Fire Emblem Games That you Should try in 2023

The Fire Emblem video games have a rich legacy in Nintendo's past. It made its unique Japanese debut in 1990 and provided the initial Nintendo systems with a fun fantasy RPG-strategy experience. The premiere of the show's first episode in North America was Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade in 2003. (Europe and Australia got a 2004 release). Since then, every Nintendo system has featured games from the franchise.

The series has grown to be one of Nintendo's most lucrative. There's a lot to love about Fire Emblem games, whether it's the recently released Fire Emblem: Three Houses or the inclusion of series characters in Super Smash Bros.

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Fire Emblem Games

The long-running Fire Emblem strategy role-playing game series was created by Intelligent Systems and released by Nintendo. Characters brandishing swords move strategically through grid-based environments in the games. Until 2003, when Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade was released, the series was only available in Japan.

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1. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light 

It is a tactical role-playing video game and was created by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems for the Famicom. It is the initial game in the Fire Emblem series and was released in 1990 in Japan.

The narrative is set on the fictitious continent of Archanea and tells the story of Marth, prince of the Altean kingdom, who is exiled after being driven from it by the evil sorcerer Gharnef and his shadowy master Medeus, the Shadow Dragon.

To battle Gharnef and Medeus and restore his nation, Marth must forge new alliances with nearby kingdoms and assemble a new army to assist him in obtaining the Fire Emblem shield and the sacred sword Falchion. Battles take turns on grid-based maps, and defeated units are doomed to death permanently. 

Every playable character has been given a special character class that serves a different purpose in combat, such as having access to magic or being mounted. Every character belongs to a specific character class, and as a unit gains experience, its varied stats improve.

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2. Fire Emblem Gaiden

Fire Emblem Gaiden is the 2nd game in the Fire Emblem series and the final to be made on the Famicom, released in March 1992. It improves on the foundational turn-based strategic gameplay of the predecessor while introducing fresh features like a navigable overworld. 

The video game Gaiden is located in the same location as Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. On the continent of Valentia, which is split by political unrest involving princess Celica and her childhood friend Alm, the story is focused on battles between two opposing armies.

The players control two armies under the command of Alm and Celica as they move through an overworld and visit villages to find new allies or trade goods. The overworld is freely walkable, with new regions becoming accessible as the plot develops. The game has 2 difficulty settings: "Normal" and "Easy." On the Easy level, more experience points are gained from fighting, and objects can be traded between troops outside vendor stalls.

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3. Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem 

Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem was created by Intelligent Systems and released by Nintendo in 1994 for the Super Famicom home video game device. The 3rd game in the Fire Emblem series was the first Super Famicom game to be created.

Two sections make up the story: the first is a retelling of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, and the second is an original tale serving as a prequel to the first game. Peace is brought to Archanea after the sorcerer, Gharnef and the Dark Dragon, Medeus, are defeated, and Marth returns to his kingdom.

When Hardin, an ally of his, takes the throne of Archanea, he immediately launches a hostile military campaign across the continent, forcing Marth to face his old buddy and the motivation behind him. The gameplay is based on the classic Fire Emblem system, which features grid-based battlefields for tactical warfare. 

On grid-based layouts, battles take place in turns. When an enemy base is taken, or all foes are defeated, victory is accomplished. Each character carries a total of four weapons and four items, and each has a character class that determines how far they can move, how much damage they can deal with, and what weapons they can use. The ability to dismount allows mounted soldiers to alter their stats, abilities, and movement range.

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4. Free Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

In the tactical role-playing game Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, the player assumes the roles of Sigurd and his son Seliph in several narratively focused missions on the continent of Jugdral. There are two generations of people in the story, which is divided into chapters. 

The player units can settle in a home base before and during missions, performing various tasks like repairing their weapons, buying and selling items, and engaging in arena combat. To get similar services, you can also go to castle towns on mission maps.

Early decisions made on a map can impact later decisions made on that mission, leading to scripted changes in goals and opponent conduct. For example, a neighbouring castle will send out more men when a castle is taken. A player character receives experience points following each combat. 

A unit gets a random increase in their health, strength, and speed when they reach 100 experience points. When a character loses a fight, they all have the potential to die permanently and are no longer playable. The map must be reinstated from a file, which can be used at the beginning of each turn if the army's commander is killed. Capturing a particular castle on the map results in victory.

