Software:Fire Emblem (video game)

From HandWiki
Fire Emblem
North American cover art featuring the three main protagonists
Developer(s)Intelligent Systems
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)
  • Taeko Kaneda
  • Kentarou Nishimura
Producer(s)
  • Toru Narihiro
  • Takehiro Izushi
Programmer(s)Makoto Katayama
Artist(s)
  • Sachiko Wada
  • Ryo Hirata
  • Daisuke Izuka
  • Eiji Kaneda (uncredited)
Writer(s)
  • Ken Yokoyama
  • Kouhei Maeda
Composer(s)
  • Yuka Tsujiyoko
  • Saki Haruyama
SeriesFire Emblem
Platform(s)Game Boy Advance
Release
  • JP: April 25, 2003
  • NA: November 3, 2003
  • AU: February 20, 2004
  • EU: July 16, 2004
Genre(s)Tactical role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Fire Emblem,[lower-alpha 1] also officially known as Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance handheld video game console. It is the seventh entry in the Fire Emblem series,[lower-alpha 2] the second to be released for the platform after Fire Emblem, and the first to be localized for Western audiences. It was released in Japan and North America in 2003, and in Europe and Australia in 2004.

The game is a prequel to The Binding Blade, set on the fictional continent of Elibe. It tells the story of Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector, three young lords who band together on a journey to find Eliwood's missing father Elbert while thwarting a larger conspiracy threatening the stability of Elibe. The gameplay, which draws from earlier Fire Emblem entries, features tactical combat between armies on a grid-based map. Characters are assigned different character classes that affect abilities and are subjected to permanent death if defeated in battle.

Development began in 2002 as a companion title to The Binding Blade, but development was prolonged from its initial seven-month window as new features were added. While the Fire Emblem series had remained exclusive to Japan due to concerns about its difficulty, the success of Advance Wars and popular demand following the inclusion of Fire Emblem characters in Super Smash Bros. Melee prompted the game's localization. The game was released to positive sales and international critical acclaim, establishing the Fire Emblem series in the West. Its overseas success fueled the development of Fire Emblem for the GameCube home console.

Gameplay

Two characters on the combat screen in Fire Emblem: a cavalier attacks an axeman. Displayed are the respective characters' names, health, and battle statistics (hit rate, damage, and critical rate from top to bottom).

Fire Emblem is a tactical role-playing game where players take the role of story protagonists Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector as they navigate story-driven missions across the fictional continent of Elibe. The player takes the role of an unseen tactician directing the player army.[6] The single-player campaign is divided into chapters which generally begin with story elements presented through the use of scenes animated with still images of the main characters, then followed by a battle with an enemy; after each battle, the player is given the opportunity to save their progress.[7] In-game currency is gained either through battles in the game's various Arenas or through other means, rather than from defeating units. Currency can be used to buy new items and weapons at merchants at specific locations within maps. Items can also be exchanged between units during battles.[6][8]

Battles in the story take place on maps divided into a square-based grid. Battle actions are governed by a turn-based system where each unit on both sides is given their chance to move and act.[6][7] During gameplay, weather and terrain effects appear such as fog of war or elements of the environment that can be manipulated to one side's advantage, affecting the progress of battle.[7][9] Units are split between player, enemy and allied non-player character (NPC) units. Each unit's movement range and attack range is displayed when selected. The player must clear a map to advance the story: the objectives for clearing a level can vary from defeating all enemies to capturing strongholds or rescuing NPCs. When engaging a unit, the scene transitions into a battle between the player and enemy unit, with battle animation playing out. When hit with an attack, a character loses health points (HP). For player characters, HP can be restored with items or by units with healing magic; it can also be regained by standing on forts, gates or castles, or using a special spell that replenishes health based on damage dealt to an enemy.[6][7]

Each unit is governed by a character class system, with their class affecting what weapons they can use. After each action in battle gains experience points (EXP). Upon reaching 100 EXP, a unit levels up and its statistics such as attack power and defense are randomly raised, while weapon ranks increase naturally when using their respective weapons. Upon reaching Level 10, and using a special item, a unit's class can be upgraded to a more powerful version with access to new items and weapons.[6][7][9] If a unit is defeated in battle, they are subject to permanent death, being removed from all future encounters and the overall storyline with a few exceptions for story-related characters. If characters crucial to the storyline like Lyn, Eliwood or Hector fall, the game ends and the player must restart the level.[7][10]

Weapon strengths and weaknesses are governed by the series' Weapons Triangle system; axes are strong against lances, lances strong against swords, and swords strong against axes. Bows are independent of the system, being effective against airborne units. A similar system, dubbed the Magic Trinity in-game, governs how different types of spells react; elemental magic is strong against light, light against dark and dark against elemental.[6][7] The strength of weapon types assigned to a particular unit is raised through usage, with its rank ranging from E to S, with S being the highest possible affinity with a promoted character. Characters also have a Support system, where talking in battle strengthens two characters' relationship, and consequently provides stat boosts. The higher the Support rank, which ranges from "C" to "A", the better the boost.[6]

Outside the main campaign, players can battle against the game's artificial intelligence (AI) in the Link Arena: after building a team, the player fights a battle against their own units controlled by the game AI. Fire Emblem also features a Link Arena multiplayer option in which up to four players can link up and do battle with teams of characters from the single-player save file. Players choose up to five characters and equip them like in the main story. During battle, each player takes turns to attack with one character. Weapons are selected automatically for each battle. Victory is determined either by surviving a period of time or aggregating the highest number of points.[6][9]

Synopsis

Several characters from the game; left to right, Eliwood, Sain, Dorcas, Lyn, Rebecca, Hector, and Serra

The events of Fire Emblem take place on the fictional continent of Elibe, twenty years before the events of Fire Emblem: in ancient times, humans and dragons coexisted, but humans turned against and banished the dragons in a conflict called "The Scouring". Throughout the game, the player travels through the countries of Sacae, a land of nomads; Lycia, an alliance of marquisates including Pherae and Ostia; and Bern, a militaristic kingdom.

