Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & The Blade of Light

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & The Blade of Light
Developer	Intelligent Systems
Publisher	Nintendo
System	NES, Virtual Console (Wii, 3DS, Wii U), Nintendo Switch
Release Date	NES JP April 20, 1990 Wii Virtual Console JP October 19, 2009 3DS Virtual Console JP August 1, 2012 Wii U Virtual Console JP June 4, 2014 Switch US/PAL/KOR December 4, 2020
Gallery	GH Gallery

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & The Blade of Light (originally known only by its Japanese name of Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Tsurugi, which approximately translates to its localized title) is a tactical action role-playing game and the first game of the Fire Emblem series, which was never released outside of Japan beyond a limited release in the year 2020.

Development

The production was directed by Keisuke Terasaki and produced by Gunpei Yokoi, while Shouzou Kaga came up with the original concept and acted as the scenario writer and designer. After creating the strategy game Famicom Wars, Intelligent Systems decided to apply that type of tactical gameplay to the type of fantasy setting that was standard for RPGs, particularly inspired by the Kure Software game First Queen. Kaga felt that RPG games had strong stories with limited protagonists, while tactical games had multiple characters with a weak story, so this project was intended to be an ideal combination that combined both concepts to create a fun gameplay experience with relatable characters. Its working title was Battle Fantasy Fire Emblem. In order to account for memory issues, the game made compromises in terms of its story and graphics (including cutting planned setpiece graphics that would appear during key storyline moments), and Intelligent Systems had to get help from Nintendo to develop a chip that could process and display Japanese text.

Story

The evil priest Gharnef has plotted to resurrect the evil dragon Medeus, which spells the end of Altea's period of peace. Prince Marth, who is descended from the original slayer of Medeus, has also been exiled with his father having been killed and his sister Elice taken hostage by the forces of Gharnef. Marth then assembles a group to go on a quest to save Altea and his sister from Gharnef and Medeus by seeking the Falchion Sword.

Gameplay

This game established the basic gameplay of the Fire Emblem series. In a medieval-themed setting, the player controls a group of units that move along in a grid in battle against opposing forced, with the objective being to defeat all enemies or a boss character. Units are classified as belonging to one of multiple character classes that differ in terms of strengths, weaknesses, abilities and range of movement. These included were several basic infantry classes which wielded bladed weapons in battle, archers who could only attack from a range, mages who could attack both up close and from a range, mounted units who could move across more terrain (including units mounted on a pegasus or wyvern, who could reach more areas by flying), curates who could only heal other characters and a Manakete who attacked by transforming into a dragon. The protagonist, Marth, had the unique class of Lord, a class reserved for protagonist characters in most future titles. Individual units could gain experience from battle and level up to increase their stats and HP. Weapons used by units could also only be used a certain amount of times before breaking. Most maps contained towns or vendors where the player could purchase items and weapons to help their units with money that can be acquired throughout the game. Aside from storyline events, money could also be acquired by betting on arena battles.

Unlike Famicom Wars, all of the units in Fire Emblem games are presented as individual characters. Some are recruited automatically through storyline progress, but other characters (who often start on the opposing side) can only be recruited through player action during maps. If a character died during battle, it would be treated as an actual death, and the game would carry on without that character being available. The one exception to the permanent death rule as the protagonist, Marth, whose death in battle would instead trigger a game over. Altogether, this game had 52 potential characters that could be recruited.

Legacy

As the first Fire Emblem game, it set many standards for the series including establishing the basic gameplay and a number of classes that would be used in later games. It was also notable as the first game to feature Marth, who could become known as the mascot of the series and make several appearances in future games. A large number of Fire Emblem games would also be set in the same world as this one.

Ports/Remakes

• The first half ("Book One") of the game Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo acted as a condensed remake of Shadow Dragon & The Blade of Light which featured enhanced graphics and new features while leaving out some of the original game's chapters and characters.
• A Nintendo DS remake, titled Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (known in Japan as Fire Emblem: Shin Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Tsurugi, which loosely translates to New Dark Dragon and the Blade of Light) was released in 2008. This was the first version of the game to receive an international release and an English localization.
• The original NES game has received releases on all iterations of the Virtual Console in Japan: for the Wii's Virtual Console in October 2009, for the 3DS Virtual Console in August 2012 and for the Wii U Virtual Console in June 2014.
• In March 2019, it was among the NES games made available to play as part of the Nintendo Switch Online service, once again exclusively in Japan. This version included cooperative and competitive online multiplayer options. In April 2020, two SP versions were also made available, which started the game at specific points: one would start the game just before Palla, Catria and Est performing a Triangle Attack, while the other would start the game at the final chapter.
• In December 2020, it received a translated release on the Nintendo Switch that was only available for a limited time. It was only available digitally on the Switch's eShop until March 2021 before it was delisted and was not made available in Japan (likely due to the game already being on the Nintendo Switch Online with similar features). A physical special edition bundle was also made available in North America, which contained a download code for the game as well as several physical bonus materials such as an artbook and materials imitating the look of an NES game such as a translated instruction manual, NES Box and a replica NES cartridge for the game. This release contained some quality of life features, such as the options to rewind and set suspend points (similar to the features in the Nintendo Switch Online releases) as well as to set the speed at which the enemy moves.

Sequels

The next game in the series was Fire Emblem Gaiden, which was set in the same world, but was a side story and featured heavily altered gameplay (akin to the alterations made in the second Zelda game). Additionally, while Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo starts out as a remake of Shadow Dragon & The Blade of Light, the second half of the game ("Book Two") acts as a direct sequel to the game's events.