Melee's Turnwheel: A Fire Emblem Retrospective
by imainmeleekirby
A Fire Emblem podcast that serves as a chapter by chapter retrospective of the entire series! Come relive your favorite games through a deep dive into the story, characters, gameplay and map design of each entry!
Episodes
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Ep. 79x - Weaving Our Fortunes in Fire Emblem 18
The newest entry in the Fire Emblem series is here, and as the world's foremost kirby-themed Fire Emblem podcast, I definitely wanted to make sure I dedicated an episode to this momentous occasion. I mean, I skipped doing an episode on the last new entry but let's not talk about that. I'm excited...
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Ep. 79 - May I take your order?
FE10 chapters 4-3, 4-4, 4-5. Question of the episode: Who is your favorite dragon Laguz? Come join me as we round out the rest of the infamous part 4 maps leading up to the tower of guidance. Some of the series' most hated maps are in this one, and needless to say I have some things to say. Next...
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Ep. 78 - Royal Roundup
FE10 Chapters 4-P, 4-1 and 4-2 Join me as we start our journey through what is arguably FE10's most infamous section. Are these maps very fun to play? No. But are they at least fun to talk about? No. But are they at least challenging or require a lot of strategy? No. Yeah IDK guys maybe just skip...
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Ep. 77 - Blood Contract
FE10 Chapters 3-12, 3-13 and 3-E Super excited for this one! Join me as I go through some of the most famous (or infamous) maps in the entire series and close out part 3! Can I successfully play defense for one of the most hated plot devices in the series? Can I do justice to what is probably my...
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Ep. 76 - A Bridge Too Far
FE10 Chapters 3-9, 3-10, 3-11 In this...admittedly pretty underwhelming episode of Melee's Turnwheel, I take a look at some maps that don't exactly impress, but I think I still managed to draw some blood out of this stone enough to fill an hour and a half. If I seem unenthusiastic about this one,...
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Ep. 75 - Ike and Soren go to Burger King
FE10 Chapters 3-6, 3-7, and 3-8 We finally get handed back control of the Dawn Brigade, and play through one of the more controversial chapters in the game. On top of that, we finally get to see the two protagonists and their armies go head to head in one of the most ambitious story beats so far....
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Ep. 74 - Skrimir gets owned
FE10 3-3, 3-4, and 3-5 Sorry for the delay on this one folks! A certain recent obsession that I'll be sure to talk about in the next episode got in the way a bit there. I'll try to get another episode out in a relatively short time frame. As for this episode, I hope you like hearing me talk about...
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Ep. 73 - March of the Furries
FE10 Chapters 3-P, 3-1 and 3-2 Welcome to our first episode of Part 3! From here we'll be shifting POV to our old pals, the Greil Mercenaries. Unfortunately, most of them aren't exactly winning any awards. Regardless, it's exciting to see them again, and we'll be using several of them in the...
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Ep. 72 - Crimea River
FE10 chapters 2-P, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, and 2-E No you are not misreading the length of this episode. There is SO much to cover in Radiant Dawn's second part that I'm surprised I was able to cram it all in. If you think I missed anything, please let me know! But either way, I hope you enjoy going…
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Ep. 71x - Suikoden 3: A good game that I like.
I could not for the life of me think of a clever title for this episode so I gave up. The 3rd installment in the Suikoden series is a pretty good game! Come listen to me ramble about it for an hour and change. If you're interested in starting the series yourself, I can comfortably recommend this…
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Ep. 71 - Tormogged
FE10 Chapters 1-7, 1-8, 1-9, and 1-E Today we'll be wrapping up the first part of Radiant Dawn! Come join me as I discuss the unfortunate gameplay performance of a few new units, as well as some of the best and worst maps this game has to offer. ALSO I think I may have forgotten to mention this…
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Ep. 70 - There Are Two Wolves Inside You
FE10 chapters 1-4, 1-5, 1-6-1, and 1-6-2. Come join me as we continue our journey through Radiant Dawn. This time around, we're introduced to friends old and new, and meet up with person who may just be able to turn things around for Daein. As always, feel free to reach out to @imainmeleekirby on...
