Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Overview

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is a 2005 tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD, and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the ninth main installment in the Fire Emblem series, and the third to be released in the west. As with previous installments, gameplay revolves around positioning characters on a battlefield to defeat an opposing force. If characters are defeated in battle, they are removed from the rest of the game.

The story takes place on the fictional continent of Tellius, inhabited by the human Beorc and the shapeshifting Laguz. The game begins when the Beorc nation of Daein invades its neighbor, the kingdom of Crimea. The mercenary Ike and his companions set off to restore Crimea's heir, Princess Elincia, to the throne. The group travels across Tellius, allying with other countries to free Crimea from Daein's control and confronting racial tensions and long-standing resentment between the Beorc and the Laguz along the way.

Path of Radiance began development for the GameCube after the overseas success of the Game Boy Advance game Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, becoming the first home console entry in the series since Fire Emblem: Thracia 776. The game is the first entry in the series to feature 3D graphics, full motion cutscenes, and voice acting. The series' transition to 3D caused multiple difficulties for the developers. The localization team worked closely with Intelligent Systems to ensure the localization was as true to the original Japanese version as possible. Upon release, the game received generally positive reviews from critics for its gameplay and story, but it also received criticism for its graphics. A direct sequel for the Wii, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, was released in 2007 in North America and Japan, and 2008 in Europe and Australia. Path of Radiance was later re-released for the Nintendo Classics service on January 9, 2026.

Official trailer

Trailer. Watch on YouTube

Gameplay

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance ... (GameCube) Gameplay, 10min Gameplay. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Tactical

Developer

Nintendo, Intelligent Systems

Publisher

Nintendo

Series

Fire Emblem

Platforms

Nintendo GameCube

Age rating

ESRB T

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

No

Online multiplayer

No

Co op

No

Age ratings

PEGI

7

CERO

A

ESRB

T

ACB

M

Release dates

Editions

Check out the store

Space and patches

Update patchNo patch

DLC

No DLC. GameCube games had no downloadable content.

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

Single player only, with no online features. The disc runs on a GameCube or a Wii with GameCube ports, and the game is on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on Switch 2.

Online

Plays offlineYes

Reception

Aggregates

Outlet	Platform	Score	Scale
Metacritic	GameCube	85	100

Critics

Outlet	Score	Scale
Famitsu	34	40
Nintendo World Report	9.5	10
IGN	8.7	10
GameSpot	8.6	10
Eurogamer	8	10
RPGamer	4.5	5

Staff and cast

Staff

Role	Name
Developer	Intelligent Systems
Publisher	Nintendo
Director	Masayuki Horikawa
Producers	Toru Narihiro, Hitoshi Yamagami
Designers	Taeko Kaneda, Masahiro Higuchi
Programmers	Takafumi Kaneko, Susumu Ishihara
Writer	Ken Yokoyama
Artist	Senri Kita
Composers	Yoshito Hirano, Saki Haruyama, Naoko Mitome, Atsushi Yoshida, Kanako Teramae

Notes for collectors

• The first Fire Emblem in 3D, and the first with full motion cutscenes and voice acting.
• The first home console Fire Emblem since Thracia 776 on the Super Famicom.
• Linking a Game Boy Advance holding save data from its Fire Emblem games unlocks concept art and special maps.
• The story continues in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn on Wii.
• In Japan it sold 100,357 copies in its first week and 156,413 by the end of 2005.

Credits

Publisher

Nintendo

Developer

Nintendo, Intelligent Systems

Director

Masayuki Horikawa

Released

2005-10-17

Age rating

ESRB T

Region

US

Time to beat

about 39.5 hours