Fire Emblem: 17 Best Games Of All Time

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & The Blade Of Light – Metascore 63

One of the first Fire Emblem games was Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light. The main character was Marth, who is now a fan favorite. The Fire Emblem franchise got its start with this game, and the tactical role-playing genre became famous because of it.

It came out first in Japan for the Famicom, but in 2019 Japanese fans were able to play it on the Nintendo Switch. Thanks to finally localization and release for Nintendo Switch, people in the West can now also play this groundbreaking game, though only for a short time (until March 2021).

Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light is now thought to be one of the most basic games in the series, missing many of the features that have become standard in later games in the series. However, it was Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light that got the series going with its mix of RPG character progression and tactical gameplay. It’s also worth mentioning that the most current Switch port has a lot of improvements to the quality of life, like the ability to skip ahead and backward through turns.

Fire Emblem Heroes – Metascore 72

It’s free to play, and Fire Emblem Heroes came out in 2017 for both Android and iOS. As with the other games in the series, it is a strategy role-playing game, and it includes characters that have been in different games in the series.

The game has microtransactions that let you get new characters in a way similar to Gacha.More updates are being made to Fire Emblem Heroes all the time, adding new features, stories, and characters to keep the game fun for everyone. Fire Emblem Heroes has maps that are much smaller than those in previous games in the series. However, this free-to-play game can be a good start to the series for people who have never played a tactical RPG before.

Fire Emblem: Warriors – Metascore 74

With Fire Emblem: Warriors, the dream of making a Dynasty Warriors game with Fire Emblem figures came true. It’s mindless fun to play Warriors, where the main character beats up thousands of enemies until the timer runs out or the goal is reached.

One problem with Fire Emblem: Warriors is that it only has characters from Shadow Dragon, Awakening, and Fates. However, this could mean that there is room for another game. The Nintendo Switch version does better than the other one in terms of speed and clarity.

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn – Metascore – 78

Radiant Dawn for the Wii was a great addition to Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, even though the game would have been fine without it. The Western version has a mistake in the translation of the difficulty choices, which is why it got bad reviews at first. This version has Easy, Normal, and Hard instead of Normal, Hard, and Lunatic. If someone has played Fire Emblem before, Radiant Dawn will show them how rough it can get when they switch teams.

Radiant Dawn is the direct sequel to Path of Radiance, and it has a data transfer method that lets players bring over information from Path of Radiance if they have already finished it. Radiant Dawn doesn’t follow a typical story structure. Instead, it changes points of view throughout the campaign, letting you play as characters on all sides of a single battle.

With such a large roster of units, the flexible and customizable skill and item forging systems let players make plans that fit the way they like to play. Radiant Dawn is a great game for veterans who want to try their skills because it is much harder than most games.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes – Metascore 80

The second game from Omega Force, the company that made the Dynasty Warriors games, is Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. The story takes place in the same world as Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but in a different time period. The main character is now called Shez. The player can pick from different classes, just like in Three Houses. Each class has its own story and characters to connect with, which makes it possible to play again and again.

Hack-and-slash games like Dynasty Warriors give you three chances to kill people. Fans of Fire Emblem will enjoy the parts that are similar to that game. The fast-paced action and tactical features make it one of the best Warriors games in years. Fans of Three Houses will love the chance to connect with their favorite characters again, even though the story takes place in a different time.

Fire Emblem Engage – Metascore 80

Fire Emblem Engage, the newest game, came out in 2023. Fans had different opinions on it because it was more about the gameplay than the long conversations and romance in Eggy Car. Many of the things that made the first game, Three Houses, so popular were missing in this one. On the other hand, fans of Engage were glad to see a return to tactical gameplay over drama and dating features. With beautiful character models and bright designs, the show has never looked better.

The plot of Engage is like a Saturday morning cartoon from the 1980s and 1990s. But, for lack of a better word, it’s still interesting, with a cast of likeable characters and great strategy gameplay. Fans can go to a different world in the update called “Fell Xenologue” and fight with more characters.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows Of Valentia – Metascore 81

Without a doubt, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is a love letter to the game it’s based on. A lot of times, director Kenta Nakanishi played Gaiden, and he loved remembering playing with his father before his father died. Shades of Valentia’s staging made it clear that a lot of heart and soul went into it. With its stunning graphics, moving music, and fully developed characters, Nakanishi’s father would be proud of his son for redoing a beloved game.

The accurate map design of Shadows of Valentia can sometimes work against the game, as the maps aren’t as good as those in earlier games in the series. However, Mila’s Turnwheel was a big deal in this game. This lets players restart their turns, which could help them fix mistakes without having to play the whole chapter again.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon – Metascore 81

It seemed like a crazy idea to remake a remake of a remake, but Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon did pretty well on Metacritic. The West finally met Marth. Shadow Dragon doesn’t have a lot of conversation and is, at best, very basic. It also has a lot of challenges and makes you want to play it again and again.

If someone can find a used copy of Shadow Dragon, they should play it because it’s a classic Fire Emblem game. The images are old and not the best for the Nintendo DS, though. Shadow Dragon was the first game in the series since Japan-only Thracia 776 to not have a support system. However, it set a new standard by allowing fully realized multiplayer for the first time in the series, which was a big improvement over what was possible in Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade.

