FIRE EMBLEM 8: The Sacred Stones Retrospective - ShaneBrained

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0. Title 0:00
I. The Last Advance (Introduction) 0:12
II. An Unexpected Entry (Development) 2:32
III. Light of the Stones (Story Synopsis) 5:24
IV. A World Left Behind (Story Analysis) 14:52
V. Expanding Gaiden (Gameplay Analysis 1) 19:07
VI. Open to Grind (Gameplay Analysis 2) 22:27
VII. Memories of Magvel (Conclusion) 26:50
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Game: Fire Emblem The Sacred Stones
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Written and Edited by: ShaneBrained
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This video contains copyrighted material. All copyrighted material is used under Fair Use. If you believe this material has been used in error, please contact me directly at gamesbrained@gmail.com.

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28 июн 2024

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Комментарии : 353

@Choops6969 4 года назад

Obligatory "Open-map progression is poorly implemented in Sacred Stones" counter argument: “There is nothing in the Sacred Stones that requires you to grind”- except for The rank System in this game. Where it formally graded you on how efficiently you play, it now grades your performance in the ruins. Ideally with your units Capped. Going in with anything less than optimized would only be making things harder for yourself if you didn’t. Here’s the thing, even if this rank system that clearly promotes over-leveling didn’t exist, the problem is, there is no reason NOT to grind in FE8. This is the issue with the game and open map in general. An unlimited economy’s existence is counter-intuitive to Fire Emblem’s design and dilutes the relevance of this game’s core mechanics (The Exp. coefficient, durability, enemy scaling, limited deployment, the ability to promote your units before level 20 to name a few). I'm all for options and ways to make FE more accessible to a broader audience- i hope everyone else is too. it’s admirable that the devs thought to include these options in the first place, but as you said, "Some people play these games for different reasons". Redundancies in game design ultimately come at the cost of players who still want and appreciate a concrete experience: an experience where you are rewarded for actively utilizing every mechanic at your disposal, not extrinsically avoiding them at all times. To say that fans are getting “...the same thing that they had before” is simply not true. Just the fact that you, or I- or anyone else prefers one form of chapter progression to the other means that they are inherently different. I feel for the sake of Fire Emblem's immense potential, fans should stop being so willfully ignorant towards how mechanics realistically affect the experience and player decision making. Open-map chapter progression most certainly has the potential to placate everyone, but Sacred Stones does not accomplish this. Even the most minute addition would fix that issue: a gold star next to your save file if you didn't use any skirmishes. An achievement item u can use in the post game. a rank system like Jugdral that promotes actual efficient play. Absolutely anything beyond nothing would make the system go from redundant for some to relevant for all. I've been here since the first episode and ill be here till the end, m'dood. I think that one edit you did made your argument so much stronger. Best Retrospective series on the platform imo. Happy to have finally joined as a patron! keep poopin'

@shroudedinmyth8229 4 года назад

I'm kinda reminded of those "Can you beat Pokemon "insert title here" with just "insert Pokemon here" videos The answer for the most part is "yes, because you can just grind to level 100" which makes any strats they come up for the early and mid game feel kinda pointless because they didn't need to use those strats, because they often don't have rules that restricts the most obvious solution, just grind. When the challenge is just to beat the game and not to find efficient ways to do so, having the option to grind kinda makes it feel a bit hallow. This could be solved through a ranking system that encourages efficient play, that way people who feel that way have another challenge to work on.

