55%Game Boy Advance

There is only 1 mission where you can buy weapon?

95%Game Boy Advance

Amazing

50%Game Boy Advance

(2021-08-27) Fire Emblem games are way too similar to each other. The GBA games in particular have no new ideas. They recycle everything. These in particular are just average at everything. The maps, mechanics, story, characters; everything is just not worth playing for.

100%Game Boy Advance

This game made me fall in love with the series and strategy games in general

90%Game Boy Advance

Man, I didn't realize how much I've missed Fire Emblem. I've only ever played this one and Blazing Blade, but there's just something about them that feels much more satisfying to me than, say, Advance Wars. Maybe because you can brute force your way through the game with a bit of grinding. As they say, you can't grind a Medium Tank.

The game itself does what it sets out to do really well. The maps are nice and varied, the characters and their interactions in the support conversations (and also in the main story itself) are great, and the animations are amazing as always. I was also a very big fan of the addition of a world map for two very important reasons: I could farm support for characters I wasn't using without having to plan the entire game ahead, and I could actually buy advanced weapons in-between chapters. It feels like such a small quality of life improvement, but it is very much appreciated.

Sacred Stones is usually considered as one of, if not THE easiest Fire Emblem ever made. Now, maybe I just suck at this kind of game. And maybe it's because I was actually careful to not make it into a Sacred Seth run. But I've found the game to be relatively challenging, with some maps requiring me to reset multiple times in order to keep everyone alive. I did make it a point to not do any skirmishes and Tower dives outside of grinding supports for characters I wasn't using anyway, and I've played on hard difficulty, which might've played a part in this. But it was the fun kind of challenge. I felt like my units were overpowered compared to the enemy, but I could never just rush headfirst in and expect to survive. Sometimes I actually had to put a bad or heavy weapon on a character holding a choke point just to make sure they won't double and kill every single enemy that comes their way, which freed the space for more enemies to slowly chip at their health and kill them.

In short, this is a great Fire Emblem game that holds up very well against the test of time. Might even be better than Blazing Blade, honestly. Highly recommend.

80%Game Boy Advance

Se perfecciona la jugabilidad de Blazing Blade en cuestion de equilibrado y mejor narrativa. Pero se pierde un interesante punto de la gestión del tiempo y los recursos que hacen del 7 un Fire Emblem bastante más imperfecto pero único.

Los gráficos se sienten insuficientes cuando se trata de distinguir unos personajes de otro en Game Boy Advance.
Me seguiría quedando con la propuesta de Advance Wars.

70%Emulated

70/100. (Eirika route)

A great Fire Emblem game with interesting characters and a intriguing story, although not as interesting as the story of the two games that came before, in my opinion.

This game is easier than the other FE games that came before, but i still believe that FE7, the game before this one, is still the best entry point for newcomers to the series that wanna start with the older games.

The story at the start was really interesting and really had me invested, but when it started shifting away from the intrigue of why Renais' allies invaded into the whole "darkness" theme with Lyon it started getting a bit meh. I believe the previous two games handled those themes alot better. Sometimes Eirika would do something dumb and i'd just be ???, but those are the exceptions.

Apart from those parts, the game plays well, the characters are interesting (L'Arachel is really fun) and the game has a good balance of difficulty, although you can use the dungeons to upgrade your characters and basically remove any sort of difficulty from the game.

On a personal note, this game would probably hit a bit harder towards the later quarter of it if it wasnt for personal life issues that had me take big breaks between sessions, to the point i sometimes forgot the name of a country important to the story or whatever. Also, after playing the three GBA games basically back to back i started to get a bit fatigued from it. I don't know if it was the game's story itself falling off in the second half or said personal issues and fatigue from FE that led me to not like that part as much, and so this game might have been rated a bit higher if it wasn't for those things.

I might take a break before i play the next one, which is considered to be one of the best FE games aswell, so i wanna make sure i am able to give it my full attention.

90%Game Boy Advance

GBA Online App

80%Nintendo Switch

Great game. Classic Fire Emblem. Tons of characters and challenging maps. The story is interesting. Great replay value.

55%Game Boy Advance

A lot of nice QoL additions compared to the previous two GBA games, but probably my least favorite of the three. The two routes didn't feel worth having as they only had 6-7 different stages with ultimately the same characters by the end. I think it would have been better to just have one storyline that swapped perspectives throughout the middle because I felt like I played too much of the same stuff just to see some additional dialogue. I'm also not a big fan of the world map structure in FE games, at least Engage made the battles optional if you ran into them on the map which was a good modern change.

