"My sword of light always rises when I start up this game!"

Introduction- When Super Smash Bros melee was first released, everyone was wondering, who is Marth and what game did he come from? Well, first off Marth came from a very great game and a very great series, Fire Emblem. This game was not released in the Americas, but that doesn't stop the many Fire Emblem fans around the world from playing this great game. This game set the standard for many strategy games to come, and wont disappoint anyone who is interested in the strategy genre.

Gameplay: 10/10- This is the most satisfying part of this game, and many other Fire Emblem games, the gameplay. It's very simple and easy to understand for a strategy game, and anyone can easily get into it. Basically there are two sides, the blue side, which is Marth's army, and the red side which are Marth's enemies. You control Marth and his comrades and try to rid the map of all of you enemies, while gradually making your way to the main castle in order to seize it. In every Chapter, there is a boss, guarding the castle. The boss usually has a very high level compared to your comrades and has a pretty good weapon. once you defeat him though, you can place Marth over where the boss once stood and "seize" the castle(or throne in some chapters). This will end the current chapter and will move on to the next. Along your journey, you will gain many new allies, which will help Marth in his journey. There are many different classes or soldiers also, ranging from Lords, to Mercenaries, to Social Knights, to Healers.

Story: 9/10- The story of this game begins when the Devil King Garnef helps resurrect the Dark Dragon Medeus, allowing the evil Dolua empire to revive as well. As the continent is taken over by Dolua, the Altean King, Cornelius, is killed, the Falchion (used a century before to kill Medeus by Altea's hero, Anri) is taken. Marth himself is forced to retreat to the island kingdom of Talis with Jeigan's squad. For some time, he lives there without worry, but one day, the Garuda Pirates ambush the people of Talis, forcing Marth to fight back. Now Marth must lead a campaign on a road through the Akaneian continent and destroy Medeus to end Dolua's dark reign. Fortunately, he won't have just Jeigan's squad assisting him; the Princess of Talis, Sheeda; the commander of Talis' army, Oguma; Soldier of Orleans, Hardin; Warren mercenaries, Raddy and Caesar; along with many others are there to help, as well as many enemies Marth manages to convince of his righteousness during the campaign.

Graphics/Sound 8/10- The Graphics for this game were pretty good for its time. Of course there were graphical limitations around the NES era, but that didn't stop this game from telling the story and showing the battle scenes, the character faces we're well designed, as well as the maps. When compared to other games on the NES, this one really does a good job in all of these aspects. The sound for this game was very great as well, providing some memorable tunes, like the Fire Emblem main theme, andthe battle and map themes, overall the sounds and music for this game is what anyone would expect. Great.

Difficulty 9/10- If you are looking for a tough challenge, then this game is right for you. There are a lot difficult tasks for you to do if you truly want to clear this game. Saving towns, recruiting new members, defeating bosses, planning out what to do next in order to keep certain members alive, it's a lot. But once you do all this, the game will seem a lot more fun and satisfying.

Final Score 9/10- Great game, try to look for it on Ebay if you are a hardcore Fire Emblem fan like me! You wont be disappointed with this masterpiece!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/25/08

Game Release: Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryu to Hikari no Tsurugi (JP, 04/20/90)