@leemeyer9395 4 года назад

I love fe 4 ranks and I like the gold star idea

@Ochain 4 года назад

I despise the argument that since there is no reward for not grinding, there is no reason not to do it. Throughout gaming as a whole, players have implemented rules and challenges in order to make the game more fun for themselves. Look at nuzlockes in pokemon, for example. Even though the option to heal up fainted pokemon at the centers is there, they choose not to do it in order to enjoy the game more. They don't receive any physical "reward" for doing it, instead feeling rewarded through their enjoyment of the game and knowing that they completed the challenge! This logic can even be applied to permadeath in FE. Should restarting be banned in the games since not restarting was the way the games were meant to be played? No, of course not! Instead, people play iron-mans, not restarting even though it's an option. Some people enjoy having the full fire emblem experience, and some enjoy keeping their favorite characters alive, that's the way it goes. Theres no reward for completing the game either way other than your own enjoyment knowing that you did it! Therefore, should grinding during the story not be allowed simply because theres no reason not to do it? No! If you want the original fire emblem experience, just don't grind. Now, your argument was that there was no reward for not grinding. However, if you only receive satisfaction for playing a game a certain way from a little medal, I don't think that's right. Sure, it would be nice if they incorporated something like that, but I don't think that not having that invalidates your way of enjoying the game OR the grinding system. If your true problem with their system in this game comes down to the ranking, why not look at fe4 with the same criteria? As Mangs put it, in some instances the ranking systems simply make you play less than optimally in order to receive a higher ranking. This is why I believe that, in general, all ranking systems are skewed, as they encourage only one way of play. All right, I'm tired of typing. I probably misrepresented my views or typed something incorrectly somewhere in this, hopefully you can excuse me for that. Love you chaz, even if I disagree with you :)

@laggalot1012 4 года назад

I largely agree with this sentiment for its potential to effectively break the game in question in half, purely by virtue of spending time on a side-activity as opposed to tackling the game's main challenges skillfully and creating your advantage that way. I think grinding robs a Fire Emblem game of one of the main things that makes then enjoyable and so it makes this a poor way to enjoy Fire Emblem in my eyes, assuming you're looking for the core experience. But for the sake of argument - this doesn't entirely reflect my own opinion - say if someone wants to not trivialize the game and have that intended core experience, would you not agree it is the player's own responsibility to not unnecessarily partake in this side-activity that so clearly strays from the main game's progression, is more or less entirely optional across a standard playthrough from prologue to endgame and has so much game-breaking potential if overused? The main campaign clearly isn't balanced to assume that the player ever grinds, far as I'm able to tell, so it needs not have any bearing on your experience if you don't want it to, right? That should theoretically make the feature and its implementation here perfectly harmless, no? I'm rather curious if you (or anyone else who feels like sharing) have any thoughts on this sort of argument I see so often.

@Choops6969 4 года назад

@@Ochain I think you mis-understoond what im saying. I'm not arguing that people should play FE a certain way or that people "shouldn't be allowed to grind" in fact, i think they should. I hope they continue to implement open-map options, I just think that those options should be relevant to the core gameplay, unlike how they are in sacred stones. Is that not a fair critique? FE4 lets you save every turn, this- by concept, "breaks the game" however playing without relying on saves is still relevant because of the rank system- that (unlike the GBA rankings) does promote strategic and efficient use of resources.

@g.n.s.153 4 года назад

Nobody praise FE8's story for Formortiis, it would be like saying the last remaining dragon in FE7 was the most important plot point because they're the final boss. It's the interaction with Lyon and the twins that makes it great. Also imo all the cast is very likeable.

@yaboiskittlez7943 4 года назад

Not just the dragon from FE 7. Look at FE 6 where the final boss is practically skipable. And even if gone to, Binding Blade makes easy work of her. And in later games, we got worse villians. Look at king Garon, who even in Conquest was the obvious bad guy. And was Grima all that special? Not really. Not even FE 10 had a stellar final boss. Like let's face it, no one plays Fire Emblem because the final boss is super cool. Three Houses has done better than most so far. And that only just came out in the past year. Fire Emblem Heores has some better final bosses in the books than half of actual Fire Emblem lol.

@yaboiskittlez7943 4 года назад

@@vanjagalovic3621 what I'm saying is, she IS skippable. Weather or not she's meant to be is not what I'm saying. What I am saying is that Fire Emblem since the start of GBA never really had hard final bosses and most of the time had little to do with the story. Idunn fight is easy if you even do it, Fire Dragon in 7 is not important to plot nor challenging. 8 was already talked about in this video, FE 9 Ashnard, while yes he was the primary antagonist, his spotlight was little and he was just some angry guy until FE 10 gives the reason why. And he's not super hard. FE 10, Ashera is not super important to the plot until the end, and not super hard. 11 is not a game I've played, but I don't see Medeus being anything ground breaking. I also haven't played 12 but again, any sort of big challenge for a final boss? And don't get me started on Grima, Garon, or Anankos. They are all pretty underwhelming villains or have no major plot progression at all. And 3 Houses is really the first time in awhile I've seen an intriguing final boss, at least the routes I've played. My issues with this video are numerous, but the one you put into question is this. Fire Emblem has seldom had an intriguing final boss. Either for plot like he says or in difficulty like he says. There are numerous minor villains in FE 8 alone that are cooler and get more development than almost any final boss in the series. That's my point. It shouldn't be held against Sacred Stones for the "bad final boss" show me a good one since FE 4 and 5.

