Although previously confirmed to be in development, today Nintendo revealed its upcoming Fire Emblem game for mobile. It's being called Fire Emblem Heroes, and like Nintendo's other mobile titles it'll be free-to-play with microtransactions.
Fire Emblem Heroes is a tactical RPG played on a 2D battlefield in the same format as prior games in the franchise, although the grid will be smaller at 8 x 6. A weapon triangle and attributes will serve as core strategy elements. Its story will feature many characters from prior games, although most will be new to the franchise. Some of these characters will be voice acted.
The game's systems are described as the following:
Take part in strategic turn-based battles streamlined for on-the-go play with maps that fit in the palm of your hand! Lead your army with easy touch and drag controls, including the ability to attack by simply swiping an ally over an enemy.
Types
Each Hero has a color type. This color type determines weapon advantages and disadvantages that affect your attack power. If you want battles to go in your favor, build your team with Heroes that have an advantage over the enemy!
Specials
Specials are critical moves you choose for your Heroes. They will undoubtedly prove powerful on the battlefield.
Summon Heroes
Use Orbs to summon Heroes that will fight for you. Five colored summoning stones are randomly generated, allowing you to summon a Hero based on their color type. You can obtain Orbs by clearing story maps or purchasing them through the Shop.
Allies
You can customize your allies and create teams to use in battle. From this menu, you can also learn new skills, change equipment, and take the abilities of your Heroes to new heights.
Story Maps
The story brings together new Hero characters along with familiar faces from the Fire Emblem series. Lead your army to victory to save the Kingdom of Askr.
Arena
Fight against your rivals around the world. Your high score and ranking will determine your rewards—items that can increase your Heroes' abilities.
The game's hand drawn art style has already receive praise from many gamers. Unfortunately, a lot of the positive pre-release reception ends there. Not only can the game only be played in portrait mode, but it uses the same Gacha system as many panned free-to-play mobile titles. This system is known for heavily encouraging players to invest real-world money to gain an advantage.
Unlike Super Mario Run, Fire Emblem Heroes will debut on Android first. Its official Google Play page is already live here.