85%Emulated

It was very fun, I liked it more than "Fire Emblem 7" (the one with Lyn and Eliwood). I went with the path of Ephraim. I used a decent amount of SaveStating, more than my playthrough with FE7, which might have soured the impact of decision-making. Going from what I learned last time, I did not main any flying people and made sure to try to keep Eirika a little powerful because she would probably be used in the ending fight (in FE7 I did not train the axe-wielding lord at all and he was a nooby low level in the end). So far, I have played 2 Fire Emblem games and this has been my favorite. It also felt quicker too.

I played on Fast Forward speed on Delta Emulator, so the time may be off.

100%Game Boy Advance

Hands down my favorite game in the series

85%Game Boy Advance

Story: 4 / 5
- Central story around Lyon and the siblings, though having relatively little screen time and kicking into gear rather late into the game, is really good with its emotional moments.
- Plot is mostly cohesive, which is surprising for a Fire Emblem game. Though there are still some handwavy stuff and stupid Fire Emblem story-telling. I hate teleporting villains.
- Ephraim's route improves Eirika's route so much its crazy. I played Eirika's route and I wasn't nearly as invested until I played Ephraim's route and got added context for why things were happening. Lyon's character got so much agency and depth its insane, so many questions arose. Now when I replayed Eirika's route, it hit more and I questioned everything more.
- Story before Lyon+Demon King stuff... Its there. Its a McGuffing hunt that is well made.
- Worldbuilding has to be weakest in the franchise though, which really hurts this game and my experience, I feel.
- Its fucking stupid how quickly the Demon King comes back and is immediately blasted. Its so sudden and killing him so easy its actually just funny.
- If plot developments and emotional moments were given more time and focus and depth, I think the story would have been better.
- Eirika's route and her development is nice to follow and I like her character and how her flaws affect story.
- Ephraim is "cool" and all, but he really is just a Gary Stu, whose flaws don't affect the story at all and aren't really flaws in the sense that the narrative doesn't punish it. He feels like he has no development. I think they really missed big opportunities with his side of the story. Then again, he is one of the only spear lords in the game, so he is goated, I guess.

Characters: 4.5 / 5
- Lyon is the best villain so far in Fire Emblem, at least out of the six games I have played.
- The smaller cast does this game a great service and I feel like most of them are colorful, memorable personalities with depth to them and character development and interesting quirks and sides to them. Very memorable and likeable.
- Villains are really memorable and good. Orson and Valter stick out, Caellach and Selena too. Lyon obviously. They make story flow very well and add interesting elements into the story.
- My favorite cast in all the Fire Emblem games I have played so far.

Presentation: 4 / 5
- Music is really forgettable mostly and I actually feel like it is the worst out all the GBA games.
- I feel like the visuals are generally the most refined out of the GBA games and map art, characters, menus, map, and everything looks so much better than in the previous games.
- Still, there could have been more in-game CGs and stuff like that. Really miss that from FE7.
- UI has improvements and I feel like it just is better than the previous games. I can't quote exactly why. Its very similar, but it feels smoother and less clunky to use than FE6/7.
- Animations are goated. I don't know if they are the same as in FE6/7, but they are definitely the best I have seen so far. I don't remember if they are the same. At least summoner is new.

Gameplay (Mechanics): 4.2 / 5
- Support system still blows. But its so much better than in FE6/7.
- I like the fact you can grind if you want to. NOT MANDATORY. Unless you care about the score. That does suck.
- Post-Game is cool and I love you have that option.
- I like the creatures and monsters this game adds. How they play and how they feel.
- Gameplay feels more refined and solid than the previous games. I can actually hit things. Feels fair.
- Game is balanced a bit weirdly in that it feels strangely easy most of the time. I don't know if its because enemies are weak or because of the map design.
- I love the Summoner class and I'm so sad that it isn't in future games.
- I really like training pupils and shit units into great units. My Amelia, Ewan and Ross were absolute powerhouses.
- Love branching promotions.
- I understand the problems I have heard some people have about the economy in this game. It really is kinda broken. It really is never a problem.
- No same turn reinforcements which makes me tear up from joy.

Map Design: 3.255208333...3 / 5
- No same turn reinforcements
- Overall, its very fine. There are some really good maps I liked (13 Eirika, 18, 19), but there were maps I despised as well (6, 8, 11)
- I feel like the maps are better than in FE7 in general. I feel like these ones edge them out and are more memorable and not jsut for bad reasons.

