Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (ファイアーエムブレム 聖魔の光石) is a Japanese tactical role-playing game for the Game Boy Advance developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. It is the eighth game in the Fire Emblem series, the third and final game in the series to be released for the Game Boy Advance and the second game in the series to be released outside Japan.

The game builds on the game mechanics used in the previous two Game Boy Advance Fire Emblem titles&mdash;Fire Emblem: Fūin no Tsurugi and Fire Emblem&mdash;but takes place on a different world. Set on the continent of Magvel, the plot focuses on royal twins Princess Eirika and Prince Ephraim as they investigate why a longtime ally has chosen to invade their nation's borders and the sudden appearance of monsters all over Magvel.

Though it received positive reviews, The Sacred Stones was criticized for making only superficial improvements over the previous game. Reviews also stated that the new "World Map" feature made the game too easy. Despite these comments, the game received an average rating of 85 per cent on Game Rankings.

Gameplay
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones introduces several new concepts and revives some old ones used in previous Fire Emblem games. The most notable change is the map system, which allows the player to have more control of how much experience the team gets and thus how they level-up. Despite this, it is similar to Fire Emblem and Fire Emblem: Fūin no Tsurugi in terms of actual gameplay.

Combat
The Sacred Stones retains the basic gameplay fundamentals seen in Fire Emblem; such mechanics like the weapon and magic triangles are identical to the previous game. The main battles in the story and the storyline associated with each battle are divided as chapters; the game has twenty-one chapters in the main story and only one side chapter&mdash;an optional battle during the main course of the game. There are also six chapters in each of Eirika and Ephraim's route, all of which are different in each route. There are twenty-eight chapters in total during the main course of the game.

A notable difference that separates The Sacred Stones from the previous Game Boy Advance Fire Emblem titles is the use of a navigable world map, a mechanic first used in Fire Emblem Gaiden. Rather than limit the ability to train units and buy items to story battles, the ability to traverse the world map allows players more freedom in choosing how to play the game. It is possible to purchase weapons and items by visiting shops at points scattered across Magvel. Basic iron weapons and low-level tomes can also be purchased at an inflated cost from the armory in the supply caravan before battle, and units can pull items from the supply caravan during battle when standing adjacent to the main character (i.e. Eirika or Ephraim). It is also possible to enter "Skirmish" battles against monsters unrelated to the story.

The Sacred Stones, like Fire Emblem Gaiden, features monsters, all of which appear only as enemies. They are divided into traditional monster types, like zombies and gargoyles. The monsters can be battled in some chapters in the main game, as well as in side-battles on the map.

Units
The Sacred Stones also introduces a branching class-change system. Like the previous Game Boy Advance titles, units must use specific items to change class. Unlike previous titles the player is now given a choice in what type of advanced class a character can become, for example, Wyvern Riders may become either Wyvern Lords or Wyvern Knights. The only units that do not get to choose between classes are the two Lords, Eirika and Ephraim, who each change into their own unique class.

Trainee classes were introduced in The Sacred Stones, which precede some of the previously basic classes. These include Journeyman, Recruits and Pupils. Characters that are in a trainee class gain more experience than usual, and when they reach Level 10, they stop gaining experience and can class-change at the beginning of the next battle without the aid of an item. As with other classes, players can choose one of two basic classes to class-change into. After certain criteria are met, the trainee classes have a third class-change option, which is a slightly stronger version of the original trainee class.

The skill system was first introduced in Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu, and made a return in The Sacred Stones. In The Sacred Stones, some unit classes have a unique skill that gives it an advantage in battle. For example, the Bishop's "Slayer" skill triples a weapon's might when fighting monsters. Unlike in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, there is no capacity gauge, and the skills are not assigned by the player. The skills cannot be removed from the unit.

