Software:Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

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Short description: 2002 video game

Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
Developer(s)Intelligent Systems
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Tōru Narihiro
Masayuki Horikawa
Producer(s)Takehiro Izushi
Designer(s)Masayuki Horikawa
Programmer(s)Takafumi Kaneko
Artist(s)Taeko Kaneda
Masahiro Higuchi
Sachiko Wada
Eiji Kaneda
Writer(s)Masayuki Horikawa
Kouhei Maeda
Composer(s)Yuka Tsujiyoko
SeriesFire Emblem
Platform(s)Game Boy Advance
Release
  • JP: March 29, 2002
Genre(s)Tactical role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade[lower-alpha 1] is a 2002 tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance (GBA). It is the sixth entry in the Fire Emblem series,[lower-alpha 2] the first title produced for the system, and the first title to appear on a handheld console.

The Binding Blade is set on the fictional continent of Elibe, which has been dominated by humans for centuries following an ancient war between humanity and dragons. The story follows Roy, a young nobleman from the small independent nation of Pherae as he leads a growing army against the forces of King Zephiel of the kingdom of Bern, who is gradually taking over Elibe with the aid of a mysterious power. As with other Fire Emblem games, battles take place on a grid-based map, with player units assigned character classes taking part in single combat with enemies and being subject to permanent death if defeated.

The Binding Blade began development as a Nintendo 64 title called Fire Emblem: Maiden of Darkness, but internal changes caused the project to change its platform to the GBA, scrapping nearly all of its original content in the process. One of Intelligent Systems' main goals was to make the game more forgiving to newcomers than the notoriously difficult Software:Fire Emblem: Thracia 776. Upon release, it was praised by critics and sold over 345,000 units. Despite never releasing overseas, Roy's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee contributed to the localization of its 2003 prequel, The Blazing Blade, released overseas as Fire Emblem.

Gameplay

A battle between Lance (player unit, right) and an enemy Soldier (left) in The Binding Blade

Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade is a tactical role-playing game in which players control main protagonist Roy and his growing army as they take part in battle across the land of Elibe. Gameplay is broken up into maps bookended by story sequences, with the completion of each map advancing the storyline.[5][6] When the game is completed for the first time, a new difficulty level - Hard Mode - is unlocked.[7]

Battles take place on grid-based self-contained maps and are governed by a turn-based system where units on both sides are given their chance to move and act. Once a unit has moved, depending on their position relative to allied units and enemies, they may perform actions such as attacking or supporting allied characters through statistic-enhancing abilities, or they can wait until the next turn. When attacking, the game transitions from the top-down view of the map to a side-view battlefield, where a cinematic battle plays between the player and enemy units. Each unit has access to different weapons and items, but these will break after a number of uses and must be repaired in between missions. The effectiveness of melee weapons is dictated with the series' recurring Weapons Triangle mechanic: axes are strong against lances, lances are strong against swords, and swords are strong against axes.[5][6][8][9] Villages found during map battles will be attacked; if defended by the player, non-player characters within the village will give hints about future objectives or provide a reward. A map is cleared when the boss is defeated and Roy seizes the boss's location.[5] If characters fall in battle, they are subjected to permanent death, removing them from the rest of the game. If Roy dies, the game ends and the map must be restarted.[5][8]

Each unit has their own character class, with that class determining a unit's range of movement, weapon, and strengths and weaknesses. Classes range from on-foot units like swordsmen and knights, mounted units such as the series' recurring Pegasus Knights, and magic-wielding units such as Mages. Each class also has its own battle animation. Upon performing an action in battle, characters are awarded experience points (EXP). Upon gathering enough EXP, the character levels up, and their statistics such as defense and maximum hit points are raised randomly. Using special items, a unit can be promoted into an Advanced Class, changing their class and increasing their statistics.[5][6] A Support system exists where characters who remain next to each other for a number of turns talk to each other, gaining Support Points and earning stat boosts. A limit is placed on the number of Support Points that can be earned when completing a single map.[8][9]

Synopsis

The Binding Blade is set on the continent of Elibe, a setting shared with its prequel Fire Emblem.[2] Elibe was engulfed a thousand years before in a conflict between humanity and dragons called the Scouring:[6] begun by humanity, the dragons were defeated and banished from the world. Victory was achieved using the eight Divine Weapons, which were subsequently scattered across Elibe. The story begins when King Zephiel, ruler of the kingdom of Bern, finishes the brutal conquest of Ilia and Sacae and sets his sights on Lycia. In a small region called Pherae, Roy, the son of Pherae's ruling marquess Eliwood, is forced to return home when Bern begins its invasion. As Eliwood is unable to battle due to illness, Roy is assigned command of Lycia's army. Roy leads his forces to Ostia, another region of Lycia ruled by Eliwood's friend Hector and his daughter Lilina. He is unable to save Hector from death, but rescues Lilina from Bern's occupation and sees to the protection of Guinivere, Zephiel's sister who opposes his war and has fled Bern with its royal treasure, the Fire Emblem. They also discover a small cave on the outskirts of Ostia where they obtain a Divine Weapon Durandal. Over the course of the journey, Roy and the Lycian Army locate the other Divine Weapons.

