2015 video game
Fire Emblem Fates is a tactical role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS handheld video game console, developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD and published by Nintendo. It was released in June 2015 in Japan, then released internationally in 2016. It is the fourteenth installment in the Fire Emblem series and the second to be developed for Nintendo 3DS after Fire Emblem Awakening. Unlike previous titles, Fates was released in three versions, each following a different storyline centered on the same characters: Birthright and Conquest as physical releases, and Revelation as downloadable content.
The overarching story follows the protagonist, a customizable Avatar named Corrin by default, as they are unwillingly drawn into a war between the Kingdoms of Hoshido (their birthplace) and Nohr (their adopted home), and must choose which side to support. In Revelation, the Avatar rallies both sides against the true mastermind behind the war. The gameplay, which revolves around tactical movement of units across a grid-based battlefield, shares many mechanics with previous Fire Emblem games, although some elements are unique to each scenario.
After the critical and commercial success of Awakening, development began on Fates, with the staff of Awakening returning to their previous roles. The team's main concern was adding new features and refinements to the original gameplay, and improving the story, which had received criticism from some fans. To this end, writer Shin Kibayashi was brought in. To show all sides of the story and provide players with different Fire Emblem experiences, the game was split up into multiple versions. Upon release, it met with highly positive reviews: Birthright was generally seen as a good starting place for new players, Conquest was praised for its challenge, while Revelation was noted as a good middle ground between the two releases.
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