Alternative modes
The Sacred Stones features a multiplayer Link Arena structured identically to that found in the previous game. In addition, there is an unlockable "Creature Campaign." Players can enter the Tower of Valni or Lagdou Ruins and progress through them by fighting battles against monsters. Reaching certain floors will unlock secret characters, most of which appeared as opponents in the main story. There are three available difficulty settings&mdash;easy, normal and hard. The easy version acts as a tutorial, and is aimed at newcomers to the series.

Supports
There are thirty-three units in The Sacred Stones that can engage in support conversations. The support system works as exactly the same as in Fire Emblem's support system, in both the advantages that they offer and the way they can be obtained; as in Fire Emblem, a "support viewer" is available in which all attained support conversations can be re-read. Support conversations can be attained in the optional skirmish battles and extra battles in the Creature Campaign.

Setting
The Sacred Stones takes place on the continent of Magvel. It is home to six nation-states of diverse leadership:

Renais: The kingdom of Renais is ruled by Fado. It is the home of the twin lords Ephraim and Eirika. Frelia: The kingdom of Frelia is ruled by Hayden, the venerable Sage King and the father of the pegasus knight Tana and the sniper Innes. Frelia is also home to pegasi which are trained for military purposes. Jehanna: The kingdom of Jehanna is ruled by Ismaire, the Queen of the White Dunes. Her son is Joshua, the myrmidon. Rausten: The theocracy of Rausten is ruled by Mansel, the Divine Emperor. His heir is his niece L'arachel, the troubadour Grado: The Grado Empire is ruled by Vigarde, the Silent Emperor. His son, the necromancer Lyon, is a good friend of Ephraim and Eirika, who are appalled and confused by Grado's sudden betrayal. Grado is the largest country of Magvel and its eponymous founder, Grado, was the leader of the heroes who stood against the Demon King. Carcino: The mercantile republic of Carcino is governed by a council of elders, and, unlike the other nations of Magvel, is more of a democratic-republic than a monarchy or theocracy.

Story
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones takes place on the fictional continent of Magvel. The storyline is unrelated to any of the previous Fire Emblem titles in the series.

Magvel is home to six nations of diverse leadership. With the exception of Carcino, a newly established republic, each nation shares a history of 800 years since the War of the Stones and are responsible for their own Sacred Stone. The nations have enjoyed a long-lasting peace until the Grado Empire suddenly invades its neighbor, Renais. Prince Ephraim of Renais, one of two main characters of the game, leaves Renais to fight back Grado's invasion. However, he goes missing and Grado's forces fast approach the vicinity of Renais castle. Princess Eirika, Ephraim's twin sister and the initial main character, leaves Renais, along with her loyal knights, to seek help from their allies, Frelia.

Eventually Eirika reunites with her brother. The two discover that Grado intends to destroy the five Sacred Stones of Magvel, with both Frelia and Grado's Sacred Stones already destroyed. Ephraim decides to take the fight to Grado, while Eirika and Innes, the prince of Frelia, leave to warn the remaining two Sacred Stone nations, Rausten and Jehanna. Eventually Grado falls to Ephraim, but the true villain behind the war remains to be fought&mdash;Grado's imperial prince Lyon, Eirika and Ephraim's longtime friend, who has been possessed by the Demon King of legends.

Reception
Most of the scores for Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones have been positive. It has received 8.8/10 from GameSpot and a 4.5/5 (with an Editor's Choice award) from GameSpy. The Sacred Stones currently holds an 84.9% on Game Rankings. The game was nominated for "Best Role-Playing Game" and "Best GBA Game" at GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2005.

Reviewers have praised the level of attention that the game gives to the storyline and each individual unit, but have commented on the frustation that can be caused by some gameplay features inherent to the series, such as the fact that character death is permanent. The game has also been criticized for not improving upon gameplay mechanics as much as expected from a sequel. As well as lack of innovation in gameplay, reviewers have also noted that the presentation has not changed much from Fire Emblem. Overall, reviewers acknowledge that the game has the same solid gameplay and replay value that was present in Fire Emblem, despite the lack of originality.