Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon | |
---|---|
![]() European packaging artwork | |
Developer(s) | Intelligent Systems [lower-alpha 1] |
Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
Director(s) | Masayuki Horikawa Masaki Tawara |
Producer(s) | Toru Narihiro Hitoshi Yamagami |
Programmer(s) | Yuji Ohashi Takafumi Kaneko |
Artist(s) | Masamune Shirow Daisuke Izuka Masahiro Higuchi |
Writer(s) | Koji Kawasaki Toshiyuki Kusakihara Kouhei Maeda |
Composer(s) | Yuka Tsujiyoko Saki Kasuga |
Series | Fire Emblem |
Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon [lower-alpha 2] is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the eleventh installment in the Fire Emblem series [lower-alpha 3] and a remake of the Famicom title Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light , the first entry in the series. It released in 2008 in Japan and Europe, and 2009 in North America and Australia.
Shadow Dragon retells and expands on the events of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. Set on the continent of Archanea, the story follows the tale of Marth, prince of the kingdom of Altea, who is sent on a quest to reclaim his throne after being forced into exile by the evil sorcerer Gharnef and his dark master Medeus, the titular Shadow Dragon. Forming new alliances with neighboring kingdoms, Marth must gather a new army to help him retrieve the sacred sword Falchion and the Fire Emblem shield in order to defeat Gharnef and Medeus and save his kingdom. The gameplay follows the established Fire Emblem formula of turn-based battles played out on grid-based maps. Returning features include a character class system which evolves based on character usage, and permanent death for units defeated in battle.
Development began in 2007, overlapping with the final months of production on Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn . Many staff from earlier entries returned, including director Tohru Narihiro and original composer Yuka Tsujiyoko, who handled the remixed and expanded soundtrack with Saki Kasuga. Character artwork was redrawn by character designer Daisuke Izuka, with special contributions by Masamune Shirow. First announced in late 2007, it was released internationally the following year and localized by external company 8-4. The game features many gameplay additions and alterations to the original Famicom version, including colored tiles for movement and attack range, the Weapon Triangle, a new class swap feature, and online multiplayer, a first for the franchise. Upon release, critical reception was generally positive, with common points of praise going to the gameplay balance and multiplayer functionality. However, sales remained low for a good while after launch, despite Intelligent Systems saying they were satisfied with the game's sales in Japan.
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is a tactical role-playing game where players take control of main protagonist Marth and his army on missions across the continent of Archanea. [5] The gameplay and general game information is separated between the two screens of the Nintendo DS: the map is located on the bottom screen, while the top screen features story sequences, unit statistics (stats) and battle animations. [6] The game is divided into chapters, with each chapter being the stage for a single large-scale battle that advances the story and can lead to the recruitment of new units. "Gaiden" (side story) chapters are progressively unlocked depending on how many units have been lost in battles. [7] Prior to each chapter, players can prepare for battle, including changing a unit's currently assigned weapons, forging new weapons, and managing the inventory. [8] The game also features limited multiplayer functionality. Using the DS' Wi-Fi Connection or normal local wireless, players can engage in voice chat with other players, engage multiplayer matches with groups of five units each, and loan units to use in the campaign. [5] [8]
Battles take place on a grid-based battlefield, with objectives which range from clearing enemy groups to capturing points of importance. Each map has unique terrain to be negotiated in battle ranging from mountains to rivers and flat plains. Viewed from an overhead perspective, there are castles and locations such as shops that the player can visit, the latter of which provides a means for obtaining items. [5] [8] Each chapter has a different set of victory conditions, which can be related to the number of turns taken or how the enemy force is dealt with. [5] Battles play out using a turn-based system where each unit on both sides is given their chance to move and act. During battle, the combat screen appears, showing the fight from a sidelong perspective. Both sides move at least once, after which the combat screen fades. [5] [8] Battles between individual units are governed by the series' recurring Weapons Triangle, a rock–paper–scissors system where certain weapons have advantages over others – lances are stronger than swords, swords are stronger than axes, and axes are stronger than lances. [8] As they participate in battles, each unit gains experience points (EXP) from their actions: they raise their experience level by one when they have accumulated 100 EXP. EXP can be earned in both normal battles and challenge fights in special arenas. [5] [8] Players can save at the end of each chapter or outside battle. They also have mid-chapter saves available at certain points. [5] [7] All units are subject to permanent death: If a unit dies in battle, they are removed from the rest of the campaign. [5]
