Initially envisioned by designer Shouzou Kaga, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light marked a joint development effort between Intelligent Systems and Nintendo R and D1.

That's largely thanks to Super Smash Bros. Melee, which included both Roy and Marth as playable characters, as game director Masahiro Sakurai wanted more sword wielding fighters.

Rather than a prince or some other form of nobility, Path of Radiance on Gamecube had us playing as a mercenary instead called Ike, opposing an invasion by the cruel King Ashnad of Daein.

Playing as one of Marth's distant descendants, Chrom, Awakening took the dual protagonist approach, and he was joined by tactician Robin, both of whom later appeared in Super Smash Bros.

Reusing Fates' split narrative approach, we played as Byleth, a former mercenary turned professor at Garreg Mach Monastery, and your chosen house determined your storyline, with no one canon path to pick.

Whether you're a long-term fan or someone who resented all the sword fighters in Smash Bros, you can't deny the impact it's had, and Intelligent Systems has rightly secured Fire Emblem's place among RPG royalty.