The kingdom of Etruria contacts Roy and assigns his army to travel to the Western Isles, where heavy bandit activity is being reported. Though the Lycian Army repels the bandits, they discover from either a royal-in-hiding named Elffin or a dancer Larum that Etruria's nobility have allied with Bern and are enslaving the people on the Western Isles to work the mines. They also learn that Bern has recruited Manaketes, powerful dragons who hide their might in human forms. To learn more about them, the Lycian Army travels to Arcadia, a hidden city in the vast desert where humans and dragons live in peace, and gain stronger insight from the elders. A child Manakete named Fae also befriends Roy during his stay and tags along with him. Roy and his forces later returns to Etruria and removes the corrupt nobility, allowing the kingdom's rightful rulers to restore order and the Lycian Army to merge with Etruria's.

Depending on the player's actions[lower-alpha 3], the newly reformed Etrurian Army then continues through either the snowy tundras of Ilia and its many mercenary groups on Bern's contract, or through the plains of Sacae where nomad tribes have allied with Bern. Both paths ultimately take the Etrurian Army to Bern's borders, where Roy discovers a shrine housing the Binding Blade, a powerful weapon that rules over the other eight Divine Weapons. Combined with the Fire Emblem, Roy is granted its incredible power and wields the Binding Blade in the final assault on Bern's capital. Before beginning his march into Bern, Roy beseeches Guinevere to tell him the reason why Zephiel started this war. Guinevere reveals that Zephiel's and her father, King Desmond, was envious of Zephiel's natural ability and charisma. She tells Roy that King Desmond, under the guise of a reconciliatory gesture, poisoned Zephiel's chalice. Zephiel was nursed back to health by his guard, General Murdock, and faked his own death.

When King Desmond stood over Zephiel's open casket during his funeral, Zephiel sprang up, and impaled King Desmond with a sword he had concealed in his coffin. Guinevere tells Roy that King Desmond's betrayal caused her brother to become bitter, and lead to his decision to resurrect the dragons in order to return the world to them.

Zephiel is eventually killed by the Etrurian Army and his Divine Weapon is taken from him. If the player has not collected the eight Divine Weapons, the game ends prematurely at this point. If the player has collected them and they are unbroken, Roy learns that Zephiel ordered his remaining forces to gather elsewhere in Elibe and continue his plans. The Divine Weapons suddenly emit a light that leads the Etrurian Army to this location: an ancient temple that had long ago been built by the dragons.

Once inside, Roy is shown the true history of the Scouring. The dragons, despite their power, were unable to maintain their numbers due to how slowly they reproduced compared to humans. As the war came to a close, the surviving Fire Dragons captured a Divine Dragon named Idunn and sealed away her soul. Enslaved to their will, Idunn reproduced dragons at an incredible rate and became known as the Demon Dragon, but she was defeated by a warrior wielding the Binding Blade. Her power was locked away until Zephiel, blinded by a deep misanthropy towards humanity, released her out of his insane desire to return Elibe to the dragons. As she has no emotion or free will, Idunn continues to follow Zephiel's orders even after his death and threatens to raise a dragon army that will destroy everything on the continent. On the topmost floor of the temple, the Etrurian Army battles and defeats Idunn and her endlessly spawning dragons. In the war's wake, Elibe begins to rebuild itself. Guinivere is named the new ruler of Bern, while Elffin returns to Etruria after his long absence. Roy and Lilina, assuming the latter is still alive, become the new marquesses of Pherae and Ostia respectively. If Roy delivered the final blow on Idunn with the Binding Blade and if Fae is still alive, Idunn survives and is taken to Arcadia to live with Fae while her soul slowly returns to her.

Development

The Binding Blade was developed by Intelligent Systems. It was directed by Tōru Narihiro, and produced by Takehiro Izushi. The designer was Masayuki Horikawa, while programming was handled by Takafumi Kaneko.[10][11] The scenario was written by Masayuki Horikawa and series newcomer Kouhei Maeda.[11][12] The character designs were handled by Eiji Kaneda.[13] The music was composed by Yuka Tsujiyoko, who had worked on every title in the series up to that point.[14] The Binding Blade began development as Fire Emblem: Maiden of Darkness, a Fire Emblem title intended for the Nintendo 64 and its peripheral 64DD. This version was revealed in 1997 by Shigeru Miyamoto under the working title Fire Emblem 64.[15][16] When they were well into the development of Maiden of Darkness, the internal development structure at Intelligent Systems was changed, which combined with the poor sales of the 64DD resulted in the game's development being restarted in 2000 for the Game Boy Advance (GBA).[15][17][18] Very little of the original Nintendo 64 game concept survived the transition. Aside from the characters Roy and Karel, most of the original game's characters were scrapped.[15] The subtitle Maiden of Darkness remained in use as a working title up until 2001, when it became The Binding Blade.[14] Production on the final version of The Binding Blade took approximately one year.[10]