The player adopts the perspective of a tactician who is found by a girl named Lyn. Lyn discovers that her deceased mother is the estranged daughter of the marquess of Caelin, Hausen, who seeks to reconcile with her and her family. She begins a journey to Caelin, but comes under attack from Hausen's avaricious younger brother Lundgren, who wants to kill both her and Hausen to take power in Caelin for himself. During her quest, Lyn protects a traveling bard named Nils from an assassin guild called the Black Fang, while his sister Ninian is rescued by Eliwood, son of Marquess Elbert of Pherae. Lyn defeats Lundgren and reunites with her grandfather.

One year later, Elbert disappears, prompting Eliwood and his friend Hector, younger brother of Marquess Uther of Ostia, to investigate. The pair discover that the Black Fang has incited Marquess Darin of Laus to rebel against Lycia, and Elbert was captured when he refused to cooperate. After rescuing Lyn from Darin's troops, the three pursue him to the Dread Isle. There, they reunite with Ninian and Nils and learn that the Black Fang is being manipulated by a sorcerer named Nergal; he seeks to provoke a full-scale war in Elibe, providing him with an enormous amount of "quintessence", or life-force from fallen warriors, and force the siblings to open the Dragon's Gate and summon dragons to Elibe. The party kills Darin, but Elbert dies delivering a grave wound to Nergal. The party returns to Ostia to report recent events to Uther, who directs them to the western desert of Nabatea. There, they meet Archsage Athos, who sends them to Bern to find the Shrine of Seals. In Bern, the heroes save Prince Zephiel from an assassination attempt orchestrated by his jealous father, King Desmond. Out of gratitude, the queen of Bern gives them directions to the Shrine of Seals. At the Shrine, the party meets the ancient hero Bramimond, who unseals the Blazing Blade Durandal and the Thunder Axe Armads so they can oppose Nergal. However, Nergal returns and captures Ninian. The heroes collect the legendary weapons, but Nergal tricks Eliwood into killing Ninian, who along with Nils is revealed to be a half-dragon. The group returns to Ostia, where Hector learns that Uther has died of an illness. The party and Athos return to the Dread Isle and defeat Nergal, who summons three dragons with the last of his strength. Bramimond arrives and resurrects Ninian, who banishes two of the dragons; the heroes slay the last dragon in battle.

In the aftermath, Athos expends all of his energy and predicts a future conflict originating in Bern before passing away. Nils and Ninian return through the Dragon's Gate and seal it. Eliwood becomes marquess of Pherae, Hector inherits his brother's title as marquess of Ostia, and Lyn abdicates her claim over Caelin and returns to Sacae. Fifteen years later, Eliwood and Hector reunite, introduce their respective children Roy and Lilina to each other, and discuss the recent assassination of Desmond. Meanwhile, the embittered Zephiel is confronted by a robed man who accuses him of awakening a demon dragon, leading into the events of Fire Emblem.

Development

Fire Emblem, known in Japan as Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken, was created by series developer Intelligent Systems. Toru Narihiro and Takehiro Izushi from Intelligent Systems acted as producers, Hitoshi Yamagami from Nintendo supervised with Taeko Kaneda and Kentarou Nishimura as directors.[11][12][13] The script was written by Ken Yokoyama and Kouhei Maeda.[13] Character designs were done by Sachiko Wada, who would reprise her role for Fire Emblem.[14] A second artist on the project was Ryo Hirata, who had previously done illustration work for Production I.G and would go on to work on The Sacred Stones.[15] Eiji Kaneda, who worked on The Binding Blade, did uncredited illustration work. Background graphics, particularly those for the Fire Dragons, were done by Daisuke Izuka.[13][16] Music was composed by Yuka Tsujiyoko, who had worked on every game since the series' inception, although Fire Emblem would be her last work on the series as a composer. She was helped by Saki Haruyama.[13][14]

Development of Fire Emblem began in 2002 after the release of The Binding Blade. Intended as a companion title built upon the foundation of The Binding Blade, development time was initially estimated at seven months.[17] The storyline was built around three main characters and their strengths in battle; the central character Eliwood was made fairly weak to fit the concept of an "easy" mode for new players, while the Lyn and Hector both provided steeper gameplay challenges and altered story segments.[11] As with The Binding Blade, the titular "Fire Emblem" was represented as a family crest.[18] The gameplay, initially identical to The Binding Blade, underwent multiple changes including expansions on the role of the player in the storyline through the unseen strategist character, and the added tutorial stages helped introduce the mechanics to new players.[11][12][17] It was also the first entry in the Fire Emblem series to introduce multiplayer functionality.[19] Due to the multiple extra features, development ultimately lasted over a year.[17] The tutorial was included because the game's steep difficulty was proving off-putting to new players; an inclusion made to make Fire Emblem a major series for Nintendo.[12]

Release

Fire Emblem was first announced in early 2003. It was the second title in the Fire Emblem series to have been developed for the Game Boy Advance while also being compatible with the newly released Game Boy Advance SP, an upgraded version of the GBA.[20][21] It was released on April 25, 2003.[22] Prior to 2017, the game's Japanese subtitle was translated as The Sword of Flame.[1][2] In 2017, the subtitle was officially translated by Nintendo as The Blazing Blade.[3] The game was later released on the Virtual Console for Wii U on May 14, 2014.[23]