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Ep. 69 - Is it the Dawn Brigade?!
FE10 Chapters 1-P, 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3 That's right baby, we're back! And what a fitting note to come back on. Today, we're starting our journey through FE10, Radiant Dawn! No spoilers for the episode, but let's just say I'm particularly happy to be kicking this one off. As always, feel free to…
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Ep. 68xx - 3 interesting games I played in 2025
Welcome to the...what are we up to now, 4? The 4th annual end of year episode where I discuss some games I played in the past year! I'm excited to share these ones with you guys, as there were some surprises for me this year for sure! The song is Liberation Battle from Valkyria Chronicles 2 As...
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Ep 68x - Top 5 Characters Yet to Come
There are no words to express how grateful I am to everyone who has supported me over these past 5 years! I am really excited to talk about more of these games as we continue through the rest of the series! So excited, in fact, that I've decided to give you guys a sneak peak of some of my…
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Ep. 68 - Trials and Tribulations
FE6 and FE9 Trial maps I think I figured out why these maps are called trial maps. It's because the people who made them deserve to be tried for their crimes. Come join me as I discuss the bonus maps tied to meeting certain requirements in FE6 and FE9. Most of you have probably never played these...
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Ep. 67 - Path to Radiant Dawn
FE9 wrap up Come join me as we say goodbye to our muse of the past 6 months, Path of Radiance! I have a fair bit to say to summarize my thoughts on this game, particularly as it relates to the story, characters and villains that it has to offer. As excited as I am to be moving on to the next…
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Special Support Section Ep. 9.9 - Life Support
FE9 Lucia, Bastian, Geoffrey, Elincia Thank you all for joining me on this exciting journey through the many supports of FE9. With this episode, we come to the end of not only this game, but for supports in general for the next 2 games! We're ending on a positive note, though, as these last few...
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Ep. 66 - Burger King and Ass Nerd
FE9 Chapters 26, 27, 28 and Endgame We have finally come to the end of Ike's first journey through Tellius, and collect the last few allies along our way. There's quite a lot to discuss in this one, from the...mixed execution of the Black Knight, to who is quite possibly the worst final boss in…
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Special Support Section Ep. 9.8 - Crimean Royal Rejects
FE9 Calill, Largo, Astrid, Makalov, Devdan Join me as we discuss this group of characters, many of whom will go on to become Crimean knights. As has been the case for the past few episodes, there wasn't a lot here that I particularly loved but I am certainly excited to be getting closer to the…
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Special Support Section Ep. 9.7 - Daein's Finest
FE9 Jill, Haar, Sothe, Zihark, and Tauroneo Come join me as I dive into the supports of several of our Daein-native characters, including one of my favorites from the whole series! A huge thank you to Everything Fantasy for allowing me to use his Jazz Remix of Afternoon in Crossbell! Find links…
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Special Support Section Ep. 9.6 - Kitty Committee
FE9 Ilyana, Mordecai, Lethe, and Ranulf Today we'll be taking a look at the cats and the...bigger cat of Gallia! Also Ilyana is there, I think. I don't have much to say about her, unfortunately. But the others are pretty cool! As always, feel free to reach out to @imainmeleekirby on Twitter or...
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Ep. 65 - Return to Crimea
FE9 chapters 22, 23, 24 and 25 After being away for so long, Elincia finally makes her triumphant return to Crimea! Along the way, we have some long awaited reunions with some truly bizarre prepromoted units, and a few normal ones as well. Only a few chapters left until endgame, folks...wish me...
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Special Support Section Ep. 9.5 - Feathered Friends
FE9 Marica, Tanith, Janaff, Ulki, and Reyson Come and join me as we take a look at the supports of a few of our flying units, and deep dive into a few of the issues I have with some Laguz/Beorc supports in this game. We have a healthy mix of good and bad here, but a couple of these guys I...
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Ep. 64 - Daein's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
FE9 Chapters 18, 19, 20 and 21 A massive turning point in the game as Ike switches from defense to offense, pushing his way into Daein and encountering various challenges along the way. A lot of cool story beats and recruitable characters this time around, that I'm eager to talk about! A huge...
