Hype Muffin
When his father is betrayed and killed on the battlefield, prince Marth (of Super Smash Bros. fame) is forced to flee his own country to train his sword skills in hope of returning one day to bring peace to the war-torn land. Of course, there is also an ancient evil to combat, as the deadly Shadow Dragon Medeus has resurfaced. Long ago he was defeated by Marth's ancestor--wielding the mighty Falchion--but now he has returned to wreck havoc on the continent. Each chapter sees Marth defeat another foe and emancipate the subjugated people, yet Marth and his knights' characters remain fairly static. Unlike other FE games released in America, there is little emphasis on individual character personalities that made the other games so charming. Though this is hardly surprising from such an old title, it still leaves the plot rather plain and direct.
This is the game that started all the strategy warfare that FE is known for, but Shadow Dragon sees a few significant updates to the original. The weapons triangle (sword beats axe, axe beats lance, lance beats sword) has been added, allowing units to gain a slight upper-hand (or disadvantage) against opponents. New classes are also available, and the ability to reclass units before battle means there is plenty of room for experimentation on the player's part. Arenas are scattered throughout some levels, allowing units to fight one on one for gold and experience points--a convenient way to pad a few levels on your weaker members. The game doesn't feature a completely free mid-battle save system like in Radiant Dawn, but there are two save points on each map that units can activate, making long battles less stressful. Don't let that lower your guard, though; Shadow Dragon is as fierce as its successors, and with six difficulty levels, skilled players will have plenty of opportunities to flex their strategy muscles.
One of the more bizarre features of the game is unlocking hidden levels. Like other games there are hidden objectives to complete on specific levels to unlock bonus chapters, but unlike other games, Shadow Dragon asks you to kill off many of your own units for these extra levels. The game supplies you with dozens of units, which means both plentiful unit variation and numerous allies that need to fall at the expense of hidden chapters. Veterans may find this odd, as it is fundamentally against one of the main ideas of the series, and it definitely feels out of place.
Shadow Dragon also includes a robust online experience, including an online shop for rare weapons, swapping units to other players to raise levels, and battle mode with friends and random foes. Each player brings in five units from their single-player game, as well as weapons and items, and fight in one of several battlefields, complete with limited range of vision, or fog of war. Fighting human opponents (with the ease of wifi) is a lot of fun, but like any other online experience, you'll have to be prepared for the overzealous. There's little chance of surviving long without high class units equipped with the best available weapons, and without any system of fighting opponents on your own level, battles can be somewhat one-sided. Still, online battles are a great way to extend the already strong replay value of the game.
The game supports both button controls as well as stylus and touch based controls. Both work well, but button controls are still superior for quick gameplay. Little touches like scrolling through weapons with the X and Y buttons also speed up battles. In contrast to the FE titles on the Game Boy Advance, Shadow Dragon sports cel-shaded graphics which offer smooth images and animations during battle sequences. It's a fairly minor change but a nice touch up nonetheless. The music, though well done, is largely forgettable.
Shadow Dragon's main story mode lasts almost fifteen hours, but like other FE entries, one of the main draws to the game is the extensive replay value the game provides. Each battlefield offers a wealth of possibilities, and with dozens of characters, difficulty levels, and online gameplay, Shadow Dragon will last a long time. Though not as full as later games, Shadow Dragon is a strong remake with plenty to offer.
8.5/10
Images from IGN.com