Overall: ~4/5 (+ bonus points I feel)

70%Emulated

Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 7/10
Controls/Interface: 7/10
Sound/Music: 6/10
Atmosphere/Story/Characters: 8/10
--
7.4/10

90%Game Boy Advance

This was an excellent follow-up to the original, English release on GBA. Sacred Stones adds quality of life improvements such as regular access to shops that scale as you play through the campaign. You'll never have to worry about stockpiling weapons when you encounter a vendor on a map.

The characters are great, the story is adequate, and the combat is exactly as you'd expect it. One slight negative is that the support system is still too cryptic and progresses far too slowly, but that doesn't detract from the gameplay experience.

80%Game Boy Advance

Andaron saga: 41:38 (23/8/23-12/9/23)
Sacred Trilogy: 48:39 (14/9/23-23/9/23)

80%Game Boy Advance

Pretty good. It definitely is more basic and easier than I was expecting, but the sprite work was brilliant. Story somewhat meh, but I enjoyed it for what it was.

80%Game Boy Advance

8

80%Game Boy Advance

World map (i.e. armory at any time, like in FE6), monsters, branched promotions and post-game are excellent major additions that finally put the series on par with FFT and TO. The only thing hurting its difficulty scaling is the easy availability of grinding. Even without grinding, the massive amount of EXP the game offers can make it almost effortless to reach 20/20 while soloing with someone like Vanessa. Very possible to lock yourself into an unwinnable fight though, if not careful.

90%Game Boy Advance

A lovely little Fire Emblem with an interesting world and a sympathetic villain. Extremely easy, but works as a palette cleanser if you've been playing through some of the more challenging games in the series. Not a bad game at all, just doesn't do a whole lot new or better than others.

80%Emulated

DECENT 8

75%Game Boy Advance

Too easy (even on Hard), and with a mediocre story just like FE7. Upon some reflection, it isn't bad overall though, I like the core friendship that fuels to tragedy. Lyon is a pretty sympathetic and memorable villain, definitely the best of the GBA trilogy. Core Fire Emblem gameplay is fun, as per usual. The game being easier, average units being stronger, and the Tower of Valni grinding existing means you can snowball your favorite units no matter your skill level, or how bad the unit is, so I that's light to view this game's difficulty in.

I also think Intelligent System's composers mastered the GBA soundfont after working in it for 3 games, and it really shows in this game's soundtrack. There are multiple very distinctive tracks that really hype me up. I usually only like 1 or 2 songs in the previous GBA games.

Favorite Units: Ross, Neimi, Ephraim

75%Game Boy Advance

The game is pretty easy relative to the other FE games I've played, but it was still a fun experience. The story was pretty good and the music was excellent.

80%Game Boy Advance

FIRE EMBLEM BABY

80%Emulated

Eirika, Ephraim, Natasha, Joshua, Tana, Innes, Saleh, Lute, Amelia, Seth, Ross, Tethys
Rennac Rogue
Artur backup

80%Nintendo 3DS

One of the more chill FE games with a good story IMO.

80%Emulated

A 6/7
H 1/1
S 1/2

80%Game Boy Advance

Best characters of the GBA fire emblems.

80%Game Boy Advance

This game looks good, sounds good, has a lot of content thanks to the brief campaign split and is very snappy. I like the story and most characters less than fe9's but it's still decent enough outside one really retarded moment in chapter 18. The game also has the potential to be very easy, since you can grind units and supports almost freely thanks to monster skirmishes and the tower, and there's barely any objective variety on the maps beyond route and kill bosses. The split campaign is reasonably well thought out, you get six unique maps per character (the maps on Ephraim's route are harder overall) and the game will split key plot details between both routes, further rewarding eager players who do both. Even after they merge back, story scenes involving the game's antagonist are different depending on which route you took, so there's incentive not to skip repeat cutscenes. Overall this game is an excellent starting point for people who are new to the Fire Emblem series while still being reasonably enjoyable to experienced players.

80%Game Boy Advance

The multiple paths for classes makes this game super fun. Tons of lovable characters and the 2 lords are good too. A place to grind up if your good enough for it but an overall really fun game.

90%Game Boy Advance

Goede, doch minder goed dan de eerste.

80%Game Boy Advance

Great game, but because of a weaker story and characters, falls short of the epic feeling of the first one released in North America.

80%Emulated

Pretty interesting game, loved the capacity to mkve through a map and choose which missions to do. Less linear than the rest.

70%Game Boy Advance

As novidades desse jogo não o tornam melhor que o antecessor. A história é risível e usa o clichê de monstros (bem genéricos, por sinal) e lorde das sombras. A rota da Eirika é ridícula de fácil, dos últimos 3 mapas as únicas coisas que
conseguiam acertar ataques e dar dano eram os dragões e os bosses.
Sistema de classes e overworld são conceitos interessantes.