@yaboiskittlez7943 4 года назад

@@vanjagalovic3621 Also, to talk about your points on the difficulty of FE 6 and 7's bosses, Zeph IS the final boss if you don't go all the way through the secret endings. So, I'll let that speak for itself on which boss is actually harder. But my point isn't saying he should have been, I'm saying FE has almost no good final bosses, and sacred stones is not at fault for the franchise as a whole. Also, FE 7's final dragon is not that hard. You don't need luna, even on Hector Hard, to beat it. It's about as difficult as Fortimis is in FE 8 without a luna cheese crit and easier if you do. But that just adds to my point, no FE final boss is hard, and most contribute little to the story. EDIT: Didn't see where you asked me what I need for a good final boos to be a good final boss. And my answer? Most good stories don't have good final bosses. From Star Wars to Fire Emblem, to Xenoblade, to Final Fantasy. Look at Zelda, Mario, almost any game, movie, anything. The best villains are the ones that act as foils to the protagonist. Or villains who have an interesting arc. The best villains we all think of when we think of great enemies for our heroes aren't usually the final fight. The Black Knight was better than Ashnard and Ashera, for example. And even in the Sacred Stones, Lyon, Valter, Glen, Selena, Dussel (even though he sides with you eventually) they are more 2 dimensional characters than the typical final bosses we see in most settings. My argument is not meant to point at Idunn and say she sucks because she's easy. It's to show that the final bosses aren't usually all that. And his points in the video were 1. lack of challenge and 2. not important. So how can you hold it against just Sacred Stones? You need to say that about every final boss in the series, almost. So can you take points away from Sacred Stones because it was just like every other Fire Emblem game in terms of the final boss? No.

@aqualacerta3961 4 года назад

well lyon is a great vilain if you take ephraim routes since he's original and make a great plot twist, on eirika's route it's just the boring weak guy that was possessed by the evil demon all along oWoWoWoWo so original

@g.n.s.153 4 года назад

@@aqualacerta3961 I feel you're missing the bigger picture a little. The fact that Lyon was such a weak nerd made him great in Eirika's path. Using Eirika's fondness for her friends to get what he wanted. That's how she remembered him and it was the best way to deceive her. It's not just about Lyon but what's told about Eirika as well. She starts with everyone close to her saying that it's too dangerous for her to rescue her brother. She was not a fighter, she was a princess who dislike war and likes spending time with her friends. She only ever sparred with 2 person before and they were Ephraim who taught her how to use a sword and Lyon who as previously mentionned was such a weakling he never won against her. Through all that she fought her way to Renvall and by the end of the game, overcome her attachment to Lyon and save Magvel. She grew a lot and learned to fight for herself. TL;DR: Lyon doesn't work without the twins and vice versa. They both go through an admirable growth while making Lyon likeable and engaging in their own ways.

@emmetth3726 4 года назад

I’ve always thought Lyon was has always been my favorite villain in the series and I’m surprised how much you just... didn’t talk about him And also the different lord path with a different Lyon tries to create a villain more fitting for each lord as main characters. Whereas Eirika kinda needs to overcome a force for her character arc, Ephraim who is the brash action star takes a much personal tale about him losing someone. Him going to the capital didn’t accomplish anything really, and despite him claiming he doesn’t pick fights he can’t win he adamantly tries to save Lyon despite the hopelessness of it... and he still loses and tries to grow from it.

@yaboiskittlez7943 4 года назад

I agree. Lyon in both paths becomes an amazing foil to the main lord of each path. Maybe it doesn't need to make sense how Lyon can be one way and then another on a separate playthrough, but as each path stands alone, he is a great villian. This video really didn't do any of the villians justice. He brings up Valter, Selena, and a couple others, but never explains why they stand out. Sacred Stones deserved better.

