Popular Games by Intelligent Systems
Nintendo / Intelligent Systems
- 19th Apr 2012 (JPN)
- 4th Feb 2013 (NA)
- 19th Apr 2013 (UK/EU)
Nintendo / Intelligent Systems
- 7th Aug 2008 (JPN)
- 5th Dec 2008 (UK/EU)
- 16th Feb 2009 (NA)
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia 3DS
Nintendo / Intelligent Systems
- 19th May 2017 (UK/EU)
- 19th May 2017 (NA)
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Switch
Nintendo / Intelligent Systems
- 23rd May 2024 (JPN)
- 23rd May 2024 (UK/EU)
- 23rd May 2024 (NA)
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance GCN
Nintendo / Intelligent Systems
- 20th Apr 2005 (JPN)
- 17th Oct 2005 (NA)
- 4th Nov 2005 (UK/EU)
Fire Emblem: Three Houses Switch
Nintendo / Intelligent Systems
- 26th Jul 2019 (UK/EU)
- 26th Jul 2019 (NA)
Nintendo / Intelligent Systems
- 25th Jun 2015 (JPN)
- 19th Feb 2016 (NA)
- 20th May 2016 (UK/EU)
Nintendo / Intelligent Systems
- 25th Apr 2003 (JPN)
- 3rd Nov 2003 (NA)
- 16th Jul 2004 (UK/EU)
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones GBA
Nintendo / Intelligent Systems
- 23rd Mar 2005 (NA)
- 4th Nov 2005 (UK/EU)
Nintendo / Intelligent Systems
- 11th Nov 2012 (NA)
- 6th Dec 2012 (JPN)
- 7th Dec 2012 (UK/EU)
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door GCN
Nintendo / Intelligent Systems
- 22nd Jul 2004 (JPN)
- 11th Oct 2004 (NA)
- 12th Nov 2004 (UK/EU)
Reviews of Intelligent Systems Games
Review Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (GBA) - The Series' Second Western Release Still Hits Hard
Worth fighting for
This review was originally published in March 2015. We're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of the game in the Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy Advance library. While Fire Emblem is a franchise with a long history in Japan, its track record in the West is far more condensed; in fact, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones...
Review Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Switch) - Still The King Of Mario RPGs
Paper, un-jammed
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has been held as the standard for Mario RPGs for 20 years. It, alongside its N64 predecessor, captured what fans wanted from their turn-based, plumber-starring adventures – silly humour, epic adventures, fantastic combat, and charm. Purists often view the GameCube original as the end of the...
Review Fire Emblem - The Blazing Blade Is Still As Sharp As Ever
So much to love Lyndis game
This review originally went live in 2015, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack GBA library. Before Fire Emblem: Awakening kicked off 2013 (the Year of Luigi, you'll recall) with a bang, there was a great deal of concern at Nintendo regarding its...
Review Fire Emblem Engage (Switch) - Relationships Get Sidelined By A Thrilling Combat-First Focus
School's out
It's been almost four years since the hugely successful Fire Emblem: Three Houses stormed onto Switch and reignited our passion for Intelligent Systems' long-running tactical RPG franchise. Here was a game that deepened the relationship and social sim aspects and captured the hearts of gamers who revelled in three separate campaign...
Review Paper Mario (N64) - A Well-Crafted Creation That Stands Up Beautifully
Historical document
This review originally went live in 2017, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the addition of Paper Mario to the other N64 games on Nintendo Switch Online. Can we take a moment to appreciate just how gloriously wacky it is that a game like Paper Mario exists in the first place? This is an idea that followed in the...
Review Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & The Blade Of Light (Switch) - We've Come A Long Way In 30 Years
A burning flame or a dying ember?
It wasn’t until 2003 that western players first got a taste of the Fire Emblem series with the simply named Fire Emblem that launched on the Game Boy Advance. The title seemed to imply that it was the first release in the franchise, but it was in fact the seventh game in the series, while the previous six remained...
