There are several big changes hitting Nintendo's mobile game Fire Emblem: Heroes come April, spicing up the classic RPG with new battle modes, improved multiplayer, a hard-ish mode, and many improvements that will rev up the overall Fire Emblem experience.
New Ways To Battle
First off, and quite probably the most significant update out of all, is the introduction of two battle conditions. Starting next month, The Defense condition will require players to hold off enemy units in a set number of turns to emerge victorious. The Enemy Reinforcements condition, on the other hand, will spring new enemy units mid-battle, which will force users to adjust their impromptu strategy.
These new ways to battle should accordingly bump up Fire Emblem: Heroes's difficulty, putting it more on par with Fire Emblem entries for home console and handhelds.
Perma-Death In-Game Event
The game will also see the addition of a perma-death-like element as part of a new in-game event. Traditionally, players can't resurrect fallen allies, as was the case with past Fire Emblem staples. Though Nintendo has been a bit more lax about that aspect in more recent outings of the series.
All allies in Fire Emblem: Heroes are resurrected post-battle, which is quite fair, especially considering the frowned-upon method of having to shell out in-game currency to do so. Nintendo promised, as per a report by TouchArcade, that users wouldn't permanently lose any units, although specific metrics of such a game mode is still very nebulous. However it ends up working, Nintendo's attempt to appeal to the more veteran crowd of Fire Emblem players is a welcome move.
Hero Merit System
Also perhaps one of the most significant change-to-be is a new so-called Hero Merit system, which sees heroes earn merits as they engage in battle. If users rack up enough merits, the game gifts them with extra hero feathers. Feathers are used to upgrade characters, and collecting time could often prove quite a chore. The new Hero Merit system should hopefully ease it a bit.
Improved Multiplayer
For those having troubles with the game's multiplayer mode, Nintendo is one step ahead of the issue, currently working on the matchmaking aspect of the game. At present, the system only compares the stats of a player's units with that of the opponent's to try and set up even battles. The new improved system will soon also take into consideration a number of metrics such as star rankings, merge bonuses, base stats, and equipped skills to keep a fair battle.
New Characters
Nintendo is also set to spruce up Fire Emblem: Heroes with a batch of new characters from Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, which was the first game ever localized for anglophone folks, so there might be familiar faces in tow for a lot of longtime Fire Emblem fans out there. These new characters also come with their own Paralogue, which includes three missions that can be cleared for story and rewards purposes.
Fire Emblem: Heroes is free-to-play for iOS and Android.
Thoughts about the big changes coming to Fire Emblem: Heroes? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