Localization

The concept of localizing a Fire Emblem game in the West had been around for some time, but the combined elements of extensive use of text and a view that tactical RPGs would be met with low sales overseas had kept the series exclusive to Japan.[24][25][26] Another major factor was the appearance of Roy from The Binding Blade and Marth from the first Fire Emblem in the 2001 fighting game Super Smash Bros. Melee.[27] The director of Melee, Masahiro Sakurai, had wanted to include Marth since the original Super Smash Bros., and included him as part of a push for more sword-wielding characters. Gameplay-wise, Roy was included to act as a clone of Marth. There were difficulties including both Marth and Roy as the Fire Emblem series had not seen an overseas release at that point. Sakurai, with support from Nintendo of America, managed to keep Marth and Roy in the game.[14] The growing base of tactical role-playing games including Advance Wars, in addition to the interest garnered by the appearance of Roy and Marth in Melee, meant Nintendo was more willing to bring Fire Emblem overseas.[24][25][26] Speaking in a later interview, localization producer Tim O'Leary said that localizing the title was more difficult than its successor The Sacred Stones, but was smaller in scale than Fire Emblem.[28]

A Western release was first hinted at in mid-2003, when it was listed on a leaked release list from Nintendo of America.[29] It was first shown at the 2003 Electronic Entertainment Expo, along with a playable demo.[30] For its Western release, the subtitle was removed, with it simply being dubbed "Fire Emblem".[24] The game released in North America on November 3, 2003;[31] in Australia on February 20, 2004;[32] and in Europe on July 16.[33] It was later re-released on Virtual Console for Wii U on August 21, 2014 in Europe;[34] and in North America on December 4 of that year.[35]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic88/100 (31 reviews)[36]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Eurogamer9/10[7]
Famitsu34/40[37]
GamePro4.5/5[38]
GameSpot8.9/10[9]
GameSpyStarStarStarStar[8]
IGN9.5/10[10]
PALGN9/10[39]

Fire Emblem met with generally positive reviews from critics. On aggregate site Metacritic, Fire Emblem garnered a score of 88/100 based on 31 reviews. It was the 6th best-reviewed GBA title of 2003.[36]

Japanese magazine Famitsu praised the characters and felt it was a suitable addition to the Fire Emblem series,[37] while Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell cited the storyline as being similar to better examples within the Japanese role-playing genre and its near-seamless integration with gameplay mechanics.[7] GamePro reviewer Star Dingo called the narrative "a complex (but not convoluted) classic fantasy yarn",[38] while GameSpot's Bethany Massimilla called the story standard while praising the writing and character development.[9] Christian Nutt of GameSpy praised the writing as highly enjoyable for both the Japanese and Western releases,[8] and IGN's Craig Harris believed that the game was superior to Advance Wars through its portrayal of characters despite some minor complaints about characters that remained alive for story reasons despite falling in battle.[10] PALGN reviewer Andrew Burns commented that the story gained a serious edge once Lyn's opening story arc was completed.[39]

Speaking about the gameplay, Famitsu was slightly mixed about some aspects; one critic praised the added tutorial for allowing new players to be eased in the series gameplay, while another compared the tutorial to a nagging mother and said it and the unseen Tactician representing the player might grate with series fans.[37] Bramwell praised the integration of RPG elements and tactical gameplay, in addition to finding the permanent death of characters a suitable fit for the game's world.[7] Dingo was positive about the level design and controls, but warned that it was quite short and lacking in depth when compared to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.[38] Massimilla found the gameplay both accessible and challenging as she made her way through the game,[9] while Nutt was skeptical about the permanent death system and critical of the in-game economy despite generally enjoying the experience.[8] Harris again compared it to Advance Wars, but said that Fire Emblem had enough unique elements to make it its own product, and generally praised the title's accomplishments.[10] Burns, who had experience of earlier Fire Emblem titles, praised the game as a worthy entry in the series and a good entry for the West to experience.[39]

Sales

In its debut week, Rekka no Ken entered Japanese gaming charts at #2 with sales of 93,880 units.[40] The following week it had dropped to #4, selling a further 47,550 and bringing total sales to 141,430 units.[41] The following week it had reached #3 with further sales of 23,296 units.[42] The game continued to steadily into July, reaching #21 in the top 100 best-selling games for that half of 2003 with total sales of 223,575 units.[43] As of 2012, Rekka no Ken has sold 272,000 units in Japan.[44] While no exact sales figure are available for Western territories, developers later stated that Fire Emblem was a commercial success overseas, and prompted the development of Path of Radiance for the GameCube home console.[45]

Accolades

Fire Emblem was named "Editor's Choice" by both IGN and GameSpy as part of their reviews.[8][10] During its 2004 awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences named Fire Emblem "Handheld Game of the Year".[46] In the same year, the International Game Developers Association awarded the game for "Excellence in Writing" alongside titles including Beyond Good & Evil and Star Wars.[47] In lists compiled by IGN, GamesRadar and Game Informer, Fire Emblem was ranked among the best games for the GBA.[48][49][50]

