Standard Edition
StandardIn the box
- Game Boy Advance cartridge
- Box with cover art
- Instruction booklet
Game Boy Advance
Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, also known simply as Fire Emblem, is a 2003 tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It is the seventh installment in the Fire Emblem series, the second to be released for the platform after Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, and the first to be localized for international audiences.
Role-playing (RPG)StrategyTurn-based strategy (TBS)Tactical
- Update patch
- No patch
- Time to beat
- about 27.2 hours
- Plays offline
- Yes
Overview
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, also known simply as Fire Emblem, is a 2003 tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It is the seventh installment in the Fire Emblem series, the second to be released for the platform after Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, and the first to be localized for international audiences. It was released in Japan and North America in 2003, and in Europe and Australia in 2004.
The game is a prequel to The Binding Blade, set on the fictional continent of Elibe. It tells the story of Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector, three young lords who band together on a journey to find Eliwood's missing father, Elbert, while thwarting a larger conspiracy threatening the stability of Elibe. The gameplay, which draws from earlier Fire Emblem entries, features tactical combat between armies on a grid-based map. Characters are assigned different character classes that affect abilities and are subjected to permanent death if defeated in battle.
Development began in 2002 as a companion title to The Binding Blade, but it was prolonged from its initial seven-month window as new features were added. While the Fire Emblem series remained exclusive to Japan due to concerns about its difficulty, the success of Advance Wars and popular demand following the inclusion of Marth and Roy in Super Smash Bros. Melee prompted the game's localization. The game was released to international critical acclaim and commercial success. Critics praised the game for its graphics, gameplay, characters, and story, and it established the Fire Emblem series in Western markets; its overseas success caused all subsequent games (except for Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem) to be released outside of Japan.
Official trailer
Trailer. Watch on YouTube
Gameplay
Game Boy Advance Longplay [055] Fire Emblem (part 01 of 10), World-of-Longplays. Watch on YouTube
Screenshots
Game details
- Genres
- Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Tactical
- Developer
- Intelligent Systems
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Series
- Fire Emblem
- Platforms
- Wii U, Game Boy Advance
- Age rating
- ESRB E
- Modes
- Single player
- Yes
- Local multiplayer
- No
- Online multiplayer
- No
- Co op
- No
- Age ratings
- ACB
- PG
- ESRB
- E
- CERO
- A
- PEGI
- 7
Release dates
| Platform | Region | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Game Boy Advance | Japan | 2003-04-25 |
| Game Boy Advance | North America | 2003-11-03 |
| Game Boy Advance | Australia | 2004-02-20 |
| Game Boy Advance | Europe / PAL | 2004-07-16 |
Editions
Space and patches
Update patchNo patch
DLC
No DLC. Game Boy Advance games had no downloadable content.
Playable today
Playable offline todayYes
No online features; every mode works today on any Game Boy Advance, and the game is on Nintendo Switch Online.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Price at release | US$34.99 Nintendo's suggested retail price at launch in 2003. |
| Ever released on disc | Yes, on Game Boy Advance cartridge |
| Ever released in the store | Yes, 4 December 2014 On the Wii U Virtual Console. Later in the Game Boy Advance library of Nintendo Switch Online on 23 June 2023. |
| In the store to buy today | No The Wii U shop has closed. Playable with a Nintendo Switch Online membership. |
| Can be downloaded again if you already bought it | Yes Wii U Virtual Console purchases can still be downloaded again. The Nintendo Switch Online version needs an active membership. |
| Disc runs with no patch | Yes |
| Disc runs with the final patch | Does not exist No patch was ever released. |
| Has online features | No |
| Online servers running today | Does not exist |
| Playable offline today: campaign | Yes |
| Playable offline today: local multiplayer | Yes Up to four players battle teams from their save files in the Link Arena. |
| Playable offline today: online multiplayer | Does not exist No online play. |
| Playable offline today: DLC | Does not exist No DLC. |
Online
Plays offlineYes
Reception
- Aggregates
Outlet Platform Score Scale Metacritic Game Boy Advance 88 100 - Critics
Outlet Score Scale IGN 9.5 10 GameSpot 8.9 10 Famitsu 34 40 Eurogamer 9 10 GameSpy 4 5
Staff and cast
- Staff
Role Name Developer Intelligent Systems Publisher Nintendo Directors Taeko Kaneda, Kentarou Nishimura Producers Toru Narihiro, Takehiro Izushi Programmers Makoto Katayama, Susumu Ishihara Artists Sachiko Wada, Masahiro Higuchi, Daisuke Izuka Writers Ken Yokoyama, Kouhei Maeda Composers Yuka Tsujiyoko, Saki Haruyama
Notes for collectors
- The first Fire Emblem released outside Japan; known in Japan as The Blazing Blade.
- A prequel to The Binding Blade, following Lyn, Eliwood and Hector across the continent of Elibe.
- Units who fall in battle are gone for good.
- The Link Arena lets up to four players pit their teams against each other.
- Its success abroad led to Path of Radiance on GameCube.
Credits
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Developer
- Intelligent Systems
- Director
- Taeko Kaneda, Kentarou Nishimura
- Released
- 2003-11-03
- Age rating
- ESRB E
- Region
- US
- Time to beat
- about 27.2 hours
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