The game was the first title in the Fire Emblem series on a portable console. While development of a handheld Fire Emblem title had been considered for earlier games, the team felt available hardware lacked the expression to realize their vision. The GBA offered technical capacities superior to the Super Famicom, the release platform of the last Fire Emblem title Thracia 776, while also offering portability, making it more appealing to players. The platform was also chosen due to estimated development time and budget considerations. Developing for the new hardware proved challenging in some respects, and easy in others such as creating basic software.[19] During development, two different versions were developed while the team were getting used to the new hardware. One of the main issues they faced was the limited resolution and screen size of the GBA. The game's combat animations were intended to evoke scenes from high fantasy, such as Record of Lodoss War and Slayers, contrasting with the equivalent styles of fantasy fighting in Japanese stories.[10]

Compared to earlier titles in the series, the story for The Binding Blade was made deliberately simple, with clear heroes and villains, and an obvious objective for the player to complete.[10] It was the first time the Fire Emblem series employed a branching narrative, with different characters opening up different story routes.[20] The titular "Fire Emblem" is represented as a family crest.[21] The character of Roy was designed to appeal to younger players, and was also given a strong character in contrast to earlier recent titles. He was also made to be a free-spirited and emphatic character so he appealed to as wide an audience as possible.[22] Also in contrast to earlier entries, particularly the notoriously difficult Thracia 776, the difficulty of The Binding Blade was intentionally lowered: the game was initially planned with three difficulties, with the final "Normal" mode being intended as "Easy" mode. Another new element included was counters for elements such as turn numbers.[14][20]

Release

The Binding Blade was officially announced at Space World 2000 under its original title Maiden of Darkness, as one of the early titles for the GBA.[15][23] According to later comments from the staff, the game's official title was already under consideration at the time.[14] The game was announced under its official title at the 2001 Space World event.[24] To promote the game in Japan, a live action television commercial was created: standard 30 second versions mixed gameplay footage with the live action sequence, while the 40 second director's cut featured the full commercial without gameplay. The latter version was only available through the game's official website. The commercial was based upon the operatic commercial created for the first Fire Emblem title Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light.[25][26] The game released in Japan on March 29, 2002.[3] The game's Japanese title, Fūin no Tsurugi,[17] has been alternately translated as The Binding Blade[27][28][29] and The Sword of Seals.[1][2] The Binding Blade became the more common modern translation,[27][28][29] and in 2017 it was used by Nintendo when detailing Roy's series origins for his character profile on the website for Fire Emblem Heroes.[30] The game was later re-released in Japan on Virtual Console for Wii U on September 2, 2015,[31] and on the Nintendo Classics service on June 23, 2023.[32]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Famitsu36/40[33]
RPGamer3.5/5[8]

During its debut week in Japan, The Binding Blade reached #4 in the sales charts, with over 101,000 units.[34] It was still in the charts in May, having dropped to #17 and reached total sales of over 220,000 units.[35] By the end of 2002 the game sold over 345,000 units, ranking at #29 in the 300 best-selling video games of the year.[36]

Famitsu was positive about the game. One reviewer noted the slight alterations to the series formula with the shift onto the GBA, but said that it was still unmistakably a Fire Emblem title. A second reviewer praised the game's pacing and the eased difficulty of missions allowed by the "rescue" function. A third reviewer praised the drop in difficulty from Thracia 776 despite preserving some challenge, and positively noted the fast reactions of the game AI, enabling a low-stress experience for players.[33]

RPGFan's Woojin Lee praised the game's animation as some of the best on the system, positively noted the added features when compared to earlier entries in the series, and actively praised the game's ability to attach players to characters and the resultant impact when those characters were felled in battle. In concluding his review, he said: "While I'm not sure if the average American gamer is up to the challenge that playing an unforgiving game like [The Binding Blade], I think everyone who tries the game will be pleasantly surprised by how deep and engrossing it is".[8]

Mike Moehnke of RPGamer, writing a retrospective review for the site, praised the game's tactical gameplay and the difficulty being noticeable without being overwhelming. He also positively noted the links to its 2003 prequel Rekka no Ken. His main criticisms of the title were intuitive item management between battles, an underdeveloped and restrictive Support system, and the fact that Roy was a very weak character for the majority of the game. He also negatively noted its continued exclusivity to Japan, although he noted that fan translations were readily available. He concluded by saying that The Binding Blade was "not the best game in the series, but neither [was] it the worst".[7]

Legacy

The Binding Blade would have a profound effect upon subsequent entries in the series. Main protagonist Roy, together with Marth from Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light and its sequels, was included in Super Smash Bros. Melee for the GameCube: the characters were not removed for the Western release, giving audiences their first wider look at the Fire Emblem series through the characters.[1][15][17] Combined with the positive reception and sales of Advance Wars, which altered Nintendo's view that tactical role-playing games would be unsuccessful in the West, this resulted in the next Fire Emblem title being localized.[17][37] This game, titled Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken in Japan and released in the West as Fire Emblem, is a prequel to The Binding Blade set twenty years prior and following Roy's father Eliwood.[17][38] While Nintendo of America was willing to localize The Binding Blade, the workload of localizing Software:Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones meant that the idea needed to be scrapped, leaving The Binding Blade exclusive to Japan.[39] All subsequent Fire Emblem titles to date, except Software:Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem for the Nintendo DS in 2010, have been released overseas.[1]

