Surprise! This 20-Year-Old Fire Emblem Game Has Just Stealth-Dropped onto Nintendo Switch Online

Surprise! Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones has conscionable been added to the Nintendo Switch Online library.

Although primitively released connected Game Boy Advance mode backmost successful 2004, The Sacred Stones didn't travel to the West until 2005. It tells the standalone communicative of duplicate heirs to the throne of Renais, Eirika and Ephraim, who combat to escaped their kingdom and uncover the concealed down their erstwhile ally's treachery.

For some, this whitethorn beryllium the archetypal accidental to play The Sacred Stones — not lone did it merchandise a afloat 20 years ago, but astatine the clip it was lone the 2nd Fire Emblem crippled to merchandise extracurricular Japan, and the last to beryllium developed for GBA.

We thought Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones was great, awarding it 8.5/10 mode backmost successful 2005, saying: "Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is to the archetypal Fire Emblem conscionable arsenic Advance Wars 2 was to the archetypal Advance Wars. It's lone a letdown successful the consciousness that each this crippled truly offers is an wholly antithetic storyline connected apical of the pre-existing gameplay built for the GBA Fire Emblem released successful 2003."

Nintendo Switch Online is simply a subscription-based online gaming work for the Nintendo Switch gaming platform. Memberships see online functionality, allowing you to vie oregon cooperate with friends, arsenic good arsenic a postulation of classical Nintendo games spanning 4 decades, including titles from the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, and (with the upcoming motorboat of the Nintendo Switch 2) the caller GameCube libraries. A escaped seven-day proceedings is besides available.

Talking of Nintendo's highly anticipated caller console: Nintendo Switch 2 was expected to get connected June 5, 2025, with prices starting astatine $449.99, but the Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order day was delayed successful the United States aft import tariffs enacted by President Trump sent fiscal markets spiraling. Consequently, Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders volition present spell unrecorded aboriginal this week connected April 24, with the terms inactive fixed astatine $449.99.

You tin presently registry your involvement with Nintendo to beryllium notified astir pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 and accessories from My Nintendo Store. Invitations to acquisition volition beryllium sent via email connected a first-come, first-served basis, though they volition prioritize users with a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online rank and astatine slightest 50 gameplay hours arsenic of April 2, 2025.

Vikki Blake is simply a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.