Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the most successful game the series has released in many years. It broke sales records for the series and was declared one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch in 2019. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the series and fans were excited when Nintendo offered up a unique opportunity to play the first-ever Fire Emblem game.
For a limited time, Nintendo has made Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light available for download on the Nintendo Switch. The game was made thirty years ago, and while it has problems, there are still parts of the game fans will enjoy today.
10 BEST: A Piece Of History
There is a reason players still pick up games like Legend of Zelda to play through to this day. Even older games have something to offer and a look back at the humble beginnings of older franchises helps players have a better understanding of the games they play today. This unique opportunity to play a piece of gaming history will make fans appreciate the modern Fire Emblem games.
9 WORST: A Terrible Starting Point
This isn’t the kind of game that fans should use to introduce non-gamers to the hobby. It’s also likely a terrible starting point for players interested in getting into Fire Emblem itself as well. Unfortunately, the hype surrounding the limited time availability of the game will likely lead to it being downloaded by many players who don’t want to miss out. Enough of those players will have it as their first experience in the franchise and likely be soured to the series.
8 BEST: Finally Accessible Outside Of Japan
Many great games never get localizations from Japan and fans have to turn to other means to play them. Some fans have taken to learning Japanese to read the games in their original language while others turn to emulation and playing fan translations.
This is the first time the game has been available for purchase outside of Japan and fans are lucky that a proper localization effort was also made for the game. The game may only be available in English but at least it’s finally accessible to a larger audience.
7 WORST: Only For A Limited Time
Nintendo has a bad habit of releasing products for a limited time leading to high demand and intense difficulty getting the games after. This was done recently with Super Mario 3D All-Stars and resulted in impressive sales numbers so it is, unfortunately, a practice that will likely continue into the future. The fact that this is the first time the game can be played with a proper localization and it will be taken away so quickly is just tally in a long list of Nintendo’s crueler business practices.
6 BEST: See How The Genre Began
The Dragon and Princess may have been released for the PC-8001 in 1982 but the tactical role-playing genre didn’t take off in the mainstream until Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light was released. Mechanics from the game are still mainstays of the genre to this day and fans of the genre will enjoy making comparisons to more modern titles.
5 WORST: Archaic Mechanics
A thirty-year-old game is certain to show its age. The game already has been shown to have issues and one of them is incredibly unhelpful mechanics. The game prevents players from developing good strategies by not offering important information like the likelihood an attack will land until after the attack is made. It also doesn’t show how many spaces a unit can actually move. These are just two of many archaic mechanics players will have to battle through.
4 BEST: A Helpful New Feature
The game isn’t a perfect one for one translation of the old game. These aren’t the days of the NES any longer! With the game now being playable on the Switch, it has gained one serious quality of life improvement.
Players now have the ability to use a new bookmark feature to make the game a bit easier. Players can make what is essentially a save state at any moment of the game so if a turn goes haywire or they make a big mistake they can roll back time. It’s almost like Byleth is back!
3 WORST: Permadeath
The newer Fire Emblem games have allowed players to choose whether they want the chance of losing a character for good. Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light is far less forgiving. Characters in the game can have widely varying stats to the point where some characters are basically bound to die while others can tear through any enemies they face. Whether players don’t want to lose a powerhouse or their favorite new side character, permadeath will make the game a struggle to get through.
2 BEST: Lengthy Campaign
Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light likely has one of the longest single-player campaigns on the Switch. The game has over 24 chapters so players that pick it up can expect to get a lot of time in-game for the money spent. The game is no walk in the park either, so players will have to puzzle out the best ways to get through every battle.
1 WORST: Brutal Difficulty
Don’t expect Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light to be a walk in the park. Fire Emblem games have never been known for being easy but the first title in the series will likely melt brains with just how hard it is. It’s been mentioned by almost every review of the game as a major negative and players will need restraint to not throw their controller during the most frustrating parts of the game.
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