Latest Intelligent Systems News
Tuesday24th Dec 2024
"At the initial idea stage, we collected over 1,000 ideas"
While the Super Mario series can get quite weird with its lore, world design, and general concepts, nothing comes close to the sheer absurdity of the WarioWare franchise. How many games out there let you pick someone's nose, perform dental work, and have a back-scratching competition with...
Monday9th Dec 2024
News Looks Like Fire Emblem & Paper Mario Dev Intelligent Systems Is Hiring
Multiple positions available for "popular game titles"
Nintendo subsidiary Intelligent Systems — best known for developing the Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, and WarioWare series' — is currently hiring. Spotted by reader Leaf Garrison, the job is open for (via Google translate) "developing popular game titles" and has been open since 8th November...
Saturday3rd Aug 2024
News New Fire Emblem: Three Houses Figures Announced, Pre-Orders For Dimitri Live
Update: Here's a first look at Byleth
Update [Sat 3rd Aug, 2024 13:00 BST]: Following the announcement of 'Pop Up Parade' versions of the male and female versions of Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Good Smile Company has now shared a first look. When we find out more about a release date and price, we'll let you know. Original story...
Tuesday4th Jun 2024
Soapbox Nintendo Needs More Characters Like Paper Mario's Vivian
Viva la Vivian!
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, it's time to celebrate Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door's Vivian, and Alana does it with Pride. Nintendo’s track record with LGBTQIA+ characters has been… mixed, to say the...
Monday27th May 2024
Guide Best Paper Mario Games Of All Time
All the Paper Mario games, ranked by you
Updated with Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door for Switch, the HD remake of the 2004 GameCube original. Enjoy! The Paper Mario series began two decades ago when Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64 launched in Japan on 11th August 2000. Since then, we've seen five more mainline Paper Mario games of different...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door?
The door's open
Last week saw the return of the king of Paper Marios as The Thousand-Year Door launched on Switch in remake form. Following last year's excellent Super Mario RPG remake, our deputy editor Alana Hagues once again tackled a turn-based Mario and found this latest Switch remake from Intelligent Systems to be "a fantastic RPG adventure,...
Saturday25th May 2024
Soapbox Fire Emblem’s Future May Not Be In Turn-Based Combat
Fire Emblem’s fates
How would you feel if the next mainline Fire Emblem game was exclusively a social sim? While a change this drastic is almost certainly not in the cards, the identity crisis currently faced by Fire Emblem means that change must come. While Engage’s 1.61 million sales as of March 2023 is respectable for the franchise, it marks...
Thursday23rd May 2024
News Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Codebase Apparently Contains References To 4K Output
Future-proofing? Or just for screenshots?
Dataminers have uncovered references to higher-resolution output in the code for the Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Switch remake. As posted by @RibShark (thanks @NintyPrime), the game apparently contains code designed to handle rendering at a variety of resolutions, including 4K, which the current...
Monday4th Mar 2024
Rumour Paper Mario & Luigi's Mansion 2 News Potentially Coming On MAR10
Popping up
Update [Sun 10th Mar, 2024 14:30 GMT]: Release dates for both of these upcoming Switch releases have now been officially confirmed: <related ids="163314"> Original article [Mon 4th Mar, 2024 15:05 GMT]: With MAR10 just a few days away, we're all getting ready to celebrate Nintendo's mascot — probably by playing Mario games or...
Tuesday23rd Jan 2024
News Fire Emblem Engage Celebrates First Anniversary With 'Emblem Ring' Capsule Toy Line
12 rings unveiled for Japan
Alongside the first anniversary celebrations of Fire Emblem Engage for the Nintendo Switch, Takara Tomy Arts has unveiled its very own 'emblem ring' capsule toy line. As highlighted by Siliconera, this line features the 12 rings from the base game and will be available across two separate runs this month and in February...
