About

Fire Emblem Heroes is a mobile spin-off of the Fire Emblem series created by Nintendo and released on February 2nd, 2017, on iOS and Android. The series follows the general tactical role-playing style of the Fire Emblem series, but makes use of a Gacha system (basically a randomized vending machine) to summon units for the player to use in game.

History

Fire Emblem Heroes was first released on February 2nd, 2017 for iOS and Android. The game revolves around a conflict between two kingdoms: the Emblian Empire and the Askran Kingdom. The former seeks to conquer the world, while the latter opposes the former’s ambitions. The player takes the role a summoner that can summon heroes from past Fire Emblem titles to aid them in their quest.^[1]

Gameplay

Fire Emblem Heroes uses a gameplay style known as "Gacha," which makes use of random-number generators to provide a player units to use in the game. In the game, these units can be summoned using orbs; providing discounts when summoning multiple units in a single session. Summoned units can be in a rating varying from 3 to 5 stars, with 5-star units having the best in-game stats but also featuring the lowest summoning rate. Additionally, the game features various elements present in the original Fire Emblem series, most notably the weapon type system and the (dis)advantages these give against different weapon types.

Reception

The game has received mixed-positive reception from critics. On Metacritic,^[2] the game has a 72/100, indicating "mixed-to-average" reviews. Critics noted that while the graphics look good it is a watered down Fire Emblem experience.

Fandom

Wrys

Wrys is a male staff user within the game, and commonly scores amongst the lowest units in online rankings. During the early meta of the game, many players tried to summon for Takumi, a bow user with an unique skill that placed him amongst the best characters to many players – even arguably the best to most. However, Takumi was only available as a 5-star unit, while Wrys already started as a 3-star unit; with both units being "colourless," this made the summoning odds of Wrys much higher than Takumi. Additionally, Wrys stood out compared to other colourless units since he was the only bald unit.

After skill inheritance was introduced to the game, Takumi eventually dropped in player rankings. Wrys however stayed an injoke amongst the game's fans, this time not only being a disappointing summon result but also a sexual predator with a preference for Nowi (a popular example of a Legal Loli in the Fire Emblem series).

Disgusting

"Disgusting" is a phrase uttered by Ephraim, a protagonist from Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, during his introduction Paralogue. In the chapters, Ephraim is shown boasting about his sibling bond with his twin sister, Eirika. It is however revealed that this led to the spreading of rumors, implying a incestuous relationship between the siblings, to which Ephraim replies with "Disgusting." The oddity of this rant of Ephraim quickly caught up with fans of the game, who quickly depicted Ephraim as an overprotective brother in fanworks; while the phrase also managed to spread to other characters within the Fire Emblem series.

I'll Do My Best

"I'll Do My Best!" is a catchphrase uttered by the green mage Nino, which became viral within the fandom due the frequency the line is used and her status as one of the best units in the game due her weapon. Several videos were made with reference to the catchphrase early in the game's existence (example shown below, left), causing others in the game's fandom to parrot the phrase.^[3]

Reinhardt

Reinhardt is a blue mage cavalry unit that appears in the game. He is one of two characters that uses Dire Thunder, a tome that functions similarly to the Brave weapons, but deals magical damage. After skill inheritance was incorporated into the game, Reinhardt became a source of infamy among the fandom. With the right skill sets, Reinhardt is capable of OHKO’ing most of the roster when initiating combat. He is often a recurring opponent in the game’s Arena mode resulting in many to include a Reinhardt-counter unit in their team.

Alfonse's Bench

Alphonse, a prince of Askr, is a sword weilding unit given for free to all the players when starting the game, along with the princess Sharena (lancer) and the commander Anna (axewielder). However, unlike the other two units, Alphonse underperforms on competitive level because of his balanced stats and the high competitivity among sword users; this has made that most players leave him in the sidelines, which some fans started calling "the bench". Aside from Alphonse, other "benched" units include Tobin and Berkut, who are often featured with Alphonse in benches.

External References