Fire Emblem coming to the GameCube

TOKYO--According to the weekly Jump magazine and a Nintendo teaser site, the next Fire Emblem game will be released on the GameCube. The simulation RPG will be titled Fire Emblem: Souen no Kiseki, which translates into English as Fire Emblem: Traces of the Blue Flame.

Fire Emblem: Souen no Kiseki takes place on the continent of Terious, which is divided into different countries. The story begins as Ike, a member of a mercenary force, rescues the princess of the Cremia Kingdom from agents of the Kingdom of Dain, which is attacking her country. Ike and the mercenaries are then hired to protect the princess against Dain-hired henchmen and to lead her to the Garia Kingdom, which is allied with Cremia. Once Ike's party arrives in the realm, the beastlike Garias declares war on the Dains, sparking a conflict that spreads over the entire continent.

During the game, players will strap on the boots of Ike, a young warrior with blue hair and a blue costume, who's training to join his father's mercenary team. Other characters that are confirmed in the game are Ike's younger sister, Mist, who wears a short skirt and doesn't seem like the type who can fight in battles, but she takes care of her family and their jobs. Mist always keeps a medallion of her beloved late mother, who may play a posthumous role later in the game.

Another character is Grail, Ike and Mist's father and chief of the mercenaries. As a stern and impartial leader, Grail is faithfully trusted by his followers. He is assisted by his subchief, Tiamat, a female warrior with red hair and a red costume. Aside from being the subchief, Tiamat also looks after Ike and Mist like a mother or a big sister. Tiamat and Grail seem to have had some relationship in the past, which will likely be revealed during the game. Rounding out the cast is Senerio, a mercenary apprentice who wears a black robe that matches the color of his hair; he seems more of a magician-type than a warrior.

The last Fire Emblem game released on a home console was Fire Emblem: Thracia 776, which hit the Super Famicom/SNES some five years ago. One of the noticeable changes in the GameCube Fire Emblem will be the game’s graphics. Instead of having the traditional 2D battle screen, Fire Emblem: Souen no Kiseki will be drawn in full 3D. If you don't want to switch to the battle screen each time you encounter an enemy, you can also pick an option to fight the enemies straight on the field map, which is now drawn in a three-quarter overhead view, with 3D objects such as the houses and trees adding depth.

Fire Emblem: Souen no Kiseki is scheduled for release this winter in Japan. No retail price or American release date has been set at the current time.