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Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War (JP) is the fourth installment in the Fire Emblem series, released in Japan only in 1996. The game was originally to be titled as Fire Emblem: Light Inheritors.
It is notable for its large maps and the introduction of both marriage and children to the franchise, not to be revisited again until Fire Emblem Awakening.
Gameplay
This game has a lot that differentiates it from other games in the series. As opposed to other Fire Emblem games, where the player must seize a single goal to complete a chapter, this game has the player seizing multiple castles per chapter, with much larger maps to compensate.
As a result, the game is only 10 chapters long, split into two segments. Captured castles also take the place of shops, arenas, armories, and the convoy that can be found in other Fire Emblem games, with all of them accessible from any allied castle.
Promoting units can only be done from the player's starting castle, however. Also unlike other games is the fact that there is no limit on the number of units that the player can deploy on any given map, which is balanced by giving the player fewer controllable units throughout the game.
Another large aspect of the game is the generation system, which determines what units you can control during the second half of the game. The characters paired during Book 1 of the game will have their children controllable during Book 2 with their stats being a hybrid of their parents' stats.
Plot
Barbarians from the kingdom of Issach siege Darna Castle, and Prince Kurth of Grannvale and his friend Lord Byron of Chalpy set out on a punitive voyage.
During the campaign, Sigurd meets a mysterious girl named Deirdre and she is known to be of Naga blood, a long-lost member of the Grannvalian royal family, and the adherent of the crusader with the power to defeat the evil dragon Loptous. Sigurd and Deirdre fall in love and marry, and their son Seliph is born in Agustria.
Sigurd is then expelled, while the archbishop Manfroy of the Loptous Sect kidnaps Deirdre and erases her memories to resurrect Loptous. After a year in exile, Sigurd begins making his way back through Jugdral, killing the Dukes accountable for the misleading accusation.
Later forgiven, Sigurd returns to Grannvale, only to realize that Arvis has married Deirdre to become Grannvale's king. Arvis orders Sigurd's allies to be executed and personally murders Sigurd.
Following Sigurd's defeat, Arvis declares himself emperor of Grannvale and solidifies his power over the nation. He and Deirdre would have two children: Julia, with the blood of the divine dragon Naga, and Julius, with the blood of the dark dragon Loptous. Manfroy, a bishop of Loptous's cult uses the Loptous Tome to corrupt Julius, turning him into a vessel for the dark dragon. Using Julius, Loptous attempts to kill Deirdre and Julia in a bid to end Naga's bloodline. He succeeds in killing Deirdre but Julia is teleported away before she could be killed. The Loptous cult then takes control of the Grannvale Empire with Arvis as little more than a puppet emperor.
Traveling across the lands of Jugdral, Seliph reunites with the long-hidden children of Sigurd's companions, including Julia. Making his way through the countries of Jugdral, he gains support from the surviving powers, and gradually frees Grannvale's acquired territories. Arvis is powerless to overthrow his son's rule, and is killed in battle against Seliph. Seliph manages to save Julia, and after defeating Manfroy and Julius in battle, Julia successfully expels Loptous, allowing Jugdral to recover from the recent conflicts. Seliph takes his vaild place on the throne as the emperor of Grannvale, and regains power to the surrounding countries with their respective heirs.
Playable Characters
First Generation
- Sigurd
- Naoise
- Alec
- Arden
- Azelle
- Lex
- Quan
- Ethlyn
- Finn
- Midayle
- Dew
- Edain
- Ayra
- Deirdre
- Jamke
- Chulainn
- Lachesis
- Beowolf
- Lewyn
- Sylvia
- Erinys
- Tailtiu
- Claud
- Brigid
Second Generation
- Seliph
- Lana
- Muirne
- Larcei
- Creidne
- Ulster
- Dalvin
- Oifey
- Diarmuid
- Tristan
- Lester
- Deimne
- Julia
- Fee
- Hermina
- Arthur
- Amid
- Iuchar
- Iucharba
- Shannan
- Patty
- Daisy
- Leif
- Nanna
- Jeanne
- Finn
- Ares
- Lene
- Laylea
- Tine
- Linda
- Febail
- Asaello
- Ced
- Hawk
- Hannibal
- Coirpre
- Charlot
- Altena
Reception
The game had a pretty solid reception, selling 228,578 in its first week.[citation needed]
External links
| Fire Emblem series | |
|---|---|
| Console games | Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light • Gaiden • Mystery of the Emblem • Genealogy of the Holy War • BS Fire Emblem • Thracia 776 • Path of Radiance • Radiant Dawn • Three Houses • Engage |
| Handheld games | The Binding Blade • Fire Emblem • The Sacred Stones • Shadow Dragon • New Mystery of the Emblem • Awakening Fates • Echoes: Shadows of Valentia |
| Spin-offs | Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE (Encore) • Heroes • Warriors • Warriors: Three Hopes • Super Smash Bros. |
| Related | Intelligent Systems • Shouzou Kaga • Yuka Tsujiyoko • Nintendo Wars • Project X Zone 2 • WarGroove • Dark Deity |