Notes

  1. Known in Japan as Fire Emblem: Fūin no Tsurugi (Japanese: ファイアーエムブレム封印の剣, Hepburn: Faiā Emuburemu: Fūin no Tsurugi; alternatively translated as The Sword of Seals[1][2])
  2. Sources disagree on the exact numbering: it is variously called the 6th[3] and 7th[4] entry in the series.
  3. After Chapter 16 or 16x, the game checks the experience of the player's units; if Shannaシャニー (Thany) and Theaティト (Thite) have gained more experience than Sueスー (Sue) and Sinシン (Sin), then the player will take the Ilian route; otherwise, the player will take the Sacae route.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Brown, Mark (April 18, 2013). "Pocket Primer: A complete history of Fire Emblem". Pocket Gamer. http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/3DS/Fire+Emblem%3A+Awakening/feature.asp?c=50134. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 (in ja). Shueisha. 2004. ISBN 4-08-782076-9. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Fire Emblem World. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/fe/series/index.html. 
  4. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Nintendo. 2010. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/interview/vi2j/vol1/index.html. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade Official Website. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/afej/what/index.html. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Schneider, Peer (April 11, 2002). "Hands-on: Fire Emblem: The Sword of the Seal". http://ign.com/articles/2002/04/11/hands-on-fire-emblem-the-sword-of-the-seal. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lee, Woojin (June 12, 2002). "Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi Review". RPGFan. http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/fireemblemtss/Fire_Emblem.html. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Moehnke, Mike (January 23, 2012). "Fire Emblem: The Sealed Sword - Staff Retroview". RPGamer. https://www.rpgamer.com/games/fe/fe6/reviews/fe6strev1.html. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 (in ja). Nintendo. March 29, 2002. 
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Hobonichi. April 5, 2002. http://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin25/nin25_4.htm. 
  11. 11.0 11.1 Intelligent Systems (March 29, 2002). Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade. Game Boy Advance. Nintendo. Scene: Credits. 
  12. 8-4 Inc.. "Fire Emblem Awakening Developer Interview". Fire Emblem Official Website. http://fireemblem.nintendo.com/developer-interview/. 
  13. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". Dengeki Online. http://kouryaku.dengeki.com/emblem/. 
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade Official Website. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/afej/q_and_a/page01.html. 
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 (in ja). Tokuma Shoten. November 28, 2015. ISBN 978-4-19-864056-9. 
  16. "Miyamoto Reveals Secrets: Fire Emblem, Mario Paint 64". July 30, 1997. http://uk.ign.com/articles/1997/07/30/miyamoto-reveals-secrets-fire-emblem-mario-paint-64. 
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 East, Thomas (April 13, 2013). "Fire Emblem through the ages". Official Nintendo Magazine. http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/48555/features/fire-emblem-through-the-ages/. Retrieved July 17, 2015. 
  18. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". Gameiroiro. September 24, 2000. http://www.gameiroiro.com/2000/000924-6.htm. 
  19. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Hobonichi. March 22, 2002. http://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin25/nin25_2.htm. 
  20. 20.0 20.1 (in ja). Enix. 2002. ISBN 4-7575-0731-3. 
  21. "World Guide" (in ja). Shogakukan. June 30, 2010. ISBN 978-4-09-106467-7. 
  22. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Hobonichi. April 19, 2002. http://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin25/nin25_6.htm. 
  23. Bilyk, Andrew P. (2000). "Spaceworld 2000: Game Boy Advance Unveiled". RPGamer. http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q3-2000/082500b.html. 
  24. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Famitsu. July 27, 2001. http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/2001/07/27/n06b.html. 
  25. Harris, Craig (March 15, 2002). "Fire Emblem Hits Japan Airwaves". http://uk.ign.com/articles/2002/03/15/fire-emblem-hits-japan-airwaves. 
  26. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Hobonichi. March 16, 2002. http://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin25/nin25_1.htm. 
  27. 27.0 27.1 Lada, Jenni (April 17, 2015). "Important Importables: Fire Emblem's Roy is our boy". Technology Tell. http://www.technologytell.com/gaming/145792/fire-emblem-important-importables-you-should-care-about-fire-emblems-roy/. 
  28. 28.0 28.1 Corriea, Alexa Ray (November 7, 2013). "Fire Emblem hero Marth confirmed for next Super Smash Bros.". http://www.polygon.com/2013/11/7/5076694/fire-emblem-hero-marth-confirmed-for-next-super-smash-bros. 
  29. 29.0 29.1 Bryan Dawson (2008). Prima Games: Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Strategy Guides. Random House, Inc.. ISBN 978-0-7615-5644-2. 
  30. "Fire Emblem Heroes". Nintendo. January 18, 2017. https://fire-emblem-heroes.com/en/. 
  31. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Nintendo. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/titles/20010000015227. 
  32. "ゲームボーイアドバンス Nintendo Switch Online ダウンロード版" (in ja). Nintendo. https://store-jp.nintendo.com/list/software/70010000062481.html. 
  33. 33.0 33.1 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Famitsu. http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=1734. 
  34. "Newest sales data from Japan". RPGFan. April 5, 2002. http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2002/1306.html. 
  35. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Dengeki Online. http://www.dengekionline.com/soft/ranking/ranking.htm. 
  36. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Geimin.net. http://geimin.net/da/db/2002_ne_fa/index.php. 
  37. "The Making Of: Advance Wars". Edge: 2. April 26, 2010. http://www.edge-online.com/features/making-advance-wars. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  38. East, Thomas (May 30, 2013). "The making of Fire Emblem Awakening". Official Nintendo Magazine. http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/50069/features/the-making-of-fire-emblem-awakening/. Retrieved March 7, 2016. 
  39. Bailey, Kat (March 4, 2009). "Talking with Treehouse Part 1 - We're All in the Same Boat". http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8982710. 
Short description: Tactical role-playing video game franchise published by Nintendo

