, Shadows of Valentia features a story that feels overwhelming at first, but soon unfolds itself over the course of Alm and Celica’s journeys. Despite this, I largely enjoyed my time with its newest entry, Shadows of Valentia, which presents a simple, but surprisingly accessible story for new fans and long-time players alike. I will admit to have very little prior experience with the Fire Emblem franchise, having deliberately avoided the series due to its deep lore and extensive history.
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