5/5 ★ – Aliliane's review of Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War.

It's so sad that one of the best Nintendo games is region locked and limited to Japan only. Want a good strategy game with a compelling story and extraordinary world building? Here it is. But nowadays non-Japanese people can only play it by emulating it, using a ROM patch on their computer. It has an amazing cast of characters and huge map levels you'd take a while to clear but fun regardless. Anyways, what most got me attached to this game is clearly its story. This game is very plot heavy and you can't just play it while ignoring the dialogue. Genealogy of the Holy War was anime Game of Thrones before GoT even existed. Don't let its colorful designs fool you, because it’s way darker than it looks. You start this game with Sigurd, a seemingly noble and holy knight, yet quite unwise. Following through his tale you may get attached to him, especially with how powerful he is. I must admit that the shock factor of playing it for the first time carries a huge part of the game. It doesn't mean that it has no replay-ability, since you could get creative with the pairs and the variety of possibilities— even if the later playthroughs lack the magic within the first. Nintendo could never make a game as insane as this ever again— maybe a remake is the closest it could get. After finishing the game you could explore its lore through other media and you may get so invested you start theorizing about it, so the fun isn't just in playing the game. It will stick with you forever. It's considered one of the 100 best games of all time in Japan. FE4's only flaw is that during its time it was flawless, but now it desperately needs a remake, and the average gamer nowadays most likely wouldn't play it. However, it's still a magical experience, and if you think you can get through it, then please don't miss it. A masterpiece and obviously the best Fire Emblem game, hands down.