Fire Emblem for the Game Boy Advance is here.
The 2003 tactical role-playing game will make its debut on Nintendo Switch Online’s Expansion Pass on June 23, marking the franchise’s first title on the subscription service.
Fire Emblem is also called Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade and serves as a prequel to Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade for the GBA, which has yet to release outside of Japan.
This game centers on Lyn, Hector, and Eliwood as protagonists on the fictional continent of Elibe. These three young lords join forces to find Eliwood’s lost father as they combat a conspiracy that threatens Elibe.
It is set 20 years before The Binding Blade, which featured Roy. Fire Emblem was the first game localized outside of Japan, in part, because of the popularity of Marth and Roy in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
It trailblazed the way for other Fire Emblem games to arrive outside of Japan. Most of the games released prior to 2003 have not left Japan with the exception of the first title Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light coming to the Switch in 2020.
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade was one of two Game Boy Advance Fire Emblem games to make it out of Japan. The other is 2004’s Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, which doesn’t have a set release on NSO yet.
Nintendo added Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles to its online service following an announcement during a Direct earlier this year. Game Boy titles are part of the standard offering while GBA titles are in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack tier.
At the time of release, Nintendo teased additional games that would make their way to the service, listing out a few titles that would be coming soon. Fire Emblem was on of those teased titles.
Reactions to the News
Nintendo has a big opportunity when it comes to the Fire Emblem franchise.
Fire Emblem has become immensely popular in recent years thanks to Fire Emblem: Awakening in 2012 as well as both Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Fire Emblem Engage on the Switch.
With The Blazing Blade debuting from the GBA, Nintendo can really spurn some interest in its older Fire Emblem titles, including The Binding Blade. There’s also a host of NES and SNES Fire Emblem games many would love to see.
Releasing this title is a good first step, though many would say Sacred Stones is a more beginner-friendly title, and hopefully will bring the rest of the Japan-only titles to NSO.
What do you think? Will you be playing Fire Emblem on the Switch? What other retro Fire Emblem games would you like to see? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
Featured Image: Nintendo (via Fire Emblem Universe)
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