Pete-of-the-Forge

Max might be a Dark Knight, judging by his black horse. And if that sprite in the bridge map is anything to go by...

I'm torn. On one hand, I like plowing through enemies with minimal risk when I want to. But to be honest, the way the system worked really changed how I played the game, to the point where I didn't play it like a Fire Emblem game (yeah, I know I didn't have to use it, bbut still... I have OCD about being OP). ...so I also wouldn't mind a rich, balanced game like the olden days. I don't think the idea is inherently bad. Natural Doctrine managed to do something similar (similar to Dual Strike anyway), and that game is no slouch in the strategy department.

I thought that at first as well. But it could still be this game's 'special sword'.

I'm hoping to play this by Christmas. Outside of Wii games and 'special' announcements, Nintendo seems to announce games fairly close to release. I know it's not that great of an example, but look at Majora's Mask. It's coming in February. The fact that this game is coming out in Summer in Japan (like August 31 right?/sarcasm) is a good sign we might get it sooner than you'd think. Fire Emblem is much more a priority now than it was with Shadow Dragon and Awakening.

My mind started going when I saw that shot in the trailer where it transitioned from a grey cliff to some grass-covered mountain top things. What if the story involved two parallel worlds? In one, Kamui is a guy; the other, a girl. One is Eastern influenced; the other is European influenced. That dancer girl could be a medium between the two. We already have the Outrealm Gate. And then there's the Dragons' realm from FE7. So a game focused on parallel worlds isn't entirely out of the blue. Just putting this out there...

It would make sense. Fire Emblems tend to come in pairs (1/3, 4/5, 6/7, 9/10, 11/12). That would explain the hybrid of Eastern and European aestethics. But I agree with others that it's not very likely (though I'd love it if it was otherwise).