Nintendo announced that Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War is coming to Nintendo Switch Online in Japan. Unfortunately for the rest of the world, we still don’t have an official Western release of that title. After learning of this news, I thought about the abundance of Fire Emblem titles that have yet to reach the West. There are also older games that are too rare and expensive to buy on original software. To alleviate this, Nintendo has taken steps in bringing back more older entries with the limited release of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light just a couple of months ago.
With recent news and discussions on potential remakes, I believe there’s a good amount of titles that deserve a re-release. A translated port or even a full-blown remake could work for the majority of the older entries. Here’s my personal wishlist of classic Fire Emblem games that truly need re-releases brought to the rest of the world.
1. The Binding Blade
Roy’s our boy in Smash and yet English fans still don’t have his game. Binding Blade is the first Fire Emblem on the GBA. Many of the features introduced in Binding Blade became mainstays that are still used in modern titles. The Support System was introduced in this entry, where two units can build up their relationship and offer each other stat bonuses when close in battle.
Out of many games in the series, Binding Blade is a title that truly benefits from a translation or a full-blown remake. More so the latter because of the dated and unrefined gameplay. Unit balance is ridiculously broken. Poster boy Roy is a mediocre unit for 90% of the game and struggles to keep up. Hit rates are garbage and it becomes virtually impossible to hit bosses on thrones. Some map quirks can be interesting but others can be downright infuriating. The game doesn’t clearly convey to players how to unlock the true ending. While I consider it one of my personal favorites, it does have some issues that should be fixed with a remake.
Binding Blade is one of the few games that haven’t yet seen a western release
Binding Blade‘s story loosely connects to its prequel and the first English Fire Emblem, The Blazing Blade. Fans have considered the possibility of remaking both titles to better connect each story. Personally, I couldn’t see both games merged as one but I would love to see all the GBA Fire Emblems remastered or ported in some way. I’ve personally enjoyed each one and they rightfully deserve the chance to be enjoyed by more people.
2. Genealogy of the Holy War
Another title that wasn’t released to the West, Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War is a cult classic among fans of the older Fire Emblems. While it’s technically getting a port to Nintendo Switch Online, many still desire a translation or remake. Along with Binding Blade, it has also brought many features that were used in future titles.
One popular feature is the lover system, where units can marry one another and have children that are used later on in the story. Fans of those features from Fire Emblem: Fates and Awakening could find familiarity with this title. Many of Genealogy‘s darker themes and plots were also the inspiration for Three Houses. Without going deep into spoilers, the game does go into a timeskip and not every character gets a happy ending.
Genealogy was the first Fire Emblem to have a time skip along with children units.
While Genealogy is an interesting title and one of the more popular ones among older fans, it does have its problems. The maps take a long time to finish compared to other games, some being a complete slog to play through. The sheer size of the maps makes using foot units less viable than mounted units with more movement. Holy weapons and children units are also extremely unbalanced.
These issues could be solved with a potential remake, but there’s also the concern of Intelligent Systems changing too much of what makes the game unique. It’s one of the more interesting titles along with being another personal favorite; it would be a shame to see a remake take away from what I’ve enjoyed about the game.
3. Thracia 776
You can’t have Genealogy without Thracia. Taking place in-between the first and second-gen of Genealogy, Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 focuses on smaller-scale conflict with Leif as its protagonist. The SNES title is infamous for being one of the hardest entries in the series. However, I still believe that it’s too important for Nintendo and Intelligent Systems to simply pass up. It fleshes out the world of Judgral along with many characters that are also in the previous title.
The unforgiving difficulty is also a reason why it deserves a re-release. A remake or remaster of the game could allow Intelligent Systems to balance the gameplay and offer features for newcomers to have a smoother time playing it. Having the rewind feature and save states could do wonders for those who struggle with the game.
Thracia takes place before and during the events of Generation 2 of Genealogy
Despite taking place in the same continent and timeframe, I doubt that Genealogy and Thracia could be merged into one title. The two have vastly different gameplay styles and merging them both could ruin what makes the other unique. Out of all the continents in Fire Emblem, Judgral doesn’t have a game that is currently localized. Hopefully, with recent news, we could see that changed.
4. New Mystery of the Emblem
Both Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light and its Nintendo DS remake are now playable in the west, yet we’re without its successor. New Mystery of the Emblem is the third entry in the series and the direct sequel to Shadow Dragon. It has also received a DS remake that hasn’t seen a worldwide release. It’s a missed opportunity to have both games in English, especially given the recent translation of the first one.
The DS remake is the first title in the series to introduce features that would set the foundation for future series, such as casual mode and a customizable character. The game also has the largest playable cast in the series with 77 playable characters, featuring other popular systems like reclassing and support conversations.
New Mystery introduced new characters and plots to the original story.
New Mystery seems to be the more probable re-release, given the recent translation of the first game. The DS remake would be more preferable given its abundance of quality of life features and added content, though the original is much easier to fully translate. Unfortunate as it is, there is some hope after Shadow Dragon was ported to the Wii U in the previous generation.
5. Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn
Despite being released in English, there’s a special case for why these two games need a port. The Tellius duology is very rare and ridiculously expensive. Excluding emulation, it’s borderline impossible for most fans to play either title. Mario 3D All-Stars and Skyward Sword HD have shown that Nintendo is willing to port Gamecube and Wii games to the Switch. An HD remaster collection could allow fans to have a way to play through Ike’s journey without the need to shell out hundreds just for a copy.
Both of Ike’s games can benefit from an HD Remaster.
There is also some quality of life features that could benefit from a remaster. Both games are very long to play and it could be a slog to complete at times. Like previous entries, maps can go on for a long time. It can be a bit of a chore if you’re forced to restart due to losing a favorite unit. Features such as casual mode or a rewind feature will make the games accessible to newcomers.
There’s also the added benefit of replacing cut content. Path of Radiance‘s international release removed Maniac Mode from the game. For those looking for more of a challenge, the mode could be brought back in an HD Remaster. Preferably as content that isn’t sold as DLC on a limited release like other Nintendo remasters.
What classic Fire Emblem game would you like to see re-released or remade? What do you think should be changed from the original, if at all? Let me know down below in the comments!