Units each have a character class which determines their weapon, skill set, movement and attack range, how much effect they have on other units, and whether they use passive or aggressive skills. [7] There are thirty classes available to choose from: these include mounted units such as the Pegasus Knight, Sorcerers and Healers that wield magic for attack and healing respectively, soldiers who wield swords and axes, and archers who specialize in long-distance attacks. The only class that is character exclusive is the Lord class, which is used by Marth. [5] [8] When a unit has reached Level 10, their class can be evolved using an item called a Master Seal. [5] Units can also be re-classed, changing to a completely different class or back to their original class at the player's discretion: the re-class option has limits as there are only a limited number of available classes for a unit to change into, and limitations are placed on how many of one class can be used at a time. [7] If a class change is reversed, all the unit's previous stats will be retained. [5] [7] Each unit's weapon rank, which is directly associated with its class, has its level raised based on the amount of weapon usage, while also decreasing weapon durability — unless merged with another identical item, a weapon will break after its maximum number of uses. [5]
Shadow Dragon follows the events of the original game. In ancient times, the Shadow Dragon Medeus led a reign of terror over the continent of Archanea, before a young man named Anri used the divine sword Falchion and the mystical Fire Emblem shield to defeat Medeus and restore peace to the continent. One century later, Medeus is resurrected by the evil sorcerer Gharnef, reestablishing his empire and reclaiming his former territories. The kingdom of Altea, the original home of Anri and the birthplace of protagonist Marth, comes under attack from Gharnef's forces. Marth is forced into exile in the neighboring kingdom of Talys. Several years later, together with the king's daughter Caeda and a small band of soldiers, Marth returns to the mainland to reclaim his kingdom and defeat Medeus once again.
The original version of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light was released in 1990 for the Famicom by Intelligent Systems, who had previously created the military strategy game Famicom Wars . It was designed and written by series creator Shouzou Kaga, who envisioned a new type of role-playing experience unknown at the time. The success of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light launched the Fire Emblem series, [2] [9] of which he parted ways with after the release of the fifth installment. According to co-director Masayuki Horikawa, development started on Shadow Dragon during the development of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn , which released in 2007. The development period was estimated at "one and a bit years", although full development lasted ten months as the first part of development overlapped with Radiant Dawn. It was decided by Intelligent Systems to remake Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light so more players could experience software from their early days. They also wanted players outside Japan to experience the game for the first time. [10] The core staff included producer Tohru Narihiro and director Masayuki Horikawa from Intelligent Systems, and producer Hitoshi Yamagami and director Masaki Tawara from Nintendo. [2] [11]
When developing Shadow Dragon, the team did not see it as a simple remake, but rather a "renewal" of the original on a new platform with new and updated mechanics. The most difficult part was balancing this with maintaining the original version's atmosphere. [2] Numerous features were added to the experience, such as displays for movement and attack range, the ability to change classes and unit recruitment if too many of the original army fell in battle. Expanded difficulty options and tutorials were also added to help ease newcomers into the series. [10] The by-then well-established Weapon Triangle was also introduced, replacing the unbalanced systems from the original. [2] The addition of a single mid-battle save was intended to help ease newcomers into the series, so they would not need to restart the entire battle if a key unit fell. [3] [10] The dual-screen display of both map and unit placement and status was indirectly inspired by the original version, which allowed players to view character stats without dropping out of the map. [2]
The story and script were handled by Kouhei Maeda, Koji Kawasaki and Toshiyuki Kusakihara. [11] Minimal additions were made to the story, as the team felt it was already a well-told narrative and did not want to complicate things for players by adding "fluff". Rather, the story content was cut down as much as possible from the original, in contrast to the expanding content and stories of later entries. Despite this, gaiden chapters were added so players could gain new characters to help them beat the game. [2] [12] Redesigns for main characters Marth and Caeda, along with other leading characters and some promotional artwork, was handled by Ghost in the Shell artist Masamune Shirow. [13] Other redesigns were handled by Daisuke Izuka. [14] The staff's aim with Marth's redesign was to update his appearance while keeping him true to expectations from the fan base. [2] The graphics and character models for battle animations were handled by external company Alvion. [15] The music was supervised by Yuka Tsujiyoko, the composer for multiple Fire Emblem titles including the original version. Together with new composer Saki Kasuga, Tsujiyoko both remixed music from the original version and added a large number of new and original tracks. [16]
