After a couple disappointing reveals, Nintendo is back with a vengeance with another must-play Game Boy Advance game for Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers. That's right, the strategy game classic Fire Emblem will be hitting the Switch on June 22, giving fantasy fans something to be excited about. Speaking of exciting news, I've listened to your demands and have decided to incorporate some of the missing games into these Review Crew episodes, starting with two fantasy games on the Nintendo Entertainment System – Crystalis by SNK and The Immortal by Electronic Arts. That's cool news, but are any of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Nintendo Power, GBA World and more classic magazines to see what the critics said when these games first came out. So, grab that blazing sword and become the immortal in this episode of Nintendo Switch Online Review Crew.


SNK is probably best-remembered these days for their never-ending line-up of fighting games, but they were a very different company before Street Fighter II showed up to the party. The SNK of old was a developer so versatile that they could not only dominate the arcade with action games like Ikari Warriors and P.O.W.: Prisoners of War, but also surprise everybody with an epic console adventure game like Crystalis. It tells the story of a magician that is sent a hundred years into the future, where he finds that the Great War has turned the entire planet into something straight out of a dystopian fantasy novel. That's a pretty cool set-up for an 8-bit role-playing game, but what did the critics have to say?

Electronic Gaming Monthly was mostly impressed with what SNK was able to accomplish on the five-year-old Nintendo Entertainment System. Ed called it “a very well-constructed adventure game with lots of different shops to buy stronger weapons, armor, etc. The quest is long and challenging, with the strength of the enemy rising at about the same rate as you. Does not get frustrating or boring this way.” Steve was slightly less impressed, giving it a 7 and concluding that “Crystalis, while coming up short in terms of action and intensity, makes up for these sore points by wrapping a great quest together with super graphics, terrific execution and enough challenge for most. Not my cup of tea, but pretty good anyway.” EGM gave the game an average score of 7.5 out of 10.

Nintendo Power liked Crystalis a bit more than that, giving it a score of 4 out of 5. That's the same score we saw from Video Games & Computer Entertainment, which likened it to another successful adventure game: “If you've ever been dragged, bleary-eyed and nearly arthritic from a marathon eight-hour session of playing The Legend of Zelda, you know how totally involving a video game can be. Now, Crystalis has demonstrated that games like Zelda may have been the tip of the iceberg. It's not immediately addictive in the way Tetris is; in fact, some people are turned off by the role-playing genre as a whole and may never experience a game as satisfying as this. But if you can afford to spend many long hours immersing yourself in a video game completely, irretrievably lost in in the Crystalis experience, you may never want to come back again.” I'm not sure the game still has the same power 33 years later, but you can find out for yourself by checking it out on the Switch.

Much like SNK, Electronic Arts is one of those companies that used to have a much more interesting past. If you go back to the early 1990s, you would see a lot of unique games and concepts coming out of EA, including a short (but memorable) horror/adventure game called The Immortal. While this is probably best-known as a 16-bit game, this 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System version is no slouch. This is one of the few genuinely dark and creepy games on the NES, and critics definitely noticed that back in the day.

Let's start with Video Games & Computer Entertainment, who started their review by singing the praises of Will Harvey, the man behind “innovative yet slightly quirky creations” like Music Construction Set and Zany Golf. “At first glance, The Immortal seems to be standard stuff, and, compared to Harvey's first two works, it is. That is, if you size it up against similar games on home computers. On the NES, however, this narrative-backed adventure is unique, unlike others in its genre.” Howard liked the graphics and mystery, but was left cold by the puzzles and length. “For Will Harvey and Sandcastle Productions, The Immortal is no doubt a fine addition to their brief list of titles. For Electronic Arts, it solidifies its standing with the NES.” Video Games & Computer Entertainment ended up giving The Immortal a solid 7 out of 10.

That is easily the lowest score I could find, with most of the critics of the time being a lot more generous. For example, Nintendo Power ended up giving the game a 4.3 out of 5. The highest score came from GamePro, who honored The Immortal with a perfect 5 out of 5. They called the game “a real standout, definitely worth the price of admission. It isn't totally role-play, and it isn't totally action/adventure, but it weaves together entertaining elements from both genres. Dive into The Immortal – unless you're afraid of the dark.” While the 16-bit version is definitely the way to go, this Nintendo Entertainment System version is certainly worth checking out if you've never experienced The Immortal.

After years of keeping some of their best franchises exclusive to Japan, Nintendo took the turn of the millennium as an opportunity to introduce the world to their brand of strategy games. It first came with a pair of Advance Wars titles, followed in 2003 with Fire Emblem on the Game Boy Advance. Although this was the first installment to be localized for an international audience, it was actually the seventh release in a franchise that started all the way back in 1990. While it's no doubt frustrating that we missed out on so many great games, The Blazing Blade is a great starting point for series newcomers. And it's not just me saying that, because Fire Emblem was a big hit with the critics.

Electronic Gaming Monthly ended up giving the game an average score of 8 out of 10. Shoe likened it to Nintendo's other newly-localized strategy series: “Cheesy dialogue. Cartoon characters. Turn-based strategy that's in-depth enough to hook tactical nuts but accessible enough to anyone who understands “rock, paper scissors” ... is this just GBA's famous strategy game, Advance Wars, in chain mail instead of Kevlar armor? Pretty much.” This set off a battle amongst the review crew, with both Shane and Mark hitting arguing that Fire Emblem is better than Advance Wars. “Shoe seems determined to shove Advance Wars down our throats, but I'd easily recommend Fire Emblem over it. Emblem has some issues, like repetitive visuals and weirdly balanced narrative, but it's still a must-play for fans of tactical RPGs.”

Much like EGM, fellow three-letter magazine GMR also wanted to compare Fire Emblem to Advance Wars. Giving it an 8 out of 10, Ryan notes that “aside from the fantasy RPG elements, Fire Emblem is quite reminiscent of the Advance Wars series – which is to say, if you enjoyed those games, you'll find plenty to like about this one. If there's one complaint, it's the game's somewhat short length. Despite these shortcomings, Fire Emblem does offer up some solid gameplay, sharp visuals, likable character designs, and a fairly compelling (if somewhat typical) story.”

GBA World liked it even more, though they couldn't quite decide on the score. They gave Fire Emblem a perfect 5 out of 5 when they first reviewed it in issue 8, and then dropped it down to a 4.5 out of 5 two months later, in issue 10. “Here we go with the RPG hybrid strategy games. Fire Emblem betrays so much role-playing in itself, we might wonder if there's a strategy game at all in there. But there is. The strategic interest lies in testing your composition of troops and squad formations against the hording masses, as you tramp through dungeons or venture over a mountain pass. Fire Emblem can as easily be classified as an action game or an RPG and that is probably its greatest strength – it boasts all of these styles and seamlessly melds them into one excellent product.” You know what? That's actually a really great and succinct way of summarizing what is great about this series. I can't think of a better argument for why you should check out Fire Emblem on the Nintendo Switch Online service.