Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Tsurugi
Encyclopedia
is the first game in the Fire Emblem
tactical role-playing game
series developed by Intelligent Systems
and published by Nintendo
. It was first released on the Family Computer
(known internationally as the Nintendo Entertainment System) on November 20, 1990. It takes place on the continent of Archanea. It stars Marth
, a character who later became better known for his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee
and Super Smash Bros. Brawl
. The Falchion weapon from this game acts as the Fire Emblem franchise's symbol in the Super Smash Bros. series. Shiida appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a Sticker.
Fire Emblem was one of the earliest series in the turn-based strategy
genre on home consoles. However, unlike other strategy games, it borrowed several elements from role-playing games such as Dragon Quest
, and is among the first games, if not the first, in the tactical role-playing
genre. Later games in the series made numerous changes to the gameplay.
The game takes place on the fictional continent of Akaneia (Archanea in North American localizations). The third game in the series, Fire Emblem: Monshou no Nazo, as well as the eleventh, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, also take place in Akaneia.
diverted its focus from creating hardware for the NES
and Famicom Disk System
to developing simulation games. After completing development of Famicom Wars
, the team wanted to make a simulation game that used role-playing elements, leading to Fire Emblem. Initially, the development team was not very large, and as a result, the staff did a variety of tasks outside of the tasks assigned to them. Due to Fire Emblem using more memory than the NES could handle, the team had to go around this by using a portion of the NES's memory devoted to saving the game.
as Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo
(Mystery of the Emblem), which also contains a new sequel to the original game (dubbed as Book Two, while the remake of the original game is known as Book One). A second remake of Book One entitled Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon has also been made for the Nintendo DS
handheld.
had spread.
of Japan
. Official Fire Emblem website at Nintendo
of Japan
. Touth-DS.JP - Fire Emblem: Shin Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi&Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Ken（Masahiro Sakurai&Toru Narihido get interviews）website at Nintendo
of Japan
. VC Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi website at Nintendo
of Japan
.
Fire Emblem
is a fantasy tactical role-playing video game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems , the maker of Advance Wars , and published by Nintendo...
tactical role-playing game
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
series developed by Intelligent Systems
Intelligent Systems
is a Japanese first-party video game developer and internal team of Nintendo Co., Ltd. It has its headquarters in the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture....
and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
. It was first released on the Family Computer
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
(known internationally as the Nintendo Entertainment System) on November 20, 1990. It takes place on the continent of Archanea. It stars Marth
Marth (Fire Emblem)
is a character from Intelligent Systems's Fire Emblem series of video games. He is the central protagonist and Lord-class character of the original game Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi, the third game, Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo, and the two remake games Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and...
, a character who later became better known for his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in . It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the Wii game Super Smash...
and Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
. The Falchion weapon from this game acts as the Fire Emblem franchise's symbol in the Super Smash Bros. series. Shiida appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a Sticker.
Fire Emblem was one of the earliest series in the turn-based strategy
Turn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
genre on home consoles. However, unlike other strategy games, it borrowed several elements from role-playing games such as Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
, and is among the first games, if not the first, in the tactical role-playing
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
genre. Later games in the series made numerous changes to the gameplay.
Gameplay
Characters are each unique, in terms of both class and stats, and a character who runs out of hit points usually remains dead.Setting
Story
Marth is prince of Altea and a direct descendant of Anri, the warrior who slew the shadow dragon Medeus. However, after an attack from the neighboring kingdom of Dolhr, Marth is forced to become an exile in the neighboring nation of Talis. His sister Ellis is taken hostage after his father is killed battling the evil priest Gharnef. With the help of the Altean knight Jeigan, the Talisian Princess Shiida, and others, Marth embarks on a quest to find the sacred sword known as Falchion and the Fire Emblem that will allow him to wield it. Only then will he be able to confront Gharnef and the resurrected Medeus, win the kingdom of Altea back, and rescue his sister.Development
Development of Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi began after developer Intelligent SystemsIntelligent Systems
is a Japanese first-party video game developer and internal team of Nintendo Co., Ltd. It has its headquarters in the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture....
diverted its focus from creating hardware for the NES
Nes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
and Famicom Disk System
Famicom Disk System
The was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral for the Family Computer console in Japan. It was a unit that used proprietary floppy disks for data storage. It was announced, but never released, for the North American Nintendo Entertainment System...
to developing simulation games. After completing development of Famicom Wars
Famicom Wars
is a turn-based tactics military game. Produced by Nintendo, it was released on August 12, 1988 for the Family Computer in Japan and later re-released on the Wii Virtual Console on May 19, 2009. It is the first game in the Wars series.-Gameplay:...
, the team wanted to make a simulation game that used role-playing elements, leading to Fire Emblem. Initially, the development team was not very large, and as a result, the staff did a variety of tasks outside of the tasks assigned to them. Due to Fire Emblem using more memory than the NES could handle, the team had to go around this by using a portion of the NES's memory devoted to saving the game.
Remakes
The game was remade for the Super FamicomSuper Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
as Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo
Fire Emblem: Monsho no Nazo
is a Japanese tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on January 21, 1994. It was the first Fire Emblem title for the Nintendo Super Famicom and the first twenty-four-megabit cartridge for the system. The game is divided into...
(Mystery of the Emblem), which also contains a new sequel to the original game (dubbed as Book Two, while the remake of the original game is known as Book One). A second remake of Book One entitled Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon has also been made for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
handheld.
Reception
Sales of Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi were flat for the first two months of sales, but improved after word of mouthWord of mouth
Word of mouth, or viva voce, is the passing of information from person to person by oral communication. Storytelling is the oldest form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others of something, whether a real event or something made up. Oral tradition is cultural material and...
had spread.
External links
Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi website at Intelligent SystemsIntelligent Systems
is a Japanese first-party video game developer and internal team of Nintendo Co., Ltd. It has its headquarters in the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture....
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Official Fire Emblem website at Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Touth-DS.JP - Fire Emblem: Shin Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi&Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Ken（Masahiro Sakurai&Toru Narihido get interviews）website at Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. VC Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi website at Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
- Fire Emblem on MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & Sword of Light at NinDB
- RPGClassics Shrine
- Fire Emblem Factory, Character Name Translations for Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragons and the Blade of Light
- Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi at Fire Emblem Wikia