Notes

  1. ↑ Known in Japan as Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken (Japanese: ファイアーエムブレム 烈火の剣, Hepburn: Faiā Emuburemu: Rekka no Ken, lit. Fire Emblem: The Sword of Flame[1][2] or The Blazing Blade[3])
  2. ↑ Sources disagree on the exact numbering: it is variously called the 7th,[4] and 8th[5] entry in the series.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 (in Japanese). Shueisha. 2004. ISBN 4-08-782076-9. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in Japanese). Nintendo. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160817003002/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/fe/fe_museum/rekka/gallery/index.html. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Fire Emblem Heroes". Nintendo. January 18, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170118235623/https://fire-emblem-heroes.com/en/. Retrieved January 18, 2017. 
  4. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in Japanese). Fire Emblem World. Archived from the original on April 17, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150417154634/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/fe/series/index.html. Retrieved July 17, 2015. 
  5. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in Japanese). Nintendo. 2010. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150713194202/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/interview/vi2j/vol1/index.html. Retrieved June 12, 2016. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 "Fire Emblem European manual". Nintendo. 2004. https://cdn02.nintendo-europe.com/media/downloads/games_8/emanuals/game_boy_advance_8/Manual_GameBoyAdvance_Fire_Emblem_EN_DE_FR.pdf. Retrieved November 23, 2016. 
  7. ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 Bramwell, Tom (July 7, 2004). "Fire Emblem Review". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054237/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_fireemblem_gba. Retrieved July 22, 2007. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Nutt, Christian (December 3, 2003). "Fire Emblem (GBA) Review". GameSpy. Archived from the original on February 14, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050214194224/http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/december03/fireemblemgba/. Retrieved July 22, 2007. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Massimilla, Bethany (November 11, 2003). "Fire Emblem Review". Archived from the original on February 16, 2014. https://archive.today/20140216181806/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fire-emblem-review/1900-6081713/. Retrieved July 22, 2007. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Harris, Craig (November 5, 2003). "Fire Emblem Review". Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130115091049/http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/06/fire-emblem-2. Retrieved July 22, 2007. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in Japanese). Nintendo Online Magazine. 2003. Archived from the original on August 28, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070828082616/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0305/22/. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in Japanese). Hobonichi. May 9, 2003. Archived from the original on January 5, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060105182700/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/fire_emblem/. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Intelligent Systems (November 3, 2003). Fire Emblem. Game Boy Advance. Nintendo. Scene: Credits. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 (in Japanese). Tokuma Shoten. November 28, 2015. ISBN 4-19-864056-4. 
  15. ↑ "Interview with Ren Ishimori and Ryo Hirata (2)". Production I.G. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120401184352/http://www.productionig.com/contents/works_sp/71_/s08_/001128.html. Retrieved June 11, 2016. 
  16. ↑ Daisuke Izuka(okome) [@okome_di] (April 14, 2015). "@genseki_t2 はじめまして！有り難うございます。烈火はキャラデザしていません☆その時は僕はまだバイトでした☆キャラ達は金田榮路先生と先輩によって魂を吹き込まれており、僕は火竜のイラスト描いたり背景まわりを作っておりました。長い付き合いだなぁ…遠い目。". https://twitter.com/okome_di/status/587911109723590656. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 (in Japanese)Nintendo Dream (Tokuma Shoten) (89). May 21, 2003.  Info
  18. ↑ "World Guide" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. June 30, 2010. ISBN 4-09-106467-1. 
  19. ↑ Brown, Mark (April 18, 2013). "Pocket Primer: A complete history of Fire Emblem". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190328/http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/3DS/Fire+Emblem%3A+Awakening/feature.asp?c=50134. Retrieved June 6, 2016. 
  20. ↑ Stone, Cortney (2003). "Yet Another Fire Emblem Game Coming to GBA". RPGamer. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150404060341/http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q1-2003/020203b.html. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  21. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in Japanese). Game Watch Impress. February 5, 2003. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130628163033/http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20030205/nintendo.htm. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  22. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in Japanese). Dengeki Online. April 25, 2003. Archived from the original on November 17, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161117174611/http://dengekionline.com/data/news/2003/4/25/a6c732de7936009913954e0a9aaeb596.html. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  23. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". Nintendo. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160401010650/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/titles/20010000006806. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 East, Thomas (May 30, 2013). "The making of Fire Emblem Awakening". Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130611034646/http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/50069/features/the-making-of-fire-emblem-awakening/. Retrieved March 7, 2016. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Classic GI – Fire Emblem". Game Informer (GameStop) (277). May 2016. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "The Making Of: Advance Wars". Edge: 2. April 26, 2010. Archived from the original on January 24, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120124130706/http://www.edge-online.com/features/making-advance-wars. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  27. ↑ East, Thomas (April 13, 2013). "Fire Emblem through the ages". Official Nintendo Magazine: 7. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130416201524/http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/48555/features/fire-emblem-through-the-ages/. Retrieved July 17, 2015.  Page
  28. ↑ Casamassina, Matt (September 28, 2005). "Fire Emblem Interview and Videos". p. 2. Archived from the original on December 26, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121226060721/http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/09/28/fire-emblem-interview-and-videos. Retrieved July 20, 2015. 
  29. ↑ Long, Andrew (2003). "Nintendo Releases Listing Hints at Fire Emblem Localization". RPGamer. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402002256/http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q2-2003/050803d.html. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  30. ↑ Kasavin, Greg (May 16, 2003). "Fire Emblem Hands-On". Archived from the original on December 16, 2016. https://archive.today/20161216125308/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fire-emblem-hands-on/1100-6028540/. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  31. ↑ Stone, Cortney (November 9, 2003). "Official Fire Emblem Website Upgraded". RPGamer. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402052629/http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q4-2003/110903a.html. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  32. ↑ Keller, Matt (February 3, 2004). "Fire Emblem release details". PALGN. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120307084522/http://palgn.com.au/handheld/979/fire-emblem-release-details/. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  33. ↑ "Fire Emblem for Game Boy Advance". Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160422104943/http://www.eurogamer.net/games/fire-emblem. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  34. ↑ Sahdev, Ishaan (August 20, 2014). "Fire Emblem For GBA Coming To Wii U Virtual Console In Europe Tomorrow". Siliconera. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150630022905/http://www.siliconera.com/2014/08/20/fire-emblem-gba-coming-wii-u-virtual-console-europe-tomorrow/. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  35. ↑ Sahdev, Ishaan (December 4, 2014). "The First English Fire Emblem Game Is Coming To Wii U Virtual Console Today". Siliconera. Archived from the original on February 5, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150205043240/http://www.siliconera.com/2014/12/04/first-english-fire-emblem-game-coming-wii-u-virtual-console-today. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "Fire Emblem for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160310190043/http://www.metacritic.com/game/game-boy-advance/fire-emblem. Retrieved January 16, 2015. 
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in Japanese). Famitsu. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160101141814/http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=1733. Retrieved November 23, 2016. 
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 Star Dingo (November 3, 2003). "Review: Fire Emblem for Game Boy Advance". GamePro. Archived from the original on November 10, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20031110150542/http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/gameboy_advance/games/reviews/31600.shtml. Retrieved July 22, 2007. 
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 Burns, Andrew (February 28, 2004). "Fire Emblem Review". PALGN. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121013054724/http://palgn.com.au/handheld/1016/fire-emblem-review/. Retrieved November 23, 2016. 
  40. ↑ Winkler, Chris (May 3, 2003). "Weekly Japanese Sales Charts Update". RPGFan. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150905205141/http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2003/1425.html. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  41. ↑ Winkler, Chris (May 10, 2003). "Weekly Japanese Sales Charts Update". RPGFan. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150905203103/http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2003/1467.html. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  42. ↑ Winkler, Chris (May 18, 2003). "Weekly Japanese Sales Charts Update". RPGFan. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150905202003/http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2003/1503.html. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  43. ↑ Winkler, Chris (July 19, 2003). "Final Fantasy X-2 Tops Half-Year Ranking". RPGFan. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150906002230/http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2003/1705.html. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  44. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in Japanese). Dengeki Online. April 27, 2012. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160308105109/http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/481/481305/. Retrieved November 19, 2016. 
  45. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". Nintendo Dream. 2007. Archived from the original on June 18, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070618061417/http://www.nindori.com/interview/156FE/index.html. Retrieved July 17, 2015. 
  46. ↑ Heller, Benjamin (March 6, 2004). "The AIAS Presents its Awards". RPGamer. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304204458/http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q1-2004/030604c.html. Retrieved November 23, 2016. 
  47. ↑ Long, Andrew (February 24, 2004). "IGDA Nominees Announced". RPGamer. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150331140707/http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q1-2004/022504a.html. Retrieved November 23, 2016. 
  48. ↑ Harris, Craig (March 16, 2007). "Top 25 Game Boy Advance Games of All Time". p. 2. Archived from the original on December 29, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141229220544/http://uk.ign.com/articles/2007/03/17/top-25-game-boy-advance-games-of-all-time. Retrieved March 18, 2007. 
  49. ↑ "The best GBA games of all time". GamesRadar. May 31, 2016. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161119154024/http://www.gamesradar.com/best-gba-games/. Retrieved November 23, 2016. 
  50. ↑ Gwaltney, Javy (March 21, 2016). "The 10 Best Gameboy Advance Games Of All Time". Game Informer. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161109081329/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/03/21/the-10-best-gameboy-advance-games-of-all-time.aspx. Retrieved November 23, 2016. 
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)
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Creator(s)Shouzou Kaga
Composer(s)Yuka Tsujiyoko
Platform(s)
First releaseShadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
April 20, 1990
Latest releaseEngage
January 20, 2023
Spin-offs