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones – Metascore 85

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is like the spiritual follow-up to Fire Emblem Gaiden. It has two different paths that players can take, and they can grind whenever they want. Many players think that the eighth game is one of the easiest ones in the series to get into. It’s very friendly and offers a new way to play.A lot of people like to do speed and LTC runs in The Sacred Stones, and it’s also been the starting point for many Fire Emblem ROM hacks. First it came out for the Game Boy Advance, and then it was made for the 3DS and Wii U.

While most of the other games in the series are linked to at least one other Fire Emblem game in some way, The Sacred Stones is a stand-alone story that takes place in a different time period. The Sacred Stones has a branching promotion system that was later used in several later games, such as Awakening and Fates. It also has two separate ways that make the game more replayable.

Fire Emblem: Path Of Radiance – Metascore 85

Ike is still one of the most well-liked figures in the whole show. Path of Radiance has a great story, fun gameplay, and a wide range of interesting personalities. It’s also good for both new and experienced players (for the Japanese version).

Path of Radiance is hard to find, though, and it costs a lot on sites like Amazon and eBay. What this game does offer, though, is an unforgettable trip for the mercenary who is becoming stronger. It’s a great choice for both newbies and veterans of the Fire Emblem series because of how easy it is to get into and how memorable the story is.

Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright – Metascore 86

Fire Emblem Fates is the fourteenth game in the series, and it was the first one to come out in two parts. Even though they are all under the same name, each version has its own story and way of playing, so players would have to play all of them to get the full experience.

Birthright is one of the first two versions that came out at launch. In this form, the main character is on the side of the Kingdom of Hoshido.Playing Birthright is a lot like playing Awakening. It’s easier to get gold and experience points, which makes it a better choice for people who are new to the genre.

Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest – Metascore 87

When Fire Emblem Fates came out, there was also a version called Conquest, in which the main character is on the side of the land of Nohr. The gameplay in Conquest isn’t as fun as it was in Birthright, which makes it harder for people who are new to the series. There are fewer rewards for each finished map, more goals to reach, and sometimes only a certain number of turns on each map.

It’s possible that Conquest scored a little higher than its rival because fans think of it as the more traditional experience. While some people might not like how hard Conquest is, it is thought to have some of the most satisfying map designs in the Fire Emblem series, so people who already know a lot about the series should definitely play it.

Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation – Metascore 88

The third version of Fire Emblem Fates is called Revelation. It wasn’t available at launch, but it was later made available as DLC. People who want to play Revelation need either Conquest or Birthright first, so it can’t be bought separately.It is up to the main character in Revelation to choose which power to side with. It’s a mix of the first two games in terms of how they’re played, with Birthright’s benefits and experience.

This version of Fate is a good choice for people who want to focus on the support system because it has a huge cast of characters from both Conquest and Birthright. The story and basic gameplay are some of the most controversial in the series, which is a shame.

Fire Emblem Fates: Special Edition – Metascore 88

Fire Emblem Fates is a game that has caused some debate. It’s amazing how fun Fates is to play, even though some features were taken out of foreign versions, like the ability to marry siblings, and the story was so ridiculous that it turned into a meme.

Fans liked the Fire Emblem Fates: Special Edition because it had all three games in one package.Conquest is the perfect standard game, and the maps look great.For people who are new to the series, Birthright is the best choice. Revelation is a mix of Birthright and Revelation, and it has a happy finish for everyone. That’s all that needs to be said.

Fire Emblem – Metascore 88

Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade is the full name of the seventh game in the series. It was first shown to people in the West after Martha and Roy brought interest to the series, including in Super Smash Bros. Attack with force. This is thought to be the best of the three games for the Game Boy Advance.

If you know how the game works, Lyn Mode can be annoying, but it shows what kinds of personalities Fire Emblem has and how players have grown to care about them. For people who are new to Fire Emblem, this is still one of the best games to start with.

This game has one of the best tutorials in the series, a story that focuses on Hector, and different levels of challenge, making it a good choice for people who want to play Fire Emblem for the first time. “Hector Hard Mode” also makes this game fun for people who like to push themselves.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses – Metascore 89

Fire Emblem: Three Houses did a great job of living up to its promises. The 16th entry sold a lot more copies than the ones that came before it, thanks to a story with mixed morals, interesting characters, and fun gameplay. People still make great costumes and fan art based on the characters, and the voice actors got very involved by showing how grateful they are for getting to voice the characters. Many gamers will remember Three Houses for a long time, even though it came out later than planned.

This is the most flexible game in the series. Three Houses is different because it puts players on one of several routes right away, depending on which house they choose to teach at the start of the game. A dynamic and flexible class system lets players train each of their units in any way they choose, giving them different skills and making them eligible for the game’s different classes. This lets players create the army of their dreams and come up with their own unique plans.

Fire Emblem: Awakening – Metascore 92

Fire Emblem: Awakening, which is known as “the entry that saved the franchise,” came back to the West for the Nintendo 3DS. Its release at the right time and its huge success in Japan were enough to keep the brand going to this day.While Awakening may not have been the best-selling Fire Emblem game, its history is something to be proud of because it kept the series going. The game was made with a lot of love, even though it has some flaws.

Awakening takes place a long time after Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and has many fan-favorite features from earlier games in the series, like the Sacred Stones’ split class system.The game also changes the support system so that characters who get married through it have children who can be recruited as their own units, similar to the second generation of Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War.