Nintendo’s long-running Fire Emblem series are some of the best tactical-RPGs out there, but there’s definitely plenty of others. If you’re all done with the long series and are looking for more, though, we have you covered. Here are simply some games like Fire Emblem, if you’re looking for games similar to Fire Emblem right now.
Games Like Fire Emblem
Stella Glow (3DS)
Stella Glow comes from the team at Imageepoch, also responsible for the Luminous Arc games on Nintendo DS. As with those games, Stella Glow is a tactical-RPG that gives you characters with specialized skills and weapons. The story centers on a young man with amnesia named Alto, who’s basically been adopted into a family in Mithra Village. He and his sister Lisette’s lives are thrown into disarray when Hilda, the Witch of Destruction, turns their entire village into crystal. Although the setup is pretty stereotypical for a JRPG, Stella Glow’s well-written characters keep the game moving forward, even with a few too many fan-servicey moments.
Stella Glow is split between two gameplay segments, free time and battle. During free time Alto can wander around various locations, complete odd jobs, purchase items, and build relationships with other characters. Although not the same as Fire Emblem’s relationships, the relationship system in Stella Glow is vitally important, and how close you are with other characters can decide which abilities they have in battle.
Most of your party members are witches that require Alto to “tune” them, basically walking them through emotional problems or trauma they might be experiencing. The combination of tactical battles and relationship systems should appeal to any fan of Fire Emblem.
Games Like Fire Emblem
Advance Wars Series (GBA, DS)
The Advance Wars series is the easiest recommendation for Fire Emblem fans as it comes from the same developer, Intelligent Systems. This other long-running Nintendo series uses the same kind of grid-based tactical system, but features a few twists that separate it from Fire Emblem.
There’s still a colorful cast of characters, but instead of individual units, they take the form of commanders. The commander you choose for battle can alter what strengths your army has, as well as special abilities you can use. In battle, two to four armies take turns building and commanding units, and each unit has their own strengths and weaknesses against other units. You can build more units from buildings like factories, meaning the strategy is centered around properly building and using your army, rather than trying to keep specific characters alive.
There are quite a few similarities to Fire Emblem like terrain affecting hit percentage and the like, battles cutting to little animated sequences, and even just the general look and feel. By and large, Advance Wars is more comical and quirky than Fire Emblem, not counting Days of Ruin, and the series consistently has a good sense of humor. If you’re a big Fire Emblem fan and haven’t already played Advance Wars, you need to fix that right away.
Games Like Fire Emblem
Disgaea Series (PS2, PSP, PC, Switch, PS4)
Disgaea is another incredibly popular tactical RPG series, that’s honestly even more hardcore than Fire Emblem, in different ways. All the games in the series take place in the Netherworld, a parallel universe ruled by demons that has reversed moral values from that of humanity. The series is incredibly quirky and comical, and the way it has you play as the “villains” is consistently smart.
Battles in Disgaea are played on a grid-based map, and you have a ton of different options. You can move and attack like normal, but you’ll also have the option to pick up other characters and throw them, or set up your attacks just right to launch devastating combo moves. Some boards in the game have different colored panels known as Geo Symbols that can grant you various bonuses or boosts when your characters, or the enemy’s, are on them.
Disgaea games are incredibly complex with all their innerworking systems, letting you expend XP to alter aspects of your hub area, boost your units up to a ridiculous level 9999 (yes really), and tackle a number of side objectives. For the most part, you can play through the main story like any other tactical RPG, but the insane depth and replayability is there for anyone wanting to engage with it. Disgaea is certainly an experience, and one any fan of tactical RPGs owes it to themselves to try.
Games Like Fire Emblem
Final Fantasy Tactics Series (PS1, PSP, GBA, DS)
Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the most famous tactical RPGs out there, and for good reason. The series has some great depth to its battle system, and each entry features a fantastic story to play through as well. Admittedly, Final Fantasy Tactics is quite a bit different in story and tone than its Tactics Advance counterparts, with the former more focused on political drama and intrigue while the latter tells a great coming-of-age story.
The defining factor of Tactics’ gameplay is the job system, allowing you to choose from classic Final Fantasy jobs like White Mage, Knight, and Dragoon, along with a few unique ones like Geomancer and Orator. Learning how to use each of these jobs and building your perfect party is the key to winning, and there’re even quite a few unique characters in each game that you’ll get along the way. Also similarly to Fire Emblem, the first Tactics features permadeath if you don’t revive a character fast enough. Tactics Advance only features permadeath in a few “lawless” areas known as Jagds.
The Final Fantasy Tactics series is a great spin on traditional Final Fantasy systems, and each game has a combination of deep combat systems and engaging stories. The original Tactics is easily still the best, but any of the three games are worth your time.
