The Nintendo Switch has housed successful new iterations in many of Nintendo’s beloved franchises:Super Mario Odyssey,The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, andPokemon SwordandShieldamong them. It has proven to be a bigseller for niche franchises via games likePikmin 3 Deluxeas well, and E3 2021 revealed more includingWarioWareandMetroidare coming to the console soon. However, whileFire Emblem: Three Housesalready offered Intelligent Systems' tactical RPG series time to shine on Switch, a recent leak suggests anotherFire Emblemgame is on its way.
Nintendo leaker Zippo said anewFire Emblemremake is almost finishedwith development. While leaks such as these should be taken with a grain of salt, there is a lot in its favor. The 3DS era saw a huge surge inFire Emblem’s popularity thanks toAwakening, leading toFatesandFire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia; a remake of the NES gameFire Emblem Gaiden. AfterThree Housesreleased in 2019 it became the best-selling entry in the franchise, with DLC and Byleth’s inclusion inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateextending its presence. AnotherEchoes-style remake would be perfect to capitalize on this success, and there are a few standout choices.
Zippo’s leak speculation suggests one of the two potentialFire Emblemgames being remade is 2002’sThe Binding Bladefor Game Boy Advance, and frankly this seems the most likely choice. In 2003 its prequelThe Blazing Bladewas the first in the series to release internationally, but this only happened because of interest stoked byRoy’s inclusion inSuper Smash Bros. Meleeto advertiseThe Binding Blade.
Roy has become a staple inSmash Bros., returning asDLC with a new design inSmash 4. The young Lord character would be a big selling point for a remake because of universal recognition afforded bySmash Bros., even ifThe Sacred Stoneson GBA could arguably work better as a standalone story. If fans are lucky, maybe the two titles set in Elibe will come as a double-pack alaAdvance Wars 1 + 2: Re-Boot Camp.
Genealogyis the second game Zippo suggests may be remade on Switch, and it’s probably more deserving thanThe Binding Blade. Thanks to various remakes and re-releases, many of theNES and SNESFire Emblemgames are available for modern devicesin different capacities. However, the 1996 SNES titleGenealogy of the Holy Warhas never been released outside of Japan, nor has its spin-offThracia 776.
This game may not have characters as immediately recognizable as Roy, but it is considered by many fans to have one of the series' best narratives. The idea of its multi-generational conflict would go on to inspire similar mechanics in games likeAwakening, so fans would likely get a lot out of seeing the original - especially with so many of its units fleshed out in themobile gameFire Emblem Heroes.
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Discounting aforementioned titles likeThracia 776, the duo of Tellius games would likely be the next most deserving of remakes.Path of Radiancereleased in 2005 on GameCube andRadiant Dawnreleased in 2007 on Wii, and both are generally well-regarded for strong characters (includingSuper Smash Bros.mainstay Ike) and a story tackling issues like racism between humans and animal-like shapeshifters called Laguz.
The games did not sell particularly well on their respective consoles and were arguably held back beingFire Emblem’s first steps into 3D. Intelligent Systems is far better versed in 3D game design, and the Switch has proven to be a great platform to offer older titles a second chance.Pikmin 3 Deluxeis a good example, having previously struggled to find an audience on the Wii U.
Path of RadianceandRadiant Dawnwere games that contributed to the near-death of theFire Emblemfranchise beforeAwakening, so it would be fun to see the series' developer give them another go from this more comfortable position. That being said,The Binding BladeandGenealogy of the Holy Warare just as good candidates for theEchoestreatment. For now, fans will just have to wait and see what comes if the rumors are true.
