is a 2017 hack and slash action role-playing game co-developed by Omega Force and Team Ninja, and published by Koei Tecmo in Japan and Nintendo internationally for the Nintendo Switch and New Nintendo 3DS. The game is a crossover between Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors franchise, and the Fire Emblem series developed by Intelligent Systems. The story follows the quest of Aytolis's twin royal heirs to defend their realm when the king of neighbouring Gristonne starts summoning an evil dragon, with the gameplay combining the arena-based action combat in Dynasty Warriors with relationship and weapon systems from Fire Emblem. The game was supported with downloadable content adding additional playable characters during 2017 and 2018.
Production began in 2015 during work on an expanded version of Hyrule Warriors (2014). Director Hiroya Usuda and producer Yosuke Hayashi returned from Hyrule Warriors, working with Intelligent Systems staff to create a Warriors-style title that would honor and incorporate distinctive Fire Emblem elements. On release, Fire Emblem Warriors was praised by journalists for the blending of Warriors and Fire Emblem elements. Criticism focused on its story, limited character roster, and the Switch version's technical performance. The game ultimately sold over one million copies worldwide. Koei Tecmo would collaborate on the Fire Emblem series twice more; first as a co-developer on the mainline entry Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019), then on the Warriors-style title Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (2022).
Gameplay
Fire Emblem Warriors is a hack and slash action role-playing game in which players take control of different characters from across the Fire Emblem series, along with two original lead characters, and engage in battles across large arena-type areas. Gameplay is split between "Story Mode", the main campaign which has pre-set playable characters; "Free Mode", which allows the player to complete missions with any character; "Arena Mode", where waves of enemies can be fought for rewards; and "History Mode" which unlocks new items and abilities for characters by completing challenges. The game also has two difficulty modes, "Casual" and "Classic"; in Classic mode, fallen units must be revived using gold and special items rather than reviving automatically.
General combat and mission structure is carried over from the Dynasty Warriors series. Controlling up to four characters as army commanders, the player must complete objectives within levels such as defeating groups of enemies, killing powerful boss characters, and capturing or holding control points in the levels. When not controlled by the player, other characters are controlled by the game's artificial intelligence, and the player can issue commands to their associated army units to help with tasks. During missions, the player is given tasks to complete upon reaching certain goals or map positions, which can have either visible or hidden timers for completion, and some zones require navigation through hostile terrain elements such as poisonous fog. Combat is based around combining light and heavy attacks, along with a metre-based special attack that can kill a large number of enemies. During missions, the player can fulfil conditions which summons a shop which provides character upgrades. In addition to the single-player mode, the Nintendo Switch version has a local cooperative multiplayer mode, allowing another player to join in missions.
The Weapon Triangle, carried over from Fire Emblem, makes certain weapons stronger or weaker against others; axes are strong against lances, lances are strong against swords, and swords are strong against axes; characters are unable to change their weapon type in-game. Player characters have an assigned character class which further influences their strengths and abilities. Characters can also activate "Awakening Mode, which grants increased damage while negating the Weapon Triangle, and can be sustained by killing enemy units. Characters grow in power both through leveling up, strengthening weapons, creating badges which enhance combat abilities, and changing their class through the use of a Master Seal item. Between missions, characters can also engage in Bond events, which raises their affinity and unlocks the ability to partner with a playable character and trigger special actions such as powerful attacks during combat.
Synopsis Setting and characters Fire Emblem Warriors is set in a medieval fantasy world, and focuses on the neighbouring kingdoms of Aytolis and Gristonne. The story's events are set off when a dark force uses a magical gate connecting to other worlds to summon monsters into Aytolis. The series recurring "Fire Emblem" is featured as a powerful artifact dubbed the Shield of Flames, which is tied to the game's story.
The main characters are Rowan and Lianna, twin heirs to the throne of Aytolis gifted the Shield of Flames by their mother Queen Yelena. An important secondary character is Darios, crown prince of Gristonne and a childhood friend of the twins. A number of characters appear from other Fire Emblem titles, primarily from New Mystery of the Emblem (2010), Awakening (2012) and Fates (2015). Additional characters are taken from Gaiden (1992), and The Blazing Blade (2003). Anna, a recurring merchant character across the series, also appears.
