Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu (or Genealogy of the Holy War, if you prefer the fan translation) is one of those SNES games that just sticks with you. Right from the start, you’re thrown into this sprawling medieval drama where politics, betrayal, and war all collide—and your choices actually matter. The maps are huge, battles feel weighty, and losing a unit? Yeah, that’s permanent. No take-backs.

What really sets it apart is the generational shift halfway through. You start with a cast of knights, mages, and lords, but then the story jumps ahead, and suddenly you’re playing as their kids, inheriting stats and even relationships from the first gen. Mess up a pairing early on, and you’ll feel it later. The weapon triangle isn’t here yet, so positioning and unit balance matter way more than rock-paper-scissors tactics.

It’s brutal at times—enemy ambushes, overpowered bosses, and some truly unfair map designs—but that’s part of the charm. If you like SRPGs with actual stakes and a story that doesn’t pull punches, this is the one. Just don’t get too attached to anyone.