Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
The second entry in the series to come to America, The Sacred Stones was quite a departure from the previous game, Blazing Sword. In fact, it shares quite a bit with Fire Emblem Gaiden and Shadows of Valentia. The Sacred Stones tells the story of Ephraim and Eirika, twin siblings of the Kingdom of Renais. In traditional Fire Emblem style, the kingdom is invaded by a militaristic neighbor, and the sibling’s father is killed, leaving them to try and retake their kingdom on their own. They must also unravel the mystery of why a childhood friend has turned to violence and war.
The Sacred Stones still retains the chapter format of previous games, although it also employs a navigable world map like in Gaiden. Random battles as well as optional battles pop up on the map, allowing you to train your units at your leisure. Also similarly to Gaiden, the title includes monsters you’ll have to do battle with along the way.
In terms of new features, the biggest contribution from The Sacred Stones comes in the way of its branching class promotion system. Nearly every character and class in the game gets multiple options when promoting, and there’s a ton of variation in how you can build your army.
The Sacred Stones could really benefit from some of the enhancements introduced with Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. Adding on explorable towns and dungeons would fit right in, due to the similar style. Additionally, voicing the story scenes could help add character and gravitas to the game. Considering how much The Sacred Stones shares with Gaiden, it’s definitely an easy pick for Nintendo.