Plot When Rowan and Lianna are sparring with the visiting Darios one day, Aytolis is attacked by monsters summoned from the portal within the castle. Yelena is captured during the assault, but she successfully gives the twins the Shield of Flames, a sacred artifact which can repel darkness due to its blessing by a Divine Dragon. The group learn that Darios's father Oskar is in the process of reviving the Chaos Dragon Velezark, and to stop it the Shield of Flames must be empowered with Gleamstones, crystals created from the power of heroes from other realms. Rowan and Lianna travel across Aytolis, rallying support from the heroes of other worlds that have been brought to Aytolis.
During an attack on a Gristonne fortress, Velezark successfully possesses Darios, who steals the Shield of Flames just after it is complete. Rowan and Lianna pursue him to Gristonne, where they discover Yelena has been captured to be used as a sacrifice to revive Velezark. Rowan and Lianna successfully rescue their mother, leading to Darios sacrificing Oskar to complete the ritual to revive Velezark. Now freed from the possession, Darios returns the Shield of Flames to the group before falling into a spatial void. The twins, united with the heroes of other worlds, wield the Shield of Flames' power and defeat Velezark. With the threat ended, the heroes return to their own worlds and Yelena crowns Rowan and Lianna as twin monarchs of Aytolis.
Development
Following the release of Hyrule Warriors (2014) for the Wii U, fan demands increased for a Warriors interpretation of the Fire Emblem series. While working on the expanded release Hyrule Warriors Legends, its producer Yosuke Hayashi wanted to work on this project, feeling the combat mechanics of the series would be a good fit with a Warriors title. Once work was completed on Hyrule Warriors Legends, Hayashi submitted his proposal to Nintendo and Fire Emblem developer Intelligent Systems on a Fire Emblem-based title, who both accepted. He then talked to director Hiroya Usuda, who was also eager to work on the project. Production was handled by established Dynasty Warriors developers Omega Force and Team Ninja studios, interior teams within Koei Tecmo. While the core team members of Hyrule Warriors were carried over, most of the team were chosen by Hayashi based on a request sent through the company for staff who were fans of Fire Emblem. Intelligent Systems acted as project supervisor for included characters.
Nintendo was in the middle of production for the Switch, and at their invitation the team made Fire Emblem Warriors a multiplatform title for both Switch and New Nintendo 3DS. There were initially concerns by the development team about the difficulty of making the game for the then-upcoming Switch, though Usuda later described it as "a very easy hardware to develop for." For early testing of level areas, the team used the model of Legend of Zelda protagonist Link to run around them. When choosing gameplay features, the team went through the best-known features of both Fire Emblem and Warriors, choosing features that would best fit together. Some features, such as the Weapons Triangle, were difficult to implement and needed adjustment for the action-based combat so players could both be strategic and enjoy the action combat. Notable inclusions from Fire Emblem were character permadeath, and a "casual" mode which disabled the former feature; the team included both to cater for both casual players and chose seeking a mechanical challenge. To rebalance the gameplay, some characters' weapons were changed such as Lissa from Awakening using an axe in combat rather than a cane, which was featured as a generic healing instrument. Drawing on their experience designing the horse Epona for Hyrule Warriors, the team designed the horse-mounted characters to have dedicated combat and abilities. The strategic elements were in part taken from a tactics management system included in Samurai Warriors: Chronicles and later Hyrule Warriors Legends; the system had partially inspired the team's wish to create a Fire Emblem crossover.
The game's scenario was co-written by Koei Tecmo's Yuki Ikeno, Ryohei Hayashi, Mari Okamoto and Masahiro Kato. The main plot of gathering gems for the Shield of Flames was directly inspired by the game's theme of different Fire Emblem characters being drawn together, following series conventions as they had done with Hyrule Warriors. Some story scenes were decided so they would lead into homages to other Fire Emblem titles. An early decision was to use young twin protagonists who would strengthen with the help of established characters, with their appearance and dialogue described as an important factor to make the game stand out. Yelena and Darios were incorporated to add a backstory to the twins' narrative, as Usuda and Hayashi felt the twins alone would seem shallow. The character writing was overseen by Intelligent Systems, ensuring that characters would talk to each other convincingly, and that those with intimate relationships would have different ways of speaking appropriate for their partner.