Full Review for Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon by Patriot X

Introduction

With the English version already out in Europe, some fans have complained that the story in Shadow Dragon isn't as creative as others in the series. That may be true, but it's pretty impressive when you consider this is a story from a 1990 Famicom game. Prince Marth must flee his kingdom when his father the king is killed in battle, and then the storyline follows his journey to reclaim his land. It's a perfectly engaging tale and I never found it to be lacking.

Graphics

Shadow Dragon looks very good, although not on par with some Square Enix DS offerings like Final Fantasy Tactics A2. Your units are animated well during fight scenes, and critical hits come with an extra flourish. Overall, though, the art style doesn't have a lot of personality. Characters all have that generic anime look to them.

Sound

True, a couple features have been added to welcome new gamers into the fold. The prologue chapters were designed to ease us into the game and teach us about the mechanics, and mid-battle save points are now available. We also are given more units than before, with new allies introduced in every chapter. But these features don't take away from the challenge, or the enjoyment. Gamers looking for a fight will find it here.

Gameplay

This is a strategy RPG along the same lines as the very popular Final Fantasy Tactics or Advance Wars. On grid-based battlefields, players give commands to each of their units one at a time and then wait while the computer takes a turn. In order to move on to the next chapter, players need to seize one particular square with Marth, the lead character. With four games in the series already released here in North America, strategy fans know what to expect by now. What Fire Emblem lacks in innovation it makes up for in polish and balance and strategy. Every battle is expertly crafted and unfolds through a slick interface. Like so many first-party Nintendo games, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is simply a joy to play.

Lastability

If you are of the camp of gamers disappointed with the amount of casual software available on Nintendo's current platforms, Fire Emblem is for you. Not only do battles require a lot of strategic thinking, the series is known for being unforgiving to players' mistakes. When one of your units is defeated, it's really defeated -- you can't revive them and they won't be back after the battle is over. This might seem cruel, but it makes every decision that much more important. Often, you will restart a battle you've spent a lot of time fighting to avoid losing a valuable team member. But there will be instances when you have to let someone go. Trying to keep all of your units alive adds another layer of strategy not found in most games of this type. It's a welcome change and a reminder that Nintendo can make a hardcore game when it wants to.

Overall

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon doesn't offer a revolutionary experience, but it is a highly polished and well-balanced example of strategy gaming. Nintendo did a nice job making sure it kept the challenge the series is known for while at the same time providing a friendlier experience for newcomers. The series superfans may be disappointed at the lack of new features, but this is still one of the strongest turn-based strategy experiences on the DS.

Final Score: 86%