Saturday20th Jan 2024
News Fire Emblem Engage Artist Celebrates First Anniversary With New Artwork
"I am happy that so many people have played our game"
While a lot of the focus last year was on the new Zelda and Mario games, there were plenty of other first-party releases. This includes the tactical RPG Fire Emblem Engage, which this week celebrates its first anniversary. Yes, it's already a year old! To celebrate, artist and illustrator Mika...
Sunday31st Dec 2023
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel - Tetris Attack (GB)
Attaaaaack!
Hello everyone, welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Before we get started on this week's brawl, let's take a look at how things concluded in last week's edition. We threw Viewtiful Joe 2 into the ring, with all three major regions battling it out for supremacy. To little surprise, it was the North American variant that took a...
Wednesday15th Nov 2023
Poll What's The Best RPG Starring Mario?
Paper, Partners, and everything in between
Mario, the world's favourite platforming plumber, has done everything — kart racing, tennis, golf, partying, and a little bit of turn-based RPG-ing. 1996 saw Mario's RPG debut in the Super NES favourite, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, and since then, he's starred in 14 different RPGs (plus...
Monday19th Jun 2023
"To some extent, all of the characters in the game reflect the theme"
Nintendo's 2023 started off with a bang. Fire Emblem Engage launched in January and brought the series back to its combat-focused roots, forgoing the relationship-sim elements that had worked so well in its predecessor, Three Houses, for a game where the action came thick and...
Tuesday25th Apr 2023
Anniversary Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade First Launched 20 Years Ago Today
The West's first Fire Emblem game
Today marks the 20th anniversary of Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, the seventh entry in the Fire Emblem series, in Japan. But what makes this title extra special is that this was the game that brought the tactical RPG series to the West. A North American release followed in November 2003, with Australia and Europe...
Wednesday5th Apr 2023
News Fire Emblem Engage Version 2.0.0 Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Wave 4 of the Expansion Pass has arrived
Fire Emblem Engage has had an update jumping all the way up to Version 2.0.0. This update makes way for Wave 4 of the game's Expansion Pass content. Apart from this, an "update bonus" has been added, collaboration content with the mobile app Fire Emblem Heroes can now be downloaded and various issues have...
Friday24th Mar 2023
Countdown 3DS eShop Spotlight - Dragon Quest Wars
#29 - Dragon War-rior
For the month before the 3DS and Wii U eShops close for new purchases on 27th March, each day we're going to highlight a specific eShop game for one of those consoles and give a short pitch as to why we think it deserves your love and attention — before it's too late. The chance to add these to your library will be gone for...
Wednesday22nd Mar 2023
News Fire Emblem Engage Story DLC 'Fell Xenologue' Launches In April
Wave 4 is almost here
Wave 4 of the Fire Emblem Engage Expansion Pass lands on 4th April — or 5th April in Europe. And for Fire Emblem fans, this is likely the most exciting addition yet, as it brings in brand-new story content. In an ominous trailer, which starts off with "your grave", the Fell Xenologue will bring more story content to the base...
Wednesday15th Mar 2023
Countdown 3DS eShop Spotlight - Pushmo / Pullblox
#20 - Push or Pull?
For the month before the 3DS and Wii U eShops close for new purchases on 27th March, each day we're going to highlight a specific eShop game for one of those consoles and give a short pitch as to why we think it deserves your love and attention — before it's too late. The chance to add these to your library will be gone for...
Saturday25th Feb 2023
Countdown Wii U eShop Spotlight - Pushmo World
#2 - Pull or push?
For the month before the 3DS and Wii U eShops close for new purchases on 27th March, each day we're going to highlight a specific eShop game for one of those consoles and give a short pitch as to why we think it deserves your love and attention — before it's too late. The chance to add these to your library will be gone for good...
Friday24th Feb 2023
Countdown 3DS eShop Spotlight - Fire Emblem Fates
#1 - No fate but what we...quickly download off the eShop
For the month before the 3DS and Wii U eShops close for new purchases on 27th March, each day we're going to highlight a specific eShop game for one of those consoles and give a short pitch as to why we think it deserves your love and attention — before it's too late. The chance to add...