90%Emulated

I really enjoyed this game. If you like strategy games, I would recommend giving this a try. If you are unfamiliar with the Game Boy Fire Emblems, I would advise against playing on difficult because it is very easy to be overwhelmed. I disliked a couple of the maps that impaired visibility as it made it difficult to plan and lead to a few unit deaths. Luckily, this game has side areas where you can grind your characters. The story was solid, but nothing too special. I liked the characters of Lyon, Eirika, and Ephraim, but I wish supports didn't take forever to grind, so I could learn more about my favorite combat units like Ewan, Vanessa, and Ross.

80%Game Boy Advance

Solid Fire Emblem game. Classes animations are really cool. Recommend for TRPG players

70%Game Boy Advance

Lots of flaws carried over from FE7. Characters are fun though and the gameplay is definitely unique.

80%Game Boy Advance

You know what, I really like this game. This game get's ripped on for being too easy and yeah it IS easy if you go to the tower of Valni as soon as possible. The story this time around actually isn't half bad and I feel the lords are somehow both really great and super generic at the same time. For shits and giggles I did a hard mode run Ephirams path no grinding and you know what? It was a reasonable challenge. Nothing insane but I wouldn't have called that easy. This game also had some really great units with Ross, Gerik, Gilliam, Garcia, Kaiba I mean Innes and my absolute favorite unit as well as the best goddamn Falcoknight in the series, Tana.
I feel that most maps are well designed with no map being overwhelmingly bullshit or too easy (Unless you grinded and just sent your overpowered units to the front). All in all this is a great addition to the series and the creature campaign after you beat the main game is a actually SERIOUS challenge that is NOT that easy to overcome. To the fans please give this game a shot, It's an all around solid good time.

70%Game Boy Advance

Score a little biased because this was the first FE I ever played. Played it multiple times and first time I saw a game where character truly dies.

80%Game Boy Advance

One of the easier games in the series for sure. I never felt as if I was torn between a significant strategic choice in any map. It really seemed as if the game just played itself. I love the characters though, especially the villian design.

90%Game Boy Advance

Coherent gameplay and story, great map design 95% of the time, lots of different option for both advanced players and newbies
A bit short tho

90%Emulated

Muito fácil, mas ótimo.

90%Emulated

A gigantic step forward from Fire Emblem 7. Great graphics and amazing soundtrack! Although, even though I beat it on Normal mode, it was kind of easy, and a lot shorter than the previous game. Fantastic game nonetheless!

80%Emulated

Very nice game

70%Emulated

FE8 is a solid 7/10. It is, in many ways, a step down from its predecessor but what it loses in depth it gains in accessibility.

The game has much more of a casual vibe. Being able to access shops and grind low-level missions definitely eases the tension which is both a relief and a disappointment. Even outside of those new systems the difficulty is lower and the missions shorter. It isn't easy per se but it's a far cry from meticulous. Certain units like Gerik can basically solo wave after wave of the enemy squad late-game.

A more approachable Fire Emblem isn't such a bad thing. What really brings the game down is its story; brimming with paper-thin characters and tired cliches. It really feels like an afterthought. The story in an FE game is not only there to provide basic context for samey missions. It should carry a sense of reality to help me buy into the mortal struggle so brilliantly captured by the core mechanics. I felt a disconnect between the plot's schlocky fantasy and the gameplay's engaging grit.

Overall, it's still a pretty sweet game. Fire Emblem's core loop is still exciting, grueling and occasionally tragic. Major issues with the story aside, I was very engrossed in the slightly laid-back Sacred Stones.

Edit: Apparently Lyon is a much more effective and interesting villain in Ephraim's route. I still think the story as a whole needs a lot of work, I just thought this was worth noting.

80%Wii U

A solid Fire Emblem game. I love Eirika and Ephraim a lot, and I was surprised by how much some of the side characters actually got to shine. The story was really engaging and the villains were great. It was actually quite a bit shorter than I expected, and while I like that it didn’t overstay its welcome, I really would’ve appreciated some more screen time with the main antagonist. His story felt somewhat rushed, and while it is very interesting, I beat the game wanting to know more. The game got pretty difficult, and I was using the virtual console restore points so I could keep characters alive. I spent an hour or two on just one level, and it could get repetitive at times, but that is just the nature of Fire Emblem. As usual with the series, a great story with some great characters, and a lot of fun to play.