@ilikedota5 3 года назад

It feels that Eirika has the more personal I know you are in there drama. Ephraim does seem more reserved and accepting of the act that he's going to have to kill him. In the beginning of Last Hope, Ephraim comes to that conclusion himself, but Eirika needs prompting/confidence from L'arachel.

@Turnoutburndown Год назад

Super well said

@dudeman5303 Год назад

I mean, part of your love for lyon is probs partially from nostalgia, was this your 1st FE game?

@dudeman5303 Год назад

Tbh actually, maybe you're right. I wasn't thinking too much before posting but yeah maybe lyon is a pretty amazing villain. The way he goes into the main characters is pretty great. It's a bit similar to nergal and Athos but it's more direct to the story rather than something that happened to a side character

@GoldenJoe 4 года назад

Virtually no discussion of the villains? They are the highlight of this game, and a nice break from “the evil sorcerer manipulates everyone” that has been at the heart of almost every entry so far. Lyon’s relationships with the twins is unique, and builds on the dynamic we saw with Sigurd. Ephraim is also noteworthy for being a more likable version of MarthAlmSigurd.

@lpfan4491 2 года назад

Now it's "Evil demon manipulates everyone". Meanwhile, FE6 was an actual break from it.

@MHSchonberg 4 года назад

This an interesting take. I personally found Lyon to be the best antagonist of the GBA era, though I can understand some of the problems you had with the story. And thank you for pointing out what SHOULD be obvious in that grinding has always been optional and isn’t necessary to anyone who wants to play through these games with the old challenge. It’s like when the modes that removed permadeath were introduced, people were losing it saying it ruined the franchise... the when the games never actually removed it and just gave you the OPTION to not have it on. All in all, this review was a *0/10 not a single mention of Joshua’s sweet hat*

@romitalia3088 4 года назад

If a game is designed around grinding or around casual mode, then yes, it does affect the experience. Grinding can only be harmless if it is added to an already existing game that did not account for it.

@romitalia3088 4 года назад

Ced von Noish To be fair the recommended level in 3H doesn’t matter and you don’t need to have any units at that level to beat the chapter. But I guess the fact that they suggest a specific level that can only be obtained by grinding does push you to grind, so you’re right.

@brux357 4 года назад

Such a good hat

@thelegacyofgaming2928 2 года назад

@@romitalia3088 It's not designed around grinding. That's where you guys argument falls apart.

@lightbrand_ 11 месяцев назад

@@romitalia3088 look I'm not a fan of sacred stones, I find it alright at best but saying it's "designed around grinding" is just not true, even playing it as linearly as possible, doing no skirmishes at all and playing on hard mode the game is still probably the easiest FE on the gba, and one of the easier FE in general when compared to the entire series. Grinding was absolutely added on top of a game that didn't require it to succeed. If you think otherwise than I can only assume that your experience with the series is extremely limited.

@andrewkos5560 4 года назад

16:26 That's a very interesting take, since I was under the impression Sacred Stones had something of a fan favorite cast. A lot of the best moments are buried in Supports though, so maybe Shane just never got around to them.

@milesdavis607 4 года назад

Joshua and Natasha continue to be my favorite couple in FE history. I was immediately sold when I realized not only Natasha was the only way to recruit Joshua; but also the dynamic of the recruit conversation was unbearably adorable. The dude cheats himself into a poor fighting situation without ever blaming her for what happened. Not to mention the honest complete surprise when you learn about Joshua's history. It is obvious I've been waiting 7 years for them to remake the game or make a sequel? lol

@Ferdoe 3 года назад

With how much feh puts fe8 characters in one would think so. I love fe8 but seriously why so many eirika and ephraim units

@jonathann.5754 Год назад

Exactly Garcia ross support is also really nice And forde's total supports are amazing if you put them together.

@joshuaevenson250 3 месяца назад

Yes. I think the support conversations in sacred stones are among the best of the whole franchise! I love almost all the characters.. and loved exploring every possible future they could have had

@Hesketh32 4 года назад

I think branch promotion is one of the best ideas in fire emblem ever 👍🏻

@willbow1304 4 года назад

I agree, I think it increases replayability and also enhances the possibilities in terms of strategy.