Fire Emblem
Logo since 2013
Genre(s)Tactical role-playing
Developer(s)Intelligent Systems
Koei Tecmo (2019)
Atlus
Omega Force
Team Ninja
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Creator(s)Shouzou Kaga
Composer(s)Yuka Tsujiyoko
Platform(s)
First releaseFire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
April 20, 1990
Latest releaseFire Emblem Shadows
September 25, 2025
Spin-offs

Script error: The function "nihongo_foot" does not exist. is a Japanese fantasy tactical role-playing video game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. First produced and published for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990, the series currently consists of seventeen core entries and five spinoffs.

The core gameplay revolves around discrete battles between the player's team of characters and enemy non-player characters across grid-based maps. The player and enemy each take turns moving their characters across the map and having them perform combat-based actions. The games also feature a story and characters similar to traditional role-playing video games, and occasionally social simulation aspects as well. A notable aspect of gameplay is the permanent death of characters in battle, rendering them unusable upon being defeated, although this aspect of the game can be turned off starting from Software:Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem onwards.

The series' title refers to the "Fire Emblem", a recurring element usually portrayed as a royal weapon or shield representing the power of war and dragons. The development of the first game began as a dōjin project by Shouzou Kaga and three other developers, and its success prompted the development of further games in the series. Kaga headed the development of each entry until the release of Thracia 776, when he left Intelligent Systems. He went on to found his own game studio, Tirnanog, who developed Tear Ring Saga.

The series debuted in the West with the seventh game The Blazing Blade in 2003, under the title Fire Emblem. According to the game's director, this was because of the international success of the similarly turn-based Advance Wars.[1] The inclusion of Marth and Roy in the 2001 fighting game Super Smash Bros. Melee as playable characters is also cited as a reason for the series' international release. Many games in the series sold well, although sales suffered a decline during the late 2000s. This downturn resulted in the series' near-cancellation until the critical and commercial successes of Fire Emblem Awakening (2012) and Software:Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019).

The series has been lauded for its gameplay and is frequently cited as the seminal series in the tactical role-playing genre, codifying various gameplay elements that would come to define the genre. Characters from across the series have been included in crossovers with other video game franchises, including the Super Smash Bros. series.

Common elements

Gameplay

Fire Emblem's developers have described it as an "RPG simulation" that combines tactical simulation gameplay with the plot and character development of a role-playing game, creating a sense of connection with characters not present in previous tactical games.[2] Battles in the Fire Emblem series take place on a grid-based map, with the player controlling a set number of characters across maps tied to the game's story and optional side stories. Each character has a specific character class which gives them set abilities and affects how far they can move across the field; some classes have innate skills unique to them. Depending on the installment, a character's class can be changed or upgraded, sometimes by using special items. During a battle, a character gains experience points by performing actions, such as attacking an enemy, healing an ally, or slaying a foe, which typically offers the most experience points. Each character has their own stats, and once a certain level is reached they level up and new skill points are awarded randomly to their attributes, such as health, agility, or strength. A character gains more experience the more they are used in battle.[3][4][5][6]

A key element present in combat since Genealogy of the Holy War is the Weapon Triangle, a system governing the strengths and weaknesses that certain weapons and types of magic have against each other in a rock–paper–scissors fashion. For weapons, lances have an advantage against swords, swords have an advantage against axes, and axes have an advantage against lances. In the magic system, fire is stronger than wind, wind is stronger than thunder, and thunder is stronger than fire.[7][3][4] From The Binding Blade through Radiant Dawn, these three elements are collectively known as anima magic. Anima is stronger than light, light is stronger than darkness, and darkness is stronger than anima. In Fates, the Weapon Triangle relationships add other weapons: swords and tomes are stronger than axes and bows, axes and bows are stronger than lances and shurikens, and lances and shurikens are stronger than swords and tomes.[8] Most games use a Weapon Durability system: after being used a certain number of times, a character's weapon will break. Different installments have various systems related to weapons: in Genealogy of the Holy War, weapons can be repaired at special shops; in Path of Radiance and future games, weapons can be bought and upgraded. Fates replaces the durability system with a system where more powerful weapons weaken some of their wielder's stats.[4][9]

