Games Like Fire Emblem
Advance Wars Series (GBA, DS)
The Advance Wars series is the easiest recommendation for Fire Emblem fans as it comes from the same developer, Intelligent Systems. This other long-running Nintendo series uses the same kind of grid-based tactical system, but features a few twists that separate it from Fire Emblem.
There’s still a colorful cast of characters, but instead of individual units, they take the form of commanders. The commander you choose for battle can alter what strengths your army has, as well as special abilities you can use. In battle, two to four armies take turns building and commanding units, and each unit has their own strengths and weaknesses against other units. You can build more units from buildings like factories, meaning the strategy is centered around properly building and using your army, rather than trying to keep specific characters alive.
There are quite a few similarities to Fire Emblem like terrain affecting hit percentage and the like, battles cutting to little animated sequences, and even just the general look and feel. By and large, Advance Wars is more comical and quirky than Fire Emblem, not counting Days of Ruin, and the series consistently has a good sense of humor. If you’re a big Fire Emblem fan and haven’t already played Advance Wars, you need to fix that right away.