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Special Support Section Ep. 9.4 - Desert Dwellers
FE9 Muarim, Tormod, and Stefan Join me as we discuss these inhabitants of the Grann Desert. As much as I enjoy these characters for their roles in the main story and through base conversations, I was a bit let down by these supports. But that doesn't mean there's no good discussion to be had…
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Ep. 63 - Begnion Blues
FE9 chapters 14, 15, 16 and 17 Join me as we tackle the Begnion chapters of Path of Radiance. Schemes and plots abound as Ike deals with Laguz slavery, Beorc scheming, and the history of a tragic genocide. Really intense this time around, and I'm excited to go through it all. As always, feel free...
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Ep. 62x - This is a Silksong podcast now, f*** you
Today we'll be talking about Silksong, the long-awaited sequel to one of my all time favorite games Hollow Knight. The internet practically exploded when the game dropped, and discussion around it has proceeded to spiral into a lot of back and forth, so obviously it's time for me to come in and...
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Ep. 62 - The Birds and the Beasts
FE9 chapters 11, 12, and 13. Join me as we embark on one of the best sections of FE9's narrative, and some of the best maps in the game to go along with it! We get into some more serious talk in this one so be prepared for that, I guess. And be sure to let me know your favorite Fire Emblem quote…
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Special Support Section Ep 9.3 - Prisoners of War
FE9 Brom, Kieran, Nephenee & Volke. Today we'll be taking a look at the 4 recruitable characters from chapter 10. It's a very short one this time around, as the number of actual conversations for these guys is quite low, so enjoy the quick discussion before we move on to the next main episode.…
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Special Support Section Ep. 9.2 - Rolf has been mentally scarred for life
FE9 Rhys, Mist, Rolf, Gatrie, and Mia Today we'll be taking a look at the 5 remaining Greil Mercenaries, and discussing some of the surprisingly thoughtful and interesting supports between them. As always, feel free to reach out to @imainmeleekirby on Twitter or Bluesky, or email...
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Ep. 61 - Ike! Stay Back!
Come join me as we experience this major turning point in the story of Path of Radiance. With the introduction of the Black Knight, everything begins to change for Ike and co, and the path through the rest of the game is made clear to us. Sorry it took so long to get this one out! As you can see…
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Special Support Section Ep. 9.1 - Greil Mercenaries pt. 1
FE9 Titania, Boyd, Oscar, Shinon, Soren Kicking off our FE9 support episodes with the first half of the Greil mercenaries! The second half will come next time. I really enjoyed reading most of these, especially the supports that the mercenaries had with each other, as it really gave me the sense...
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Ep. 60 - Princess Elincia
FE9 Chapters 4, 5, and 6 Join me as we continue our trek through the early game of FE9! Not a particularly thrilling set of chapters this time around, but I think there are some fun points of discussion to be had! Hope you all enjoy listening. As always, feel free to reach out to @imainmeleekirby...
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Ep. 59 - Ike's Pride
FE9 Prologue + chapters 1, 2 and 3 Join me as we take our first steps along our journey through Path of Radiance! These early chapters meander around a bit, but in doing so they paint a really clear and interesting picture of the mercenary life, and flesh out the most unique starting situation…
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Ep. 58 - End of an Eirika
We have finally made it to the end of FE8! Come listen to me waffle around about my overall opinions on the game as I try to articulate why, despite feeling positively about the game, it left me feeling rather disappointed. As always, feel free to reach out to @imainmeleekirby on Twitter or...
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Ep. 57 - Creature Feature
FE8 chapters 18, 19, 20, Endgame, and Creature Campaign In this episode, we polish off the last few chapters of FE8, and move on to discuss the first post-game content this series has seen! There are a lot of cool and interesting maps in this section of the game, and I'm excited to share my...
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Special Support Section Ep. 8.8 - Frelian Folk
FE8 Innes, Tana, Syrene, and Vanessa We come at last to the final (probably) SSS episode of FE8, where we'll be looking at the cast of Frelia. It's a mixed bag in this episode, with some really strong supports and some that nearly put me to sleep. Let me know what you think! As always, feel free…
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Special Support Section Ep. 8.7 - Let's go gambling!
