Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is a tactical role-playing game created by Intelligent Systems and released by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the eleventh game in the Fire Emblem series and a remake of the earlier Famicom game Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, which was the first game in the series. The game was released in Japan and Europe in 2008 and in North America and Australia in 2009.
Shadow Dragon tells the same story as Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light but adds more details. The story takes place on the continent of Archanea and follows Marth, a prince from the kingdom of Altea. After being forced into exile by the evil sorcerer Gharnef and his master, Medeus the Shadow Dragon, Marth must gather allies and reclaim his throne. To defeat Gharnef and Medeus, he must collect the sacred sword Falchion and the Fire Emblem shield. The game uses the same turn-based battle system as other Fire Emblem games, with battles taking place on grid-based maps. Features include a class system that changes as characters are used and the permanent loss of units defeated in battle.
Development of the game started in 2007, at the same time as the final stages of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. Many team members from earlier games returned, including director Tohru Narihiro and composer Yuka Tsujiyoko, who worked with Saki Kasuga to create a remixed and expanded soundtrack. Character artwork was redesigned by Daisuke Izuka, with special help from Masamune Shirow. The game was first announced in late 2007 and released internationally the next year, with localization handled by the company 8-4. The game includes new features not in the original Famicom version, such as colored tiles to show movement and attack range, the Weapon Triangle system, a class swap option, and online multiplayer, which was new for the series. Critics generally praised the game’s balance and multiplayer features, but sales were low for a time after release, even though Intelligent Systems said they were happy with sales in Japan.
Gameplay
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is a game where players control the main character, Marth, and his army as they complete missions across the continent of Archanea. The game uses both screens of the Nintendo DS: the bottom screen shows the map, and the top screen displays story scenes, unit details, and battle actions. The game is split into chapters, each featuring a large battle that helps move the story forward and may allow players to recruit new units. "Gaiden" chapters, which are side stories, become available as players lose more units in battles. Before each chapter, players can prepare by changing a unit's weapons, creating new weapons, and managing supplies. The game also includes limited multiplayer options. Players can use the DS's Wi-Fi or local wireless to talk with others, play matches with teams of five units, and borrow units for use in the campaign.
Battles happen on a grid-like battlefield with goals such as defeating enemies or capturing important locations. Each map has different terrain, like mountains, rivers, and plains. From an overhead view, players can see castles and shops, where items can be purchased. Each chapter has unique victory conditions, such as completing the mission within a certain number of moves or defeating all enemies. Battles use a turn-based system, where each unit gets a chance to move and act. During battles, the screen shows the fight from the side. After both sides have taken their turns, the battle screen ends. Unit battles follow the Weapons Triangle, a system where lances beat swords, swords beat axes, and axes beat lances. Units earn experience points (EXP) by fighting, and when they collect 100 EXP, they level up. EXP can be earned in regular battles and special challenges. Players can save their progress at the end of each chapter or during specific moments in the game. If a unit dies in battle, it cannot return for the rest of the campaign.
Each unit has a class that determines their weapons, skills, movement, attack range, and how they affect others. There are 30 classes to choose from, including Pegasus Knights, Sorcerers, Healers, sword and axe fighters, and archers. Only the Lord class, used by Marth, is exclusive to him. When a unit reaches Level 10, they can change their class using a special item called a Master Seal. Players can also switch a unit to a different class or return to their original class, but there are limits on how many units can use the same class at once. If a class change is reversed, the unit keeps all its previous abilities. A unit's weapon skill level improves with use, but weapon durability decreases. If a weapon breaks, it cannot be used unless it is combined with another identical weapon.
Synopsis
The game Shadow Dragon continues the story from the original game. Long ago, the Shadow Dragon Medeus ruled the continent of Archanea with fear until a young man named Anri used the divine sword Falchion and the magical Fire Emblem shield to defeat Medeus and bring peace to the land. One hundred years later, Medeus is brought back to life by the evil sorcerer Gharnef, who starts his empire again and takes over Medeus's old lands. The kingdom of Altea, where Anri once lived and where the main character Marth was born, is attacked by Gharnef's army. Marth is forced to leave his home and seek refuge in the nearby kingdom of Talys. After several years, Marth returns to the mainland with the king's daughter, Caeda, and a small group of soldiers to reclaim his kingdom and fight Medeus once more.
Development
The original version of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light was released in 1990 for the Famicom by Intelligent Systems, the same company that had created the military strategy game Famicom Wars. The game was designed and written by Shouzou Kaga, the series creator, who imagined a new kind of role-playing game that had not been seen before. The success of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light started the Fire Emblem series, but Kaga left the project after the fifth game in the series was released. According to co-director Masayuki Horikawa, development on Shadow Dragon began during the creation of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, which was released in 2007. The development took about one year and one month. However, the main part of the work lasted ten months because some tasks overlapped with another game's development. Intelligent Systems decided to remake Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light so more players could experience their older games. They also wanted players outside Japan to try the game for the first time. Key members of the team included producer Tohru Narihiro and director Masayuki Horikawa from Intelligent Systems, and producer Hitoshi Yamagami and director Masaki Tawara from Nintendo.
