Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light Reviews
As a more complex genre that also relies on narrative, the improvements to Fire Emblem titles are multiplicative. Things like UI elements, a more streamlined inventory system, customizable skills, support conversations, and even the Weapon Triangle are all absent. Turning back the clock strips away not just iconic gameplay ideas, but gradually gathered quality of life improvements. This leaves a bare framework in their place. This is Fire Emblem through and through, make no mistake. It’s just the absolute minimum of what a Fire Emblem should be.
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light provides a look back at the humble beginnings of this SRPG series that continues to find new fans to this day. It shows its age in systems and visuals, but the added options to speed up the experience and save anywhere makes it accessible for non-seasoned retro gamers. This is a game that I’m glad made it to this generation, at least to preserve its official western release.
This is definitely not a game for newcomers, but die-hard fans of the Fire Emblem series may find enjoyment, along with gaming historians who simply want to experience a time piece of how the whole tactical RPG franchise started.
If you want to check out where everything started, this is a decent trip down memory lane.
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light presents in a classic way how the famous hero Marth grows from a little prince to a shining hero. But the path is long and arduous, and not only for him. When playing this spin-off of the series, you have to be aware that you'll have to do without certain features. No battle prediction or fade-in movement radius. But instead, a certain thrill kept coming up for me during the game, which I miss in modern games. But if you get into the gameplay, you'll experience a captivating story. An absolute must for veterans of the series, but newcomers should perhaps go for a newer part with more beginner-friendly features.
Review in German | Read full review
Despite some problems that could already be noticed in the original release, what plays in favor of the release of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light on the Nintendo Switch is its loyalty to the original title. Besides that, it is interesting to note how the game is, until today, a profound influence on the TRPG genre. On the other hand, loyalty is also a problem. Don't get me wrong, the first Fire Emblem continues to have many features that will leave some fans of the series well satisfied, but, by today's standards, it is dated — its sword of light no longer shines as it did 30 years ago and many will question whether it is worth seeking it to defeat the dark dragon.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
If you are a fan of the series, it is worth giving him a chance to learn the beautiful story and see how this wonderful IP started.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Although it earns points for its significance for the Fire Emblem series and the Strategy genre as a whole, this game is archaic and barely playable by today’s gaming standards.
As someone who has finished and loved the GBA, 3DS, and Switch iterations, I can't wholeheartedly recommend the Famicom/NES version of the first Fire Emblem game. The DS remake, however different from the original, would be a much better way to slake your tactics thirst. Unless you're prepared for a slow and meandering, albeit decent for the time, 10-15 hours, get your Fire Emblem fix somewhere else.
Fire Emblem's original 8-bit adventure is back and for the most part, Shadow Dragon * the Blade of Light still holds up well.
Very first Fire Emblem game from 8-bit era now on Nintendo Switch. Good choice for nostalgic players.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
A good majority of NES titles are hard to recommend to anyone this day and age when most are either outdated or have superior versions players can pick up.
Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon and The Blade of Light it's a hard pill to swallow for all the recent fans, as its gameplay and graphics haven't aged that well. But it's also a great return to the past for old time fans, and for just five bucks.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The combat system of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light works great, but it's let down by frustrating maps and poorly presented information.
For its time, it's easy to see how Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light had a massive appeal to fans looking to get into the SRPG genre.
This well written english translation of Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light proves true to the original script while cutting short through the narration in comparison with the DS remake, just like the gameplay charges straight to the point. A real testament to Fire Emblem's traditional values, though some archaic principles bound this version to an historical interest, even with additional modern options that only alleviate the aging elements.
Review in French | Read full review
It's difficult to land on a fitting score for Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light. On one hand, historical context is vital and you can't expect too much out of a thirty-year-old game. On the other hand, granting a generous score to a title as fundamentally flawed as this would be dishonest; by modern standards, it's really not a good game anymore. Considering the low cost of entry and the inclusion of new features, we'd say it's probably worth a look for long time Fire Emblem fans who are curious how it all began. If you don't fall into that category, we'd encourage you to look into more modern games for your strategy gaming fix.
In the end, Nintendo gave what they promised: a localized port. It’s still a fun Fire Emblem game at its core though, and I can only hope that we get more Japanese-only Fire Emblem games localized because there are many improvements in every entry.