TheFire Emblemseries has long garnered a reputation as being the most challenging Nintendo exclusives, mechanics such as Permadeath killing off characters - with no comebacks - may dissuade new players from dipping their toes into theFire Emblemgames.
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While the series is not nearly as brutal and unforgiving as its reputation suggests, some entries are more challenging than the rest. With adjustable difficulty, theFire Emblemseries are some of the most accessible in the tactical RPG genre. However, those looking for a real challenge should consider the hardest that the series has to offer.
Updated June 08, 2025, by Michael Llewellyn:After the commercial and critical success of Fire Emblem: Awakening and Three Houses, Intelligent Systems has releasedFire Emblem: Engageto similar acclaim. The strategy RPG series offers a challenge that most Nintendo exclusives don’t and features surprisingly mature themes of war and loss. So with that in mind, this list has been updated to include more games in the Fire Emblem series to offer hardened JRPG veterans a challenge.
2023
Platform
Switch
The most recent entry,Fire Emblem: Engage,is arguably the most approachable in the series yet. With the most stunning visuals in the series, the new addition to the popular SRPG series brings back characters from older titles into its narrative, givingFire Emblemoriginals like Marththeir best looks yet.
From booting up the game, players can select the Maddening difficulty. As with its predecessors, this is the most challenging way to play the game. Enemies have increased stats, no save feature between battles, and rewinds are limited. It doesn’t have theclassic Permadeathmechanics unlocked from the start. Combine the two, and veteran players have theFire Emblemexperience they’re looking for.
2005
GameCube
IfFire Emblem: Engageis the prettiest entry in the series, thenPath of Radiancemay be the ugliest. In fairness, this was the series' first game to use 3D graphics, and it didn’t detract from what is an exceptional strategy JRPG. Interestingly,Path of Radiancehas become rareand fetches a high price on auction sites.
In addition to being a great game,Path of Radianceis also challenging. Permadeath is applied to all difficulty settings. Moreover, the western version’s normal mode is the same as the Japanese version’s hard mode. As a result, many players may be led into a false sense of security. So the so-called easy setting is the best way to play the game.
2017
3DS
Following from the successes ofFire Emblem: AwakeningandFates,Intelligent Systems launchedFire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.Valentiais a remake of 1992’s Japanese-onlyFire Emblem: Gaiden.Being a faithful remake,Valentiamodernizes the original old-school challenge for a newer audience while focusing more on tough but fair combat.
To balance the challenge,Shadows of Valentiagoes out of its way to teach the mechanics to new players while also applying new mechanics like the Time Wheel to reverse time. However, to get a more rewardingFire Emblemexperience, players should enable the Permadeath mechanics by implementing the classic mode.
2010 Japan only
DS
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon’s Japan-exclusive sequel,Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem,feels like a continuation of its predecessor, picking up from where the difficulty left off.
Maintaining the lack of rescuing and the easy manipulation of unit positions on the map,New Mystery of the Emblemalso features more complex map designs that feel like a natural progression from the previous installment. It may not be the most difficult of theFire Emblemgames, but this entry pushed the series to new, more extreme heights.
2003
GBA
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade’s story has a solid learning curve, and many would recommend to series newcomers to learn the ins and outs of mechanics first. The unlockable alternate narrative focuses on the character of Hector is more challenging.
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Utilizing excellent and well-thought-out map design and enemy placement, the mode provides players with significantly fewer resources and in-game currency, making every decision all the more vital. While more demanding than the Eliwood-focused adventure, Hector’s story’s difficulty resides in that perfect spot of challenging yet rewarding. For players looking for a significant challenge, the highest difficulty setting of Hector’s story is frequently viewed as the definitive way to play the game.
Super Famicom
While mechanically quite different from many newer entries in the series, the fourth game,Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War,has some of the series' most gargantuan maps.
In a game that individualizes units via character-specific skills, players must keep track of the impact of skills and stats when calculating the potential outcome of a battle. Additionally, due to the mammoth scope of some maps, players are often required to keep track of multiple objectives while dealing with enormous hordes of enemy units.
2007
Wii
LikeGenealogy of the Holy War,Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn,a direct sequel toPath of Radiance,is an enormous game containing a massive scope and a large cast of characters. Despite the cast being as extensive as it is, a great deal of the game’s difficulty comes from playing as the “Dawn Brigade,” a group of freedom fighters the player controls for most of the game.
The Dawn Brigade is severely outclassed by the vast majority of enemies throughout even the earliest chapters of the game, possessing inferior stats to even the most minor enemy soldiers. Luckily, as theRadiant Dawntranspires, players are provided with more consistent and high-quality units, making the mid and late-game much easier than the segments revolving around the Dawn Brigade.
2015
Conquestis the hardest of the three iterations ofFire Emblem Fates.Possessing a linear story, players are required to utilize their limited recourses while managing experience. It’s important to note thatConquestcontains some of the most well-designed and well-thought-out map designs in the series, and this is both a blessing and a curse.
Some maps often feel less like tactical war strategy games and more like puzzles to solve, and can be polarizing for some players. However, as a player progresses through the game in the most challenging difficulties, it is paramount that players account for the skills of enemy squads, as several enemies will boast an amalgam of skills that can blindside players and kill their characters seemingly out of nowhere.
2002 Japan only
The sixth entry of the series and the first to featureRoy, a character popularized by theSuper Smash Bros,Fire Emblem: The Binding Bladeis highly recommended to series veterans. Featuring perhaps the weakest lord in all ofFire Emblem,the game features fine-tuned map design that often comes off as unfair. We’re talking about a title with Killer Ballista weapons that can land critical hits on a player’s units across the entire map.
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No matter how prepared a player may think they are,The Binding Bladeis always ready to make players miserable, as enemy reinforcements can attack the turn that they spawn, meaning that unless players preemptively look up enemy spawn locations, they can appear when the least expected.
2012
Fire Emblem: Awakeningis viewed as the game that saved the popular SRPG series from being shelved by Nintendo. It has become a favorite in the genre and served as an introduction to the series as a whole.
While the default difficulty setting ofFire Emblem: Awakeningis manageable, its Lunatic setting is a different story. With a slew of overpowered foes regularly coming at the player, the most common strategies in the setting involve heavily using the overpowered Jagen, Frederick, and providing the Avatar character with as many helpful (if not broken) abilities as possible.
