The Surprising Spiritual Successor to Fire Emblem

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The *Fire Emblem* series, a tactical role-playing game, has seen a remarkable turnaround. Nintendo originally planned to stop making the games in the early 2010s, but it has since become incredibly popular, selling millions of copies.

This game wouldn’t exist without its creator, Shouzou Kaga. After leading the development of the first six *Fire Emblem* games, he decided to start his own company and create a new franchise. This ambition led to a particularly challenging development process for this spiritual successor.


Inspired Choices

The *Fire Emblem* series started in 1990 with *Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light*, created jointly by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo R&D1. Shouzou Kaga, who conceived the game’s idea, design, and story, wanted to combine the compelling stories of role-playing games with the strategic gameplay of strategy games, making players truly connect with each character on the battlefield.

At its heart, *Fire Emblem* is a strategy game where you move characters on a grid, taking turns with the enemy. When your characters meet enemies, battles begin, using simple RPG elements like gaining experience and keeping weapons. A key feature is that characters who fall in battle are permanently lost, though later games offered options to avoid this. The series also draws heavily from anime for its characters and stories.

Kaga’s follow-up games each expanded on his original ideas in unique ways. *Gaiden* (1992) added an open world map for players to explore, and *Mystery of the Emblem* (1994) continued the story of Marth. *Genealogy of the Holy War* (1996) told a story that spanned several generations, *BS Fire Emblem* (1997) served as a prequel to the very first game, and *Thracia 776* (1999) introduced new gameplay elements like character fatigue and its consequences.

Legal Issues

Following the completion of *Fire Emblem: Thracia 776* in 1999, Shouzou Kaga left Intelligent Systems to start his own company, Tirnanog. He planned to create a game that felt like a continuation of *Fire Emblem*, initially called *Emblem Saga*. While the exact reason for his departure remains unknown, many fans believe it was due to disagreements about the creative direction of the series.

The game *Emblem Saga* was very similar to *Fire Emblem* in how it played, its character names, and its art. Because it was planned for release only on PlayStation, Nintendo sued, claiming copyright infringement and unfair competition. This forced the game’s creator, Kaga, and publisher Enterbrain to rename it *Tear Ring Saga* and remove any obvious connections to *Fire Emblem* just before it launched.

Even with a lawsuit pending, *Tear Ring Saga* came out in Japan in May 2001 with a new name. Because of the legal troubles, the game was never released in English, and the courts eventually made Enterbrain pay damages. Despite this, Nintendo wasn’t able to prevent the game from being sold.

Familiar Visions

As a strategy RPG fan, playing *TearRing Saga* felt really familiar – it definitely had a lot of the things I loved from Kaga’s earlier games. You move your characters around a grid in big battles, thinking about where everyone stands, what weapons they’re using, and knowing that if someone falls, they’re *gone* for good. But what was cool was that it wasn’t as strict as some other games; you actually had some freedom to choose which story parts you wanted to tackle, and some of the main quests were even optional, which was a nice change of pace.

Like *Fire Emblem Gaiden*, this game features two main characters, Runan and Holmes, both princes from kingdoms that have fallen under attack by the monstrous armies of the Zoa Empire. As they journey through the game, players will meet characters and find items and weapons reminiscent of other *Fire Emblem* titles.

Mayumi Hirota, who previously worked on *Thracia 776*, was responsible for the character designs and artwork. Interestingly, before legal issues arose, the game was originally planned to include characters from *Fire Emblem*, such as Lewyn from *Genealogy of the Holy War*. Some unique elements introduced in *TearRing Saga*, like the “Moonlight” spell, later appeared in games from the *Fire Emblem* series, including *Fire Emblem Fates* (2015).

A Successful Divorce

TearRing Saga was a hit in Japan, selling over 345,000 copies in its first year even while a lawsuit with Nintendo was happening. Reviewers liked its complex strategy and good story, comparing it to the Fire Emblem series. However, it caused some division among fans, with people either strongly supporting or disliking the game’s creator, Kaga.

The follow-up game, *Berwick Saga* (2005), significantly changed the formula to stand apart from earlier titles, though Kaga wasn’t credited for his work on it. He was also left off the credits of re-released versions of his *Fire Emblem* games and eventually stopped working on commercial games. However, since 2016, he’s supported smaller, fan-made projects like his *Vestaria Saga* series of indie games.

The Fire Emblem series went on with *The Binding Blade* (2002), and *The Blazing Blade* (2003) marked its first release outside of Japan. The series then began to consistently achieve strong sales, especially after *Fire Emblem Awakening* (2012). While the parting of ways between Kaga and Nintendo wasn’t amicable, both parties now appear content with their independent paths.

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2025-10-15 17:10