This game is ugly as sin and super shortsighted. First of all, they took a 20 year old game, FE1, and decided "yeah let's make the units worse" like bro WHAT? The caps in FE1 are all 20 except for your HP not capping at 20, but that's not the case in Shadow Dragon, and on the higher difficulties, you'll see enemies with insane stats. BUT YOUR UNITS STILL SUCK DONKEY DICK?! This game has some sauce with the ballisticians, Wolf and Sedgar, and other misc goofy shit, but the game overall is just an insanely shortsighted product and if you want to play FE11, just play FE12 instead.

I'm very torn on this game because the prologue is a very good addition from the base game in Fire Emblem 1. And when it comes to remake it keeps almost everything the same, same maps, same enemy placements, same stats. However it also adds mechanics that hinder it's experience and definitely make it a much different experience than the original. The weapon triangle I would argue hurts the game more than helps it since almost every enemy in this game wields lances, meaning your swords units just eat the dust. This also means Marth just becomes a walking recruit bot, chest key, and map ender as opposed to the original where he also had killing potential. The reclassing feature is also added and while some might say, "it's optional, just don't use it", on higher difficulties and add the fact that some class types just suck, this heavily encourages players to use it and make the characters lose all their identity. It essentially turns every unit into a ball of stats which I do not like for Fire Emblem's direction. Also this game's characters feel like just copy and pasted from the first game which sucks cause most of them have like little or no personality. It doesn't help that the story more focuses on the world so we hardly get time to expand on these characters. Overall, I really just don't like this game as a remake and I hope that one day Archanea gets a proper remake more in the style of Echoes.

It's Fire Emblem. While I'm not the most diehard fan of the series, I enjoy playing through many of them for the gameplay, which this game is relatively solid at. With Hard 3, the difficulty I played it, it felt a little bullshit at times, but I would say I enjoyed it overall, with the story being ok, but imo rather impressive thinking about where it originally came from, with some ideas being interesting but never really fully fleshed out like it could with a modern FE game. If you like FE or strategy games, this is alright, but there's nothing here that makes it particularly special.

It's one of my favorites in the series, which I'm aware isn't a common opinion. The base gameplay is simple, and the story is too, but that's okay. At its core it's FE1 updated to more modern (for the time) standards, without breaking the balance of the game by adding too much stuff. It could have done more but I feel like what's there is more than enough.

Giving promotions to the classes that lacked them is great, and letting healers level normally is a boon, but that goes without saying. I don't really use reclassing too much when I do play but the addition is interesting. Save points are a nice quality of life addition- I don't know if I prefer it over the turnwheel/time pulse but I'm surprised this form of it wasn't used more.

It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I think it's a fairly good time.

If you, like me, are spoiled rotten by all the extra mechanics (skills, supports, and so on) in modern Fire Emblems, then playing this one might bore you to death. Add in the art style, which most people either hate with a passion or learned to tolerate over time, a fairly basic story, shallow characters - and you might see why a lot of people tend to skip this one.
I'd argue that Shadow Dragon is still worth a play, if only to see the roots of this franchise without having to suffer through the NES version.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon offers a well-rounded and enjoyable strategy RPG experience. The game's strength lies in its balanced gameplay, where the difficulty remains manageable without becoming overly frustrating. Players can appreciate a steady progression that keeps them engaged while avoiding a sense of being rushed.

The pacing is well-maintained, with the game becoming more challenging at a comfortable rate. Although there are moments where it feels easier, these phases serve as much-needed breaks. The controls are solid and intuitive, even for players accustomed to PC strategy games, making the transition to console controls smooth and straightforward.

However, the game can become tedious, especially for those aiming to experience everything it has to offer. The necessity for grinding can make some chapters feel longer than they actually are, potentially leading to a sense of monotony. Despite this, most chapters can be completed quickly, allowing players to advance at a reasonable pace.

The art style is impressive, particularly for a DS game, contributing to the overall appeal. Technologically, the game doesn't break new ground but stands as a solid entry in the genre. The music is iconic, enhancing the atmosphere and making the experience more enriching. The sound design is also solid, complementing the gameplay effectively.

Clarity in the game is generally good, but understanding the deeper mechanics, stats, and consequences of decisions can be challenging. This can lead to a reliance on external resources for a complete experience. The innovation seen in the first Fire Emblem title is noteworthy, offering expansive and engaging content.

Fire Emblem sets up a powerful franchise. While the core gameplay loop is simple, the varied maps provide unique experiences, reducing repetitiveness. Completion of chapters lets a player experience the balanced and flexible gameplay, though they may not feel entirely satisfying upon chapter completion.

The desire for more content is strong, although not necessarily more of the same game. The game encourages replayability with its secrets and flavor text detailing post-endgame events. However, achieving everything in a single playthrough is not possible, making subsequent playthroughs potentially tedious.

Overall, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is a commendable entry in the series, offering a fair and engaging experience.

This was my second Fire Emblem game. And I’m pretty glad that I played it when I did because my god. I don’t think I could play it anytime after.
It was a fine game when I played it; the animations were fine, the gameplay was pretty standard, sometimes lackluster but it was pretty fine, the story was fine which is expected considering it’s a remake of the first game.
But having played Fire Emblem as much as I have now, this game certainly looks dull, animations are ugly (My god, those portrait skin colors make the characters look like they’re corpses who’ve undergone rigor mortis) and for the DS they could’ve TOTALLY popped off more in the visual department (The portraits) and I’m sorry but the art style for the artwork of this game is not my cup of tea.
But otherwise, the pros of this Fire Emblem is that it is incredibly customizable to your units, the reclass system offers lots of options, forging weapons can be busted but that always comes with a pretty penny, and the difficulty settings of the game offer lots of replayability (Eventually though the difficulty becomes straight-up unbalanced).
The story writing takes a massive improvement, gone are the days of looking at a manual to know what’s happening and the NES game dialogue just saying, “We’re in Macedon now! Where is that? IDK but we’ll be in Gra the next time!”
Marth, Princess Nyna, Princess Caeda, Tiki, General Camus, and the Macedon Royals receive a lot more writing and investment. Princess Nyna especially stands out as one of the most tragic characters in Fire Emblem history and they do an especially good job of showing how horrible her life is.
If you look past the ugly 3D (The…. PORTRAITS) animations and lackluster visual department this is a good Fire Emblem game that makes a good first step into the world of Archanea.

My first introduction to the Fire Emblem series. I don't even remember who gave me the game for my DS, but I love it.

As a kid, I didn't fully understand the story or meaning, but later on when I played the sequel, I understood.

Gameplay is enjoyable to a degree, but the models aren't that appealing to look at, so I've always played with skipping battles.

The ability to change characters classes was awesome as it's a cool way to use characters who's original class suck.

The music isn't as iconic, but the soundtracks is enjoyable on a few songs.

If you're interested in starting the series, I wouldn't suggest this as the best start, but it's a solid one at best.