How far back do you recommend going?

[Mad Monk Rasputin]

I've only played Awakening. I plan to go back and replay some of the earlier titles, but don't really know if I should just start with the first one or with another game somewhere down the line.

What are your thoughts?

[CT075]

tbh i think you'd have a good shot if you tried putting the numbers 3-12 in a hat and picking them out at random

[Tryhard]

Depends. Can you handle the really archaic stuff? FE1 especially is very much so, and I've never bothered to play through it. I like FE2, but it is as well.

The obvious recommendations would be the GBA games (usually 7 or 8) or FE9/10, but if you really don't mind you could try any of them.

[Radiant head]

FE7, Blazing Sword, is a good place to go back to. It was the first FE game to be released in North America, so it was made to be accessible like Awakening. It's on GBA, but I think you can play it on the Wii U virtual console. If you're familiar with Roy from Melee, this game is sort of related to him.

Next one is Sacred Stones, also GBA, and this one is on the 3DS virtual console.

Then you have Path of Radiance on Gamecube and Radiant Dawn on the Wii. These are my favorite games, but they're rare and pricey.

Then you have Shadow Dragon on the DS, which is a remake of the first Fire Emblem game. Since it's a remake of the beginning of the series, it might be worth a look, but gameplay feels a bit archaic. Stars Marth, who you're probably familiar with. There's a sequel to it, but it wasn't released in English. There's a patch on this forum if you go to the DS section though. It has an avatar like in Awakening, so definitely not a bad choice.

There are more Japanese-only games that have patches, but I'd probably just play the above first.

tl;dr You can't go wrong starting with 7 and playing the games between it and Awakening (13).

Edited March 22, 2015 by Radiant head

[Maritisa]

FE6 and beyond.

FE4 and 5 get high praise from people but honestly I don't think it's worth dealing with the old flaws in the system. (1RN... *shudder*)

FE12 is a great game and has Casual and a MU that's way less of a sue, but was never released outside Japan for some bizarre reason. I'd recommend it if you want to stay familiar to Awakening. Just be warned that, um... that game is DARK. Like holy hell I mean jeez. FE11 isn't much better in that department. It's similar to FE12 and probably should be played first chronologically, but it lacks some features the new game adds, namely casual. But if that doesn't affect you, feel free.

FE7 and 8 are widely regarded as some of the best in the series, and FE6 is... okay. FE6 also requires a patch as it wasn't released outside Japan though.

I personally haven't played FE9 for some reason, but it's a lot like FE10 in terms of gameplay. Unlike the other games you have your skills there, and you can move them around between characters and all. The battle sequences can be a little slow though... FE10 is also probably the longest game in the series if memory serves me.

It's up to you, but those are my words on the matter.

[Ansem]

FE4 and 5 get high praise from people but honestly I don't think it's worth dealing with the old flaws in the system. (1RN... *shudder*)

what no this is bad advice you should totally play FE4 and 5.

[Nobody]

I'd recommend 4 and beyond. 1 and 3 were remade so there isn't much need in playing them. 2 is really weird, but it might be worthy a try sometime.

And yeah, I'd definitely recommend playing 4.

Edited March 22, 2015 by Nobody

[The Geek]

I agree. 4 is probably as far back as you should probably go. Beyond that and it gets weird (ie: no weapon triangle, Wait is always the top option on the menu even if you are in a position to attack or heal, etc.)

[-Cynthia-]

I'd go back to 7(Blazing Sword or just Fire Emblem) personally, then go back and play 6 if you like the GBA games. I find FE1-FE5 difficult to get into due to graphics and interface.

[Lord Raven]

6-8 run off largely the same engine with a few minor differences. FE8 has a more primitive version of FE13's world map as well as branching promotions, but in general they're all quite different to FE13. FE9/10 don't run off the exact engine as 6-8, but they have basically every feature with quite a few added.

FE11/12 are quite different to the other games in the series, they're like an updated version of FE3. FE3/11/12 have a lot of the same gameplay features, but 11/12 still have quite a few differences.

4/5 are very different from the rest of the series. 4 has massive maps and lots of mounted units, and even roads which add to movement as opposed to terrain which just impedes movement. This game has quite a few quirks and mechanics that are much, much different to every other FE game. 5 has a lot of prototype features to 6-10 (Rescuing and the Build mechanic), but it also has a bunch of shit in it that the entire rest of the series don't.

I feel Tear Ring Saga and Berwick Saga are worth mentioning, although Berwick Saga may require more knowledge of Japanese and a lot of trial-and-error due to a relative lack of info (there is info out there, though). Tear Ring Saga has a basic patch that at least translates menus, though. It's also quite a bit weirder than the other FE games because of all the random crap this game seems to have, and it's quite interesting even though it makes the game pretty broken at times..

I don't know much about FE2. People love it. I played a chapter of it before I got kinda bored.

I feel as if most JRPG series have features that are basically upgrades from previous games. FE games have the same core grid-based mechanics but with multiple different ways to execute it.

Edited March 22, 2015 by Lord Raven

[MacLovin]

fe4-12

fe2-3 are alright if you're into that stuff.

fe4/5 should be done blind.

fe6 should be done blind.

fe7/8 are prepromote solos

fe9-10 are pretty fun

fe11-12 are just full of options, so there.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

FE7 The Blazin Sword, FE8 The Sacred Stones and FE9 Path of Radiance are all good games to start with.

They all have great tutorials (FE7 has an obligatory tutorial), fair difficulties and great game mechanics.

The Sacred Stones is one of the shorter FE games and doesn't have a sequel.

[Baldrick]

Play 7,8,9 first. Then 6,10,11,12. Then 4,5. Then 1,2,3 if you really want to.

