Fire Emblem
is a fantasy tactical role-playing game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. First produced and published for the Family Computer in 1990, the series currently consists of sixteen core games and four spinoffs. Gameplay revolves around the tactical movement of characters across grid-based environments, while incorporating a story and characters similar to traditional role-playing video games.
A notable aspect of gameplay is the permanent death of characters in battle, removing them from the rest of the game when they are defeated. In newer titles, from onwards, players get to choose between Classic mode, in which characters permanently die, or Casual mode, in which fallen characters are revived for the next battle. The series title refers to the "Fire Emblem", a recurring element in the series that is 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. Its success prompted the development of further titles in the series. Kaga headed the development of each entry until the release of , when he left Intelligent Systems and founded his game studio to develop Tear Ring Saga.
No games in the series were released outside of Japan until two characters, Marth and Roy, were included as playable characters in the 2001 fighting game Super Smash Bros. Melee. Their popularity, as well as the international success of the turn-based Advance Wars, eventually convinced Nintendo to release the next game, The Blazing Blade, in Western regions under the title Fire Emblem in 2003. Many games in the series have sold well, despite a decline during the 2000s which resulted in the series' near-cancellation. Individual entries have generally been praised, the series as a whole has been lauded for its gameplay, and it 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 multiple games have also been included in crossovers with other franchises.
Titles
Games
There are currently 16 games in the Fire Emblem series, of which thirteen have been original games and three have been remakes.The first entry in the series, ', was released in 1990 for the Japanese Famicom. A second title 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, ' 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: ' and '.
The next entry released was ' in 2002 for the Game Boy Advance. A prequel to The Binding Blade, The Blazing Blade, was released for the Game Boy Advance the following year. 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. The final entry for the Game Boy Advance, ', was released in 2004 in Japan, and in 2005 in North America and Europe.
The ninth entry in the series, ', 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. A direct sequel to Path of Radiance, ' was released for the Wii in 2007 in Japan and North America, and 2008 in Europe.
In 2008, the series returned to portable handhelds with two releases for the Nintendo DS. ', 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. A Japanese-only entry, ', was released in 2010 for the DS as a remake of Mystery of the Emblem.
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. Awakening was a major critical and commercial success, and is credited for revitalizing the franchise. 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. Fates was later re-released as a special version with all three versions included. A third entry, ', was released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2017. 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 title was first announced for the Nintendo Switch during the console's reveal event in January 2017. The game was formally revealed as ' during the Nintendo Direct presentation at E3 2018, and was released on July 26, 2019.
Spin-offs and cameos
In 1997, an episodic prequel to Mystery of the Emblem titled ' was released through Satellaview. The events of Archanea Senki were included in the remake of Mystery of the Emblem. BS Fire Emblem is considered an official part of the series by some developers, but not generally by fans. 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. Tokyo Mirage Sessions 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 September 4, 2019, Nintendo announced a Switch port titled, Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore with a planned release on January 17, 2020. Fire Emblem Heroes is a spin-off gacha game for Android and iOS, and was released in February 2017 for mobile devices. 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. It was developed by Omega Force and Team Ninja. Apart from the main series, the mobile game, Fire Emblem: Heroes was released on February 2, 2017.Characters from the Fire Emblem series have appeared in a number of other titles 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. Characters from the series also appeared in Intelligent Systems' strategy game ' as optional characters unlocked via amiibo.
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. 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. Work done for Fire Emblem 64 was incorporated into The Binding Blade.An additional RTS-based title 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. Intelligent Systems never planned a Fire Emblem title for the Wii U. Nintendo producer Hitoshi Yamagami said such a game would need to sell 700,000 copies to be profitable. An unreleased Fire Emblem remake for the Nintendo 3DS was cancelled following AlphaDream's bankruptcy. This was one of many video games that had been in development, but was ultimately scrapped.
Related media
A short original video animation series based on Mystery of the Emblem was produced in 1997. These anime episodes were released in North America six years before The Blazing Blade was localized, making them the first official Fire Emblem media to be released in the region. Nintendo produced Amiibo figures of 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. Manga based on the games have also been produced, including Binding Blade and Awakening. 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 , which was released in 2015 and is still producing expansions and new cards as of 2019.Common elements
Setting
The Fire Emblem games take place across multiple unrelated settings within a Medieval or Renaissance-themed time period, with the main protagonist, being either royalty or a mercenary, caught in the conflict of two or more countries across a continent and fighting for their cause. 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 the planned setting for Fire Emblem 64. Genealogy of the Holy War and Thracia 776 are set in Jugdral, distantly connected with Archanea and Valentia, while Fire Emblem and 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. Fates is set on an unnamed land, with the story focusing more on the powers fighting over its territory. Three Houses takes place on the continent of Fódlan.A recurring element in the series is the titular magical 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. Its name derives from its connection to dragons and weapons of war, being the "emblem of flame". It also appears as a family crest in Genealogy of the Holy War, a family seal in the world of 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. Other magical elements, including feuding gods and mystical species such as dragons and shapeshifters, are also recurring elements in the series.
