It would appear that Fire Emblem’s slow take-your-turn battle mentality has seeped into Nintendo’s publicity machine as Goddess of Dawn begins a news offensive after a long period of waiting.

Maybe this is overstating things a bit, for what we see in these newer screenshots is less of a radical game engine overhaul war charge and more of a light spear-prodding as elements are tightened and dressed up. Visually the game is striving to step away from the rather play-board-ish flat battle grounds of GC Fire Emblem, introducing different land heights and working harder to eliminate the it’s-ultimately-a-whole-load-of-squares vibe that came through in earlier versions.

It’s not vanity, but strategy that has influenced this change, with ground height allowing for improved ranged smitings. Attacks are looking great with improved character models and a smooth 60 fps of action. Intelligent Systems is pushing a typically graphically reserved genre into new visual realms.

And for all those Wii owners sick of flash-in-the-pan minigame titles, Fire Emblem has a whopping 50 hour suggested completion time, long enough to grow a fantasy RTS beard. We’ll be using a GameCube pad or Classic Controller - Wii remote usage is also confirmed, just not in any particular form. No word yet on a US release, but Nintendo should take heed as there’s quite a following on these shores.