GameCube Classic Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance Added to Nintendo Switch Online

Nintendo's classical Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is present disposable connected Switch 2, if you person a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription.

Originally released successful 2005, this 3D strategy role-player is 1 of the amended games successful the Fire Emblem series, and the archetypal to diagnostic its turn-based combat successful 3D, arsenic the bid shifted onto the GameCube pursuing assorted entries for Game Boy Advance and SNES.

Path of Radiance is besides notable for introducing its blue-haired leader Ike, who aboriginal returned successful Wii sequel Radiant Dawn, and arguably recovered adjacent greater fame arsenic portion of the Super Smash Bros. bid cast.

"Two races, the quality beorc and the half-human laguz, stock a past of strife, mistrust, and uneasy compromise," reads a Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance blurb.

"Now, sinister forces person emerged from the shadows to shatter the fragile peace, pitting the 2 against each other. Only the young mercenary Ike and his colorful set of soldiers-for-hire basal betwixt Tellius and chaos."

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance's accomplishment for Switch 2 was archetypal teased during Nintendo's Switch 2 Direct past April, and it's notable that of the 11 titles shown, we're inactive waiting for Super Mario Sunshine, Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness.

Back successful 2023, IGN listed Path of Radiance successful ninth presumption wrong our 10 Best Tactics RPGs of All Time ranking. "Path of Radiance stays existent to its predecessors’ halfway crippled systems, similar the weapons triangle, but upgrades everything from the skills strategy to the travel of battles," we wrote astatine the time.

"Its innovations and tweaks person influenced each Fire Emblem crippled since then. The Battle Preparations and Base screens adhd important communicative details and quality interactions, portion expanded shove and rescue functions marque for much strategical combat, and a astute bonus rewards strategy keeps battles flowing by mounting turn-limits and providing circumstantial sub goals.

"If you lone cognize Path of Radiance due to the fact that it introduced the satellite to Ike (of consequent Smash Bros. fame), you’ll find a criminally underplayed strategy RPG that’s each spot arsenic rewarding contiguous arsenic erstwhile it amazed GameCube owners backmost successful 2005."

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social