BS Fire Emblem: Archanean War Chronicles

BS Fire Emblem: Akaneia Senki is a game within the Fire Emblem series released in 1997 by Nintendo, Intelligent Systems, and St.GIGA. It was released through the Super Famicom's Satellaview service, and unlike many games released through it, Akaneia Senki was not a remake of a previous Fire Emblem game, but an original one (though the game took place in the same universe as Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Ken, and the engine the game used was based off of Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo's). The game was separated by four episodes which could be played during certain times of the week.

Each episode featured one map, with a total of four maps. A small amount, though an appropriate size for a Satellaview game. The episodes were each titled differently, including Palace Kanraku, Akai Ryū Kishi, Seigi no Tōzokudan, and Hajimari no Toki. Each episode contained plot elements that were pivotal to the Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Ken. Some of the characters from that game appeared in this one.

Plot
The plot is not as in-depth as most of the Fire Emblem games. Basically the game was not meant for those looking for a story, but rather for veteran Fire Emblem fans who were seeking a formidable challenge that may or may not have been offered in previous games depending on their preferences. Nevertheless, a story is there, and it progresses through each episode. Once an episode was completed, the player would have to wait a whole week to see how the plot would continue. A synopsis of the plot can be seen below, separated by episode.


 * Fall of the Palace: The Doruan troops have surrounded Akanea's palace. You have to escort everyone out of the palace while battling enemies. Control Princess Nyna and escape.
 * The Red Dragon Knight: Control Princess Minerva and Princes Hardin to make sure the Macedon deserters don't destroy Aurelis.
 * Thieves' Gang of Justice: After Archaenea is destroyed, thieves enter the deserted palace in hopes of claiming the kingdom's treasure. Control an army to stop them.
 * The Time of Beginning: Takes place two years after Archanea fell. Control General Camus and protect Nyna from King Medeus.

Gameplay
Akaneia Senki is similar to the previous games in the series, though has a unique story. Interestingly, the game had voice acting, though this was not an uncommon sight for a Satellaview video game. There are unfortunately no battle animations, though the sprites on the map do have their own animations that show their actions. The main goal is to earn as many points as possible, which is completed by performing various actions. Because there is only one map per episode, each map is hard to complete to increase the longevity of the game. There are not as many units on a map as there usually is in the series, which also made it harder than usual (for example, in the first episode alone there were only six characters, and while this is common for the beginning of a Fire Emblem game, it's not common for the challenge to be so high). Examples of the challenge of each level include:


 * Level 1 - Your team only consists of six units against a much larger number of opponents.
 * Level 2 - Your team consists mainly of aerial characters, while the opposing army has mainly archers. In the Fire Emblem series (and in fact most video games in general) when an archer attacks an aerial unit, it delivers an incredible amount of damage.
 * Level 3 - The enemy consists of armored knights and thieves. The challenge here is that you have to guard all of the chests in the castle while also fending off the knights.
 * Level 4 - The last map had you controlling a small army against a force that grew every turn.