Elm (Day 303)

Fire Emblem: Shin Monshou no Nazo: Hikari to Kage no Eiyu is a remake of Fire Emblem: Monshou no Nazo, both of which were never released in America. The original was the third Fire Emblem game and itself consisted of a remake of the first of the series, although the second half of that game was entirely new content. The DS remake covers only the second half of that game, ostensibly because the very first Fire Emblem game was remade not too long beforehand as Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon. Nintendo of America even deigned to release that one in America!

Monshou no Nazo means "Mystery of the Emblem," whereas the new mouthful of a title translates literally to "New Mystery of the Emblem: Heroes of Light and Shadow." I'm torn on how to refer to it. Since it was never officially released in America and thus did not receive an official localization, it is perhaps inaccurate to translate the name. Whenever I refer to the fourth and sixth Fire Emblem titles, I typically use their Japanese subtitles: Seisen no Keifu and Fuuin no Tsurugi respectively. Even though these games have been translated by fans, I've never really been in the habit of using their translated titles, primarily because there is some disagreement on the correct translations. In the case of Fuuin no Tsurugi (Fire Emblem 6), I have heard several different possible translations, such as "Binding Blade," "Sealed Sword," and "Sword of Seals," none of which seem to take any real precedence over the others.

In the case of Seisen no Keifu, it is generally agreed upon that the correct translation is "Genealogy of the Holy War," but that's such a mouthful I'd rather just spout out words from a foreign language. It is for consistency's sake that I'll probably just continue to refer to Shin Monshou no Nazo by it's Japanese name--or maybe Fire Emblem 3 in certain contexts. I've never really considered Fire Emblem a numbered series, although I'm aware of what number each entry corresponds to. In this case, it's a little confusing considering the complicated history of remakes involved.

Shin Monshou no Nazo continues the trend that Shadow Dragon started by significantly updating and streamlining the graphics and gameplay of the originals. It makes sense that Intelligent Systems would choose to adapt this title for a remake instead of Gaiden (Fire Emblem 2) for a couple of reasons. Monshou no Nazo picks up right where Fire Emblem left off, whereas Gaiden was a departure from the main storyline--and indeed from Fire Emblem gameplay as a whole. It reminds me a lot of how Final Fantasy II completely redefined the previously established gameplay present in its successor--and then was subsequently ignored in future installments. I've never played Gaiden before but I've heard that it's very different from the series as a whole.

Shin Monshou no Nazo features what surely must be an identical graphic engine to Shadow Dragon, as well as the same art style. It functions as less of a sequel and more of an expansion. The original Monshou no Nazo was more of a leap from its predecessor, considering the fact that it practically contained the content of two full games. Although I haven't played very far into Shin Monshou no Nazo,  I can't see that it's made any other leaps in gameplay. The reclassing system (later adopted and refined by Fire Emblem: Awakening) is still there, but it doesn't add a lot of strategic depth to the gameplay considering that most recruits are likely to be best suited for their initial class anyway.

Still, I can't fault Shin Monshou no Nazo for sticking to a tried and true formula, particularly since it's a remake of a classic game in the series. Fire Emblem games are typically more simple than other strategy RPGs, but that simplicity imparts more weight into every decision. One move could result in permanent death for one of your characters. That adds a lot of drama to the gameplay, especially if events of the plot have made you grow attached to them. I'm skeptical that the plot and dialogue in Shin Monshou no Nazo will win me over like Path of Radiance or Rekka no Ken, but I think I'll definitely enjoy the game regardless.