Character relationships can be developed through support affinity both inside and outside of battle, which increases certain battle abilities.[3][10][11] A feature introduced in Genealogy of the Holy War and used in later installments is that characters who fall in love can have a child who inherits certain skills and stats from them.[7][3] One of the recurring features in the series is permanent death, in which units defeated in battle are permanently removed from the party, with very few exceptions, one being the main character, whose death results in a Game Over instead. Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem introduced Casual Mode, in which dead characters are revived at the end of a battle. Fates added Phoenix Mode, in which defeated characters are revived on the player's next turn. Another inclusion from Fates is 'My Castle', a customizable castle serving as the player's base of operations throughout the game.[3][9][12]

Story and themes

The Fire Emblem games take place across unrelated settings within a medieval or Renaissance-themed time period. The main protagonist, who is usually either royalty or a mercenary, is caught in the conflict of two or more countries across a continent and fighting for their cause.[13][14][15][16] The continents of Archanea and Valentia are the settings of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, Gaiden, Mystery of the Emblem, and Awakening, and were the planned setting for Fire Emblem 64.[7][17][18] Genealogy of the Holy War and Thracia 776 are set in Jugdral, which is distantly connected with Archanea and Valentia, while The Blazing Blade and The Binding Blade take place in Elibe. The Sacred Stones is set in Magvel, and Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn are set on the continent Tellius.[7] Fates is set on an unnamed continent, with the story instead focusing on the two powers fighting over its territory.[19][20] Three Houses takes place on the continent of Fódlan.[16] Engage is set in the continent of Elyos.

A recurring element in the series is the titular artifact known as the "Fire Emblem". In Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light and other games set in Archanea, it is a shield inset with five magical gems named after its connection to dragons and weapons of war, being the "emblem of flame".[21][20] It also appears as a family crest in Genealogy of the Holy War, a family seal in The Binding Blade, a magic gemstone in The Sacred Stones, a bronze medallion holding a goddess of chaos in Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, a sword in Fates, and hereditary magical sigils in Three Houses.[22][16][20] Other magical elements, including feuding gods and mystical species such as dragons and shapeshifters, are also recurring elements in the series.[7]

Development and history

The first Fire Emblem game, Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, was originally never intended as a commercial game, defined by creator Shouzou Kaga as a dōjin project with three other job-holding students. However, the game's unexpected commercial success prompted the development of more games in the series.[23] The game was developed at Intelligent Systems, whose previous notable game was the strategy game Famicom Wars.[7] Kaga worked on the Fire Emblem series until Thracia 776, when he left Intelligent Systems and began development on Tear Ring Saga for the PlayStation.[24] After Thracia 776, the Fire Emblem series had several releases on portable devices. In 2001, Marth and Roy, from Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light and The Binding Blade respectively, appeared as playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Melee. This, alongside the international success of Advance Wars,[1] is cited as what led to Nintendo localizing The Blazing Blade for Western regions under the title Fire Emblem. Due to its success overseas, it was decided to return the series to home consoles for Path of Radiance for the GameCube. Despite it arriving late in the GameCube's life cycle, it provided a late boost to sales, reaffirming Nintendo's faith in the series.[7][25] By 2010, the series was suffering from declining sales and Nintendo told Intelligent Systems that if their next Fire Emblem failed to sell above 250,000 units, the series would be canceled. This prompted Intelligent Systems to include many features new to the series in Awakening, with the intention of making it the culmination of the entire series up to that point.[26][27] The game's reception and sales ended up saving the series from cancellation, convincing Nintendo to continue production.[28]

The series' original music was composed by Yuka Tsujiyoko. As the only music composer at Intelligent Systems when Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light was in production, she acted as both composer and sound director, up until Thracia 776, when she left the company to become a freelancer after completing the score for Paper Mario.[24] She has worked on later Fire Emblem games, alongside other composers including Saki Kasuga, Hiroki Morishita, and Rei Kondoh.[29][30] The series includes several other notable staff members: Tohru Narihiro, who was involved in every Fire Emblem since the original; Masahiro Higuchi, who began as a graphics designer for Genealogy of the Holy War; and Kouhei Maeda, who wrote the scenarios for every game since The Blazing Blade and became a director for Awakening.[26][25]

Multiple artists are associated with the series. The characters of Mystery of the Emblem and Genealogy of the Holy War were designed by Katsuyoshi Koya, who later worked on designs for the Fire Emblem Trading Card Game. Katsuyoshi, who was unsatisfied with his work on the series, stepped down for Thracia 776. The designer for Thracia 776 was Mayumi Hirota, whose brief tenure with the series ended when she left Intelligent Systems with Kaga after the game's completion. Nevertheless, her art for the series was described by Kaga as his favorite up to that point.[31][32] Other artists involved in later games are Eiji Kaneda (The Binding Blade), Sachiko Wada (The Sacred Stones) and Senri Kita (Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn).[33] For Shadow Dragon, the character artwork was remade by Ghost in the Shell artist Masamune Shirow.[34] The in-game portraits were instead designed by longtime contributor Daisuke Izuka, who returned as character designer for the remake of Mystery of the Emblem.[33] For Awakening, art director Toshiyuki Kusakihara worked with character designer Yūsuke Kozaki, who was brought in to give a new look to the series.[26][35] Kozaki later returned as character designer for Fates and Heroes.[28] For Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, illustrator Hidari was hired to revise classic Gaiden designs in addition to creating new ones.[36] To depict a "glamorous, aristocratic society" in Three Houses, Intelligent Systems contracted character designer Chinatsu Kurahana, best known for her work on otome games such as Uta no Prince-sama,[37] while freelance artist Kazuma Koda provided the concept art.[38] Kurahana returned to design protagonist Shez, Arval, and the house leaders in its spin-off, Warriors: Three Hopes, with Kusakihara filling in for the rest of the cast.[39]