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5. Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

In 1999, Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 was first made available via the Nintendo Power flash cartridge. The following year, it was made available via ROM cartridge. It is the fifth entry in the Fire Emblem series. 

In this game, the player controls a force of units and embarks on narrative-based missions with various goals, from eliminating certain foes and rescuing targets to fleeing engagements unscathed. The environment influences movement when mixed with a unit's talents and the variety of terrains seen on maps, from flat plains to mountains.

Additionally, if a unit stays in certain places, like towns and churches, for a certain amount of time, it may receive things, in-game money, or health. Additionally, some maps have a "Fog of War" feature that hides part of the map from players until a unit moves forward and displays the map area within their movement and attack range.

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6. Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

In the role-playing game Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, players take control of Roy, the game's main character, and his expanding army as they engage in combat throughout Elibe. 

The storyline progresses through completing each map, which is done between story scenes that serve as a break in the gameplay. A new difficulty level is unlocked after the first time the game is finished. Battles are fought on grid-based, self-contained battlefields under a turn-based system that allows units on both sides to move and act.

After moving, a unit can either take actions like fighting or aiding ally characters through stat-boosting abilities based on their position about allies and adversaries, or they can wait until the following turn. Attacking causes the game to switch from a top-down map view to a side-view battlefield where a cinematic conflict occurs between the player and enemy units. 

Each unit has access to various weapons and equipment, but these need to be repaired in between missions because they will wear out after a while. Axes are efficient against lances, lances are effective against swords, and swords are effective against axes, according to the series' repeating Weapons Triangle principle.

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7. Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade

Players assume the roles of Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector in the tactical role-playing game Fire Emblem as they complete narratively focused tasks in the made-up continent of Elibe. The player assumes the role of an unnoticed general in command of the playing army. 

The single-player campaign is organised into chapters that often start with plot elements delivered through animated scenes featuring still images of the main characters, followed by an enemy encounter; after each battle, the player is given the option to save their progress.

Instead of being obtained by unit defeat, in-game cash is obtained through combat in the game's many Arenas or other means. Currency can be used to buy new gear and weapons at merchants situated at specific map points. During conflicts, items can also be traded between units.

The story's battles occur on maps organised into a grid of squares. Every unit on both sides gets a turn to move and act during a battle, which is controlled by a turn-based system. The progression of battle is impacted by weather and terrain factors that arise during gameplay, such as fog of war or topographical features that can be used to one side's advantage.

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8. Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

In the video game Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, players assume the roles of the royal twins Eirika and Ephraim during different campaigns as they battle opposing forces attempting to invade their home country with the aid of allies they have amassed along the way. 

An overworld map is used to get around the Magvel area, with paths leading to various fight maps becoming available as the narrative develops. In addition to maps and dungeons relevant to the story, there are optional dungeons where selected units can freely engage foes and gain experience points.

A unit will level up, and some of its stats will, at random, grow each time they acquire some particular amount of experience points. Any character can advance all the way to level 20. A character can choose to evolve with a class-specific item after reaching level 10.

Multiple possibilities for class evolution are available, which is a noticeable improvement over prior games. For example, a Cavalier can grow into a Paladin or a Great Knight. A turn-based system is used in battles, with player, ally, and enemy units all moving across a grid-based battlefield.

Anytime a player ends their turn, the friendly or enemy units can then move. The player is given control over a set number of units in each fight and a mission to perform. The character class of each unit defines their skills, arsenal of weapons, power, and range of mobility.

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9. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

In the video game Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, players take control of the main character Ike and a cast of characters in various combat situations. Multiple difficulty settings are available at the game's beginning: the Japanese version offers Normal, Hard, and Maniac modes, while the western version has Easy, Normal, and Hard settings.

Characters that lose in battle in any mode are removed from the game and rendered permanently dead. The game will terminate, and the stage must be redone if Ike is killed during combat.

Players can select a set number of characters from a roster of up to 46 before engaging in combat. The number of characters that can be utilised varies between battles, and the roster expands as the game progresses as more characters are added. 

Players can choose between the humanoid Beorc and the shape-changing Laguz during combat. Laguz uses close-range melee attacks, whereas Beorc uses weapons and spells. The rate at which the Laguz's gauge fills up during combat varies based on their condition and whether they are being attacked.

