What is Fire Emblem?

Ahhh Fire Emblem, that good old franchise developed by Intelligent Systems back in 1990, and that invaded the homes of millions of kids, teens and adults through Nintendo’s most famous consoles. Or, more popularly known nowadays by the name of “those random characters in smash bros that no one knows why they were included”. Whether you know what I’m talking about, or you’ve been living under a rock for the past decades, this post should interest you in some points at least.

What is Fire Emblem Exactly? Well, apart from what was mentioned earlier, this franchise is located under the categories of “fantasy”, “tactical”, “role playing” and “turned based strategy. A pretty varied niche right? I mean, there are a bunch of other titles that could easily fall below these same categories, such as Advanced Wars, and the Ghost Recon series. But, something makes Fire emblem stand out amongst them all, and that’s what we’ll be explaining throughout this post.

Just in case you didn’t know, the franchise did have its ups and downs along the way. About a third of its titles were exclusive to Japan until they brought “Fire Emblem the Blazing Sword” over to the west. But, this wasn’t an immediate success, the real savior was “Fire Emblem Awakening”, the first title introduced for the 3DS. But let’s talk in general terms, what makes a Fire Emblem game a Fire Emblem game? 

One of the main features that capture the audience's attention is its “perma death”, meaning if a character dies, it’s gone for good. But, newer titles have the option to disable this feature, appealing towards newer audiences. The perma death feature alone isn’t enough to carry a whole franchise though, is it? This aspect is complemented by a heavy emphasis on the role playing aspect of the game. Every character has an intrinsic personality assigned to them, and as the story progresses, so does the depth of each character. Many veteran fans may argue with this aspect, since some units would appear more bland than others. Of course this would be true, taking into account the especially large roster that the franchise offers across its innumerable titles. Some characters may appear appealing to certain players, while for others these same characters are the most hated. It’s based on a subjective perspective. But there is one detail that isn’t arguable, if a unit dies, even if you aren’t fond of them, it leaves a mark. 

This aspect alone is enough for a whole franchise to become one of the most loved in the gaming industries, and it gives enough uniqueness inside its niche to make it stand out. For example, if we take “Advance Wars” the only characters who really stand out are the games leaders you can pick amongst. Other than that, every other unit is just a mass produced entity that doesn’t really have any emotional value. In Fire Emblem on the other hand, no unit is the same as another, so it feels like actual people are depending on you as a leader (this may be a stretch of the imagination, but it’s true). If someone dies, you aren’t able to learn more about them, you aren’t able to see them progress and watch them overcome situations in their own unique style. You essentially miss out on details that could interest you. 

Is Fire Emblem perfect? No, not by a long shot. But it definitely is a worthwhile franchise to try out. Now, as a final closure there are some aspects that may be a bit rusty. Some of the most recent critics accuse the franchise of starting to become a “dating simulator”, and it kind of is. You see, there is an in game feature where you’re able to pair up two units by making them fight together. This way you unlock specific dialogue between them that otherwise wouldn’t be visible. And in most cases, by the end of the run these two characters end up getting married. That’s dandy and all, but the developers have been taking it a bit too far. That aspect of the game is pretty polished as it is, and if there is certain interest for a dating simulator type of game using the franchises extensive roster of characters, by all means they should make one. But a totally different title than the main series of games, since the audience is essentially different. 

The key element that makes Fire Emblem such a great title is its emphasis on subjectivity. Intelligent systems should keep this element heavily in mind when developing future titles in order to maintain their impact in the gaming industry.