Today marks the 26th anniversary of the Fire Emblem series, as well as the 11th anniversary of Path of Radiance (and yesterday was Awakening‘s anniversary).

To celebrate the occasion, here’s the next part of our “Making Of” series, featuring development materials and secrets from the Making of Fire Emblem book, in collaboration with Kantopia‘s very own Kirokan.

Naturally, we’ll be turning our attention to Path of Radiance, since it’s the birthday boy and because we already covered the first game earlier.

At the time of release, Path of Radiance was an ambitious title, being one of Intelligent System’s first forays into 3D game development and the first home console Fire Emblem since Kaga’s departure.

Fans’ reactions were relatively mixed at the start, with the more familiar The Sacred Stones attracting more hype. However when the game finally hit shelves, many were impressed by its deep gameplay and meticulously-crafted world.

Before fans got to know the game though, it–like most others–underwent several development changes. Some of these are covered in our pre-release section, but there are some changes only recently found in the Making of Fire Emblem.

Warning: There are major spoilers for Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn.

To start things off, the plans for the Base system, which players could access between chapters to manage their armies and relationships, originally included greater depth.

One of the more novel ideas was that the base would be an actual map–possibly of the Greil Mercenaries’ Fort–that the player could physically move around (as Ike) to speak to characters and access the various facilities. Basically, like Fates‘s My Castle.

We should mention that it’s not surprising to see abandoned ideas recycled later on, especially as hardware improves and developers become more experienced. It’s even possible that this concept of a base that could be explored originated far earlier…

Anyway, the facilities included:

• War Room: This is where you select the characters to participate in the next map and confirm (i.e. start) the next map.
• Convoy: Here, you can deposit unwanted items, use items, discard items or trade items between characters.
• Barracks: Features various game settings and the ability to save your game. Exact components undecided.
• Records Hall: View the status of characters, the Mercenaries Log (your play records), character relationship chart and Memorial Hall (unlocked after completing the game).
• Armoury, Vendor, Forge, Arena and Auction Hall

(In addition, there would be shortcuts to quickly get to each facility, presumably via a menu.)

Some of these–like the armoury, vendor and forge–appear in the final game, while others are just fancy variations. However the character relationship chart wasn’t established until the next game and the Arena ultimately got the axe.

As for the Auction Hall, no details were given (because the factsheet ended abruptly after the Records Hall), but perhaps it was a way to bid for rare items? Or maybe even a way to bid for new mercenaries? We can only imagine.

Next, we move on to the characters.

Here at Serenes Forest, we’re especially fond of the Serenes herons, so it’s nice that the first character to be profiled is Leanne, Reyson’s younger sister.

Leanne’s profile generally fits in line with expectations, although in the final game, she has a relationship with Naesala instead, who was presumably “Kilge” here. It’s also interesting to know Tibarn’s name was spelt slightly differently.

(Note: Tibarn and Tivarn are essentially synonymous in Japanese, but the early spelling of Tivarn explicitly uses the “v” symbol, which is rarely translated as “b”.)

Meanwhile, her bio has some curious differences; namely she couldn’t even speak and she stayed at Phoenicis from the start. Whereas in the game, she can speak, but only in the ancient tongue, and she was rescued by Ike before arriving at Phoenicis.

Presumably the lack of speech meant Leanne would struggle to convey herself during the dialogue (not that most people can understand her ancient tongue…) and, more importantly, she wouldn’t be able to sing at the Serenes altar.

Secondly, we have a profile for Stefan, the cool and mysterious Swordmaster.

Stefan’s profile illustrates an interesting character–one with the frightening potential to defeat anyone, but who would rather not resort to violence. Such is the life of a honed disciple of the blade.

What’s very interesting is Stefan’s bio, which outright states he’s a descendant of the Three Heroes. As it stands, Stefan is implied to be the lion Soan’s descendant, but here it seems his lineage may have been Beorc-based.

In addition, Yune is directly referenced as the dark god–a fact we only learn in the sequel. So it suggests the developers already had a clear vision for the dark god from the start, which is further driven home by the game’s unused content.

Moving on, we have detailed profiles and timelines for three key characters, which again reveal how much things changed.

Note: You can find Kirokan’s original translation and analysis at Kantopia.

There’s a LOT to discuss about Ike’s timeline. First, it’s amusing how Ike was originally a noble–and a Lord to boot. Eventually, the developers decided that Ike would be the first protagonist who’s not a royal or noble and his initial class, Ranger, reflected this change.

Secondly, the consequences leading up to Ike’s family being torn apart is vastly different. In fact, it’s closer to what befalls typical Fire Emblem heroes, with their territory being seized. But this time, it’s not an invasion from a villainous nation, but as a result of politics.

By the way, the “Babylonian Empire” mentioned is likely the predecessor of the Begnion Empire. As if the similar-sounding name wasn’t a massive hint, the territory of Persis belongs to Begnion in the final game.

On a related note, the land that Ike’s father ruled was “Thabes” or “Thebes”. You may recognise this name as the ancient abandoned city in Archanea. However it’s unclear if there was meant to be any connection.

Curiously, the fate of Ike’s mother is left in the air. The fact she was the adopted daughter of Duke Persis could allude to Duke Persis pulling the strings, just like Sephiran did. By the way, Ike’s mother does sort of vaguely resemble Sephiran, doesn’t she?

Additionally, the name of Ike’s mother in the Japanese version is suspiciously similar to Lehran–Sephiran’s real name. Compare “Eruna” with “Eruran”. Perhaps this is left over from her being Duke Persis’s adopted daughter?

Note: You can find Kirokan’s original translation and analysis at Kantopia.

With most of the key differences already highlighted in Ike’s timeline, the main thing that stands out is that Mist was going to be a Lord–and a magic user too. Having more female Lords is never a bad thing, but it was never meant to be.

Furthermore, it seemed that at some point in time, Mist would take control of the army after Ike gets himself injured. Would this be merely temporary or a more permanent change like Eirika and Ephraim’s roles in The Sacred Stones?

Also, it’s kind of cute how “Mist” was meant to be a nickname, rather than her full name. Having a fancy-sounding name and a pet name is definitely a common trait for noblewomen, at least in fiction (think back to “Lyndis” and “Lyn”).

Note: You can find Kirokan’s original translation and analysis at Kantopia.

Titania’s early role is largely as expected, given the circumstances. However since Greil died before the game begins, she was the one who served as the mercenaries’ captain and later relegated her position to Ike.

Another thing of note is that Titania was a Great Knight, rather than an axe-wielding Paladin. She is a Great Knight in the Japanese version of Radiant Dawn though, so that part eventually became true!

Also, as Kirokan cleverly points out, “Tiamat” (Titania’s Japanese name) is a name from actual Babylonian myth, like the empire she’s from.

Finally, enjoy some amazing concept artwork. Some of these–Mist and Elincia–appeared previously in the 20th Anniversary Encyclopaedia, but Soren and Titania’s are new.

[Show slideshow]

Funnily enough, Soren’s name is “Lyon” in the artwork, the name given to Grado’s crown prince from The Sacred Stones. Ironically, both characters are pretty-boy magic-wielding princes, in a manner of speaking.

Although Mist’s concept artwork is shown here, I’m pretty sure it’s her Radiant Dawn attire. With no context given, it’s hard to tell if the authors of the book made a mistake or if Mist’s costume originated in Path of Radiance.