Original Fire Emblem Localized for the First Time Ever

Nintendo dropped a surprise trailer on us. The first Fire Emblem game which was always Famicom/NES game exclusive to Japan will be getting a official western release this December.

This news was announced from the official Nintendo news site:

“Every legend has a beginning. Every hero has a point of departure. For the past 30 years, the critically acclaimed Fire Emblem series has captured the attention of players with its strategic and tactical gameplay, intriguing stories and striking characters. Now, the original 8-bit game, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light, which featured the heroic exploits of Prince Marth and launched a decades-spanning franchise, will be available in the U.S. for the first time. On Dec. 4, the Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light game launches for the Nintendo Switch family of systems, available to purchase for a limited time.”

This localization will also have helpful features like rewind, fast-forward, and save states.

The game will be an eShop-only release priced at $5.99 and will only be available until March 31, 2020. For fans of the series, Nintendo is also releasing a Fire Emblem 30th Anniversary Edition will be available through select retailers for $49.99. It will contain “a nostalgic, stylized physical NES box and a replica NES Game Pak art piece with a protective sleeve that transports owners to the era of the original game’s release. The collector’s edition also includes a colorful, 222-page Legacy of Archanea deluxe hardbound art book and a game download code. It will be accompanied by an NES instruction manual, newly localized from the original Famicom release, along with a fold-out world map and a Mini Nintendo Power retro collectible.”

The original Fire Emblem released in Japan in 1990. Western fans would be introduced to Fire Emblem through Super Smash Bros. Melee in 2001, followed by the localization of the seventh game in the series, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade in 2003, which was the first FE to ever leave Japan.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light releases on December 4, 2020, for Nintendo Switch.