Format: Advance
Genre: Strategy RPG
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo

As a last bastion of sorts for 2D games, the Game Boy Advance routinely produced marquee 32-bit graphics showcases, and this seventh-- first in the US-- "Fire Emblem" title is a case-in-point. The stage tilesets are filled with grass and dirt roads, little bridges and houses pleasantly dropped throughout. Units are easily recognizable at a glance, and the "blown up" views during combat exchanges are superbly animated. Character portraits are memorable, and the semi-transparent menu system is polished and easy to navigate. The game doesn't use many special effects and neither does it particularly stress the hardware-- but its aesthetic is easy on the eyes.

Yuka Tsujiyoko, who went on to become the long-running composer and sound supervisor for the series, produced a wonderful mix of DSP-style music for this title: some upbeat, some downtrodden, others filled with suspense. The primary gameplay cycle songs-- in-map, during battle, post-battle, intermission, and so forth-- are all very memorable; this reviewer frequently found himself humming them around the house. The various combat and environmental sound effects are highly stylized, and fit the game's unique fantasy universe perfectly.

Fire Emblem will be immediately playable to anyone who has enjoyed the later games in the series, and in fact most of the series staples were already present here. The player moves units around the board, blue preview arrow in tow, and then commands the units to attack, use an item, and so on. The difficulty between stages does vary but it all feels very balanced without egregious spikes. The game can be suspended and one-time loaded at any juncture, plus permanently saved between stages. Like the later games, units can be promoted upon reaching level ten, provided they have a crest in hand.

The most refreshing part about Fire Emblem is that it comes from an elementary time before game budgets exploded, titles became bloated with worthless features, the technical acumen of game developers had collapsed, and obnoxious political messaging was being injected into everything. This release is authentic: what you see is what you get. It's a simple game of good graphics, a smooth soundtrack, rock solid gameplay, and a fun story delivered via memorable characters. For what more can one ask in life?