The seventh installment of the Fire Emblem series (officially distinguished with the localized title of “Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade” as of Fire Emblem Heroes), and the first to be released internationally. Released for the Game Boy Advance, the main portion of the game follows the adventures of Lyn, Hector, and Eliwood, as well as their many allies, as they combat the mysterious and sinister organization known as “The Black Fang”.

As the first international release, the game features a miniature storyline at the start of the game (able to be skipped on subsequent playthroughs) which (on Normal difficulty) provides players with in-depth tutorials on the conventions of Fire Emblem- Lyn’s Tale, which follows the the first adventure of Lyn as she struggles to save the nation of Caelin from the diabolical machinations of her granduncle, Lundgren, who seeks to usurp the throne.

The game is also notable for informally introducing the concept of avatars to the series; the player plays a minor role in the story as a tactician for Lyn who first joins her in her quest during her Tale, and later returns in the main portion of the story- unlike later instances of this, however, the player themself is not a deployable unit, and functions as an NPC who assists Lyn, Hector, and Eliwood in the narrative. In addition, on subsequent playthroughs the player character can be removed from the story altogether on subsequent playthroughs of the game if the player chooses to skip Lyn’s tale, which is not able to be done in games with a deployable avatar.

The Blazing Blade is to this day frequently recommended as the most ideal entry point into the Fire Emblem series due to it’s comprehensive tutorial and introductory story designed to ease players into the franchise and it’s many conventions, both mechanical and narrative.

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