FE8 Joshua, Natasha, and Myrrh This time around, we're taking a look at 3 characters that I had a hard time fitting anywhere else. A really solid group though! I'm excited to share my thoughts with you all. As always, feel free to reach out to @imainmeleekirby on Twitter or Bluesky, or email...
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Ep. 56 - Tilted in the Tower
FE8 Chapters 15, 16, 17 and Tower of Valni We continue to march ever onwards, towards the end of FE8! Join me as I tackle the first of the post-route split maps, as well as the multi-floor gauntlet known as the Tower of Valni! As always, feel free to reach out to [email protected], or...
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Special Support Section Ep. 8.6 - Immeasurable Disappointment
FE8 L'arachel, Dozla, Rennac For many episodes, I have gassed up L'arachel as being one of my favorite characters in the game. While that is still true, come join me as I discuss why I found her supports to be lacking, and how I think they might have been improved. As always, reach out to...
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Special Support Section Ep. 8.5 - That's So Knoll
FE8 Knoll, Duessel, Amelia, Cormag Join me for the first of this SSS two parter, as we dissect the supports of various Grado characters. I hope you enjoy hearing me yap about these supports as much as I enjoyed reading them, as some of the best supports in the game can be found in this episode.…
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Ep. 55 - Mask off?
FE8 Chapters 12, 13, and 14 (Ephraim) Join me as we wrap up Ephraim's side of the route split, by tackling the infamous father and son, as well as wrapping up Selena's role in the story. As always, feel free to reach out to @imainmeleekirby on twitter or bluesky, or email [email protected]
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Ep. 54 - Ephraim's Endeavors
FE8 chapters 9, 10 and 11 (Ephraim) Join me as we jump across timelines and tackle the first half of Ephraim's route in this game. In an episode that features the infamous ghost ship, filled with fiends and ghouls, and arguable the most difficult map in the entire, the thing you should be most...
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Special Support Section Ep. 8.4 - Gerik's Mercenaries
FE8 Gerik, Marisa, Tethys, Ewan and Saleh Join me as we go through what could accurately be described as a mixed bag of characters, and humor me and I get up on my soapbox for a little bit in this one. But more than any of that, listen to me pop off about Ewan's childlike wonder. As always, you…
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Ep. 53 - Dollar Store Lewyn
FE8 chapters 12, 13 and 14 (Eirika) Join me as we discuss the last half of FE8's Eirika route! Featuring possibly the worst simp in Fire Emblem, but I'll let you all be the judges of that. In the meantime, we round out the cast with some of the later-joining members, as there are only a small...
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Ep. 52 - Eirika Goes to Rausten and Absolutely Nothing Happens
FE8 chapters 9, 10, and 11 (Eirika) Join me as we go through the first 3 chapters of Eirika route! Weird how they managed to make 3 whole chapters of just Eirika crossing the ocean in a boat and nothing else happening at all. We also talk about the route split more broadly, and get introduced to...
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Special Support Section 8.3 - The Knights of Renais
FE8 Franz, Seth, Kyle and Forde Come listen to me discuss the various knights and soldiers that fill the ranks of the Renais military. These guys should probably seek out some kind of therapy a lot of them have serious self-confidence issues. As always you can reach out to @imainmeleekirby on...
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Ep. 51 - Opposite Day
FE8 chapters 6, 7, and 8 Come along as we finish up the pre-route split portion of FE8! Listen to my unhinged rants to justify my hypocrisy about fog of war maps and why Eirika really did save Ephraim if you think about it trust me. As always, feel free to reach out @imainmeleekirby on Twitter…
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Special Support Section Ep. 8.2 - Endearing
FE8 Colm, Neimi, Artur and Lute Come join me as we discuss some of the early joiners in FE8: Neimi, Colm, Artur and Lute. A very cool set of characters this time around, complete with one of my favorites in the whole game. As always, feel free to reach out to @imainmeleekirby on Twitter or…
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