Games Like Fire Emblem
Phantom of the Kill (iOS, Android)
Phantom of the Kill is about as close as you can get to Fire Emblem, without actually being Fire Emblem. The mobile title features gameplay quite similar to that of Nintendo’s series, with a similar map layout, weapon triangle, and character classes. It does not, however, feature permadeath, and the story is where it really is different from Fire Emblem.
Phantom of the Kill has much more of an anime vibe to it, and focuses on a mysterious girl named Leveatein, known as the “Killer Princess.” Leveatein must reclaim her lost memories and rejoin with the other Killer Princesses to defeat the demons now plaguing the land. The game features some great character art, and a story much better than the typical fare you find in mobile games.
Phantom of the Kill wears its Fire Emblem inspirations pretty openly, and for anyone yearning for a new Fire Emblem kind of experience, it’s a sure fit.
Games Like Fire Emblem
The Banner Saga (PC, Xbox One, PS4)
The Banner Saga was one of the first great successes on Kickstarter, and the third game in the series is on its way later this year. It’s set in a fantasy world heavily inspired by Norse mythology, where an ancient race known as Dredge have returned to slaughter the world’s inhabitants. You play as two separate caravans that each follow their own separate path, before joining up at the end to form one party, much like Fire Emblem Gaiden.
Battles play out on a grid-based map in turns, and the characters you recruit will often have complementary abilities. Choice plays a critically important role in The Banner Saga games, and the choices you make can have huge impacts on your character’s story and the lives of your caravan. Instead of giving you a game over screen, if you lose a battle the game just goes on, but if you had any characters die they may be gone forever. Alternatively, if you have a character die in battle and you win, they’ll be fine after the fact.
The art style in The Banner Saga is also one of its strongest assets, resembling that of a classic Disney movie like The Sword in the Stone. It’s a fun take on the tactical RPG, with an aesthetic seldom seen in the genre.
Games Like Fire Emblem
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS, 3DS)
Shin Megami Tensei is one of the most famous JRPG series around, and it’s received a number of spinoffs. While Persona is easily the best-known spinoff, the tactical-RPG Devil Survivor games are also a pretty great experience. Devil Survivor takes place in modern day Tokyo as an outbreak of demons starts taking over the city. The protagonist and his two friends are given mysterious phones known as COMPs that can summon their own demons, for the characters to control.
Devil Survivor combines elements of the SMT series with that of a tactical-RPG. Each battle has a planning phase that lets you dispatch up to four different teams made up of humans and demons. Instead of individual units, these teams function as one unit with the leader in the middle and the others flanking them. If the team leader is killed, the entire team vanishes from the map. Hitting enemy’s weaknesses or getting critical hits can grant an extra turn just like in other SMT games, but the extra turn won’t activate until all other characters have moved. Outside of battle the rest of Devil Survivor plays like a visual novel, requiring you to make choices on how to spend the limited time you have. The game has different “routes” that allow you to take varying story paths to the ending, and even alter it in some aspects.
Despite its tactical systems, Devil Survivor and its sequel are SMT games through and through, with demon summoning and a dark story to match. If you want something Fire Emblem-esque with a modern twist, it’s a good fit.
Games Like Fire Emblem
Valkyria Chronicles (PC, PS3, PS4)
Valkyria Chronicles is the only game on this list that isn’t a grid-based tactical game, but it still has plenty of similarities to Fire Emblem. The game is a mix of real-time and turn-based strategy, with you and the enemy each taking turns moving your units. Each character has a move gauge that dictates how far they can move, and you can direct them anywhere on the field you see fit. Once you’ve moved them, you can go into attack phase, which has you aiming in real-time at enemies.
Similarly to Fire Emblem, your units have different classes like Lancer, Grenadier, Sniper, etc., and each of these classes has strengths and weaknesses against other classes. For example, the Lancer can do good damage to armored units like tanks, but is pretty ineffective against infantry. There’s a ton of strategy involved, and plenty of different characters to recruit who each have their own quirks and strengths. The game also features permadeath if you don’t revive a unit fast enough, or an enemy reaches them first.
Despite Valkyria Chronicles’ gorgeous watercolor art style, the story is quite mature, taking place in a fictional World War II-esque setting. It takes place in the neutral country of Gallia when the East Europan Imperial Alliance invades. You play as the Gallian Militia and a young captain named Welkin, trying to drive off the overwhelming forces of the Empire. Although not exactly like Fire Emblem, Valkyria Chronicles’ strategy should appeal to series fans, and its thematic story has some fantastic moments and characters.
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