When making the remake, the team did not see it as a simple copy of the original game but as a "renewal" of the original for a new platform with updated features. The hardest part was keeping the original game's atmosphere while adding new elements. The remake included new features, such as showing movement and attack ranges, the ability to change classes and recruit new units if too many soldiers were lost in battle. Difficulty settings and tutorials were added to help new players learn the game. The well-known "Weapon Triangle" system was also introduced, replacing the original game's less balanced system. A single save point during battles was added so players could continue without restarting if a key unit was defeated. The way the map and unit information were displayed on two screens was inspired by the original game, which let players see character details without leaving the map.
The story and script were written by Kouhei Maeda, Koji Kawasaki, and Toshiyuki Kusakihara. The team made only small changes to the story, as they believed it was already well-written and did not want to add extra details that might confuse players. Instead, they removed some parts of the original story, unlike later games in the series, which added more content. However, new chapters were included to give players more characters to help them complete the game. The main characters Marth and Caeda, along with other characters, were redesigned by artist Masamune Shirow, who also worked on Ghost in the Shell. Other redesigns were done by Daisuke Izuka. The team aimed to update Marth's appearance while keeping it familiar to fans. Battle animations were created by an outside company called Alvion. The music was supervised by Yuka Tsujiyoko, who had composed music for many Fire Emblem games, including the original version. She worked with new composer Saki Kasuga to remix old songs and add many new tracks.
Release
Shadow Dragon was first introduced in October 2007 during a Nintendo conference, before it received an official name. Although it is a remake, Nintendo has listed it as either the eleventh or twelfth Fire Emblem game. In October 2008, it was confirmed for a Western release, with North America getting it in 2009 and Europe in 2008. An outside company named 8-4 translated and adapted the game for Western audiences because the story contained a large amount of text, which made it difficult for Nintendo to handle internally. The game was released in Japan on August 7, 2008; in Europe on December 5, 2008; in North America on February 16, 2009; and in Australia on February 26, 2009. This release was the first time any version of the original Fire Emblem game was made available outside of Japan.
Reception
The gameplay was generally well received by reviewers. Famitsu praised the gameplay elements. One reviewer found the two screens and saving during battles helpful, though saving during battles made battles less intense. Another said Shadow Dragon was the best Fire Emblem title up to that time. 1UP.com's Kurtis Seid liked the gameplay and how characters were managed, but said multiplayer options might make the game less balanced. He also noted that features for new players might upset experienced fans. Tom Bramwell, writing for Eurogamer, praised the game's overall feel, including the two-screen system and character class systems, but said nothing made the game stand out. He also said features for new players did not match the permanent death mechanic. Shiva Stella of GameSpot liked the tactical elements, support for new players, and multiplayer features, but said new characters were weak and maps had limits that hurt the experience. IGN's Daemon Hatfield said the game lacked innovation but called it one of the most balanced strategy games available at the time. Stuart Reddick of Nintendo Life enjoyed the gameplay and praised the developer's work to balance the game, but said it felt outdated compared to later Fire Emblem titles and other games in the genre. Fred Dutton of Official Nintendo Magazine was very positive, praising the classic gameplay, new features, and multiplayer functions. His main complaint was a lack of innovation.
The story received mixed opinions. Seid said the story was taken directly from the original and was too short and simple by modern standards. Bramwell said the story was not as detailed as other games and had fewer likeable characters. Stella said the plot could be confusing, but the prologue and translation helped explain events. Hatfield praised the translation and said the story was simple but impressive for a game originally made for the Famicom. Reddick, while praising the gameplay, said the story was standard for the genre and had dull moments. Dutton did not comment on the story but said the dialogue was overly cheesy.
Multiple critics also discussed the game's presentation. Stella praised the visuals and enjoyed the music, even though it sounded old. Hatfield praised the music but said the graphics were unoriginal. Reddick praised the improved visuals, even though character animations outside of battles were limited. Dutton agreed with Hatfield about the visuals, calling them one of the main issues with the game's presentation along with the dialogue.
During the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Shadow Dragon for "Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year."
According to Famitsu, Shadow Dragon sold 180,697 units during its first week in Japan, ranking No. 2 on their charts with a 90% sell-through rate. Media Create reported slightly different numbers, placing it at No. 2 with sales of 145,000 units. The following week, it dropped to No. 6 with additional sales of 35,000 units. Horikawa said Intelligent Systems were satisfied with sales in Japan, noting that buyers included longtime series fans, players familiar with Marth from the Super Smash Bros. series, and new players. As of 2012, the game had sold 274,000 units in Japan. In North America, the game reached No. 2 on the Nintendo DS charts. By 2013, it had sold over 250,000 units in the region.