The latest update to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack tier has added award-winning Game Boy Advance game Fire Emblem to the lineup. Nintendo has separated its Nintendo Switch Online services in two distinct tiers. The base Nintendo Switch Online service is required for online multiplayer and access to some retro NES, SNES, and Game Boy/Game Boy Color games, but those that sign up for the Expansion Pack get a lot more bang for their buck.The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack gets subscribers access to even more retro games, with titles pulled from the Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance libraries. Nintendo regularly updates the games available through its Switch Online services, with the latest update giving gamers access to Fire Emblem.Fire Emblem, also known as Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, is now available to Switch gamers who are subscribed to the Switch Online Expansion Pack. For those unfamiliar, this is the first Fire Emblem game to hit North America. It's technically a prequel to Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, but also works as a standalone product. It earned a great deal of critical acclaim and helped establish the Fire Emblem franchise outside of Japan.
Fire Emblem introduced gamers outside of Japan to all the usual hallmarks of the franchise. It features the standard rock-paper-scissors combat philosophy and permadeath. Nintendo Switch Online lets players create save states and even rewind their games, so those playing the game through the service will likely have a much easier time beating the game than those who played it on the Game Boy Advance.
Fire Emblem is generally considered one of the best Game Boy Advance games, so it's great to see it hit the Switch Online Expansion Pack lineup. As it stands, there are still many great Game Boy Advance games that have yet to hit the service, so hopefully they're added in the near future. For example, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones was also released on the Game Boy Advance back in the day, and it would make a great addition to the lineup as well.
Nintendo has been regularly adding Game Boy Advance games to the Switch Online Expansion Pack, so chances are good that the handheld's other biggest games will get representation in the near future. For now, Fire Emblem should keep Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers plenty busy.
