From its addictive gameplay to its ENORMOUS CAST (all with stellar, reimagined art and voice acting), Fire Emblem Heroes is every FE fan's wet dream come true. Add in a tried and true gacha system, and you have a recipe for both a major cash cow for Nintendo and an authentic FE experience fans can play anywhere right off their phone. Despite being significantly condensed and simplified, Heroes still retains the FE spirit, offering solid strategic gameplay but on a much smaller scale and fast paced map.
While at launch the game was pretty bare bones in what could be done, the developers are constantly improving the experience, frequently listening to user feedback and reworking old nuisances and adding new game modes. In addition, the intimidatingly large roster of iconic characters is constantly expanding with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The story campaign of Heroes is mostly an excuse plot to have the characters fight each other, but has been getting more complex and dramatic as of late with each new chapter. Of course, the real attraction of the game remains Hero summoning.
Heroes is a gacha game, so what characters you pull is completely up to chance - brutally so - but as a F2P player, I've never felt like I am at any significant disadvantage even when competing with players who do put in money to obtain their optimal teams because the game is so fine-tuned and balanced. Heroes' roster has experienced a natural power creep over its course, but with new ways to customize your units being introduced and the brilliant Weapon Refinery feature, even objectively weak units have their chance to shine. What's more, the game is quite generous with free orbs, and the developers will even pass out 10 or 20 orbs every once in a while for any reason they can think of, like as apology if they made a technical mistake. This is especially nice considering the cost for orbs is pretty pricey ($75 for 140 orbs = 35 possible pulls).
While gacha games can often feel like a cheap cash grab, the authentic love and care put into Heroes is plain to see. It's a game designed for both veterans and newcomers to enjoy, and in a much more effective fashion than any mainline entry has managed so far. Nintendo can rest easy (and with their wallets full) knowing Heroes is an experience that has confidently staked their claim on the mobile platform and only speaks encouragement for the franchise moving forward.
A Bona Fide Celebration of FE
From its addictive gameplay to its ENORMOUS CAST (all with stellar, reimagined art and voice acting), Fire Emblem Heroes is every FE fan's wet dream come true. Add in a tried and true gacha system, and you have a recipe for both a major cash cow for Nintendo and an authentic FE experience fans can play anywhere right off their phone. Despite being significantly condensed and simplified, Heroes still retains the FE spirit, offering solid strategic gameplay but on a much smaller scale and fast paced map.
While at launch the game was pretty bare bones in what could be done, the developers are constantly improving the experience, frequently listening to user feedback and reworking old nuisances and adding new game modes. In addition, the intimidatingly large roster of iconic characters is constantly expanding with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The story campaign of Heroes is mostly an excuse plot to have the characters fight each other, but has been getting more complex and dramatic as of late with each new chapter. Of course, the real attraction of the game remains Hero summoning.
Heroes is a gacha game, so what characters you pull is completely up to chance - brutally so - but as a F2P player, I've never felt like I am at any significant disadvantage even when competing with players who do put in money to obtain their optimal teams because the game is so fine-tuned and balanced. Heroes' roster has experienced a natural power creep over its course, but with new ways to customize your units being introduced and the brilliant Weapon Refinery feature, even objectively weak units have their chance to shine. What's more, the game is quite generous with free orbs, and the developers will even pass out 10 or 20 orbs every once in a while for any reason they can think of, like as apology if they made a technical mistake. This is especially nice considering the cost for orbs is pretty pricey ($75 for 140 orbs = 35 possible pulls).
While gacha games can often feel like a cheap cash grab, the authentic love and care put into Heroes is plain to see. It's a game designed for both veterans and newcomers to enjoy, and in a much more effective fashion than any mainline entry has managed so far. Nintendo can rest easy (and with their wallets full) knowing Heroes is an experience that has confidently staked their claim on the mobile platform and only speaks encouragement for the franchise moving forward.