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10. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

The Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance gameplay elements are carried over to Radiant Dawn, with turn-based combat taking place on a grid of squares. Most of the Path of Radiance cast is back, including every playable character (except Largo) and new characters to Tellius. 

A Nintendo GameCube memory card can transfer data from a finished Path of Radiance save the file to Radiant Dawn, allowing characters to earn statistical advantages. You can also see and access support chats from Path of Radiance in this way. A unit can now support any other unit in Radiant Dawn, even though each unit can only have one support relationship.

There is also a secondary support called a "bond," which is active by default or acquired when two troops reach the "A" support level in Path of Radiance. Due to the complicated plot of Radiant Dawn and the absence of a consistent main character, the player controls various factions throughout the game. 

Despite the "permanent death" characteristic endemic to the Fire Emblem series, some partner units and previously playable enemy units defeated in battle will still be playable later in the game. The player's units will battle against a previously playable set of enemy units in the game's later stages.

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11. Fire Emblem Awakening

The player starts Fire Emblem Awakening as one of the main characters, an alter-ego is known as an Avatar. While the character's default name is Robin, the player can change their name, gender, hair colour, feature kinds, and voice.

The game can be played in Casual Mode or Classic Mode. Characters that lose in battle in Classic Mode are rendered permanently dead and useless for the remainder of the game. The player can prevent permanent character deaths in Casual Mode.

Fallen troops are returned following the conclusion of the combat with permanent death deactivated. In any mode, if Chrom or the Avatar character perishes in combat, the player is notified that the battle is over and must restart it. The game has different difficulty levels; the default settings are Normal, Hard, and Lunatic.

After beating the game on Lunatic mode, a fourth difficulty level, Lunatic+, becomes available. The playing mode and difficulty level are chosen when starting a new game. Through the world map, the game extensively uses the SpotPass and StreetPass features that are exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS.

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12. Fire Emblem Fates

The player in Fire Emblem Fates starts by personalising the lead character. Three difficulty levels are available at the start of the game: Normal, Hard, and Lunatic. Other modes determine what would happen to them should a character be defeated in combat. 

A fallen unit is liable to permanent death in Classic Mode, a recurring setting in the Fire Emblem series where fallen characters are erased from the rest of the game. After combat, units can be revived in Casual Mode. On the player turn after, troops are revived in the new Phoenix mode. Every iteration of Fates has a distinct gameplay aesthetic at its core.

Birthright's gameplay is comparable to that of the previous game, Fire Emblem Awakening, and there are options to earn more gold and experience. Contrarily, Conquest only offers little experience and money for each finished map.

Additionally, some levels have a set number of rounds, and there are extra battle goals like restraining enemy forces or protecting a base. Birthright and Conquest are combined in Revelation, allowing opportunities for gold and experience like Birthright while presenting various goals and tactical components just like Conquest.

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13. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

In the tactical role-playing game Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the player character is assigned to teach at the Garreg Mach Monastery, which is the centre of the game's events. From that point on, the narrative is impacted by the decision of which house to teach. 

The player is involved in story-based skirmishes that advance the main plot and interacts with the faculty, staff, and students for most of their time at Garreg Mach. The tale jumps ahead five years and focuses more on the battle, with the player confined to the house they made during the first half of the game, while the first part focuses on this educational system.

The player has a fixed number of days noted on a calendar that can be used for many tasks, such as instructing classes, leading field trips, sowing seedlings, and fishing. Additionally, the player hosts free events to interact socially and form bonds with pupils.

Building a connection involves taking supportive behaviours, and a character's level of support is affected by their actions and language choices. Depending on the plot, if their relationship is strong enough, this may result in the two getting married following a time-skipping event.

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14. Fire Emblem Engage

A future tactical role-playing game called Fire Emblem Engage was created by Intelligent Systems and released by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It will be released on January 20, 2023, and is a chapter in the Fire Emblem series.

With the new addition of Emblem Rings, which enable units to battle alongside the lords of earlier Fire Emblem games like Marth, the gameplay will be comparable to that of earlier games in the series. With the use of Emblem Rings, prior series protagonists can be called forth in Engage, which is set on the continent of Elyos.

