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Unit inventories can be managed at any time. You can backtrack to shops and armories that would be locked to a single map in previous games. The mere inclusion of a world map influences how progression plays out. Darkling Woods is an enormous forest guarding the Black Temple, the Demon King Formortiis’ tomb.įire Emblem’s core identity is very much intact, but The Sacred Stones’ gameplay loop fundamentally differs from its predecessors. The Narube River’s water shines gold as the sun sets on the battlefield. Neleras Peak is an active volcano and a Gorgon’s nest.
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The continent is full of memorable set pieces that enrichen the setting. Rausten is a holy nation prone to monster raids that shares an intimate connection to Magvel’s dark history. Jehanna is a desert region home to proud warriors. Grado is a massive military state and the single largest power in Magvel. The forested Frelia stands as Renais’ closest allies and the guardians to the legendary Tower of Valni. Renais is a peaceful country surrounded by mountains that governs with friendly diplomacy.
Important regions are culturally and geographically unique. The Sacred Stones may be a stand-alone entry, but it manages to get a fair amount of worldbuilding done nonetheless. It helps that Magvel is a well-realized setting as is. Every unit is visually distinct yet aesthetically grounded in their world. Character composition simply looks more natural while still embracing Fire Emblem’s love of color. This is on account of better shading on some level, but the coloring make use of a wider range of earth tones, countering Elibe’s almost garishly bright art style. Although FE8 reuses a considerable amount of assets from its GBA predecessors, the graphics’ color palette has been noticeably darkened.
Intelligent Systems wisely matches The Sacred Stones’ narrative darkness on an aesthetic level. Societal destabilization is given an uncomfortable amount of focus for the series, and an abundance of emotional betrayal darkens an already bleak story. Magvel’s near-apocalyptic state is a consequence of man’s actions, demons from myth brought forth through arrogance and corruption. Almost every national figurehead is killed during the course of the story, some in a realistically unceremonious fashion. Terrors take over entire townships, turning signs of life into wastelands. Bonewalkers, mauthe doogs, gargoyles, and baels stand ready to slaughter anything in their path. The dead rise as revenants and roam the lend. The Sacred Stones’ very premise is a change of pace for the series, leaning into themes and tropes commonly associated with dark fantasy. Post-game content encourages you to keep playing long after the credits have rolled. Branching promotion lines and class-based skills offer units a greater sense of player-driven individuality. There are two playable dungeons with multiple floors to fight through, and items to collect from treasure chests & as drops from enemies. The majority of enemies are demonic monsters rather than soldiers in an opposing army. Random encounters pop up on the overworld that you can grind money and experience off of. Maps are only ever played back-to-back during moments of narrative urgency. The story often brings you back to a traversable world map between chapters instead of transitioning you into the next battle right away. Strategy is still in play, but the gameplay loop has more in common with a JRPG than the average Fire Emblem. Where Path of Radiance offers the typical Fire Emblem experience for home consoles - no grinding with linear progression - Sacred Stones takes a page from Gaiden’s book and revisits a style of gameplay FE last experimented within 1992. One that had an opportunity to not only refine FE6 & 7’s gameplay, but radically differentiate itself from the soon-to-be-released FE9.
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In a likely attempt to keep series momentum intact while audiences waited for PoR, The Sacred Stones was developed as a completely self-contained sequel for the GBA. By all accounts, Intelligent Systems intended The Binding Blade to close out their run on the Game Boy Advance until the studio recognized Fire Emblem’s newfound international popularity. It’s important to note that Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones’ development ran concurrently with Path of Radiance for the GameCube.