[Shadow Mir]

FE6 and beyond.

FE4 and 5 get high praise from people but honestly I don't think it's worth dealing with the old flaws in the system. (1RN... *shudder*)

FE12 is a great game and has Casual and a MU that's way less of a sue, but was never released outside Japan for some bizarre reason. I'd recommend it if you want to stay familiar to Awakening. Just be warned that, um... that game is DARK. Like holy hell I mean jeez. FE11 isn't much better in that department. It's similar to FE12 and probably should be played first chronologically, but it lacks some features the new game adds, namely casual. But if that doesn't affect you, feel free.

FE7 and 8 are widely regarded as some of the best in the series, and FE6 is... okay. FE6 also requires a patch as it wasn't released outside Japan though.

I personally haven't played FE9 for some reason, but it's a lot like FE10 in terms of gameplay. Unlike the other games you have your skills there, and you can move them around between characters and all. The battle sequences can be a little slow though... FE10 is also probably the longest game in the series if memory serves me.

It's up to you, but those are my words on the matter.

Bold: What. I never thought I'd see "FE8".and "best in the series" in the same sentence. In fact, I generally thought it was criticized for being too short and too easy.

Anyways, to answer the question... I'd only go as far back as FE6. IMHO, anything before that just feels too dated to be enjoyable.

Edited March 22, 2015 by Levant Caprice

[Mekkah]

4 and beyond is a good number. I would recommend FE3 Book 2, but you might as well play FE12 since it's nearly the same thing but prettier.

[Book Bro]

Play 7,8,9 first. Then 6,10,11,12. Then 4,5. Then 1,2,3 if you really want to.

I pretty much agree with this.

7 is probably the easiest to get as it's on the Wii U eShop. After that 8 or 6 are natural follow-ups as they're very similar due to being on GBA, but while 6 is the sequel to 7 (8 is its own story) it's the hardest of the 3 GBA ones and you need a translation patch so you might want to save it for later.

Start looking around for 9 after playing at least one of the GBA games, and then go from there.

[Magical Glace]

Bold: What. I never thought I'd see "FE8".and "best in the series" in the same sentence. In fact, I generally thought it was criticized for being too short and too easy.

Anyways, to answer the question... I'd only go as far back as FE6. IMHO, anything before that just feels too dated to be enjoyable.

FE8 has its fans... they just aren't all that vocal ~o.o~

Anyway, I'd say 4 at the earliest, 6 at the latest. 1 and 3 have much more accessible remakes, but 2 might be worth it if you don't mind a tedious UI.

4 and 5 are... different, but not so dated that it's a chore to play. FE6 is probably the first "modern" FE, since there hasn't been huge overhauls since outside one time an era things like the World Map.

[DragonLord]

4 and up. I've played 3, and while I can tolerate the outdated feel, it's definitely not for everyone.

[Shadow Mir]

FE8 has its fans... they just aren't all that vocal ~o.o~

Anyway, I'd say 4 at the earliest, 6 at the latest. 1 and 3 have much more accessible remakes, but 2 might be worth it if you don't mind a tedious UI.

4 and 5 are... different, but not so dated that it's a chore to play. FE6 is probably the first "modern" FE, since there hasn't been huge overhauls since outside one time an era things like the World Map.

Maybe, but I doubt that most of its fans would dare to hype it as one of the best in the series.

Anyways, I might agree that FE4 and FE5 aren't a chore to play on account of being dated - my gripe with those is the the mechanics in particular (which especially applies to FE4).

[Magical Glace]

Maybe, but I doubt that most of its fans would dare to hype it as one of the best in the series.

Anyways, I might agree that FE4 and FE5 aren't a chore to play on account of being dated - my gripe with those is the the mechanics in particular (which especially applies to FE4).

It's my third favorite... so I would consider it such. Which FE is "best" really boils down to opinions, so.

[Shadow Mir]

It's my third favorite... so I would consider it such. Which FE is "best" really boils down to opinions, so.

True. That said, honestly, even if I liked it, which I don't, I'd still consider it one of the weaker entries in the series due to being too short and too easy.

[Magical Glace]

True. That said, honestly, even if I liked it, which I don't, I'd still consider it one of the weaker entries in the series due to being too short and too easy.

Short and easy =/= bad, TWW is both, yet it's beloved by many. Some dislike it, but it is still a good game. Or to put it conversely with a game I personally dislike but many love, FE13 is considered among the best by those who like it.

In other words, if you liked it the most, wouldn't you think it's the best? Just saying.

[Shadow Mir]

Short and easy =/= bad, TWW is both, yet it's beloved by many. Some dislike it, but it is still a good game. Or to put it conversely with a game I personally dislike but many love, FE13 is considered among the best by those who like it.

In other words, if you liked it the most, wouldn't you think it's the best? Just saying.

Ehhh, I'd consider Wind Waker a poor example if you wanted to mention a short Zelda game. Anyways, as far as FEs go, lack of length could easily kill playability, imho.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Levant Caprice

[Magical Glace]

Ehhh, I'd consider Wind Waker a poor example if you wanted to mention a short Zelda game. Anyways, as far as FEs go, lack of length could easily kill playability, imho.

I picked it mainly since it's on the easy side. It's main story might not be MM length, but it still only has 5 (6 with Forsaken Fortress) main story dungeons.

And that's you. You aren't everybody.

[Shadow Mir]

I picked it mainly since it's on the easy side. It's main story might not be MM length, but it still only has 5 (6 with Forsaken Fortress) main story dungeons.

And that's you. You aren't everybody.

Okay then. Anyways, I can abide by WW's length.