A Fire Emblem retrospective: A history of RPG excellence

RPGs aren't necessarily the first thing you'd associate with Nintendo, but I became a fan of the genre through Nintendo's efforts. My fate was sealed after a friend loaned me Fire Emblem Awakening, and it wasn't long before I'd beaten it twice. Giving me control of an army and building supports between its generals, Fire Emblem clicked immediately, and I've remained a huge fan ever since. Once I began exploring the older entries, I realised Fire Emblem holds a richer history here than you might expect, and it all began on the NES.

Initially envisioned by designer Shouzou Kaga, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light marked a joint development effort between Intelligent Systems and Nintendo R and D1. Looking to create a narrative-focused RPG, Shadow Dragon took us to Archanea, playing as Prince Marth. Kaga and the team wanted us to care about these characters, making them unique with different unit classes. If you behave recklessly, they can die permanently, and the development team wanted players to deal with that too. It all helped define tactical RPGs - though you wouldn't know it in the West. DS remake aside, Shadow Dragon went unlocalised until 2020, following a (now delisted) digital Switch release for the 30th anniversary.

But I'm getting ahead of myself there. Back in the 90s, Nintendo realised it had a hit, and sequels swiftly followed. Two years on, we had Fire Emblem Gaiden, a game that linked into Shadow Dragon but mostly provided its own adventure. This time, we visited the neighbouring continent, Valentia, a land split between two warring nations. Adopting new gameplay mechanics like an explorable overworld, Gaiden wasn't as well received, and its new changes were largely abandoned as a result. Though Gaiden remains unlocalised, there's a fantastic 3DS remake, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, that largely redeems these perceived flaws.

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