Lua error in Module:Lang/utilities at line 332: attempt to call field '_transl' (a nil value). is a Japanese fantasy tactical role-playing 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. Gameplay revolves around the tactical movement and actions of characters across grid-based battlefields, while having a story and characters similar to traditional role-playing video games.

A notable aspect of gameplay is the permanent death of characters in battle, rendering them unusable upon being defeated. From Fire Emblem onwards, players get to choose between "Classic Mode", in which fallen characters remain dead, or "Casual Mode", in which fallen characters are revived after battle. 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. Many games in the series sold well, although sales suffered a decline during the late 2000s. This resulted in the series' near-cancellation until the unprecedented critical and commercial success of Fire Emblem Awakening (2012). 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 Nintendo 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 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] 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][45]

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][46][47] 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][48][49]

In 2008, the series returned to handheld systems with two releases for the Nintendo DS. Fire Emblem, 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.[50][51][52] 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.[53][54][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.[55][56][57] Awakening was a major critical and commercial success, and is credited for revitalizing the franchise.[58] 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.[59][60] Fates was later re-released as a special version with all three versions included. A third entry, Fire Emblem Echoes, was released on the Nintendo 3DS in April 2017 in Japan and in North America and Europe the following month.[61][62][63] 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.[64] The game was officially revealed as Fire Emblem during the Nintendo Direct presentation at E3 2018, and was released in July 2019.[65] Fire Emblem Engage, a second entry for Nintendo Switch, was announced during a September 2022 Nintendo Direct and released in January 2023.[66]

