New Fire Emblem For 3DS Will Offer Two Completely Different Story Paths [Update]

In the new Fire Emblem game for Nintendo 3DS, players will once again get to create a customized avatar to play as, Nintendo announced this afternoon.

That having been said, while your avatar was almost a secondary protagonist in Fire Emblem: Awakening, or a partner of sorts to Chrom, this time you will be the actual main character, which will make new choices possible.

The game features two warring factions—Hoshido and Nohr. The world and characters will remain the same, but depending on which faction you side with, the story will change drastically. Siding with Hoshido will make your playthrough a more traditional Fire Emblem experience. It will be similar to past games, and more accessible.

Meanwhile, siding with Nohr will require you to “revolutionize an unruly kingdom from the inside”. This story path will involve a more complex story, as well as more challenging difficulty.

The new Fire Emblem for Nintendo 3DS is slated for release in 2016 in the West.

Update: In Japan, the game, titled Fire Emblem If, will be available in two versions—Black Kingdom and White Kingdom. Buying one version will allow you to purchase the other one as DLC. A third storyline is also planned for release as downloadable content at some later point. A limited edition release of the game in Japan will feature all three scenarios.

We’ve gotten in touch with Nintendo to find out if the game will be released in two separate versions in the West as well, and will update when we hear back.