Shadow Dragon was first announced in October 2007 at a Nintendo conference, where it had yet to be given an official title. [17] While a remake, Nintendo has included it in lists of Fire Emblem titles, variously calling it the eleventh [2] [18] or twelfth entry. [3] [4] It was confirmed for a Western release at a press summit in October 2008 for a North American release the following year, with the European release being planned for 2008. [19] [20] The game was localized for the West by external company 8-4; this was due to the large volume of text present in the story, which made localizing it internally difficult for Nintendo. [21] Shadow Dragon was released in Japan on August 7, 2008; [22] in Europe on December 5; [20] in North America on February 16, 2009; [23] and in Australia on February 26. [24] The release of Shadow Dragon marked the first time any form of the first Fire Emblem game had been released outside Japan. [4] [25]
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 81/100 (42 reviews) [26] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
1Up.com | B+ [7] |
Eurogamer | 8/10 [6] |
Famitsu | 34/40 [27] |
GameSpot | 7.5/10 [8] |
IGN | 8.5/10 [28] |
Nintendo Life | 8/10 [29] |
Official Nintendo Magazine | 86% [30] |
The gameplay was generally well received by reviewers. Famitsu generally praised the gameplay elements. One reviewer found the dual screen and mid-battle save features convenient, even though the latter diluted the tension of battle. Another felt that Shadow Dragon was the best Fire Emblem title to that date. [27] 1UP.com 's Kurtis Seid enjoyed the gameplay and strategic elements surrounding character management, but said that the multiplayer options risked upsetting the balance; he also noted that the inclusion of features for newcomers might alienate hardcore fans. [7] Tom Bramwell, writing for Eurogamer , praised the overall feel of the game, from the dual screen functionality to the battle and character class systems, although noted nothing that elevated the game to new heights, and said that the inclusion of newcomer-friendly mechanics clashed with the permanent death mechanic. [6] Shiva Stella of GameSpot enjoyed the tactical elements, openness to newcomers and multiplayer elements; but found the weakness of new recruits and map restrictions detracted from the experience. [8] IGN 's Daemon Hatfield, while again noting a lack of innovation, found it one of the most balanced strategy games available at the time. [28] Stuart Reddick of Nintendo Life greatly enjoyed the gameplay experience and praised the developer's efforts at balancing the various elements, but noted that it felt dated compared to both later Fire Emblem titles and other recent titles within the genre. [29] Fred Dutton of Official Nintendo Magazine was highly positive, praising the classic gameplay, new features, and multiplayer functions. His one major complaint was a lack of innovation. [30]
The story received mixed opinions. Seid said that, due to the story being taken directly from the original, it was overly short and simple by modern standards. [7] Bramwell felt the story was not as nuanced as other entries, and noted the lower number of "lovable" characters. [6] Stella said that while the plot could get confusing, the prologue and "sophisticated" translation helped explain events. [8] Hatfield also praised the translation, and while agreeing that the story was simpler than other Fire Emblem games, he found the scope impressive for its origins as a Famicom game. [28] Reddick, in contrast to his praise for the gameplay, called the story fairly standard for the genre, with most of its key moments being "dull and forgettable". [29] Dutton, while not touching the overall story, found the dialogue overly "cheesy". [30]
Multiple critics also mentioned its presentation. Stella praised the visuals and enjoyed the music despite it sounding dated, [8] while Hatfield praised the music but criticized the graphics as uninspired. [28] Reddick praised the visual overhaul, despite limited animation for sprites outside battle. [29] Dutton echoed Hatfield's sentiments about the visuals, finding them one of his main criticisms of the presentation alongside the dialogue. [30]
During the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Shadow Dragon for "Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year". [31]
According to Famitsu, Shadow Dragon sold 180,697 units during its debut week in Japan, coming in at No. 2 on their charts with a 90% sell-through rate. [32] Media Create had a slightly different assessment, placing it at No. 2 with sales of 145,000 units. [33] By the following week, it had dropped to No. 6 with further sales of 35,000 units. [34] According to Horikawa, Intelligent Systems were satisfied with their sales in Japan: buyers included series veterans, players who had come to know Marth through the Super Smash Bros. series, and series newcomers. [10] In Japan, the game has sold 274,000 units in total as of 2012. [35] Upon its release in North America, the game reached No. 2 in the dedicated Nintendo DS charts. [36] As of 2013, the game has sold over 250,000 units in the region. [37]
Fire Emblem 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.
