'Fire Emblem If' News: 4 Versions of the Game Will Be Sold in Japan
"Fire Emblem If," an upcoming tactical role-playing video game made by Intelligent Systems for the Nintendo 3DS, will have four versions of the game available in Japan when it is released on June 25, 2015. This applies only to Japan, however.
The game will have two versions, "Fire Emblem If: Kingdom of Hoshido" and "Fire Emblem If: Kingdom of Nohr." The two kingdoms refer to the two warring kingdoms in the game. The player before purchasing must make a choice as to which kingdom his character will join. Once a choice is made, a player can still opt to download the other version as paid downloadable content for a discounted price.
There is also a third campaign where the player is assumed to have not taken any side and remains neutral throughout the game. This will only be available as paid downloadable content.
As revealed in an IGN report, the new game will have players become the main protagonist in the game, rather than a partner like in earlier "Fire Emblem" games. The player is said to be "a child born at the intersection of two distinct kingdoms: the peaceful Hoshido and the bold, glory-seeking Nohr." A choice needs to be made about which path to take and each path will have a different story, according to the report. Hoshido is said to be much easier to play and Nohr is considered difficult and challenging.
The other two versions that will be available in Japan as mentioned in the Kotaku report are a special edition which brings together the light (Hoshido), the dark (Nohr) and the third campaign (neutral) with other bonus material and a single downloadable version that lets you eventually choose which faction you will join.
All four versions will only be available in Japan. No announcement has been made so far whether this arrangement will be the same for markets outside of Japan. The game is arriving in the U.S. and other areas in 2016.
