One thing is clear about Nintendo in 2020: The company loves surprise announcements. From the Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity announcement to the Super Mario 35th Anniversary Direct, this year has seen a string of unexpected, rapid-fire reveals. Another has just occurred, and like September's Super Mario content, this announcement celebrates an upcoming anniversary.

For the first time ever, the original Famicom Fire Emblem title, Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, is being localized for the West. Launching on December 4 as a limited release, the game will finally be available in English on Nintendo Switch. While this is exciting, the game is already on the system in Japanese, and everyone has access to it.

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How to Play Famicom Games on Nintendo Switch

A screenshot of the Famicom Online app

Due to the Nintendo Switch being region free, players around the world can already check out this title through the Famicom Online application. For those unaware, the Family Computer (Famicom) is the Japanese name for the NES. Like NES Online for Western Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, the Famicom has its own online app. There is also a Super Famicom Online application, being the equivalent of the SNES Online app. While these two are fully in Japanese, they can still be enjoyed through a non-Japanese profile.

Getting these downloaded and set up outside of Japan is an easy process, as all you need is a Japanese eShop account. Log onto that storefront and download the Famicom apps, then launch them through your non-Japanese profile. As long as your non-Japanese account has a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, it'll have no problem playing the Famicom Online titles, so you won't need to buy a new membership. In a matter of minutes, you can be playing Japanese Nintendo games.

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Experiencing Nintendo's Japanese Legacy

Even with the language barrier, this is certainly worth the short time it takes to get set up. For those curious about gaming history, these apps offer a fun lens into how Japan experienced early Nintendo consoles. Not only did the systems have different names, but their games had completely different box arts. These online apps offer a close-up and high-res peek at this fantastic (and way more colorful) artwork. There is also just a novelty in revisiting a favorite title, perhaps Kirby Superstar, in Japanese.

Of course, the true reason to play these Famicom apps is to try out the region-exclusive games. Western players have received some games that were never ported, like Mario's Super Picross and Panel De Pon, which are fairly easy to play even without knowledge of Japanese. However, games like Shadow Dragon and Super Famicom's Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem are hard to play if you don't know the language. As such, they're only available on the Famicom apps.

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Still, there are quite a few Famicom and Super Famicom exclusives that can be enjoyed without knowing the language, including the cult classic Joy Mech Fight. Plus, trying to figure out a game in a language you don't understand can be a fun challenge in itself. It offers a wider perspective and context for the medium. So do the Famicom Disk System versions of NES games, which ran games off of floppy disks and offered various benefits over their cartridge counterparts. Some of those benefits can be experienced by checking out Disk versions of classic Famicom titles through the app.

As such, it's worth installing these Famicom applications and getting a slice of Japanese Nintendo history on your Nintendo Switch. Still, most Western Fire Emblem fans are probably better off waiting for the translated release of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. With English text and a host of modern features, this re-release looks to be a thoughtful celebration of the franchise's roots at a modest price point of $5.99 for the digital release and $49.99 for a collector's edition that comes with a digital code and physical goodies.

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