Twitter
    Shindig
    • Reviews
      • Game Reviews
      • Tech Reviews
      • Book Reviews
    • News
      • Game News
      • Tech News
    • Features
    • Games
      • Reviews
      • News
      • Indie Games
      • Guides
      • Games by Platform
        • Nintendo
          • Nintendo Switch
          • Nintendo 3DS
        • PlayStation
          • PlayStation 5
          • PlayStation 4
          • PlayStation VR
          • PlayStation Vita
        • Xbox
          • Xbox Series X|S
          • Xbox One
        • PC
        • Mobile
    • Tech
      • Reviews
      • News
    • Books
      • Reviews
      • Manga
      • Comics
    • Film & TV
      • Film
      • TV
    • Collectibles
    • More
      • Humour
      • Food
      • Music
      • Art
      • Competitions
    Twitter
    Shindig
    Nintendo Switch

    The original Fire Emblem is getting its first official English release

    Matt RyanBy Matt RyanOctober 23, 2020

    Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light, the first game in the Fire Emblem series, is finally getting an English release—30 years on from its launch in 1990 for Famicom. The classic tactical JRPG is coming to Nintendo Switch on December 4, and will be available for purchase until 31 March 2020.

    The story that Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light tells has been available to Western audiences before thanks to a Nintendo DS remake (Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon) that saw a global release. There’s also a fan-translation of the Famicom original, but the upcoming Switch release will be the first time it’s officially available in English.

    As good as Shadow Dragon is, it was a substantial overhaul that sought to revitalise and modernise the game for its time. That’s well and good, but there’s certainly some appeal in being able to play the original Super Famicom game as it was, in all its 8-bit glory. The Switch release will include features like rewind, fast-forward, and save states—standard features for retro re-releases.

    Nintendo is also releasing a physical Fire Emblem 30th Anniversary Edition through select retailers (EB Games, for Australia and New Zealand). It comes with a stylised physical NES box, a replica NES Game Pak art piece with a protective sleeve, 222-page Legacy of Archanea deluxe hardbound art book, a newly-translated NES instruction manual, a fold-out world map, and a Mini Nintendo Power retro collectible. The game itself will be provided through a download code.

    Continuing something that’s been a bit of a trend with Nintendo lately, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light will be available to purchase for a limited time only, until 31 March 2021. Anyone who buys the game before then will keep it, but it won’t be sold anymore after that date.

    Nintendo’s reasoning is because it ties into Fire Emblem‘s 30th anniversary celebrations, which conclude on that date. Still, it seems an odd decision to not preserve an important piece of Nintendo’s own history in a way that’s readily available and playable. Hopefully, it’ll find its way into Nintendo Switch Online or be sold through other means, rather than just being permanently de-listed from the store—we’ve finally got an English version of the original Fire Emblem, so it’d be a shame to lose it after all the work that’s gone into it.

    For now, if you want to make sure you don’t miss out, you can pre-order Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light through the Nintendo eShop ahead of its December 4 release. It costs AUD $9.00 / NZD $9.99.

    Famicom Fire Emblem Intelligent Systems Localisation retro
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Matt Ryan
    • Website
    • Twitter

    Matt is a writer based in Wellington. He loves all things pop culture, and is fascinated by its place in history and the wider social context.

    Related Posts

    Review: Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (Switch) 

    10 August 19, 2022

    Tech Review: Retroid Pocket 2+ – An excellent retro handheld

    8 August 17, 2022

    Review: Wonder Boy Collection (Switch) 

    6 July 24, 2022
    What's Hot

    Here’s the full song list for Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival

    June 23, 2022

    Here are the full track lists for Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun and Drum Session

    August 10, 2018

    The problems with Fire Emblem Fates’ same-sex marriage

    July 2, 2015

    Here’s the full song list for Let’s Sing 2023 with Hits from Australia and NZ

    September 30, 2022
    Latest from Twitter
    My Tweets
    Affiliates
    Contact Us

    Feel free to drop us a message!

    Email: [email protected]
    Twitter: @ShindigNZ

    Friends of Shindig
    DigitallyDownloaded.net
    The Spinoff
    Tech-Gaming
    • Contact
    • Reviews Policy
    • Write for Shindig
    © 2023 Shindig Media. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

     

    Loading Comments...