Fire Emblem: Wildlands

Fire Emblem: Wildlands is an open world action-adventure/tactical RPG hybrid video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. This standalone Fire Emblem game takes place in an alternate timeline, and follows an amnesiac Lightbearer, formally known as Cassius, who awakens from a 100-year slumber to a mysterious voice that guides him/her to defeat Stratos, the Calamity Dragon before he can destroy the kingdom of Merak.

The title's gameplay and mechanics constitute a departure from the series' usual conventions. While Wildlands retains most of the Fire Emblem tradition, it features an open-world environment, a detailed physics engine, high-definition visuals, a fully customisable avatar, real time boss battles and an all-new Duel Battle, where 2 characters fight at the same time.

Gameplay
Fire Emblem: Wildlands departs from most games in the Fire Emblem series, as it features an open-world environment, with less emphasis on defined entrances and exits to areas. Similar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the player is placed into the game's world with very little instruction, and is allowed to explore freely at their own pace.

Taking control of the Avatar (default name: Cassius), players are able to freely explore Merak, with actions such as running, climbing, swimming, and gliding with a para glider using up stamina. The player may also procure various items from the environment, including melee weapons, bows, and shields, which break after excessive use. Many items have multiple uses; for example, wooden weapons can be set alight to light fires and shields can be used as makeshift snowboards, a practice known in-game as shield surfing. Players can also obtain various food and materials, such as meat from hunted animals, monster parts from defeated enemies, and valuable gemstones from ore reserves. By cooking various combinations of food or materials, the player can create meals and elixirs that can replenish a character's health and stamina, or provide temporary status bonuses such as increased strength or resistance against cold environments. Near the start of the game, The Avatar obtains multiple rune powers that are installed onto his/her Light Slate, which can also be used to mark way points on a map and take pictures. These include remote bombs, which come in square and spherical forms; Magnesis, which can be used to manipulate metal objects; Cryonis, which forms ice blocks on watery surfaces; and Stasis, which temporarily stops objects in time, during which the player can build up kinetic energy which is released once time resumes. Players will need to be cautious of environmental climate and changes in the weather; for example, cold environments will damage a character unless he/she wears warm clothing or eats spicy food, while lightning will become attracted to metal objects during thunderstorms.

Littered throughout Merak's over world are towers and shrines; activating either of which adds way points that the player may warp to at any time. Activating towers adds the surrounding territory to the player's map, although specific location names are not added until the player explores that area for themselves. Shrines consisting of smaller challenges ranging from puzzle solving to battles against robotic opponents, with some shrines requiring a puzzle to be solved on the over world to enter. Clearing these shrines earns Spirit Orbs, which can be traded in for additional HP or an expanded stamina wheel. Also scattered across the over world are various small puzzles that are hiding. Solving these puzzles earns Life Seeds, which can be traded in to expand inventory size for weapons, shields, and bows. There are NPC's found in the over world that can be recruited to the player's party. Clearing certain tasks will expand party size. Players may also scan Amiibo figures to add more characters into the game, including Robin from Awakening and Corrin from Fates. If the player fulfills certain conditions, they are able to unlock an alternative ending of the game.

Plot
Legends recorded the conflicts between The Heroes of Merak and the Creatures of Malice lead by Azriel, the God of Malice. Each time Azriel appeared, he was defeated by a princess descended from the Goddess of Light alongside an army of brave warriors lead by the chosen hero who is her champion. One of these legends occurred long ago in ancient times. During these ancient times, Merak was at peace as an advanced civilization. Using their knowledge of technology, they decided to prepare themselves for Azriel's return by creating the four animal-like Divine Beasts and an army of autonomous mechanical soldiers they called Guardians. Upon Azriel's return, the princess and her hero used the guardians and the divine beasts to launch a direct attack on him. The hero struck Azriel down with the sword that seals the darkness and the princess used her inherited power to seal Azriel away.

10,000 years later, the kingdom of Merak had reverted to a medieval state. Upon reading the prophecies their ancestors had left behind, they learned the signs of Azriel's return and recovered the divine beasts and guardians after excavating land throughout the kingdom. Key members of Merak's various cites—Olaf, a warrior from the mountainous town of Northhorn, Elise, a healer from Lakepool, Hayate, the most skilled archer among the people of Shikaze, and Rosanna, the mage from the desert city of Nardak—were assembled to pilot the divine beasts and were given the titles of champions as Princess Celia attempted to stop the evil using the same strategy as her ancestors alongside her army of appointed knights and her trusted tactician Cassius. But after being possessed by Azriel, Cassius has summoned Stratos who appeared from beneath Acura Castle and took control of the guardians and divine beasts, turning them against Merak. In the "Great Calamity" which followed, the king, champions and everyone in the Castle were killed, the castle town was destroyed, most of the army was decimated and Cassius was gravely wounded attempting to kill the princess; the entire kingdom was utterly devastated. But Celia survived and, after having Cassius taken to safety, faced Stratos alone and used her magic to restrain him within the castle walls.

In the present day, 100 years later, Cassius, reincarnated as a Lightbearer, awakens from within the Shrine of Resurrection. A mysterious female voice guides him/her to the now ruined kingdom of Merak and he/she meets an old man who, after helping the Lightbearer adjust to the ruined world, reveals himself to be the restless spirit of King Arthur, the last King of Merak. The king explains to the Lightbearer that Stratos has been sealed in Acura Castle for one hundred years, and that his/her awakening was guided by Princess Celia. But Stratos has continued to grow in power, and the king pleads for the Lightbearer to defeat him before he breaks free and destroys the world.

The Lightbearer goes to Lakepool, Northhorn, Shikaze, and Nardak, regaining his/her memories of the champions as each member of the Seven Heroes helps him/her board each of the divine beasts to purge the machines of the monsters that Azriel created to kill the champions. The champions' spirits are released along with their divine beasts and pilot them once again, preparing to attack Stratos once the Lightbearer storms Acura Castle. As the Lightbearer travels the world, he/she also comes across key areas that he/she and Celia traveled to in the past, eventually regaining all his/her memories. After obtaining the Light Sword, the sword that seals the darkness, from the Lost Woods, the Lightbearer defeats Stratos with help from the divine beasts and the Seven Heroes. But Azriel appeared to congratulate the heroes and manifests himself in his true form as an ethereal monster of pure hatred and malice, Dark Beast Gallius. Using Light Arrows provided by Goddess of Light, The Lightbearer defeats Gallius and Celia destroys him with the last of her divine power, restoring peace to Merak and allowing the spirits of King Arthur and the champions to depart. In the epilogue, Matthew tells the Lightbearer that Azriel's defeat is only temporary and he will return in the future. He asks for help in rebuilding Merak, giving him two choices.

The player should either choose to help Matthew rebuild the Kingdom of Merak or leave to explore many new worlds.