Monday23rd Jan 2023
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Fire Emblem Engage?
Engaged or disengaged?
We're sure a lot of you lovely readers have been engaging with a certain strategy RPG over the weekend. Yep, we're talking about Fire Emblem Engage, which launched on Switch last Friday. Okay, so this is a huge 40-50 hour game and we're not expecting you all to have blasted through the entire thing over the past few days, but...
Thursday19th Jan 2023
News Fire Emblem Engage Launch Day Update Now Available, Here Are The Patch Notes
Will you be engaging?
Ahead of the game's official release tomorrow, Nintendo has released the customary day one patch for Fire Emblem Engage. The Big N has also shared the brief patch notes over on its website (thanks, Nintendo Everything!). Like most day one updates, this one preps the game for full online functionality including the Expansion...
Wednesday18th Jan 2023
Soapbox Zelda Should Be Given The Paper Mario Treatment
Paper Zelda: The Thousand-Year Door (of Time)
Nintendo struck gold when they made the first Paper Mario. They figured out how to take a beloved series like Super Mario, put a slight twist on it, and create something entirely new that doesn't feel stale, doesn't feel like a flimsy spin-off, and best of all, is better than most Super Mario games...
Monday16th Jan 2023
PSA Watch Out, Fire Emblem Engage Leaks Are Appearing Online
The scales are tipping
Fire Emblem Engage is out this Friday, but some lucky people have already got their hands on the game. According to Fendoreo1 on ResetEra (don't click the link if you want to avoid spoilers), someone is currently playing through the entirety of Fire Emblem Engage and posting their impressions online — including screenshots...
Guide Best Fire Emblem Games Of All Time
Fancy a game of Swords-Axes-Lances?
It might have taken a while for Nintendo's premier SRPG series to find its feet in the West, but the storming success of 2019's Fire Emblem: Three Houses on Switch proved that Intelligent Systems' turn-based strategy series is now up there with the Marios and the Zeldas in terms of hallowed Nintendo franchises...
Thursday12th Jan 2023
Feature Fire Emblem Narratives, Ranked – Which Fire Emblem Has The Best Story?
More Dark Dragon Demon Gods than you can shake a Falchion at
Since Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade — or just Fire Emblem as it was known in the West — made its way to the West on the Game Boy Advance thanks to the popularity of Marth and Roy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the series has filled a cutthroat, tactical RPG void on almost every Nintendo...
Friday6th Jan 2023
News Fire Emblem Engage Gets A Nine Minute Overview Trailer
Take a look
Nintendo's marketing campaign for Fire Emblem Engage is now well and truly underway. Following previews going live, it's now released a brand new overview trailer that runs for close to nine minutes. One catch is it's only been uploaded to Nintendo's YouTube channels in Japan, so you'll have to watch the whole thing in Japanese. It...
Thursday5th Jan 2023
Hands On Fire Emblem Engage Is Surprisingly Fast-Paced And Delightfully Deep
12 rings to rule them all
Happy New Year, Fire Emblem fans! And what a start to 2023 it looks like being for all you tactical RPG aficionados, as Intelligent Systems' Fire Emblem Engage gets set to drop onto Switch in just a handful of weeks. We've already been busy blasting through the game over the Christmas holiday period and, at around about 12...
Friday2nd Dec 2022
News Good Smile Company Reveals Stunning New Fire Emblem Figure, Pre-Orders Live
Fire Emblem Heroes gets some love
Update [Fri 2nd Dec, 2022 01:55 GMT]: Pre-orders for this stunning figure are now live on Play-Asia. They'll be open until 6th March 2023. It'll set you back around $297.99 USD (Japan) / $251.99 USD (Hong Kong) and is expected to ship on 29th February 2024. Original article [Sat 26th Nov, 2022 16:00 GMT]: The...
