‘Fire Emblem’ is one of the best tactical turn based role playing games ever developed and the series has been extremely well received by both gamers and critics worldwide. It has also managed to spawn a lot of clones over the years due to its popularity and some of them have managed to establish themselves. If you like turn based tactical video games and are looking for an experience that is similar to the ‘Fire Emblem’ series, then you really can’t go wrong with any of these games. So, here is the list of video games similar to Fire Emblem that are our recommendations. You can play these games like Fire Emblem on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, iPhone, Android, mac or even online.
11. Shadowrun: Hong Kong (2015)
‘Shadowrun’ is a popular turn based tactical strategy game developed by Harebrained Schemes and published by Paradox Interactive in the year 2015. The game has been pretty popular among fans of the genre due to its in-depth role playing mechanics and gameplay format. It is set in Hong Kong, a bustling city where life is cheap and everything else is on sale. The campaign puts you in the open world where you need to pick up quests and complete them in a linear fashion in order to progress through the story. The combat takes place in a turn based format where you get to go first and then your enemies attack and so on. There are various items that you can collect in the game in order to take down more powerful enemies and earn experience. If you like playing games like ‘Fire Emblem’ where the focus is on turn based strategic combat, then you should definitely check this one out. An extended edition was also released, which adds about 6 hours of additional gameplay so that you don’t run out of content.
10. Xenonauts (2014)
‘Xenonauts’ is a sci-fi turn based tactical strategy game developed and published by Goldhawk Interactive in the year 2014 for Windows PC, OS X Linux devices. The game is heavily influenced by ‘X-COM’ and ‘Fire Emblem’ where you are required to control a commander and their relative forces in order to take down their enemies in a turn based format. The entire planet is under invasion from alien forces and you must do everything in your power in order to stop them. There are various types of troops which you can control such as air combat units and ground combat units but you need to deploy them strategically so that you can gain the upper hand in the combat.
You also need to use various elements in the environment to your advantage as most of the objects in the environment are intractable and destructible. At later stages of the game you also get access to UFOs which can be used tactically to take down enemy flying vessels. There are also additional win conditions other than total domination, making the gameplay extremely varied. If you like the tactical options in ‘Fire Emblem’, then you will definitely like playing through ‘Xenonauts’.
9. Tear Ring Saga (2001)
‘Tear Ring Saga’ is a tactical role playing game developed by the same people who created the ‘Fire Emblem’ series, so you can expect a lot of recurring mechanics. The development company of the game, Tirnanog, was founded by Shouzou Kaga, the creator of the ‘Fire Emblem’ series, after he left the Ninetendo development team in the year 2000. There have been various lawsuits regarding both the games due to ‘Tear Ring Saga’ using art direction and content for their games so you can understand that the games share a lengthy history together. In addition, the game was initially developed as a sequel to the ‘Fire Emblem’ series but since the team lost the rights to the franchise, they had to release it as a standalone title. You will find a lot of recurring elements from the ‘Fire Emblem’ series, like the graphical choices and user interfaces..
8. Divinity: Original Sin 2 (2017)
‘Divinity’ is regarded as one of the best role playing games of all time with over a million copies being sold for the game in just a month of its release. ‘Divinity: Original Sin 2’ is the direct sequel to the original ‘Original Sin’ and continues the story from where the game left off in a co-op format. The whole campaign of the game is completely playable in a cooperative format with up to 3 other friends, so if you are looking for a multiplayer experience, then you can’t really go wrong with this one. Customization is the heart of the game and it is possible for one to entirely customize the character of the player as well as the abilities.
Each character that you can choose in the game has an extensive back story tied to it and also changes the interactions with the environment and other NPCs. The skill crafting mechanic allows players to mix and match basic skills in order to craft new one,s making the game one of the most diverse role playing experiences on modern consoles. It was developed by Larian Sweets and published by Bandai Namco in the year 2017 for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and macOS systems.
7. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (2009)
‘Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor’ is a tactical role playing game developed by Career Soft and published by Atlus in the year 2009. The game is set in modern day Tokyo and follows a group of teenagers as they fight a demon infestation in the city. You need to compose a squad using one main character and two supporting characters as you fight demons in a turn based format. You are also able to explore several districts of Tokyo in between combat sequences and this allows you to discover various hidden secrets in the game. This also allows you to interact with other non playable characters in game and progress through the storyline.
