Fire Emblem: Heroes is ready to put Nintendo into the free-to-play spotlight

Nintendo might be setting up its investors with a nice gift before the launch of the Switch console: Mobile money from what so far appears to be an expert adaptation of one of its flagship franchises.

Fire Emblem: Heroes launches February 2 on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. It’s a significant step for Nintendo, which has been reluctant to dip into mobile gaming and embrace the free-to-play business model — it’s pairing the “gacha” mechanic with one of its most important series. Intelligent Systems, the longtime studio for the franchise, led development with input from Nintendo and DeNA, the mobile gaming company that made the backend for the Japanese console publisher. I played just three missions and fiddled with a bit more, but from what Nintendo showed, it’s adapted Fire Emblem in such a way that lifelong fans will enjoy it, and newbies just might bite at the hook as well.