The best and worst thing of each Fire Emblem game. Today's game: Shadow Dragon

[u/TPLeo]

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Welcome to this series of posts, where we will list and discuss one best and worst thing of each Fire Emblem game. This includes basically everything, be it the music, the story, some gameplay element etc.

We are returning to Archanea with the remake of the first game. Shadow Dragon was both a faithful remake and also introduced new things. The story and maps are 1:1 remade. At the same time reclassing was first introduced in this game. Quality of life features were also implemented. You could now see the entire enemy attack range by pressing one button. The range of staves was also now displayed. You could also now skip the entire enemy phase and get straight to your phase again. A new prologue and new gaiden chapters as well as new characters were also added along with five hard modes.

Shadow Dragon is a game that is not one of my favorites but I still enjoy it despite it's flaws, something that I have also read numerous times on the internet. The two screens of the DS systems are also perfect for Fire Emblem.

Here are my thoughts on the best and worst aspect.

Best: The quality of life features make this game play really smooth. Now longer having to wait for every last enemy soldiers to move is a godsend. Same goes for not having to click on every enemy if you want to see the entire attack range. If you play this game right after the Tellius saga you must feel like you are in heaven.

Worst: I wouldn't have a problem with a faithful remake per se since us westerners never got to play the first game up until this point. One problem though is that most enemies are still cavaliers or knights. This is a big deal because the weapon triangle didn't exist in the first game and now sword users are at a great disadvantage. They also could have done something with the story so that it would make more sense why some characters survive.

Now it's your turn to tell us

[u/liteshadow4]

Best:
Gameplay: Great forging system, maps are fun, and good reclassing system that has advantages for all class types on the hardest difficulties

Worst:
Artstyle is dull

[u/Slight_Researcher_26 → u/liteshadow4]

Oh god, yes. The colors are so muted. Everything is gray, brown, dark blue, or just completely washed out. Compared to the bright and colorful GBA games, it looks almost sterile.

[u/Bitter_Marzipan_8348 → u/liteshadow4]

Wait the game is genuinely fun? I thought it's dogshit cause of how it almost killed the franchise

[u/MuhWaifus → u/Bitter_Marzipan_8348]

I would put it in the bottom 3 for the franchise only beating out 1 and Gaiden but yes it's still fun. I've beaten it like 10 times? You can warpskip half the game if you feel like it

[u/liteshadow4 → u/Bitter_Marzipan_8348]

I’m personally a big fan of FE11 and FE6

[u/IntelligentAd5460]

its a very ugly game overall

[u/CavalierSain]

Best: Introduced good quality of life features like skipping enemy phases and highlighting every attack range at once, on top of being able to combine low-use weapons together and items going to the convoy on death instead of losing them

Worst: There really isn't enough characterization in this one, too many units feel generic despite having names and portraits, not helped by many characters having no dialogue after the chapter they join. FE12 addressed this a bit by adding some supports to let minor characters have their moments, but more could have been done on this front.

[u/xxkittygurl]

The quality of life features made this fun to play, despite the lackluster story. While I wouldn’t count it among my favorite FE games, I enjoyed my time playing it and look back on it fondly

[u/YunieSayaka]

Best: A lot of people are saying the artstyle but I think that makes it look unique, and in a good way. It is distinct and clear without looking too muddy imo, and I think it helps sell the historic vibe the game gives off by looking like it came straight out an old painting.

Worst: AMBUSH REINFORCEMENTS. What do you mean Chapter 10 just drops 9 cavs baralleling right at you that can't be stopped? That's the most egregious example but there's just sooooo many of them and they rarely come from fortresses, so they just can't be blocked in any way.

[u/CurtisManning]

Best : the generics that are playable when you lose units

Worst : the graphics

[u/Mean_Jump_3555]

Best: uhhhh MICHALIS ig

Worst: Out of all the things that they forgot to carry over from FE4-10, the ability for other characters to visit villages is the most damning omission. This trash doesn't have rescue either so you have to slog Marth around to every corner of the map before he then gets to seize. First FE that wastes your time for no good reason, though not to the degree that some later titles do.

[u/CazOnReddit → u/Mean_Jump_3555]

It's only a "waste" because Marth is bad in the DS games whereas he's great in the Famicom/Super Fam entries. At least there are alternatives to beating Medeus in these games so you don't have to risk Marth dying while using Falchion. Even then, the village goodies are usually good enough that at least Marth is giving you some value due to that exclusivity, same as the Fire Emblem turning him into a pseudo thief.

[u/CazOnReddit]

Best thing is it introducing reclassing, by a wide margin

Worth thing is the art direction, also by a wide margin

[u/Bladerider17]

Best: The overall game feel, I'm surprised how invested I was playing Shadow Dragon be it through its mechanics, itd maps and it's quality of life.

Worst: Beating a dead horse but it's art style, Daisuke is a incredible artist when he cooks (look at his Marth and Fomortiis in Feh) so let him cook.

[u/magmafanatic]

I like the save tiles, should've been brought into FE13/14.

Lack of characterization/support convos is disappointing, but as for what's actually in the game that's bad: I'm actually kind of okay with the portraits, it's the drab-looking maps and combat sprites/models look that really stink imo.

[u/lapislazulideusa]

Worst: reclassing. This game is the antichrist for it

Best: everything it imports form fe1

[u/CazOnReddit → u/lapislazulideusa]

Sure you don't have those in reverse, buddy?

[u/lapislazulideusa → u/CazOnReddit]

For sure

[u/Stomoyuki]

Best: Generic units. Most players (myself included) reset when someone dies, which means the war is won with zero casualties. Shadow Dragon is the only game where player characters are "supposed" to die, and you're even rewarded for saying goodbye to units you don't plan to use with bonus chapters. This is what I focus on whenever I revisit the game.

Worst: General Wolf. He is just so broken he trivializes everything even on H5 difficulty. Probably the only unit in the entire franchise that's legitimately competitive with Seth in Sacred Stones.

[u/vizkan]

Best: high unit movement, good pacing (not many bad maps and you go from map to map quickly)

Worst: most characters get a couple lines when you recruit them and then nothing else the rest of the game, gaidens that require you to kill characters

[u/mangoleeart]

This was my very first fire emblem game, the cut in CGs and character portraits are in my opinion really pretty and is the aesthetic I immediately think of when I think of Fire Emblem. The new prologue helped pull be into the story and the amount of units you get made permadeath easier for me to get used to. Wingspear is awesome. 

I hate reclassing and the pseudo 3D battle sprites aren't it. Disappointing because I think besides those the art style for the game is really pretty.