Tuesday22nd Nov 2022
News Fire Emblem Engage Introduces Two New Characters
Meet Diamant and Alcryst
We're at the tail end of 2022, and that means we're getting closer to the release of the new Fire Emblem title. Yes, in case you missed it, Fire Emblem Engage is arriving early next year on the Nintendo Switch in January. It features an all-new story and as part of this, there are both new and returning characters. Nintendo...
Thursday17th Nov 2022
News Nintendo Releases Stunning New Story Trailer For Fire Emblem Engage
"Summon the Emblems, seize your destiny!"
It's all about Pokémon this week, but there are plenty of other Nintendo Switch games to look forward to beyond this. Coming early next year in January is Fire Emblem Engage by Intelligent Systems. Ahead of the game's release, Nintendo has release another new trailer titled 'The Divine Dragon Awakens!'...
Friday11th Nov 2022
Soapbox Paper Mario: Sticker Star Was When The Series Came Unstuck
A good idea on paper
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. On the 10th anniversary of Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Kate throws a very grumpy birthday party for a 3DS game she found pretty disappointing... There is a good game hidden inside...
Saturday29th Oct 2022
News Nintendo Introduces Chloe In Fire Emblem Engage
Meet another new character
One game you'll want to be on the lookout for early on in 2023 is Fire Emblem Engage. In fact, it's out in the first month of the year, launching exclusively on Switch on 20th January, and pre-orders are open now. This upcoming adventure brings both new and old characters together, and in the lead-up to the game's...
Tuesday27th Sep 2022
News Nintendo Introduces Two New Fire Emblem Engage Characters
Meet the twins
The tactical RPG series Fire Emblem is returning early next year on the Switch with the new game Fire Emblem Engage. In the lead-up to its release, Intelligent Systems and Nintendo have been slowly sharing more footage and information about the characters and gameplay in this new entry. The latest news drop focuses on the new monk...
Friday23rd Sep 2022
News Fire Emblem Engage Continues To Look Stunning In New Gameplay Clips
From the official Japanese Twitter
September 2022's Nintendo Direct opened with the official reveal of Fire Emblem Engage, a brand new Fire Emblem game, which is releasing next January. And, in the days since, the official Japanese Fire Emblem Twitter account has been sharing clips of some of your future squad members in combat — and it looks...
Tuesday13th Sep 2022
News Fire Emblem Engage Unites New And Returning Characters, Out Next January
Joy-Con hair!
Kicking off today's Nintendo Direct in style is the Fire Emblem series! Nintendo and Intelligent Systems announced a brand new Fire Emblem mainline game, Fire Emblem Engage. This new game seems to bring old favourites together with some new characters, and a protagonist with curiously-coloured hair. Plus, the game is out pretty darn...
Friday1st Jul 2022
News Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Was Originally Fire Emblem Warriors 2
A direct sequel over a focused title
Many of us were pleasantly surprised when Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes was announced for the Switch. Instead of making a direct sequel to the original Fire Emblem Warriors, we got a Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity situation with a focus on the most recent Fire Emblem title and characters, Three Houses. But...
Thursday30th Jun 2022
News Fire Emblem Heroes Is Nintendo's First Mobile Game To Pass $1 Billion In Spending
And most successful Fire Emblem game
Back in February, Fire Emblem Heroes was approaching $1 billion in lifetime global player spending. And now, Sensor Tower reports that the strategy RPG mobile spin-off has surpassed that figure, becoming Nintendo's most successful mobile game ever (thanks
Friday24th Jun 2022
News Day One Patch For Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Drops
Patch notes inside
Today's the day Fire Emblem fans get to return to the world of Fire Emblem: Three Houses with the Musou follow-up Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. The game is out now on Switch and will see players control Shez and a plethora of Three Houses characters in some hectic hack-and-slash combat. As we're used to nowadays, the game...