Mika Pikazo created the character designs and artwork. The divine dragon Alear is awakened from a millennium-long nap to aid Elyos in vanquishing the Fell Dragon by collecting the scattered Emblem Rings. Initially, the game was teased in a Nintendo Direct on September 13, 2022.

The game will also be available as a "Divine Edition" that includes an artbook, poster, steel bookcase, and art cards featuring prior protagonists who may be called upon via the Emblem Rings.

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Remakes of The Fire Emblem Games

Apart from the main games of the series, there are also several remakes of the Fire Emblem Games. Continue reading to explore the best remakes. 

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1. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon

Players in this tactical role-playing game, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, command the main character Marth and his army on missions across the Archanean continent. The Nintendo DS has two screens, with the map on the bottom screen and story sequences, unit statistics (stats), and battle animations on the top screen. These two screens are used for gameplay and basic game information. 

The game is broken up into chapters, each of which serves as the setting for a single significant fight that advances the plot and may result in the recruitment of additional forces. Depending on how many units you have lost in battle, "Gaiden" (side tale) chapters are gradually unlocked.

Players can change a unit's allocated weaponry, forge new weapons, and manage the inventories as they prepare for the fight before each chapter. The multiplayer options in the game are likewise somewhat limited.

Players can audio chat with other players using the Wi-Fi connection on the DS or regular local wireless, play multiplayer games with groups of five units apiece, and borrow units to use in the campaign.

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2. Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem

A tactical role-playing game called Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem was created by Intelligent Systems and released by Nintendo in July 2010 for the Nintendo DS portable gaming system. It is a remake of the Super Famicom game Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem and the series' twelfth instalment. 

The narrative is based on the original material from Mystery of the Emblem, and Marth, the major character from Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, is joined by a customisable avatar as the main character. The "New Archanea Chronicles' ' are four new tale episodes that New Mystery of the Emblem adapts from the Satellaview game BS Fire Emblem.

During the creation of the 2008 DS addition of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, the New Mystery of the Emblem was being prepared. The staff began fresh with New Mystery of the Emblem, using the original Mystery of the Emblem as their starting point rather than expanding on Shadow Dragon. 

The customisable Avatar character and the "Casual Mode," in which units defeated in missions are revived, were two of the game's most significant new additions. However, the latter element caused fierce staff disagreement because the series has a long history of treating characters who die permanently as dead.

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3. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

The 15th game in the Fire Emblem series, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, is a revised version of the second game in the series, 1992's Fire Emblem Gaiden for the Famicom. It centres on the two protagonists, Alm and Celica, who try to end the war in conflicting ways. 

Alm seeks a violent resolution, while Celica seeks a peaceful resolution with the help of the Goddess Mila. While introducing Gaiden gameplay elements like dungeon delving, Fire Emblem Echoes retains the basic Fire Emblem series gameplay principles.

Each unit on both sides has a turn to move and act in Fire Emblem Echoes' turn-based system. On a grid-based battlefield, players and adversaries take turns engaging in combat. The view changes from a top-down to a third-person perspective during an attack.

The Weapon Triangle (a rock-paper-scissors system where some weapons have advantages over others) and restricted weapon durability are not present in this Fire Emblem game, in contrast to many others.

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Spin-Offs

Fire Emblem Game series is a big success. Following the popularity of the games, various Spin-Offs are introduced.

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1. BS Fire Emblem

Following the publication of Genealogy of the Holy War in 1997, Intelligent Systems created the episodic role-playing game BS Fire Emblem. It is a prologue to the happenings in Mystery of the Emblem and the first Fire Emblem game. 

The four BS Fire Emblem episodes were aired around September and October 1997 on the Satellaview peripheral service (SPS), which allowed users to download brief video games through satellite at predetermined intervals of the day.

The main group is attacked by waves of opponents throughout a three-hour time limit while still using the same tactical gameplay as the major games.

Episode 1: Fall of the Palace, which debuted on September 28, was followed by Episode 2: Crimson Dragoon Knight, Episode 3: Thieves of Justice, Episode 4: Time of Beginning, and Episode 5: Thieves of Justice, which debuted on October 5. Since being broadcast, the original game has become extremely scarce because of how it was distributed and the end of Satellaview service, necessitating the availability of a cartridge with the game pre-installed. 

Even then, the original voice acting from the broadcast is not available. Although officially the fifth entry in the Fire Emblem series, BS Fire Emblem is commonly overlooked when determining the number of primary entries. It is considered to be a development of Mystery of the Emblem.

