Fire Emblem Gaiden

Fire Emblem Gaiden is a tactical role-playing game set on the continent of Valentia. Players assume control of two armies, led by Alm and Celica, who navigate an overworld and can visit towns, where they may recruit new allies or talk to traders to transfer items between the groups. The overworld is freely navigable, with additional areas opening up as the story progresses. The game features two difficulty levels: "Normal" and "Easy".

On easy mode, experience points earned through actions in combat are doubled and items can be exchanged between units beyond vendor stalls. Battles use a turn-based battle system, with the player, enemies, and sometimes non-playable characters each taking turns and moving across a grid-based battlefield; battles are won by the player defeating all enemies in a map or killing a boss character. Enemies include human troops and monsters. The players are given a limited number of units, which are each assigned unique character classes that have various functions in battle, such as being mounted or having access to magic.

A unit's class also affects their range of movement on the battlefield. In contrast to the previous game, character classes are not set but can switch once a character reaches a certain level. A special example of class promotion is the two main characters: Alm can promote from a fighter to a hero, while Celica promotes from a priestess to a princess. Each time a unit raises its experience level, its various stats increase based on a percent chance unique for each character.

Spells for magical classes are learned through leveling up rather than being part of a separate system, and each spell consumes part of the caster's health when used.