However, if you do not wish to progress through the storyline, you’d still be able to take part in free battles that allow you to gain experience and build up your character. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics for its art style and gameplay mechanics. If you liked playing through the ‘Fire Emblem’ games, then we are sure you will enjoy this one.
6. Pokemon Conquest (2012)
‘Pokemon Conquest’ is a turn based tactical RPG that is a crossover between the ‘Pokemon’ universe and the ‘Nobunaga’ universe developed by Tecmo Koei and published by Nintendo in the year 2012 for the Nintendo DS. It allows the player to traverse through the game world and use the various abilities of the pokemons found in game in order to progress. Unlike the original ‘Pokemon’ series, each pokemon in the game has only one attack that they can use and this has been coded according to the type and the characteristics of the pokemon.
There are two factions in the game, namely the ‘Warriors’ and the ‘Warlords’ who are at war with each other and you need to defeat both the factions and reunite the land under one name. Once you defeat another character in game, they join your team and you are able to access their pokemon and use their special abilities. Each character is accompanied by a pokemon that is assigned to them, and you start off with eevee, the pokemon that is able to evolve into various types, adding to the variation in gameplay. ‘Fire Emblem’ fans who are looking for a slightly varied experience can definitely try this game out, but keep in mind that this is a Nintendo DS exclusive and will not run on other consoles.
5. XCOM 2 (2016)
‘XCOM 2’ sees the player taking part in battles against an alien race. The game is the spiritual successor to the reboot of the original ‘XCOM’ title and takes place 20 years after the events of the original game. You need to control various characters in a tactical strategic setting and take down your enemies silently. At the start of the game, you are also given the option to choose and deploy your characters according to the playstyle you will adopt for the playsession. The setting is an alternate earth that has been invaded by an alien species and has managed to subdue the population on the planet. Various government agencies have been reduced to mere puppets and you must take control of a rogue military organization that is making its last stand against the aliens. Stealth is of utmost importance and we really liked the tactical options that were provided to us during the course of the game. We are sure fans of the ‘Fire Emblem’ universe will definitely like playing through this game and we highly recommend you give it a try.
4. Shining Force (1992)
This one’s for all the old school fans out there. If you grew up during the 80s and liked tactical role playing games, then you must be familiar with this one. The game was released back in the year of 1992 for the Sega Genesis and the Mega Drive consoles. It was later ported to other gaming consoles such as iOS, Game Boy Advance and Wii due to popular demand. It is regarded as one of the best tactical turn based strategy role playing games of its time and also introduced a lot of new game mechanics into the genre. The game takes place in a grid based format and characters can move on that grid according to their move status. If they happen to come across an enemy unit, then they have the option to fight that unit or cast spells. Otherwise they are free to explore their areas and search for items. If you liked the turn based tactical format of the ‘Fire Emblem’ games, then you will definitely like this one.
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3. Battle for Wesnoth (2005)
‘Battle for Wesnoth’ is a turn based tactical strategy video game developed by Australian indie developer David White. It was initially released way back in the year 2005 and the team has been releasing regular updates since then. It is completely free to play and this aspect has been appreciated by a lot of gamers worldwide. It is hard to find such indie gems that are completely free to play and has been supported by developers of the game for such a long time, so a huge shout out to the development team in this regard. Also, the gameplay is quite polished and pretty in-depth, so if you are looking for a free to play game similar to ‘Fire Emblem’, then we highly recommend this one.
2. Valkyria Chronicles 4 (2018)
‘Valkyria Chronicles 4’ is a military themed tactical strategy role playing game developed and published by Sega in the year 2018 for Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One devices. The game is regarded by many as one of the best tactical role playing game series of all time and allows the players to control various military personnel, each having their own special abilities. It plays pretty similar to the other games in the series but also introduces various new mechanics into the gameplay such as a ‘brave’ mechanic, which allows the player to restore combat points to the unit when they are on the verge of dying. Fans of the ‘Fire Emblem’ series will definitely be able to relate to the gameplay style of this one.
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1. Advance Wars (2001)
‘Advance Wars’ is a brilliant tactical turn based role playing strategy game and one of my personal favorites, so there might be a bit of bias here. But then again, I am sure the game will not disappoint you, so I am quite confident in placing it on the top spot in this list. Not only is the game extremely well made, the gameplay is also very similar to that of ‘Fire Emblem’ and we feel that fans of either game will thoroughly enjoy both the gameplays. The setting is a bit different, but once you get into the game, it is very hard to put down.
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