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2. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE 

The role-playing video game Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE was created by Atlus and released by Nintendo for the Wii U home console in 2015. The title is a crossover between the Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei video game franchises from Nintendo and Atlus. 

December 2015 was released in Japan, and June 2016 saw its global debut. Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE Encore, an improved port for the Nintendo Switch, was made available on January 17, 2020.

The cast centres on a group of young people who join forces with amiable Mirages, who are modelled after figures from the Fire Emblem video game series and merge with them to become Mirage Masters. The Mirage Masters battle to defend innocent people from the Mirages and discover who is behind the attacks while posing as the Fortuna Entertainment talent agency. 

The game's story is broken up into multiple chapters, and the player can take part in the backstories of several playable and supporting characters and accept quests from NPCs throughout Tokyo. The Idolaspheres, which are other worlds where hostile Mirages roam, and real-world Tokyo are different settings in the game.

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3. Fire Emblem Heroes

The game Fire Emblem Heroes may be played for free. On February 2, 2017, a mobile game featuring characters from the Fire Emblem series was available. On an 8x6 grid battlefield, players command a team of up to four characters known as "Heroes" as they battle various enemy teams. 

Movement constraints vary depending on the character; for instance, cavalry units cannot penetrate woodland tiles, whereas armoured units have a limited range. Even tiles impassable to all other units, such as water or mountains, can be entered by flying units. Every turn, the game rigidly switches between a player phase and an opponent phase.

Heroes in the range of an enemy character during the player's phase can attack that character; if the attacker and defender have the same range, the defender will counterattack if still alive. Up to 100 controllable units could be made available to Fire Emblem Heroes players, albeit they only have access to Alfonse, Sharena, and Anna. 

The other controllable characters in Heroes are crossovers from other parts of the franchise, except these three "Order of Heroes" members who were developed especially for the game. Since the list's release, characters from games that weren't included have also been added.

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4. Fire Emblem Warriors

The hack-and-slash action role-playing game Fire Emblem Warriors was created by Omega Force and Team Ninja and released for the Nintendo Switch and New Nintendo 3DS by Nintendo worldwide and Koei Tecmo in Japan.

In September 2017, the game was made available in Japan, and the following month it became global. The Warriors series from Koei Tecmo and the Fire Emblem series from Nintendo and Intelligent Systems collaborated on the game.

The player uses any character to combat foes while completing predetermined objectives to complete maps. The game features hack-and-slash combat in addition to the tactical commander of forces and the Weapon Triangle, a Fire Emblem series original.

Monsters unexpectedly assault the realm while Rowan and Lianna, the royal twins of Aytolis, argue with their friend Prince Darios of Gristonne. The Shield of Flames is given to the three after they are separated from the twins' mother, Aytolis's Queen Yelena, who gives it to them before being captured.

The gang learns that to stop Darios' father, Oskar, from resurrecting the wicked Chaos Dragon Velezark, they must strengthen the Shield of Flames using Gleamstones forged with the strength of heroes from various planets.

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5. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes

Similarly operating as a crossover between the Fire Emblem and the Warriors franchise owned by Koei Tecmo, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a spin-off of Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019) and the follow-up to Fire Emblem Warriors (2017). 

The game is also a tribute to voice actor Billy Kametz, who passed away from cancer while the project was being made and in what was thought to be his final performance. On February 9, 2022, a Nintendo Direct unveiled the game, and on June 24, 2022, it was made available worldwide.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a game with gameplay resembling the Dynasty Warriors series, much like its predecessor. Characters from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, such as Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude, and a new character named Shez, who, like most avatars in the series, can be of any gender, either male or female, will be controlled by players. 

In an alternate chronology from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the game is set on the continent of Fódlan. In the style of Three Houses, the game features three distinct storylines that each follow one of the three house leaders: Scarlet Blaze, Azure Gleam, and Golden Wildfire.

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Conclusion

Fire Emblem has rightfully risen to become a Nintendo staple in the JRPG subgenre despite formerly being a more specialised series. This is due to its extensive library of games. The series underwent several significant adjustments before becoming what fans now perceive it to be. These Fire Emblem games have propelled the series into a Nintendo JRPG mainstay since Fire Emblem: Awakening.