Pffft that post by fuckyeahfefates and its replies is so very telling of the divide between the fanbase. It's fans like them who overvalue superficiality and insist on drawing the line why this fandom sees so much shitty drama.
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Pffft that post by fuckyeahfefates and its replies is so very telling of the divide between the fanbase. It's fans like them who overvalue superficiality and insist on drawing the line why this fandom sees so much shitty drama.
Thoughts on Echoes: Shadows of Valencia
Just finished the main game and…
This game is incredible. *Gross sobbing*
I am amazed at how it is so faithful to the original to the point the gameplay retained some of the clunkiness of Gaiden, but uplifted in a way it is way more fun than the original.
The original NES title will always have a je ne sais quoi that people seem to either love or hate (which I personally find unique and charming) and that Echoes cannot emulate, however I would recommend Shadows of Valencia over the original a thousand times.
SoV took a honestly kinda tedious game and turned it into a thrilling experience filled with great characters, an incredible atmosphere and most importantly, upgraded the level design into something fun and exciting.
The new characters are fun, the new designs and dialogue are gorgeous and full of flavor; and the retcons to the original plot not only create a much more complex and poignant narrative, but fix Gaiden’s biggest issue as a sidequel to Shadow Dragon and fill in the blanks that the Lore of the original did not have the time to bridge.
I will admit I am a bit sad I did not get to see your reactions to “the twist” since I finished late bc time so I avoided the tags like the plague (which apparently spared me a lot of drama as well).
Now to spoiler discussion:
Huh, so I see names popping up for the rewrite. (That poor horse pulp that is FE14). Granted the FE Universe article about Nami Komura is troubling, but it's also may be quite inflated (I feel inclined to believe it more than dismiss it as a witch hunting because we have seen this kind of shit happen before with games like Mighty No. 9 where someone who has no interest in what they are working in completely warps the final product). Like sure, 4Chan loves flaming, but just because they are hating on someone doesn't necessarily mean it's a complete lie, especially if this lady has a bad rep on the japanese fandom. On the other hand, the fact that IntSys had a big ass staff change after FE12 is more likely the cause than pinning everything on Ms. Komura... Then again, with the success of FE13 & 14 in the marketing department and her involvement, perhaps at the helm, in everything non-remakes does strike a nerve in me for future games and provides a decent explanation to the stuff we have seen since 2012. I was willing to read a few comics by Mr. Kibayashi to see exactly where his print is on the writing since he is apparently responsible for the larger plotholes in FE14 and was THE writer in Fates... Some other people seem to have their mitts in too, I need to check the credits in both games to start making the connection because honestly the type of mistakes that we see in both games are so strongly patterned I don't think we can pin the blame entirely on the dude who only worked on one game. Internet drama has a way to grow into something much larger than it really is so I should take this with a grain of salt :p Food for my own thought I suppose.
Okay lemme be Nitpicky Mc Nerdypants for a second here
As a keeper of retcons kinda, it is my duty to point out a meaningless detail about heroes that doesn’t make a lot of sense:
So in the Blazing Shadows Paralogue, Not!Zacharias was investigating the origins of the bullshit Eldritch evil that is most likely slowly possessing Veronica right?
He specifically mentions that the origin legend of the bullshit Eldritch evil, referred to as the “Original Demon” (no connection to Formortis confirmed yet), was written by Braimmimond one of the Eight Legends of Elibe and is implied that he used the Elibean Dragon’s Gate in Valor to get there.
While this is a cool attempt to tie in the FE Multiverse which tbh always gets me hyped, three things:
-The Elibean Dragon’s Gate cannot be opened by humans. Only dragons can use it according to the lore in Blazing Sword. It would seem that Awakening (to some extent Fates) and Heroes retconned that now they can be used by anyone. Which kinda kills the climax of FE7 but I digress.