Wednesday15th Jun 2022
Rumour Potential Screenshots From A New "Finished" Fire Emblem Surface Online
Update: Following on from Nintendo leaker's details
Update [Wed 15th Jun, 2022 09:20 BST] More details of the supposed next Fire Emblem game have been leaked. This time, Reddit user miasmadelta has shared some apparent screenshots from the 18th mainline Fire Emblem title over on r/fireemblem. Of course, this game is still unannounced, so we won't...
Wednesday8th Jun 2022
News The Ashen Wolves Will Join The Fight In Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
Plus a new trailer drops
We've been suspecting this for the last few weeks, and it seems like we were right! The Ashen Wolves will be joining the other three houses in the upcoming Musou game Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. To celebrate the release of a demo, which dropped today, Nintendo shared another new trailer titled 'Awakened Rivals',...
News Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Demo Drops Today
Update: We hoped!
Update [Wed 8th Jun, 2022 15:05 BST] It's true! Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is getting a free demo today! Take early command of your forces as you join lone mercenary Shez in battle with all of your favourite characters from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. You can download the demo from the Switch eShop, and make sure you let us...
Friday27th May 2022
News Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Trailer Sees The Golden Deer Charge Into Action
The Leicester Alliance aren't upside down
We promised you we'd be back with another Fire Emblem Friday, didn't we? Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes' latest trailer features the third and final of the main three houses from Fire Emblem: Three Houses — The Golden Deer, led by the charismatic Claude von Riegan. The yellow banner follows the Blue...
Friday20th May 2022
News See The Black Eagles Swoop Into Battle In Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Trailer
A new trailer for the Adrestian Empire
Friday is Fire Emblem day apparently! Nintendo of America has Tweeted out a second House trailer for its upcoming Musou game, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. This time, it's the turn of Edelgard von Hresvelg's Black Eagles to take to the field. Just like in last week's Blue Lions showcase, Edelgard will be...
Wednesday18th May 2022
News Fire Emblem Heroes' New Summoning Event Will Walk You Down The Aisle
Bridal Blossoms bloom for bounty
The next summoning event in Fire Emblem Heroes is coming later this week, and it looks like a rather lovely affair — if a little bit inconvenient for war. Though we suppose wearing a wedding dress into battle is a little bit iconic. The Bridal Blossoms event kicks off on 20th May from 12am PDT / 5am EDT / 8am BST...
Friday13th May 2022
News Hear The Blue Lions Roar In New Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Trailer
The Kingdom of Faerghus strikes
Nintendo has released a brand new trailer for the upcoming Musou game Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. This trailer focuses on Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd and his house, the Blue Lions, showcasing all of the characters that fall under his banner that you'll be able to play as. In the trailer, we see the house leader...
Tuesday19th Apr 2022
Talking Point Can It Really Be 10 Years Since Fire Emblem: Awakening Saved The Series?
From niche series to Nintendo staple
10 years ago today, Fire Emblem: Awakening was released on the 3DS in Japan. At the time the series had a core and devoted audience, but it had struggled to make a meaningful sales breakthrough outside of Japan. There was no doubting the development and storytelling talent of developer Intelligent Systems,...
Friday14th Jan 2022
News Good Smile Company Releasing Fire Emblem: Three Houses Byleth Figure, Pre-Orders Are Now Live
Launching Feb 2023
The Good Smile Company has released some stunning Nintendo figures in the past, and the latest one now available to pre-order is the female form of Byleth from the latest Fire Emblem game, Fire Emblem: Three Houses. This is a 1/7th scale figure (approx 195mm in height) that has a dynamic pose and is armed with a trusty sword. The...
Monday11th Oct 2021
Soapbox Paper Mario: TTYD Is 17 Years Old Today, But It's Still A Masterpiece
A paper cut above the rest
From the very first second of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, I was hooked. The game begins with a gentle twinkling music and a book opening to tell you the story of an ancient, ruined town lost to time, and the fabled treasure buried there; once you've listened to the whole story (and seen Peach herself buying a...
