Fire Emblem: 5 Best Spin-Off Games, Ranked
Here is a list of all the games that are related to Fire Emblem.
Since it started in 1990, the Fire Emblem series has slowly become one of Nintendo’s most popular and reliable IPs. Even though it took a while for the series to reach people all over the world, it finally caught on when Fire Emblem: Awakening changed the battle and social systems while keeping the unique turn-based strategy elements.
Before Awakening, Fire Emblem never seemed famous enough to need spin-offs or adaptations. Since that game helped get the series off to a good start, there have been more side quests and games that aren’t part of the main story that feature famous people and places from the past.
Fire Emblem: Archanea Saga
The first Fire Emblem spin-off, Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, takes place before the first game in the series. Archanea Saga was one of many ambitious but flawed games for the Satellaview, a device that let you receive exclusive games for the Super Famicom via satellite.
Fire Emblem: Archanea Saga was broken up into four parts. In each episode, you played as a different character until the time ran out. The original version of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light is no longer available, but all four episodes were redone for the DS version.
Each episode is short and sweet, but it doesn’t go too far from the main series’ major ideas to be called a spin-off.
Fire Emblem Warriors
After The Legend of Zelda got a spin-off game called Hyrule Warriors that was based on Musou, it seemed like Fire Emblem would finally get the same thing. Fire Emblem Warriors’ idea of putting together famous characters from different games to fight against many enemies is interesting, but some of the game’s choices make it dull and easy to forget.
Fire Emblem Warriors has two big problems. The first is that it was made for both the Nintendo 3DS and the Nintendo Switch at the same time. It was a weird choice that probably limited the game’s potential and led to its mindless gaming loop.
The second problem is the cast. You can play as one of two original characters, but they don’t stand out compared to the rest of the cast, which is made up of characters from only a few games and not the whole series.
Fire Emblem Heroes
Around the middle of the 2010s, Nintendo started to try out the mobile market by making new versions of their most famous series, such as Super Mario Bros., Animal Crossing, and more. In 2017, Fire Emblem finally got a mobile spin-off called Fire Emblem Heroes, which has become one of the company’s most popular apps to date.
Nintendo has mostly stopped making mobile games to focus on making software for the Switch, but this games is still doing well and getting new content. Some gacha-like features determine which heroes you get, but other than that, Heroes’ turn-based strategic gameplay feels just as good as you would expect from a game.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
The first Fire Emblem Warriors game was pretty forgettable and didn’t live up to its idea. However, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes makes up for that by having a better story, battle system, and cast of characters. Instead of bringing in parts from other games, Three Hopes takes place only in the world of this games. This makes the game feel more grounded and recognizable.
In an alternate timeline where Byleth is more of a danger than a friend, you play as a character named Shez who teams up with Claude, Edelgarde, Dimitri, and the rest of Garreg Mach’s students. Three Hopes is better than its predecessor in every way. If you liked this game, you can spend even more time with your favorite characters from the base game and its great DLC in this hack-and-slash action game.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
The first spin-off since Archanea Saga’s run on the Satellaview in 1997 was Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, which came out in 2016. It’s still one of the most ambitious and unique games in the series. Geometry Dash Subzero was only available on the Wii U, but in 2020, it was ported to the Nintendo Switch. It is a crossover game with themes and characters from both Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions is a strong role-playing game (RPG) made by Atlus. It ditches the tactical parts of the Fire Emblem series in favor of turn-based action like in Persona or Pokemon. Even though the “weapon triangle” and other bits of lore sometimes show up in the conversation, Tokyo Mirage Sessions is mostly a new IP built on the two series.
Even though there isn’t much Fire Emblem in the game, every member of your team will be paired with well-known characters like Chrom, Caeda, and Tharja, with whom you can connect to strengthen bonds and make them stronger. There are hints of Fire Emblem’s past all over the fifty-hour game, but Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE works because it has its own style, even though it is a crossover between two popular series.
