There are games you play once and move on from, and then there are games you always find yourself coming back to, no matter how casually. For me, Fire Emblem Heroes falls in that second category. I don’t grind every event or chase every new unit, but even after all these years,
I still return to it every now and then. To explain why, I need to go back a bit—back to where my connection with Fire Emblem really started.
The spark that got me hooked
When Fire Emblem Heroes first came out back in 2017, it immediately caught my attention. I went out of my way just to find a way to download it.
Being a longtime fan of the series, it felt like something I couldn’t miss out on. My history with Fire Emblem goes way back to childhood with Fire Emblem 4, which many still call one of the greatest entries in terms of story. But for me, the moment I really got invested in the franchise was during my college years.
My college fire emblem grind
I still remember sitting in my dorm room, skipping out on social gatherings, and just spending hours on my laptop running GBA Fire Emblem games through an emulator. Weekends would vanish as I replayed campaigns, mixed and matched different character supports, and dove into their backstories. That was my comfort zone—me, my desk, and the world of Fire Emblem.
The one that almost ended it all
Of course, I missed a few entries along the way, like Path of Radiance on the GameCube, since I never owned one. But I was always reading up on the series, watching how things were unfolding. When news spread online that Fire Emblem Awakening was in development, I followed it closely.
What stood out to me was that this game was being built as a “make or break” moment for the franchise. The team basically poured everything into it, and in my opinion, the game is both approachable for newcomers and and exceeded expectations for old fans like myself.
When Awakening finally dropped on the 3DS, the reviews were incredible. Never in my life had I wanted a 3DS so badly—but being a fresh young adult, money was tight.
Handhelds were expensive, I was just starting to work, and whatever spare cash I had usually went into my side hobby of collecting PSPs. (For the record, I had the fat PSP, the 2000, and my most painful purchase ever—the PSP 3000 that I bricked within a day trying to install custom firmware. If you know, you know.)
Finally getting to play awakening
It wasn’t until years later, when the Citra emulator became stable enough, that I finally got to play Awakening on mobile. Sure, it was laggy, it crashed a lot, and cutscenes were a gamble—but I pushed through and loved every second of it. That led me down the line to Fire Emblem Fates and Echoes, and by then, my love for the series had reignited in full.
Enter Fire Emblem Heroes
So when Fire Emblem Heroes launched, I had to try it. The timing wasn’t great for me—I had spotty internet, and the game requires a stable connection—but even then, I was hooked. The story chapters pulled me in, and the gacha system felt surprisingly fair.
Summoning only costs 5 orbs, and if you go for a full five-pull on a banner, the cost per pull actually drops. On top of that, the game gives out free summon tickets and even first-pull freebies on banners. It never felt like it was pushing me to spend, which is rare for a mobile game (and believe me, I’ve played a lot of mobile gacha games).
Why I’m still here after 8 years
Now, don’t get me wrong—Heroes still has its challenges. Some maps definitely require you to know your tactics, and yes, there’s always the option to whale and max out top-tier characters. But I’ve been playing casually for over eight years now—since February 2017, without spending a single cent—and I’m still enjoying it.
Sure, I don’t get to pick the heroes I want to have (I’m looking at you Hector) but it really doesn’t matter since I love the franchise and getting low tier side characters from the fire emblem universe is like seeing a long lost friend after he’s been gone for a long time.
A Love letter to Fire Emblem fans
For me, Fire Emblem Heroes feels like a love letter to fans. It celebrates the series’ history, keeps things fresh with constant updates, and yet never punishes you for just playing at your own pace.
I don’t grind every event, I don’t chase every new banner, but I keep coming back. And honestly, I see myself playing casually until the servers shut down—or until the day I can’t pick up my phone anymore, whichever comes first.
EZRetro Plays 