Fire Emblem Fates (Birthright & Conquest) Famitsu Review Translated

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I translated the entire Famitsu review for Fire Emblem Fates (if in Japan). It received an overall 36/40 rating from four reviewers. The break down was 9/9/9/9. I post the transcript, original Japanese text, and finally an image I made based on the scan. It is from the 6/18/15 issue of Famitsu.

FamitsuFEIFReviewWeb

Being inducted into the Platinum Hall of Fame

Fire Emblem: Fates (Birthright & Conquest)

Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo
Release Date: June 25th
Price: 4700 Yen (Without Tax) / 5076 (Includes Tax)
Genre: Simulation RPG

For Ages 15+

Takes place in a world where the two Kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr are at war. Command your allies and form bonds while engaging in grand battles. Supports local wireless and amiibo support.

Manufacturer Survey
[Target Story]
-For people who like Strategic Simulation
-For fans who play the “Fire Emblem Series”
[Average Game Time]
-Depends on the Player

As a Simulation RPG, it gets full points for great quality! The two versions not only differ in story and recruitable characters after the branching path, but also in many other ways. Examples are how “Hoshido” has plenty of opportunities to earn experience points, while “Nohr” has limitations and is better suited for those going through quicker. It is an interesting experiment regarding different tastes. With the ability to freely lower the difficulty, it will attract all sorts of players. The new functions of “Dragon Vein” and “Attack/Guard Stance” added good spice to the game. (吉田)

There were plenty of good things here. Aside from the “Attack” and “Defense” stances, there were weapon abilities, forming relationships with units, and the drastic map-changing “Dragon Vein” ability that all worked into one’s strategy. Playing was pleasant as due to the simple layout and execution of managing menus and moving the cursor. The story was enticing from the beginning, and I could not help but form strong bonds with my allies. (芦田)

The epic expectations I held for this game were not betrayed by the end of the game. While playing, In addition to the nice system and drama sections, I felt the importance of the characters and their lives weighing upon me one by one as I proceeded. From “Attack Stance” in battle to “My Room” and with a touch pen, forming bonds in this game is more prominent than the previous games. Though the new feature of “My Castle” that my comrades and I built felt rather incomplete at first, as I advanced through the game it melted away to fit in with the rest of this huge game.  (ナム子)

The information on classes (units), weapon abilities, traits, character affinities, traversing the Field Map, and the status screen were all very well done and easy to understand. The charm of the game is that there are plenty of options to customize, and characters you’re partial to (couples) become a central part of your strategy. The character relations between the two versions are rather complicated. In the end, if you do not play both versions, you will be left feeling unsatisfied. So please be wary (?) of the story.  (戸塚)

Original Japanese Text:

殿堂入り
プラチナ
 
ファイアーエムブレムif
白夜王国/暗夜王国
 
ニンテンド-3DS
任天堂
6月25日発売予定
各4700円[税別](各5076円[税込])
シミュレーション・RPG
 
15歳以上対象
 
“白夜王国”と”暗夜王国”というふたつの国が対立する世界
を舞台に、仲間との絆を育みつつ、彼らを指揮して過酷な
戦いをくり広げる。ローカル通信プレイやamiiboに対応。
 
メーカーアンケート
[ターゲット層]
▻戦略シミュレーションが好きな方
▻「ファイアーエムブレム」シリーズを遊んだことのある方
[平均プレイ時間]
▻プレイスタイルにより異なります
 
シミュレーションRPGとして、あらゆる点でクオ
リティーが非常に高い! 序盤で2ルートに分岐
する展開は、単に物語や仲間になるキャラが異な
るだけでなく、経験値稼ぎができる「白夜王国」に、
制限のある中でのやり込みが楽しめる「暗夜王国」
と、テイストが異なるのはおもしろい試み。難度
を自由に下げられるので、幅広いユーザ
ーが遊べるのも。新要素の”竜脈”や”攻
陣・防陣”もいいスパイスです。 (吉田)
 
”攻陣”や”防陣”の効果を活かして戦うほか、武器
の相性やユニットどうしの友好関係など、多彩な
要素が戦略に絡むのがおもしろく、地形を変化さ
せる”竜脈”で状況を大きく変えられるのもグッド。
メニューを開かなくても、カーソルを動かした先
に応じた行動が選ばれるなど、操作に余分な手間
がなく、プレイは快適。ストーリーも、序
盤から興味を惹きつけられ、仲間を得て
絆を強めていくのは楽しめる。(芦田)
 
大作への期待を裏切らない仕上がり。システム面
もドラマ部分も、キャラひとりひとりの命の重み
が感じられるターン制バトルは、遊び応えあり。
バトルでの”攻陣”や、”マイルーム”でのタッチイ
ベントなどで、シリーズの特徴であるキャラどう
しの絆がより際立ちました。自分と仲間の城を築
く新要素”マイキャッスル”は、未完成に
感じる部分もあるものの、進行に溶け込
んで遊びの幅を広げています。 (ナム子)
 
兵種(ユニット)や武器の性能、特徴、相性などの
情報が、フィールドマップ上やステータス画面で
わかりやすく表示されるのがいいですね。カスタ
マイズの選択肢が豊富で、ひいきのキャラ(カップ
ル)中心の戦略を立てられるのも魅力です。人間関
係的にややこしい形で絡んでいるふたつのバージ
ョンは。けっきょくのところ、両方とも
プレイしないと気が済まなくなるので、
ストーリー重視派はご注意(?)を。 (戸塚)

3 thoughts on “Fire Emblem Fates (Birthright & Conquest) Famitsu Review Translated

  1. Uh, is it me or did the whole review just feel like a, “this is what this game is like”? And with the way the reviewers speech pattern is…I’m not trying to be rude at all, but why do they remind me of IGN?

    • Yeah it seemed they were trying not to give info unknown at the time away (like marriage/children), the closest hint being “couples.” They didn’t really remark on too much, huh?

  2. Pingback: Fire Emblem Fates - Famitsu review translated - Nintendo Everything

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