We’ve learned (via Polygon) that Fire Emblem Fates is going to shake things up a bit with its returning marriage/romance system.
“We can confirm that Fire Emblem Fates for Nintendo 3DS, which launches in Japan on June 25, 2015, and is coming to the U.S. and Europe in 2016, includes the possibility for a same-sex marriage to take place between the main character created by the gamer and another character in the game,” Nintendo said in a statement.
Fans who played the previous games in the series, like Fire Emblem Awakening, could make use of bonding with characters of the opposite sex, which could result in a marriage, and eventually children. These children would become new playable characters. Now, Fire Emblem Fates is going to feature an A+ rank for characters, even of the same sex.
Nintendo explained how the two versions of the game will provide different experiences as far as marriage options go:
“Fire Emblem Fates comes in two different versions, called the Conquest and Birthright editions,” Nintendo said. “In the U.S., Conquest and Birthright will both be sold separately, as is already the case in Japan. For those who have purchased either the Conquest or Birthright edition, a third edition will be made available as downloadable content at a later stage. Details on how the three storylines will be made available in other regions will be announced at a later date.”
Now, before you start having fantasies reminiscent of insane couplings possible in games like Mass Effect or Dragon Age: Inquisition, it seems like the options to choose a same-sex partner from are quite limited:
“In the Conquest edition of the game, there is a male character that the game’s player may have his/her male main character marry after they bond in battle. Similarly, the Birthright edition features a female character that a female main character may marry after bonding in battle. Both of the aforementioned characters can be encountered in the third edition of the game.”
So, the too long, didn’t read version of this is that if you want to pair up two dudes, you’ll need to get the Conquest edition, or get the third storyline whenever it’s made available later. The same goes for those wanting to pair up two ladies – you’ll need to pick up the Birthright version, or the aforementioned third storyline.