The brand Nintendo obviously conjures up images of pink puffballs and mustachioed plumbers, but there’s another dark horse franchise that’s quietly chugged along the last three decades — and it might actually be Nintendo’s most innovative franchise. Thirty-five years ago, Nintendo invented the tactical RPG with Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. And ever since then, countless others have been looking to the Fire Emblem formula for inspiration — from tactical spinoffs of The Lord of the Rings, to ambitious indie projects. Fire Emblem has had a profound influence over the years, and it’s a testament to how revolutionary that first game was.
In Fire Emblem, you follow the story of Marth, the young prince of the Kingdom of Altea. One hundred years ago, the continent of Archanea was invaded by the Dohlr Empire, and a young man from Altea had to take up the legendary sword Falchion and defeat the Shadow Dragon Medeus — restoring peace to the continent. Now in modern times, Altea is betrayed by its allies, and Marth’s father is murdered, leaving him to build an army from scratch to try and retake his homeland.
