Many groups play a part in a story but undoubtedly the story's protagonist, Prince Marth, will be the focus for most. Marth has been featured in the Super Smash Bros. series and has been extremely popular within those games, but this is his first time starring in a Fire Emblem game in the United States. At Marth's side is a support of fearless fighters, including the brave Caeda, a princess of the Talys kingdom. Other major characters include the evil sorcerer Gharnef and the sole surviving descendant of the royal House Archanea, Princess Nyna.

• Fire Emblem returns to its roots with a total overhaul of an NES classic never before released in America. New features include touch-screen controls, multiple save options and easy-to-follow tutorial chapters that shed new light on Marth's story. New players can jump into the action, even if they've never played a Fire Emblem game before.
• Take the battle online and clash with players around the world over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. You can also borrow units to use in your army, talk with friends using the built-in Nintendo DS microphone and even buy rare and powerful items from the Online Shop using in-game currency.
• You are the general: Shape your army to suit your strategy by selecting from dozens of characters with unique spells and abilities. But guide your army wisely, because if a character falls on the battlefield, he's lost forever.
• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is the first to offer players a chance to test their skills against other players in combat. Using your broadband connection, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and wireless play modes, players are able to send units they've trained into battle against those of another player. Collect optional cards to give your team a unique tactical bonus that can help you clench victory. During Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection matches, friends can talk to each other using the built-in Nintendo DS microphone.
• Touch-screen controls, multiple save options and an easy-to-follow tutorial allow novice players to jump into the action, even if they've never played a Fire Emblem game before.
• Borrow units wirelessly or through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and use them in your own battles with the Loan Unit feature.
• Six levels of difficulty ensure that even seasoned players can find a challenge in this new entry into the Fire Emblem series.
• Purchase rare and powerful items using the gold you've acquired during your single-player campaign with the Online Shop feature. You never know what items you might come across, because new items rotate in and out of the armory on a daily basis.
• Play through the events that brought Marth to the beginning of his quest through a new set of prologue chapters that were specially added to the game for its Nintendo DS release.