-With the knowledge that the bullshit Eldritch evil is transdimensional, it would make more sense that it was Athos or Nergal who learnt of it thanks to Arcadia. The dragons who have lived there were most likely aware of the FE Multiverse and thus the kingdoms of Askr and Emblian as they are referred to as keepers of these portals in some way. Braimmimond went for a 900 year vacation to Bern and died there before Binding Blade.
-Granted Braimmimond was the ultimate dark mage kinda and was omniscient in some way, but Not!Zacharias finds the scriptures in Valor which would point more towards Nergal who actually lived there for quite some time and who was definitely aware of the purpose of the Dragon’s Gate via Aenir. It would also make sense that since Nergal was studying to become a sorcerer with powers on par with Braimmimond himself, he would’ve learned of the Original Demon’s existence as a source of the power he desperately needed. I wouldn’t mind if the game would’ve gone as far as retconning that it was the Original Demon who drove him insane.
@burgermiester fair enough. Although I meant strictly the story stuff that was cut which made it more adult in the sense that it is more gritty and complex and explains that the characters DO have human motivations. Like the concubine wars (which is what dame and I are always salting about). I am 100% on Treehouse's side for removing that stupid minigame that yes, is foolish sexual garbage that makes the company look really bad not just from a western/outside of japan perspective but from the eyes of anyone who isn't into the hardcore moe and dating sim scene.
Quick tangent to the translations stuff.... How are we, as Nintendo fans, supposed to convey to other gamers that Nintendo has its share of "mature" games if they keep getting neutered by the localization?
@damoselcastel I knew you would answer to the call lol. But yeah that sounds about right... No clue where they got that ascinine idea though. FE13 still had some dark areas and considering the premise of the franchise itself plus the particularly tragic setup for this game anyone with half a brain would think that making it "friendly towards younger audiences" was not the way to go but what do I know. Corporate minds and translators rarely mix too well with artistic integrity. Well at the very least no matter how the tonal whiplash of the castle kills the momentum of the drama to some extent I guess it doesn't extinguish completely, especially in Conquest where (shock) all we are alluding to had the most impact.
Awakening: A Rewrite
Much of Awakening’s story issues could’ve been solved with a quick revision of the script. I think the writing team should’ve checked the outline and the details with a bit more care just to make sure everything was consistent. Maybe a second revision to if not make an honest to god sequel at least make sure the retcons didn’t create bigger plotholes. Honestly if it weren’t for the plothole that renders the whole story useless, most of the shit in Awakening comes from terrible retcons.
Another big issue with the team directing the effort to the 8th Gen FEs is that they got a little too carried away with the gimmicks and new mechanics: the kids idea, although infused with an interesting twist that would allow to use Gens 1 & 2 simultaneously, perhaps was not the best idea to keep the integrity of the story but rather allow the player to keep their MU for the second half of the game. Which if they wanted Robin to be this game’s Julius, they probably shouldn’t have made them an Avatar and give them a scripted death (at least in the bad timeline). Look, the story should serve the gameplay, it’s a videogame, not a movie or a comic. However I think it’s time for the developers to come up with ideas that serve each other, not get in the way (Fates is much worse at this, so I’ll pin it for the next discussion).
Keep in mind this is considering the continuity of both Mystery of the Emblem and Genealogy of the Holy War, as Awakening takes (and then tosses aside) many plot points and lore elements fron these games (I cannot make sense why Valm is here other than the geographical continuity with Archanea and even then it is completely ignored and Valm’s role really isnt essential but rather a detour in both story and level design). All of which SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXPLAINED IN AWAKENING if the game was at least 50% intended for newcomers. Following the canon your story is based on not only gives it more consistency, but it might have generated more interest in remakes for Gaiden and Genealogy of the Holy War. Just sayin’.
Anyway, here is your ever-needed disclaimer and spoiler warning before we take on the quest of reconstructing Awakening.
As one final disclaimer for this quick specific rant-thingy, this is a quick how I would’ve fixed Awakening, if you wish to discuss ideas or think mine sucks, or if I left out something important, feel free to expose your opinion somewhere on the internet.
I am always open for FE talk. ;3