Fire Emblem (RPG Special) (Game Boy Advance) Preview

By Adam Riley 04.05.2004

Nintendo has quite a few series over in Japan that have been great successes for many years, yet have never ever made the transition from East to West. Fire Emblem is one such franchise

So we are finally being treated to a Fire Emblem game...however, unlike the Final Fantasy series, we are not going to be daunted by a strange numbering system (going from III straight to VII? Thanks for that Square Enix!). Things are not exactly simple, though, since this game might be the latest in the series, but the storyline in fact precedes the previous title (also on the GBA, by the way)!

Screenshot for Fire Emblem (RPG Special) on Game Boy Advance

Anyway, Intelligent Systems are the company behind this game. You might have heard of the Nintendo-owned company before, since the team has worked on high profile titles such as Tetris Attack, Paper Mario and Advance Wars

Screenshot for Fire Emblem (RPG Special) on Game Boy Advance

Each of the characters you have in your team has their own specialised personality that is convincing and interesting at the same time, proving to be far advanced from the nameless troupes found in Advance Wars

Screenshot for Fire Emblem (RPG Special) on Game Boy Advance

But what is all that worth if the presentation is not up to scratch? Exactly...Thankfully there is nothing to worry about in this department

Screenshot for Fire Emblem (RPG Special) on Game Boy Advance

Final Thoughts

Three save slots, many side-quests, a four-player multi-game option, a story that draws you in completely and does not let go until the end as well as the amazing play system, lovely graphics and audio that definitely requires headphones to be plugged into your GBA...All reasons for why Fire Emblem has to be bought when released over here in Europe in a few months' time. Make Nintendo regret not releasing the series in the West before...go on, do it for me at least!