Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War |
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Developer(s) | Intelligent Systems |
Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
Director(s) | Shouzou Kaga |
Producer(s) | Gunpei Yokoi |
Designer(s) | Shouzou Kaga |
Artist(s) | Katsuyoshi Koya Mayumi Hirota |
Writer(s) | Shouzou Kaga |
Composer(s) | Yuka Tsujiyoko |
Series | Fire Emblem |
Platform(s) | Super Famicom |
Release |
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Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Review scores | |
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Publication | Score |
Famitsu | 31/40 |
RPGamer | 7/10 |
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Famicom home video game console in 1996. It is the fourth installment of the Fire Emblem series, and the second to be developed for the platform.
Genealogy of the Holy War takes place on the continent of Jugdral, split between eight different countries founded by the Twelve Crusaders, an ancient group of soldiers who ended the rule of the ancient dragon Loptyr with divine aid. In the present, a cult working to revive Loptyr stir up war among the countries. The story is told over two generations — the first generation follows the Grannvalian prince Sigurd, while the second follows his son Seliph as he works to defeat the cult and avenge his father. Gameplay follows the traditional Fire Emblem system of tactical battles taking place on grid-based maps, while adding the Weapons Triangle and Support systems, which directly impacted both gameplay and story.
Development began after the completion of Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem. Returning staff included director, designer and scenario writer Shouzou Kaga, composer Yuka Tsujiyoko, character designer Katsuyoshi Koya, and producer Gunpei Yokoi; it would be the last game produced by Yokoi. A greater focus was placed on the story compared to previous entries, although the gameplay also saw new additions. Production was turbulent due to staff moves and the unexpected addition of character romance and expanded storyline. First unveiled under the title Inheritors of Light, it was originally scheduled for a March release, before eventually releasing in May. It met with critical and commercial success. A follow-up title based within the game's storyline, Fire Emblem: Thracia 776, was released in 1999. Many elements introduced in Genealogy of the Holy War would reappear in later titles.
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War is a tactical role-playing game in which the player takes the roles of Sigurd and his son Seliph across a variety of story-driven missions on the continent of Jugdral. The story is divided into chapters, which are in turn divided between two generations of characters. Before and during missions, the player units may settle in a home base, where various actions can be taken such as repairing weapons, buying and selling items, and participating in arena battles. Castle towns within mission maps can also be visited for similar services.