Fire Emblem If on 3DS, original Japanese version of Fire Emblem Fates. Same strategic and narrative excellence of the saga. The original version for collectors and Japanese market fans.
Your verdict
Category
Tactics1 player12+
Description
Corrin chooses between two warring royal families in this Korean edition of Fire Emblem Fates with in-depth tactical battles. Published by Nintendo, released in Korea in June 2015. Turn-based tactical battles, character Supports and marriages, customisable Corrin, two main storylines Hoshido and Nohr. Korean edition.
Fire Emblem If review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
The protagonist is the only character the game does not draw in full. You choose their face, their hair, their voice, and that assembled figure then has to hold its own among a cast entirely illustrated by hand, which forces the artists to plan poses and outfits compatible with every combination. Their draconic form, pale scales and twisted antlers, deliberately cuts against the human silhouettes of both camps.
Between dramatic orchestra and discreet electro, the score culminates in the vocal theme "Lost in Thoughts All Alone", heartbreaking and unforgettable. The music underlines Corrin's torn loyalty between two families and draws each battle taut. This emotional breadth, carried by a superb song, leaves a deep mark.
The original version poses the dilemma without a safety net. At one precise moment, on a bridge, between two waiting armies, you must name one family and refuse the other, and the gesture cannot be taken back: everything that follows depends on a second of decision. The game then refuses to say which of the two causes was just, and simply shows what each side loses when the other wins.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Choosing your side between two opposing campaigns, one accessible and the other harshly tactical, doubles the urge to experience it all, while bonds, marriages and a customized castle weave a lasting obsession. Each battle won calls for the next. The fragmented structure disorients, but this strategic and relational richness holds a rare grip over time.
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Choosing between two warring royal families opens deep tactical battles where every decision weighs on what follows. Recruiting, raising your units and exploring the story's branches holds you for long hours. That strategic density, Fates' own, justifies a lifespan tactics fans appreciate over the long term.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
Fire Emblem If in Korean is one of the rarest FE localisations in the world. Nintendo Korea released the game in a very small print, at a time when the Korean market was no longer really supporting the 3DS. Its collector value is extreme for Asian FE completists: the Hangul Fates was never reprinted and every copy surfacing on the secondary market draws attention from several markets at once.
Is Fire Emblem If still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 2015 in Japan then 2016 in the West on 3DS and known in Japan as Fire Emblem If, Intelligent Systems' project extends the series' renaissance with a story split into two rival kingdoms, approached according to the chosen path. The tactical RPG refines the support and marriage system, and the turn based combat gains depth with unit pairs and new terrain mechanics. The careful art direction and the Casual mode preserve accessibility. The uneven writing divides. An excellent tactical RPG, recommended for fans of strategy and of branching narrative who relish weighing every move.
