If more recent Fire Emblem games haven't been scratching that pure strategy itch, Nintendo has some good news for you. 2003's Fire Emblem is now available as part of Nintendo Switch Online's Game Boy Advance lineup, although you will need the extra Expansion Pack addon to play it.
Fire Emblem served as a sort of semi-reboot for the series, launching in 2003 and likely hoping to get some new players on-board with the franchise. Unlike many other Fire Emblem games, it features a playable tactician who doesn't take the field during combat but who plays a role in the story, albeit as a sort of sounding-board for the main characters.
Said main characters are Lyn, a young tribeswoman, as well as the royal prince Hector and the noble Eliwood. The story splits its structure between the three characters, but eventually, they must unite in order to bring down exactly the kind of political conspiracy you'd expect from a Fire Emblem game.
Fire Emblem joins other GBA titles like the Super Mario Advance series, as well as a range of Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games, on the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack service, which costs an extra $49.99 for 12 months. For that price, you're getting not only the aforementioned extra retro games, but also some Animal Crossing and Splatoon 2 DLC thrown in as well.
You can subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online either via your Switch console itself or via your web browser. It's available in blocks of one month, three months, or twelve months, and grants access to online gaming on the Switch, as well as a host of retro NES, SNES, and Game Boy games, with N64, Genesis, and GBA games gated behind the Expansion Pack. Stay tuned for more on the Switch Online lineup.