Games

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There are currently seventeen games in the core Fire Emblem series, of which fourteen have been original games and three have been remakes.[40][28]

Main series

The first entry in the series, Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, was released in 1990 for the Japanese Famicom. A second game for the Famicom, Fire Emblem Gaiden, was released in 1992. It is known for having unusual mechanics compared to the rest of the series, such as dungeon exploration. It takes place in a similar timeframe as Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, but on a different continent. In 1994, Mystery of the Emblem was released for the Super Famicom, containing both a remake of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light and a sequel of the first game. Two more games were released for the Super Famicom in 1996 and 1999 respectively: Genealogy of the Holy War and Thracia 776.[41][7]

The next entry released was The Binding Blade in 2002 for the Game Boy Advance.[7][42] A prequel to The Binding Blade, The Blazing Blade, was released for the Game Boy Advance the following year.[41] It was released overseas under the title Fire Emblem in 2003 in North America and 2004 in Europe, becoming the first official release of the Fire Emblem series in these regions.[43][44] This is due in part to the inclusion of Marth and Roy in Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Gamecube in 2001, and the earlier release (and success) of Advance Wars in the West,[45] prompting Intelligent Systems and Nintendo to finally release Fire Emblem in the West. The final entry for the Game Boy Advance, The Sacred Stones, was released in 2004 in Japan, and in 2005 in North America and Europe.[41][7][46]

The ninth installment in the series, Path of Radiance, was released worldwide on the GameCube in 2005. It was the first Fire Emblem game to feature 3D graphics, voice acting, and full-motion animated cutscenes.[41][7][47][48] A direct sequel to Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn was released for the Wii in 2007 in Japan and North America, and 2008 in Europe.[41][49][50]

In 2008, the series returned to handheld systems with two releases for the Nintendo DS. Software:Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, an expanded remake of the first game, was released in 2008 in Japan and Europe, and 2009 in North America. Shadow Dragon makes use of unique DS features unavailable to the Famicom and introduced new characters, added additional story elements, revamped mechanics, and modernized graphics.[51][52][53] A Japanese-only entry, New Mystery of the Emblem, was released in 2010 for the DS as an expanded remake of Mystery of the Emblem.[54][55][26]

The series moved to the Nintendo 3DS with Fire Emblem Awakening, the thirteenth game in the series, released in 2012 in Japan and 2013 in North America and Europe.[56][57][58] Awakening was a major critical and commercial success, and is credited for revitalizing the franchise.[59] The second entry for the Nintendo 3DS, Fates, was released in June 2015 in Japan, February 2016 in North America, and in May 2016 for Europe and Australia. Fates comes in three versions: two physical versions titled Birthright and Conquest, and a third route titled Revelation released as downloadable content.[60][61] Fates was later re-released as a special version with all three versions included. A third entry, Software:Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, was released on the Nintendo 3DS in April 2017 in Japan and in North America and Europe the following month.[62][63][64] Echoes is an enhanced remake of Gaiden, maintaining many of the unique features of Gaiden while revamping the graphics and script, and adding several ease-of-play improvements.

A Fire Emblem game was announced for the Nintendo Switch during a Fire Emblem focused Nintendo Direct in January 2017.[65] The game was officially revealed as Software:Fire Emblem: Three Houses during the Nintendo Direct presentation at E3 2018, and was released in July 2019.[66] Fire Emblem Engage, a second entry for Nintendo Switch, was announced during a September 2022 Nintendo Direct and released in January 2023.[67] Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, an entry for the Nintendo Switch 2, was announced in September 2025 and is scheduled to be released in 2026.[68]

Spin-offs and cameos

In 1997, an episodic prequel to Mystery of the Emblem titled BS Fire Emblem: Archanea Senki-hen was released through Satellaview.[69] The events of Archanea Senki were included in the remake of Mystery of the Emblem.[70] BS Fire Emblem is considered an official part of the series by some developers, but not generally by fans.[35] A crossover with the Shin Megami Tensei series, Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE, was released in December 2015 in Japan and worldwide in June 2016 for the Wii U.[71] Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE was developed by Atlus rather than Intelligent Systems and combines gameplay, narrative, and aesthetic elements from both the Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei series. On January 17, 2020, an enhanced version titled Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore was released on Nintendo Switch.[72] Fire Emblem Heroes is a spin-off gacha game for Android and iOS, and was released in February 2017 for mobile devices.[73] Heroes is a crossover of characters from across the Fire Emblem series, rather than with another series, and also introduced original characters not seen in any other Fire Emblem game. A crossover with the Dynasty Warriors series, Fire Emblem Warriors, was released for the New Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch in 2017.[74] It was developed by Omega Force and Team Ninja. A second Warriors game, based on Three Houses, and titled Software:Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes was announced in a Nintendo Direct on February 9, 2022 and released on June 24, 2022.[75] Fire Emblem Shadows, the second mobile game in the series was announced and released on September 25, 2025 as a social deduction strategy game.[76]

