With the news that Nintendo will be releasing a localization of the original Fire Emblem game in the west for the first time this December, I got to thinking what other games that were left in Japan would be good candidates for Nintendo to bring over.

Here are seven games Nintendo should consider localizing next

Metal Slader Glory

An adventure game from HAL, Metal Slader Glory was a cult classic sci fi game that was ahead of its time. The game pushed the Famicom to its limits, and later received an enhanced port on the Super Famicom. The game was something akin to Shenmue for HAL, as they invested too much in the game for it to actually be profitable, an act that led HAL to be bailed out by Nintendo financially and becoming an exclusive developer for Nintendo from that point on. Metal Slader Glory can be compared to some modern visual novels in certain respects, and while such an adventure game would have been risky at the time in the west, there is a clear market on the Switch for such games.

Famicom Detective Club

Another interactive adventure game for the Famicom that never left Japan, the Famicom Detective Club series is an excellent adventure series that can be compared to the likes of Snatcher. The games involved investigating serious crimes such as murders, which caused it to not get localized due to its mature content contrasting with Nintendo’s policies for the west. The games have aged surprisingly well, and influenced countless others, such as the Ace Attorney series. The games are getting remakes for the Switch in Japan, but for western players, a chance to play the original games may go over well now, and good sales could convince Nintendo to bring over the remakes.

The Nintendo Wars series

The Nintendo Wars series was around long before Advance Wars, but remained in Japan until the GBA. With Fire Emblem getting its time in the west, and fan demand for a new Wars game, Nintendo could use the opportunity to also see if the earlier Wars games would sell in the west, and give fans of the franchise the new (to them) experiences they have been wanting for so long. This could also be the catalyst needed for Nintendo to make a new Advance Wars game at last. Yes the games are rougher, and lack features of the later entries, but the fan demand, and great basic gameplay would make this an easier sell for Nintendo.

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

While the first Fire Emblem game is coming west, there are more Fire Emblem games that fans want. This includes the Super Famicom entry known to western fans as Genealogy of the Holy War. One of the darkest entries in the series, the game is also beloved for its deep characterization, well thought out gameplay, and features that were made to deal with player frustration. This is the game where the weapons triangle first originated, as well as the trinity of magic, but it functions differently in this game compared to the later titles, as do some of the weapon ranks. Genealogy of the Holy War is beloved by fans in thwe west despite the game never releasing officially here, and this is a good way for Nintendo to follow up should the first Fire Emblem be a success.

Joy Mech Fight

Nintendo isn’t really known for fighting games, outside of Smash Bros and Arms, but they did dabble in the genre back in the 8 bit days with Joy Mech Fight, a game that took a lot of influence from other fighting games like Capcom’s Street Fighter series but was also inspired by Capcom’s Mega Man series. The story involved 2 scientists who made robots, with one of the scientists going evil and reprograming all the robots except one.  What separates this from Mega Man though is that instead of Sukapon gaining the abilities of the other robots, they instead became playable characters, much like story mode unlocks in modern fighting games like Mortal Kombat. While importers have played the game, the story has never been translated and Nintendo has never officially released the game in the west. This would be an ideal time for Nintendo to show off what its other fighting game was like and maybe win over some more fans.

For The Frog The Bell Tolls

Many westerners do not know what this is, but this title laid a lot of the groundwork for Link’s Awakening. The Latter game in fact reused the engine of this title, and characters from For the Frog The Bell Tolls even cameoed there. This was a very offbeat game that, while an action adventure role playing game,  is very  offbeat and strange. Battles are done in an automatic style, and the story is very strange. That said, this is a title that still has potential to wow audiences in the west, if it gets the chance. This is a game whose Zelda connections would help as well, and it could be a hit for Nintendo .

Marvelous: Another Treasure Island (Marvelous: Mohitotsu no Takarajima)

The first title ever directed by longtime Zelda Director/Producer Eiji Aonuma, Marvelous: Another Treasure Island is a game highly influence by A Link to the Past, but is not exactly the same as that legendary title. Rather, the game combined the world design and top down view of ALTtP with gameplay similar to the Blizzard classic, The Lost Vikings, utilizing adventure and puzzle elements as well. Mixing these elements with light RPG gameplay created one of the more innovative Nintendo games on the Super Famicom. The game was not released in the west due to its late release as well as the failure of Earthbound, but times have changed and with Earthbound now viewed as a classic, and Aonuma’s legacy of games being a grand one, there is a good chance this game could do well in the west if brought over.

And there you have it. What Japan only Nintendo games would you like to see get translated. Let us know and we may do a follow-up piece.

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