to them. The romance system was suggested by Kaga, partly as an expansion of the Support system and partly due to his wish to create an epic story. Some elements needed to be removed, such as how giving gifts affected a relationship, due to space restrictions. According to Toru Narihiro, one of the game's staff, the romance mechanics were inspired in Kaga's mind by the breeding of pedigree race horses. When he asked for the feature, all of the staff were shocked, and it was estimated that an entire year's development was dedicated to making the feature work. Romance also fell in with a popular gaming trend at the time. The systems governing children were intended to reward players through certain character parings, but were also open so players would not need to engage in the romance system at all while still getting enjoyment from the experience. Release When first revealed, it was known under the tentative title of Fire Emblem: Inheritors of Light. It was originally scheduled for a release in March 1996. Genealogy of the Holy War was released on May 14, 1996. It is the second title to be released for the Super Famicom. Its Japanese title, Seisen no Keifu, has been alternately translated as "Descent of Jihad" and "Genealogy of the Holy War": the latter has become the more common translation. It was subsequently ported to other platforms through Nintendo's Virtual Console. It was released for the Wii on January 30, 2007; for the Wii U on April 27, 2013; and August 27, 2016, for the New Nintendo 3DS. The game was not localized for Western release, remaining exclusive to Japan. An English fan translation was developed and released. Reception As of 2002, the game had sold a total of 494,216 units during its original print run, becoming the second best-selling Fire Emblem title to that date. It received a score of 31 points of 40 from Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu: while a positive score, it was also the lowest-scoring Fire Emblem title for the system. RPGamers Tony Green praised the streamlined and simple-to-learn gameplay, in addition to its emotional story, customization, and the vivid graphics. His main criticism was laid against the difficulty spike after the first two chapters. He felt that the biggest barrier for players was that of language, due to the lack of an official localization. Nintendo Power, in an import preview