Gameplay
Fire Emblems developers have described it as an "RPG simulation", combining 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. Battles in the Fire Emblem series play out on a grid-based map, with the player controlling a set number of characters across maps tied to both the game's story and optional side stories. Each character has a specific character class, giving them set abilities and affecting how far they can move across the field. Some character classes have innate skills unique to them, and each character has their own stats. Depending on the series entry, a character's class can be changed or upgraded, sometimes with the requirement of special items. During a battle, each character gains experience points by performing actions, such as attacking an enemy, healing an ally, or slaying a foe. When a certain level is reached, the character levels up, and new skill points are awarded randomly to a character's attributes, such as the character's health, agility or strength. The more a character is used in battle, the more experience that character gains.A key element 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 are stronger than swords, swords are stronger than axes, and axes are stronger than lances. In the magic system, fire is stronger than wind, wind is stronger than thunder, and thunder is stronger than fire. From The Binding Blade through Radiant Dawn, these three elements are collectively known as anima magic. Anima is stronger than light, light stronger than darkness, and darkness 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. Most games use a Weapon Durability system: after being used a certain number of times, a character's weapon will break. Different entries 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, while Fates replaces the durability system with a system where more powerful weapons weaken some of their wielder's stats.
Character relationships can be developed using support affinity both inside and outside of battle, which increases certain battle abilities. A feature introduced in Genealogy of the Holy War and also used in later titles was introduced, whereby characters who fall in love can have a child who inherits certain skills and stats from them. One of the recurring features in the series is permanent death, a function in which units defeated in battle are permanently removed from the party, with very few exceptions. Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem: Heroes of Light and Shadow introduced Casual Mode, in which dead characters were 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 that serves as the player's base of operations throughout the game.
Development
The first Fire Emblem title, 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. The game was developed at Intelligent Systems, whose previous notable game was the strategy game Famicom Wars. Kaga worked on the Fire Emblem series until Thracia 776, when he left Nintendo and began development on Tear Ring Saga for the PlayStation. 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 Sword of Seals appeared as playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Melee, prompting western interest in the Fire Emblem series. The positive reception of the characters led to Nintendo's decision to localize 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. 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 series. The game's reception and sales ended up saving the series from cancellation, convincing Nintendo to continue production.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 . She has worked on later Fire Emblem games, alongside other composers including Saki Kasuga, Hiroki Morishita, and Rei Kondoh. 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 Sword of Flame and became a director for Awakening. Multiple artists are associated with the series. The characters for the first game and the remake of Mystery of the Emblem were designed by Daisuke Idzuka. 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 he left Intelligent Systems with Kaga after the game's completion. Nevertheless, his art for the series was described by Kaga as his favorite up to that point. Other artists involved in later games are Eiji Kaneda, Sachiko Wada and Senri Kita. For Shadow Dragon, the character artwork was remade by Ghost in the Shell artist Masamune Shirow. Awakenings character designers were Toshiyuki Kusakihara and Yūsuke Kozaki, who were brought in to give a new look to the series. Kozaki returned as character designer for Fates.
Reception
Sales in Japan were the highest with Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light but progressively declined with future titles, 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. 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 1.79 million copies worldwide and become the best-selling Fire Emblem title in western territories.In 2007, a Japanese public poll named Mystery of the Emblem as one of the country's All Time Top 100 video games. Speaking to USGamer, Massive Chalice creator Brad Muir commented on how Fire Emblem had influenced the game, referring to it as " venerable strategy series", making positive reference to its gameplay and character relationships. In her review of Awakening, IGN's Audrey Drake said that "Far too few people have played the Fire Emblem series", calling it " darling of the hardcore strategy RPG crowd - and one of the shining gems of the genre".
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. Game Informer and Gamasutra both cited the series as an inspiration for later popular tactical role-playing games, with Gamasutra naming , Final Fantasy Tactics and the Disgaea series as being influenced by its design. 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. Awakening is generally cited as having brought the series more publicity and player attention.