Roy is a fictional character from Nintendo and Intelligent Systems' Fire Emblem video game series, who first appeared in the 2001 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Melee as a representative character from the Fire Emblem series, along with Marth. He is the lead character of Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade; within the story, he is the son of Eliwood and heir presumptive of Pherae, who eventually becomes a major military leader. The inclusion of Roy and Marth in Melee is cited as one of the reasons Nintendo started localizing the series for international distribution. Roy continues to make recurring appearances in subsequent Fire Emblem media, such as a manga series and spinoff video games.
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, also known simply as Fire Emblem, 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 installment in the Fire Emblem series, the second to be released for the platform after Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, and the first to be localized for international audiences. It was released in Japan and North America in 2003, and in Europe and Australia in 2004.
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Famicom home video game console in 1996. It is the fourth installment of the Fire Emblem series, and the second to be developed for the platform. Genealogy of the Holy War takes place on the continent of Jugdral, split between eight countries founded by the Twelve Crusaders, an ancient group of soldiers who ended the rule of the ancient dragon Loptous with divine aid. In the present, a cult working to revive Loptous stirs up war among the countries. The story is told over two generations—the first generation follows the Grannvalian prince Sigurd, while the second follows his son Seliph as he works to defeat the cult and avenge his father. Gameplay follows the traditional Fire Emblem system of tactical battles taking place on grid-based maps, while adding the Weapon Triangle and Support systems, which directly impacted both gameplay and story.
Fire Emblem Gaiden is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Famicom. Released in March 1992, it is the second installment in the Fire Emblem series and the last to be developed for the Famicom. It builds upon the basic turn-based strategy gameplay of the previous title, while including new elements such as a navigable overworld. Set in the same world as its predecessor, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, Gaiden follows the battles of two opposing armies on the continent of Valentia, which is torn apart by political strife involving the princess Celica and her childhood friend Alm.
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems, and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance handheld video game console in 2004 for Japan and 2005 in the West. It is the eighth entry in the Fire Emblem series, the second to be released outside Japan, and the third and final title to be developed for the Game Boy Advance after The Binding Blade and its prequel Fire Emblem.
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Family Computer. It is the first installment in the Fire Emblem series and was originally released in Japan in 1990. Set on the fictional continent of Archanea, the story follows the tale of Marth, prince of the kingdom of Altea, who is sent on a quest to reclaim his throne after being forced into exile by the evil sorcerer Gharnef and his dark master Medeus, the titular Shadow Dragon. Forming new alliances with neighboring kingdoms, Marth must gather a new army to help him retrieve the sacred sword Falchion and the Fire Emblem shield in order to defeat Gharnef and Medeus and save his kingdom. The gameplay revolves around turn-based battles on grid-based maps, with defeated units being subject to permanent death.
Ike is a character from the Fire Emblem series of video games. He is the central protagonist and Lord-class character of the ninth game in the series, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, and one of the central characters in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. Ike is one of the most popular characters in the Fire Emblem series, and has appeared in other media, most notably the Super Smash Bros. fighting game series.
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is a 2005 tactical role-playing video game developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD, and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the ninth main installment in the Fire Emblem series, and the third to be released in the west. As with previous installments, gameplay revolves around positioning characters on a battlefield to defeat an opposing force. If characters are defeated in battle, they are removed from the rest of the game.
Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Famicom; it was originally released through the Nintendo Power flash cartridge in 1999, then on a ROM cartridge the following year. It is the fifth installment in the Fire Emblem series, the third and last title to be developed for the Super Famicom, and the last home console Fire Emblem until the release of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance in 2005.
Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance (GBA) handheld video game console. It is the sixth entry in the Fire Emblem series, the first title produced for the system, and the first title to appear on a handheld console. It was released in Japan in March 2002.
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem, known in Japan as Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo, is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Intelligent Systems, and published by Nintendo for the Super Famicom home video game console in 1994. It is the third installment of the Fire Emblem series, and the first to be developed for the Super Famicom. The story is divided into two parts: the first part is a retelling of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, while the second is an original story acting as a sequel to the first game. After defeating the sorcerer Gharnef and the Dark Dragon Medeus, peace is restored to Archanea and Marth restores his kingdom. His ally Hardin ascends to the throne of Archanea, but begins hostile military expansion across the continent, forcing Marth to confront his old friend and the force driving him. Gameplay follows the traditional Fire Emblem system of tactical battles taking place on grid-based maps.
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Wii home console. It is the tenth entry in the Fire Emblem series, and acts as a direct sequel to the 2005 GameCube title Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. It was released in 2007 in Japan and North America, and 2008 in Europe and Australia.
Fire Emblem Fates is a tactical role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS handheld video game console, developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD and published by Nintendo. It was released in June 2015 in Japan, then released internationally in 2016. It is the fourteenth installment in the Fire Emblem series and the second to be developed for Nintendo 3DS after Fire Emblem Awakening. Unlike previous titles, Fates was released in three versions, each following a different storyline centered on the same characters: Birthright and Conquest as physical releases, and Revelation as downloadable content.
Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console in July 2010. It is the twelfth entry in the Fire Emblem series, and a remake of the Super Famicom title Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem. The story is based on the original content from Mystery of the Emblem, while including a customizable Avatar as the main character alongside Marth, the protagonist of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. New Mystery of the Emblem also adapts the story content from the Satellaview title BS Fire Emblem into four additional story episodes dubbed the "New Archanea Chronicles".
Fire Emblem Warriors is a hack and slash action role-playing game developed by Omega Force and Team Ninja, and published by Koei Tecmo in Japan and Nintendo internationally for the Nintendo Switch and New Nintendo 3DS. The game was released in Japan in September 2017, and worldwide the following month. The game is a collaboration between Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors franchise and Nintendo and Intelligent Systems's Fire Emblem series.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS in 2017. It is the fifteenth installment in the Fire Emblem series and a remake of the 1992 Famicom game Fire Emblem Gaiden, the second entry in the series. It follows dual protagonists Alm and Celica as they aim to bring an end to the war through opposite methods, with Alm fighting to resolve the war through battle, while Celica attempts to find a peaceful end through guidance from the Goddess Mila. Fire Emblem Echoes carries over the core gameplay mechanics of the Fire Emblem series while incorporating mechanics from Gaiden, like dungeon crawling.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Intelligent Systems and Koei Tecmo's Kou Shibusawa and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It was released worldwide on July 26, 2019. It is the sixteenth entry in the Fire Emblem series and the first one for home consoles since Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, originally released in 2007.
Fire Emblem Engage is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the seventeenth installment in the Fire Emblem series, and was released worldwide on January 20, 2023. The game follows Alear, a dragon in human form, who awakens from a thousand-year slumber and quickly becomes embroiled in a conflict with the forces of the Fell Dragon Sombron. Alear travels the land of Elyos gaining allies while fighting against the armies of the rival Kingdom of Elusia and Sombron's resurrected undead forces; the player controls and maneuvers Alear's army in these battles. One of the core parts of both the setting and the gameplay are twelve magic rings that contain phantasmal copies of characters from previous Fire Emblem games. Characters wearing these "Emblem Rings" can "Engage" to gain vast power from summoning and merging with these phantoms. Both Alear and Sombron seek to gain control of the rings; possession of all twelve will allow a feat of immense magic to be performed.