14 Sept 2026
Super Combo Cast #57 - Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valencia
As an update and re-visioning of 1992’s Fire Emblem Gaiden, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valencia, the last more traditional Fire Emblem on the Nintendo 3DS in 2017, has a lot to live up to. In 2026 it carries the weight of its legacy as an NES game originally, as well as the future-directions and approaches it experiments with that are picked up and carried (and not) into newer entries in the series. Echoes, indeed.
There are 3DS specific things here that only could have only been done on that console (relative to the NES original), perhaps to its detriment a little bit. Some dungeon-dwelling action in third person in 3D, which wasn’t really to our taste, though it makes sense in a world where Fire Emblem Warriors (3DS) is developing and/or released around it. There’s also obligatory and sometimes meaningfully expansive cut scene/dialogue additions. But then those additions, a prelude to the much more story-heavy games on the Nintendo Switch like Three Houses and to a lesser extent Engage (as an homage to the whole series its maximalist in a different way), also could be argued against, depending on how you appreciate or don’t appreciate certain flavour profiles of Fire Emblem. Mechanically the weapon triangle is missing here, eugenic marriage-plots, also not here.
So we’ve got a modern take and a throwback in different measures, in light of the month of Fire Emblem: Fortune Weave’s release. A game that looks to, at trailer’s first and second glance, embrace the more expansive Three Houses approach to world and roleplay.
But then series-wide consideration of features and directions for the series fans, anime-influenced or not, 3D-required or not, does relatively little to change the core NES game’s formula — which remains largely transported over if you want to revisit it in 2026. Specifically I was surprised by how intact the first three chapters of the NES game remains relative to Shadows, with the over-world, protagonist split, and branching or alternating/branching paths, all there.
All this is to say, we get stuck in a bit with this one. Lots to think about. We hope you enjoy.
Consider listening to older episodes, as we’ve had a bit of a journey to arrive here, with Fire Emblem becoming one of my favourite series as the podcast has gone on:
https://supercombotech.substack.com/p/super-combo-cast-28-fire-emblem-awakening (https://supercombotech.substack.com/p/super-combo-cast-28-fire-emblem-awakening)
https://supercombotech.substack.com/p/fireemblemss (https://supercombotech.substack.com/p/fireemblemss)
Also check out the liner notes here. (https://supercombotech.substack.com/p/liner-notes-fire-emblem-echoes-shadows)
Next month is Fuga: Melodies of Steel, another tactics game of a different variety mechanically, with a somber tone and story along for the ride.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit supercombotech.substack.com (https://supercombotech.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