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.[67] The events of Archanea Senki were included in the remake of Mystery of the Emblem.[68] 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.[69] 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.[70] Fire Emblem Heroes is a spin-off gacha game for Android and iOS, and was released in February 2017 for mobile devices.[71] 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.[72] It was developed by Omega Force and Team Ninja. A second Warriors game, based on Three Houses, and titled Fire Emblem Warriors was announced in a Nintendo Direct on February 9, 2022 and released on June 24, 2022.[73]

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][74] Characters from the series also appeared in Intelligent Systems' strategy game Code Name as optional characters unlocked via amiibo.[75]

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.[76] 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.[77][7][78] Work done for Fire Emblem 64 was incorporated into The Binding Blade.[77][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.[79] 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.[80] A rumored Fire Emblem remake for the Nintendo 3DS was being developed by AlphaDream, but was cancelled following the company's bankruptcy surfaced in late 2019. According to the reports, it was one of the many video games that had been in development, but were ultimately scrapped for the platform, with many speculating those projects could be moved to the Nintendo Switch.[81]

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.[82] 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.[83][84][85]

In 2007, a Japanese public poll named Mystery of the Emblem as one of the country's All Time Top 100 video games.[86] 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.[87] 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".[88][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][89] The series has been cited as an inspiration for later tactical role-playing games, with Gamasutra naming Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics and the Disgaea series as being influenced by its design.[6][90] 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][90]

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.[91][92][93][94]

