Fire Emblem Fates

Did You Know?

• Corrin appeared as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U as downloadable content on February 3, 2016.
• Amiibo figures of Corrin were released on July 21, 2017, in both male and female variants.
• The game's English title was revealed during the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015.

Synopsis

The story is set in the kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr, whose royalty share descent from ancient dragons but worship different dragon deities and are at war. The dragon Anankos, ruler of the hidden kingdom of Valla beneath the Bottomless Canyon, is intentionally provoking the war. Hidden Truths DLC reveals Anankos was once kind but went mad after killing Valla's king; his remaining sanity fathered the Avatar before dying. The Avatar, named Corrin by default, is a Hoshidan royal captured by Nohr as a child and can transform into a dragon.

Azura, a Nohrian royal kidnapped by Hoshido, wields power over water and can pacify foes with her song. Hoshidan royalty includes siblings Ryoma, Takumi, Hinoka, and Sakura; Ryoma wields the Raijinto katana, Takumi the Fujin Yumi. Nohrian royalty includes guardian Gunter and adoptive siblings Xander, Camilla, Leo, and Elise; Xander wields the sword Siegfried, Leo the tome Brynhildr. Other characters include Queen Mikoto of Hoshido, King Garon of Nohr, former king Sumeragi, and Anankos, Corrin's blood father.

Development

After Fire Emblem Awakening's commercial success, Nintendo greenlit a new entry. Fates was co-developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD, with Awakening's main staff returning: director Kouhei Maeda, director Genki Yokota, producer Hitoshi Yamagami, art director Toshiyuki Kusakihara, and character designer Yūsuke Kozaki. Masahiro Higuchi came on as producer. The working title was Fire Emblem 3DS II.

Cutscenes were animated by Studio Anima; storyboarding by Spooky Graphic. One core team worked on shared assets while additional teams handled individual level design. The My Castle feature was suggested by Maeda as an alternative activity and a way to know characters outside battle; its social elements were originally StreetPass-exclusive but were made accessible via internet for low-activity areas. Ideas from earlier titles, such as Dragon Vein and skill inheritance, were implemented.

Map designing became larger than anticipated due to few shared maps between versions. Phoenix Mode was included to attract new fans. For the first time in the series, same-sex marriage options were included: Niles for male Corrin and Rhajat for female Corrin, appearing in Conquest and Birthright respectively, and both in Revelation.

Reception

The versions received high scores on Metacritic: Birthright scored 86/100, Conquest 87/100, Revelation 88/100, and all versions combined 88/100. Famitsu praised the drama and characters but noted that playing only one side might leave players unsatisfied; they praised battle functions, relationship mechanics, and interface. The My Castle feature was described as starting incomplete but becoming satisfying. Martin Robinson of Eurogamer praised the mechanical improvements and grey morality, singling out Conquest for its challenge and cast; he criticized the multi-part release as needlessly convoluted and faulted the translation as less characterful than Awakening's localization, along with the removal of the petting mechanic.

Mic writer Kevin O'Keeffe praised the same-sex relations as explicitly romantic but criticized the limited options and loss of potential offspring. TechRadar writer V.S. Wells criticized the depiction of Niles and Rhajat as fitting the depraved bisexual stereotype, citing Rhajat stalking Corrin and Niles threatening torture while flirting.