This article was originally written for TheNintendoVillage.com, a website I founded and ran from 2018 to 2021.

Marth may be primarily known to Western audiences as one of the (many) sword guys in Super Smash Bros. but he’s actually the hero from the original Fire Emblem game. That game had previously only been released in Japan, but Nintendo have now announced that the game will be coming to Nintendo Switch.

Featuring an English localisation for the first time, players will be able to see where the Fire Emblem series began when Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & The Blade Of Light arrives on 4 December 2020.

The game isn’t arriving as part of the NES Online, but will instead be available on the eShop for a limited time. The game will be pulled after the franchise’s 30th anniversary on 31 March 2021.

As well as the English localisation, this release will also feature rewind and fast forward features, plus save states. Here’s a brief overview:

“The original 8-bit game, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & The Blade Of Light, which follows the adventures of Prince Marth and launched a decades-spanning franchise, will be available outside Japan for the first time.
Throughout Marth’s perilous journey, players can shape their armies to execute a range of strategies by carefully selecting from dozens of characters with unique attributes that can turn the tide of every battlefield skirmish. Will Marth be able to acquire the sacred Falchion sword and obtain the mystical Fire Emblem on his epic expedition to restore peace to the Kingdom of Archanea?”

Check out the trailer and screenshots below!

Source: Nintendo PR