In other media

A short, two episode original video animation series based on Mystery of the Emblem [95] released in 1996. These anime episodes were released in North America in 1998,[96] five years before The Blazing Blade was localized, making them the first official Fire Emblem media to be released in the region.[97] 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.[98][99][100][101] Manga based on the games have also been produced, including The Binding Blade, Awakening, and Engage.[102][103][104] 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.[103][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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References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "The Making Of: Advance Wars - Edge Magazine". 2012-04-26. http://www.edge-online.com/features/making-advance-wars?page=2. 
  2. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". 4Gamer.net. April 28, 2015. http://www.4gamer.net/games/287/G028791/20150427113/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Fire Emblem Awakening European instruction manual". Nintendo. http://cdn02.nintendo-europe.com/media/downloads/games_8/emanuals/nintendo_3ds_2/fire_emblem__awakening_1/ElectronicManual_Nintendo3DS_FireEmblemAwakening_EN.pdf. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Jenni, Lada (February 1, 2008). "Important Importables: Best SNES role-playing games". TechnologyTell. http://www.technologytell.com/gaming/29674/important-importables-best-snes-rpgs/. 
  5. ↑ Concepcion, Miguel (February 13, 2013). "Fire Emblem: Awakening character guide". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/fire-emblem-awakening-character-guide/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Harris, John (July 2, 2009). "Game Design Essentials: 20 RPGs". p. 14. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4066/game_design_essentials_20_rpgs.php?page=14. 
  7. ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 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. 
  8. ↑ Sato (May 19, 2015). "Fire Emblem If Introduces New Weapon Triangle System". Siliconera. http://www.siliconera.com/2015/05/19/fire-emblem-if-introduces-new-weapon-triangle-system/. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sato (May 12, 2015). "Fire Emblem If Adds Easier Modes, And No Longer Has Limited Weapon Usage". Siliconera. http://www.siliconera.com/2015/05/12/fire-emblem-if-adds-easier-modes-and-no-longer-has-limited-weapon-usage/. 
  10. ↑ "Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn—Nintendo Au". Nintendo. February 7, 2008. http://games.nintendo.com.au/title.php?id=1619. 
  11. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (February 4, 2013). "Tips for Playing Fire Emblem: Awakening" (in en). https://kotaku.com/tips-for-playing-fire-emblem-awakening-5981450. 
  12. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop (February 15, 2012). "Fire Emblem 3DS Includes Permadeath Option". Andriasang.com. http://andriasang.com/comzyw/fire_emblem_permadeath/. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Carter, Chris (February 5, 2013). "Ranked: The five best Fire Emblem games". http://www.destructoid.com/ranked-the-five-best-fire-emblem-games-243791.phtml. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Gilbert, Henry (February 1, 2013). "What is Fire Emblem? Learn about the classic SRPG". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/what-fire-emblem/. 
  15. ↑ (in ja). Shogakukan. 1996. pp. 110–111. ISBN 978-4091025494. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). July 26, 2019. https://www.4gamer.net/games/423/G042326/20190716108/. 
  17. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (January 10, 2013). "Fire Emblem Awakening: Killing for Keeps". http://www.1up.com/previews/fire-emblem-awakening-killing. 
  18. ↑ (in ja). SoftBank Creative. 1994. ISBN 978-4797300352. 
  19. ↑ (in ja). ASCII Media Works. July 15, 2015. ISBN 978-4-0486-9406-3. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 (in ja). Tokuma Shoten. November 28, 2015. ISBN 978-4-19-864056-9. 
  21. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". Fire Emblem World. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/fe/few_whats_fe.html. 
  22. ↑ "World Guide" (in ja). Shogakukan. June 30, 2010. ISBN 978-4091064677. 
  23. ↑ (in ja). NTT Publishing. January 27, 1997. pp. 86–91. ISBN 978-4757180147.  Translations A Translations B
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Interview with Yuka Tsujiyoko". RocketBaby. 2001. http://interviews.rocketbaby.net/interviews_tsujiyoko_yuka_1.html. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". Nintendo Dream. 2007. http://www.nindori.com/interview/156FE/index.html.  Translation
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 "Iwata asks "Fire Emblem Awakening"". Nintendo UK. March 21, 2012. https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Fire-Emblem-Awakening/Fire-Emblem-Awakening/1-An-All-New-Fire-Emblem/1-An-All-New-Fire-Emblem-724239.html. 
  27. ↑ Laura (May 25, 2013). "Fire Emblem: Awakening Was Almost The Last Game In The Series". Siliconera. http://www.siliconera.com/2013/05/25/fire-emblem-awakening-was-almost-the-last-game-in-the-series/. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 "Iwata Asks "Fire Emblem Fates"". Nintendo UK. 2015. https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Fire-Emblem-Fates/Fire-Emblem-Fates/1-Story-by-Shin-Kibayashi/1-Story-by-Shin-Kibayashi-1032066.html. 
  29. ↑ Greening, Chris (August 23, 2014). "Namco, Nintendo, and freelance composers team up for Super Smash Bros. 3DS". Video Game Music Online. http://www.vgmonline.net/namco-nintendo-and-freelance-composers-team-up-for-super-smash-bros-3ds/. 
  30. ↑ Greening, Chris (June 28, 2015). "Fire Emblem Fates combines music from series' veterans and newcomers". Video Game Music Online. http://www.vgmonline.net/fire-emblem-fates-combines-music-from-series-veterans-and-newcomers/. 
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Ward, Robert (July 10, 2015). "Fire Emblem Artist Spotlight: Mayumi Hirota". Siliconera. http://www.siliconera.com/2015/07/10/fire-emblem-artist-spotlight-mayumi-hirota/. 
  32. ↑ Ward, Robert (July 8, 2015). "Fire Emblem Artist Spotlight: Katsuyoshi Koya". Siliconera. http://www.siliconera.com/2015/07/08/fire-emblem-artist-spotlight-katsuyoshi-koya/. 
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". Dengeki Online. http://kouryaku.dengeki.com/emblem/. 
  34. ↑ Shirow, Masamune (March 4, 2014). "Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon". Intron Depot 5 - Battalion. Udon Entertainment. pp. 10–16. ISBN 978-1616552732. 
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 8-4 Inc.. "Fire Emblem Awakening Developer Interview". Fire Emblem Official Website. http://fireemblem.nintendo.com/developer-interview/. 
  36. ↑ Robinson, Martin (May 30, 2017). "Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia review". https://www.eurogamer.net/fire-emblem-echoes-shadows-of-valentia-review. 
  37. ↑ Tran, Edmond (August 4, 2019). "Fire Emblem: Three Houses Developers Are Unsure Why The Series Is Popular In The West". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fire-emblem-three-houses-developers-are-unsure-why/1100-6468629/. 
  38. ↑ Donaldson, Alex (July 5, 2019). "Without the help of Koei Tecmo it simply wouldn't have been possible" – Fire Emblem: Three Houses developers on their biggest strategy RPG yet". https://www.vg247.com/2019/07/05/fire-emblem-three-houses-interview/. 
  39. ↑ "Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes devs on origins, Byleth, Shez, weapon triangle, more". July 2, 2022. https://nintendoeverything.com/fire-emblem-warriors-three-hopes-developer-interview-koei-tecmo-omega-force/. 