Characters from the Fire Emblem series have appeared in a number of other games as cameos or as part of crossovers. This includes multiple entries in the Super Smash Bros. series, beginning with protagonists Marth and Roy in Super Smash Bros. Melee.[7][77] Characters from the series also appeared in Intelligent Systems' strategy game Software:Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. as optional characters unlocked via amiibo.[78]

Cancelled games

A Fire Emblem game was initially in development for the Nintendo 64 and its peripheral 64DD. Originally codenamed Fire Emblem 64, it was first revealed by Shigeru Miyamoto in 1997.[79] Ultimately, due to poor sales for the 64DD and internal structural changes at Intelligent Systems, Fire Emblem 64 was cancelled in 2000 and development shifted to what would become Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade.[80][7][81] Work done for Fire Emblem 64 was incorporated into The Binding Blade.[80][42]

An additional RTS-based game for the Wii was planned and would have been released after Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, but after trial and error and an unfocused development schedule, the project was cancelled.[82] Intelligent Systems never planned a Fire Emblem game for the Wii U. Nintendo producer Hitoshi Yamagami said such a game would need to sell 700,000 copies to be profitable.[83] A rumored Fire Emblem remake for the Nintendo 3DS had been in development following the success of Echoes. According to the reports, it was one of many video games that had been in development for the platform late in its life but were ultimately scrapped, with many speculating those projects could be moved to the Nintendo Switch.[84]

Reception

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Sales in Japan were the highest with Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light but progressively declined with future games, which sold 329,087; 324,699; 776,338; 498,216 and 106,108 copies respectively. As of 2002, total sales had reached over two million copies.[85] Awakening topped the total sales of both Radiant Dawn and the Mystery of the Emblem remake in its first week. It went on to sell 2.35 million copies worldwide and become the best-selling Fire Emblem game in Western territories at the time.[86][87]

In 2007, a Japanese public poll named Mystery of the Emblem as one of the country's All Time Top 100 video games.[88] Speaking to USGamer, Massive Chalice creator Brad Muir commented on how Fire Emblem had influenced the game, referring to it as "[a] venerable strategy series", making positive reference to its gameplay and character relationships.[89] In her review of Awakening, IGN's Audrey Drake said that "Far too few people have played the Fire Emblem series", calling it "[a] darling of the hardcore strategy RPG crowd - and one of the shining gems of the genre".[90][42]

Several journalistic sites have cited its low notoriety in the west as an effect of Nintendo's sporadic localization efforts, along with its place in a niche game genre. At the same time, they have praised the series' gameplay, regularly noting its high difficulty and relationship mechanics.[13][14][6][91] The series has been cited as an inspiration for later tactical role-playing games, with Gamasutra naming Software:Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, Final Fantasy Tactics and the Disgaea series as being influenced by its design.[6][92] In 2014, Destructoid writer Chris Carter praised the series' mechanics, and at the same time chose Mystery of the Emblem, Path of Radiance, and Awakening in his list of the five best games in the series.[13] Awakening is generally cited as having brought the series more publicity and player attention outside of Japan.[13][92]

Legacy

Tear Ring Saga lawsuit

After Kaga left Intelligent Systems, he founded a studio called Tirnanog and began development on a game titled Emblem Saga, a strategy role-playing game for the PlayStation. The game bore multiple similarities to the Fire Emblem series, and Nintendo filed a lawsuit against Tirnanog for copyright infringement. The first suit failed, and the court ruled in Tirnanog's favor. Nintendo filed a second lawsuit, and this time was awarded a cash settlement of ¥76 million. Nevertheless, Tirnanog and publisher Enterbrain were still allowed to publish the entry, though they changed its name to "Tear Ring Saga", and eventually developed a sequel. Nintendo attempted taking a third lawsuit to the Japanese Supreme Court in 2005, but the second ruling was upheld.[93][94][95][96]

In other media

A short, two episode original video animation series based on Mystery of the Emblem [97] released in 1996. These anime episodes were released in North America in 1998,[98] five years before The Blazing Blade was localized, making them the first official Fire Emblem media to be released in the region.[99] Nintendo produced Amiibo figures of several Fire Emblem characters; they are compatible with Fates, Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Three Houses, Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[100][101][102][103] Manga based on the games have also been produced, including The Binding Blade, Awakening, and Engage.[104][105][106] Two trading card games have been made with the Fire Emblem franchise: Fire Emblem: Trading Card Game, which was released from 2001–2006, and Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher), which was released in 2015 and was discontinued in late 2020 with the twenty second expansion pack being the last one.[105][33][31]

See also

  • Wars series, a modern military strategy series also developed by Intelligent Systems
  • List of Japanese role-playing game franchises

Notes

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