Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon

"A fantastic remake of the first Fire Emblem game."

Another Fire Emblem classic. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is a beefed up remake of the first Fire Emblem, with some nice added bonuses. Welcome to the game that started it all!

Story - 8/10

If you're familiar with any Fire Emblem game, you'll notice the similarities in the stories: neighboring country is starting a war, you must build up your army and take down the enemies. This game's story isn't the greatest, but it's still engaging nonetheless. It retains the same story of the game that was released back in 1990, so don't expect anything too fancy.

Gameplay - 10/10

Being a strategy RPG, thought and "game plans" are required for each map. Marth, the Lord of the game, is always your main unit. If he dies, you must restart the chapter. Each chapter has a different battle map and dialogue to go behind it. After a while, you'll have a fleet of soldiers at your command. Choose which units suit you the best so that you can train and level them up to get them stronger.

A level-up is rewarded after a unit gets 100 experience point. After a level-up, the character will get random stat increasion. This game is based on statistics and percentages. Say you miss striking an enemy twice when you had a 92% chance to hit him, then the enemy hits you with a 15% chance of landing a hit on you, killing your unit. That's OK, scenarios like this have happened to everyone in their Fire Emblem experience. Frustrating as it is, it will make you strive to come back and kick that enemy's lucky ass, which will leave you with a sense of satisfaction.

After a unit dies, he or she is gone forever, unless you restart the chapter you are on. This is a nice realistic gameplay mechanic, because it makes you plan harder on your strategizing, leaving you extra cautious to protect each and every one of your soldiers. Depending on which difficulty you choose, the game can be rather simple to insanely difficult.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon adds a couple new game mechanics to the table, such as reclassing a unit. You can reclass a unit however you like. Certain classes can wield different weapons than others, and have different stat gain percentages.

A new feature I found handy is the ability to merge weapons. Weapons wear down with use. In past Fire Emblems, you would be stuck with weapons that have a low remaining number of use that took up space. With the ability to merge, you can combine two weapons into one, restoring use. Let's say you have an Iron Sword with 18 uses left and another Iron Sword with 11 uses left. When you combine them, you'll have an Iron Sword with 29 uses.

You can go on Wi-Fi and shop for items each day. Different days might have different items, so buy wisely. Fire Emblem now has a multiplayer battle mode. You can connect to Wi-Fi and play a random person or you can exchange friend codes with somebody. In battle mode, the goal is to get to a random map's castle. You can create a group of 5 units with you. Have a unit use the Wait command on the castle, and that castle will be yours. You now have to defend the castle for 10 turns. If the opponent gets to the castle first, you'll then be on the offensive, creating a strategy to take down your opponent. If you take out all 5 units on the opposing team before the 10 turns are up, you win.

Graphics/Sound - 10/10

The graphics are by no means an eyesore. They're pleasing and smooth. Battle animations are improved, and you can skip them at will if you wish. The music is my favorite part. Fire Emblem is known for having orchestrated, sentimental tunes that fit the mood.

Play Time/Replayability - 10/10

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is a long game, actually, depending on your style of play. If you're one who runs into battle like a madman without really planning, don't care if your units die, and skip the story, it won't last you that long (and you'll most likely struggle later on). If you take your time and plan your course of action, it will take a while to complete. This game can last you for days on end. Replayability is great, just like with every Fire Emblem. You can usually find yourself using different units on different playthroughs, deepening the replayability. There's something about Fire Emblem that makes you come back for more. Wi-Fi battles add even more to the replayability.

Overall, I give this game a 10/10. If you're interested in the Fire Emblem series, this would be a great opportunity to get into it. I recommend people to buy it: It's definitely one of the better Nintendo DS games out there.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/20/09

Game Release: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (US, 02/16/09)