  40. ↑ Minotti, Mike (January 14, 2015). "Nintendo announces new Fire Emblem for 3DS". VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/2015/01/14/nintendo-announces-new-fire-emblem-for-3ds/. 
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 41.3 41.4 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". Fire Emblem World. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/fe/series/index.html. 
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 "Fire Emblem - Maiden of the Dark". January 23, 2001. http://uk.ign.com/articles/2001/01/23/fire-emblem-maiden-of-the-dark. 
  43. ↑ "Ten Big GBA Games of 2003". July 1, 2003. http://uk.ign.com/articles/2003/07/01/ten-big-gba-games-of-2003. 
  44. ↑ "GC 2003: Fire Emblem Goes to Europe". August 21, 2003. http://uk.ign.com/articles/2003/08/21/gc-2003-fire-emblem-goes-to-europe. 
  45. ↑ Hilliard, Kyle (June 21, 2015). "Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones Available Now On Wii U Virtual Console". Game Informer. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/06/21/fire-emblem-the-sacred-stones-available-now-on-wii-u-virtual-console.aspx. Retrieved July 18, 2015. 
  46. ↑ Castro, Juan (July 22, 2005). "Nintendo Reveals Fall Schedule". http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/07/22/nintendo-reveals-fall-schedule. 
  47. ↑ "Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance". Nintendo UK. https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-GameCube/Fire-Emblem-Path-of-Radiance-268082.html. 
  48. ↑ Buchanan, Levi (August 27, 2007). "PAX 07: Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn". http://uk.ign.com/articles/2007/08/27/pax-07-fire-emblem-radiant-dawn. 
  49. ↑ "Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn comes to Wii!". Nintendo UK. February 14, 2008. https://www.nintendo.co.uk/News/2008/Fire-Emblem-Radiant-Dawn-comes-to-Wii--250370.html. 
  50. ↑ "Iwata Asks: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon". Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon Official Website. 2008. http://fire-emblem.com/shadowdragon/interview/interview1.html. 
  51. ↑ "Europe - Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon in December". GoNintendo. October 8, 2008. http://gonintendo.com/?p=58485. 
  52. ↑ Pigna, Kris (December 17, 2008). "Nintendo Reveals Tons of Early '09 Releases for North America". http://www.1up.com/news/nintendo-reveals-tons-early-09. 
  53. ↑ Graft, Kris (July 22, 2010). "Fire Emblem DS Remake Leads Japanese Charts". http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/120404/Fire_Emblem_DS_Remake_Leads_Japanese_Charts.php. 
  54. ↑ Loe, Casey (2010). "Japan's Summer of RPGs". Nintendo Power 257: 24. 
  55. ↑ Romano, Sal (February 24, 2012). "Fire Emblem: Awakening Japanese box art". Gematsu. http://gematsu.com/2012/02/fire-emblem-awakening-japanese-box-art. 
  56. ↑ Brian (February 14, 2013). "Europe's Fire Emblem: Awakening bundle includes blue 3DS XL". Nintendo Everything. http://nintendoeverything.com/113288/europes-fire-emblem-awakening-bundle-includes-blue-3ds-xl. 
  57. ↑ Fletcher, JC (December 5, 2012). "Fire Emblem Awakening launches Feb. 4 in North America". Joystiq. http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/05/fire-emblem-awakening-launches-feb-4-in-north-america. 
  58. ↑ Gaston, Martin (May 23, 2013). "Strong Fire Emblem: Awakening sales saved the series' cancellation". http://www.gamespot.com/articles/strong-fire-emblem-awakening-sales-saved-the-series-cancellation/1100-6408782/. 
  59. ↑ Romano, Sal (April 1, 2015). "Fire Emblem If slated for 2016 release". Gematsu. http://gematsu.com/2015/04/fire-emblem-if-slated-for-2016-release. 
  60. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". Famitsu. July 9, 2015. http://www.famitsu.com/news/201507/09082777.html. 
  61. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). 4Gamer.net. January 18, 2017. http://www.4gamer.net/games/369/G036902/20170119001/. 
  62. ↑ Frank, Allegra (January 18, 2017). "Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia heading to 3DS this May". http://www.polygon.com/2017/1/18/14316120/fire-emblem-echoes-shadows-of-valentia-3ds-release-date. 
  63. ↑ Robinson, Martin (January 18, 2017). "There's a new Fire Emblem coming to the 3DS this year". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-01-18-theres-a-new-fire-emblem-coming-to-the-3ds-this-year. 
  64. ↑ Byrd, Matthew (January 19, 2017). "New Fire Emblem Games Coming to Mobile, 3DS, and Switch". https://www.denofgeek.com/games/new-fire-emblem-games-coming-to-mobile-3ds-and-switch/. 
  65. ↑ Nintendo 公式チャンネル (June 12, 2018). "ファイアーエムブレム 風花雪月(ふうかせつげつ) E3 2018 出展映像". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSaCX_irR9s. 
  66. ↑ Petrana, Samit (2022-09-13). "New Fire Emblem game lets you summon old heroes in battle". https://www.polygon.com/23350751/fire-emblem-engage-release-date-nintendo-switch. 
  67. ↑ (in ja). Shogakukan. June 30, 2010. pp. 9–17. ISBN 978-4091064677. 
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  69. ↑ Romano, Sal (June 16, 2015). "Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem launches 2016". Gematsu. http://gematsu.com/2015/06/shin-megami-tensei-x-fire-emblem-launches-2016. 
  70. ↑ "アトラスとファイアーエムブレムが融合した『幻影異聞録♯ＦＥ Encore』がNintendo Switchに登場！あらかじめダウンロードも開始！ | トピックス | Nintendo". https://topics.nintendo.co.jp/c/article/a136e920-c9fd-11e9-b641-063b7ac45a6d.html. 
  71. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (January 18, 2017). "Fire Emblem Heroes brings the tactical RPG to Android and iOS". http://www.polygon.com/2017/1/18/14316002/fire-emblem-heroes-mobile-nintendo-ios-android-iphone. 
  72. ↑ Matulef, Jeffrey (January 18, 2017). "Fire Emblem Warriors is slated for autumn on Switch and New 3DS". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-01-18-fire-emblem-warriors-is-slated-for-autumn-on-switch-on-3ds. 
  73. ↑ Kim, Matt (February 9, 2022). "Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Announced for Nintendo Switch". https://www.ign.com/articles/fire-emblem-warriors-three-hopes. 
  74. ↑ McFerran, Damien (July 14, 2014). "Sakurai Explains Why Chrom Didn't Make It Into Super Smash Bros. For Wii U And 3DS". http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/07/sakurai_explains_why_chrom_didnt_make_it_into_super_smash_bros_for_wii_u_and_3ds. 
  75. ↑ Fahey, Mike (January 15, 2015). "How Amiibo Work In Nintendo's New Games, And At What Cost". Kotaku. http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2015/01/14/amiibo-work-nintendos-new-games-cost. 
  76. ↑ "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. 
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  80. ↑ Kaplan, Zack (July 10, 2013). "Nintendo: Fire Emblem on Wii U Would Need to Sell 700,000 Units to be Worth It". Nintendo World Report. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/34875/nintendo-fire-emblem-on-wii-u-would-need-to-sell-700000-units-to-be-worth-it. 
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  85. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Awakening and Fates sales
  86. ↑ Campbell, Colin (March 3, 2006). "Japan Votes on All Time Top 100". Edge: 2. http://www.next-gen.biz/features/japan-votes-all-time-top-100. Retrieved October 27, 2009. 
  87. ↑ Bailey, Kat (October 1, 2014). "Game Dev Recipes: Massive Chalice". http://www.usgamer.net/articles/game-dev-recipes-massive-chalice. 
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  89. ↑ "RPG Site Awards 2013". RPG Site. January 27, 2014. http://www.rpgsite.net/feature/3257-rpg-site-awards-2013. 
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  91. ↑ "Nintendo Sues Over Emblem Copyright". July 25, 2001. http://uk.ign.com/articles/2001/07/25/nintendo-sues-over-emblem-copyright. 
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