Gimme some skin(ship)

Reports that Nintendo has removed the "petting" mini-game from the western version of Fire Emblem Fates caused the predictable level of consternation among fans online, many of whom are concerned that the company is taking self-censorship to the next level, having recently made changes to the likes of Xenoblade Chronicles X and Project Zero / Fatal Frame.

However, we're now able to confirm exactly what has changed in the game, and it seems things aren't as bad as many initially feared. It's still possible to build relationships with characters by inviting them to your room and making idle chit-chat, but the actual "skinship" mini-game - a sequence where you rub the character with the stylus and they groan with pleasure - is gone.

In short, you're not missing anything in terms of how these scenes impact the gameplay, as the rewards are still there - it's just that the process of getting them has been streamlined.

The petting mini-game is shown in the video below. Below that, there's another video which shows what the sequence looks like now. Let us know how you feel about these changes.