Fire Emblem If Ditches Weapon Durability, Adds New Difficulty Mode

The new Fire Emblem for 3DS, tentatively titled Fire Emblem If, ditches the weapon durability system seen in Fire Emblem: Awakening and also introduces new difficulty settings for those seeking less of a challenge.

These details come courtesy of Japanese publication Famitsu (as translated by Siliconera). Durability presented an additional tactical consideration in Awakening, as players could opt to conserve their best weapons and spells by choosing to use lesser options. With a limited number of inventory slots, though, durability could be a real hindrance at times. That won't be an issue in the future, as Fire Emblem If does away with the system altogether.

Another change in If is the addition of a new, easier Phoenix difficulty mode. In addition to the returning Casual mode that disables permadeath and revives any slain units after completing a map, Phoenix takes things a step further by reviving dead units after each turn. That may sound as if it does away with any semblance of difficulty, but keep in mind that Black Kingdom--one of the two versions of If--presents additional challenges by limiting available experience and money, as well as by introducing additional victory conditions.

Other details of note include the fact that the protagonist's class is called either Dark Prince or Dark Princess (depending upon your choice of gender when customizing the character) and a new type of ability, Dragon Pulse, that has been added for certain characters. Dragon Pulses can affect the level itself; examples of this include flattening mountains and summoning earthquakes.

Fire Emblem If was first revealed during a Nintendo Direct back in January. As we've since learned, it will be available in two separate versions (at least in Japan): White Kingdom and Black Kingdom. Each represents a complete story with its own unique gameplay wrinkles. A bundle with both will be available, or players will be able to buy one and then download the other as DLC.

If is due out in Japan in June; it will then come to North America and Europe in 2016, though exactly how the two versions will be packaged (and what they will be called) remains to be seen.