I Don’t Care If You Hate JRPGs, Everyone Needs to Play This Classic ’90s Game At Least Once

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JRPGs have a loyal following, but they aren’t for everyone. Many gamers prefer popular multiplayer games like *Battlefield* or *Call of Duty*, or Western role-playing games such as *Cyberpunk 2077*. However, a few JRPGs manage to attract a wide audience, and the genre boasts some truly excellent classic games from the 1990s.

Games like *Final Fantasy* and *Dragon Quest* are incredibly well-known, but one of the most important and impactful Japanese role-playing games actually comes from a different series. *Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light*, released over thirty-five years ago in 1990, remains a fantastic game worth playing even now.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and The Blade of Light Is a Classic Retro RPG

Intelligent Systems is a game development studio owned by Nintendo. It’s been around since the 1980s, helping to create classic games like *Duck Hunt* and *Wrecking Crew*. But the studio really became well-known in 1987 when it started working on *Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light*, the very first game in the popular *Fire Emblem* series.

The game’s title was conceived by Shouzou Kaga, who drew inspiration from Intelligent System’s Famicom Wars and fantasy role-playing games, including the lesser-known First Queen. He envisioned a large-scale game with rich storytelling and characters who could be permanently lost in battle. Although the Famicom’s hardware presented challenges, Kaga successfully realized much of his original concept.

What really stood out in *Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light* was its incredibly vast world – it covered an entire continent! Combined with the fact that characters could be permanently lost, the game featured a huge number of people to interact with. This created a truly epic feel, and it was a fantastic backdrop for a fantasy adventure.

Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light takes place on the continent of Archanea, a world that appears in later games. The story starts in the kingdom of Altea and follows Prince Marth, a character well-known to fans of the Super Smash Bros. series. After the king, Cornelius, is betrayed by the sorcerer Gharnef, Marth is forced to escape, gather allies, and fight to take back his kingdom.

The game boasts a rich and detailed world, and that’s very evident here. Archanea has a long, complex history that forms the core of the story. While the game was made for the Famicom, meaning it lacks cutscenes and has limited dialogue, its strong world-building actually inspires players to create their own narratives.

Although the story of *Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light* is enjoyable, its gameplay is what truly makes it special. It wasn’t the first tactical RPG, but it was incredibly influential in shaping the genre. While some aspects, like the absence of inventory management, feel outdated now, the game’s fundamental mechanics are so well-designed that they continue to be used in modern *Fire Emblem* games.

The game’s permanent death feature created genuine tension and encouraged careful planning. Although losing your main character, Marth, simply ended the game, any other character defeated in battle was gone for good. This meant players needed to think about where everyone was positioned and make sure their weaker units were safe. Losing a character late in a difficult fight could be annoying, but ultimately made winning feel much more rewarding.

It Took Decades for This Fire Emblem Game to Come to the West

Though *Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light* came out 35 years ago, most gamers couldn’t play it until much later. Like many Japanese role-playing games from that era, it was initially only released in Japan, where it had some success. International players didn’t get to experience *Fire Emblem* until *The Blazing Blade* in 2003, and even then, the series stayed relatively unknown outside of appearances in *Smash Bros.* games until *Fire Emblem Awakening* was released in 2012.

Players outside of Japan were able to play the very first *Fire Emblem* game in 2020 when it became available on the Nintendo Switch, though only for a limited time. While it’s no longer available on the eShop, it’s still a game worth finding.

Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light can be a challenging game to start with, particularly if you’re new to RPGs or don’t usually enjoy Japanese role-playing games. However, it’s an important piece of video game history and was remarkably detailed when it was first released, making it worth playing for that reason alone. While its complicated systems might frustrate some, others will enjoy its simple, combat-centered gameplay and potentially discover a newfound love for the JRPG genre.

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2025-10-10 04:13