@yaboiskittlez7943 4 года назад

Not to mention it allows you to figure out by trial and error which unit works best as which class, and even if you don't want to min max them, you have options. FE 8 did it best, I don't think it would have worked if everyone could be everything, Three Houses I could pass as the exception. But taking it out of the game between SS and the next real staple, being Awakening (no offense to Shadow Dragon or FE 12) where the branch promotions were overshadowed by second seals, it kind of broke the game.

@Hesketh32 4 года назад

Ya Boi Skittlez personally I think Fates did it best. Everyone could be anything yes but only two base classes easier to get (I guess it is not that hard to get the other ones but in my experience it wasnt worth it) . Other than that I think the classes were well varied and thank God there were no gender locked classes. And even if they werent all balanced I liked that all of them have the same number of skills. I still see your point why SS could be considered the best one and personally I have so many complaints with 3H class system that I dont even know where to begin.

@crushdavis7048 4 месяца назад

@@Hesketh32 I love how Fates has your "canon" classes that the characters should go into but still gives you the flexibility to make your own fun if you want to do something crazy. I CAN make Elise a General. I definitely shouldn't but its nice having that option if I want to do an Armoured only run.

@nicoloenricorimoldi7425 4 года назад

I disagree about the story. It's much more cohesive (and logical) than Blazing Sword, and has dark undertones (like Orson's subplot) that were absent from the previous two games. You said that the Demon King is a generic final boss, but I could say the same about the Fire Dragon from FE7. The main antagonist is Lyon, which is just on another level compared to Nergal (which is a complete idiot) I agree about hearing half of the story with the route split. While it improves replayability, it could have been handled better.

@yoannmarchesse988 4 года назад

Imo, fomoortis is the best final monster in fire emblem

@lpfan4491 4 года назад

demonking: highly intelligent threat nergal: yeet

@piojoaquinlopez8881 4 года назад

demon king was not fully utilized as it didnt get too indepth on his origins. Personally I would love if the demon king was sarcastic and overestimating, somewhat taunting. Hes a bit boring in fe8 but he could be much better.

@somethingwithultra7231 3 года назад

@@piojoaquinlopez8881 That's not entirely wrong though; Maybe that would have been cool, but it isn't how he was represented in the first place. His entire motive here boils down to just making those who imprisoned him for so long suffer as much as he can. With this came him just being an asshole through the lens of Lyon's possession too.

@SuperZez 3 года назад

I don't think anyone can argue that Sacred Stones is more logical than Blazing Blade when Sacred Stones has an honest to goodness time paradox. The events surrounding 4x are such that it has to have taken place both before chapter 1... and after chapter 2.

@henryreturns1397 4 года назад

Well things to point out : - After you beat the main campaign , you can head to the Lagdou Ruins and Tower of Valni, both of them have floors that reused some maps of the previous GBA games. - Sacred Stones also lets you unlock those secret characters by playing the Tower and Lagdou ruins, even though you can't use them on PvP. - It has good villains like Lyon, who kind of comes a bit close to Arvis (I personally like Arvis more) - FE8 has probably the most rom hacks or it's the most modded FE people used to create fanmade FE games.

@mgae714 4 года назад

While I wouldn’t go as far as to say forgettable, I do agree that Sacred Stones doesn’t really have any big Highs. It also doesn’t have any big Lows imo. Just solid, not your greatest experience, but enjoyable overall.

@edgelord8337 4 года назад

I just feel that the gameplay is solid enough to carry the game.

@yaboiskittlez7943 4 года назад

I feel like one big high not discussed enough were the minor villians. If newer games had villians like Valter, Selena, and the rest, Fire Emblem would be able to introduce moral grey to the story again. But instead we get, from Awakening on, at least, Whalhart, Validar, Garon, who even in conquest it was no queation he was the main antagonist. Three Houses recently did better, but only marginally by comparison to the few games before it. Valter, for as vile as he was, deserves a lot more credit than this video gave him. He basically ran this game while on screen and he lasted longer than Grado did. Orson, such a tragic story, but amazing, even if a little creepy. We need villians like him.

@NightSwamp 4 года назад

@@yaboiskittlez7943 Imo 3 houses does moral grey the best along with SS. Edelgard and Rhea. Play all routes + ashen wolves and you'll see.

@Hilversumborn 3 месяца назад

I disagree, the villains are Sacred Stones biggest highlights. They elevate Sacred Stones from good to great.

@Hesketh32 4 года назад

18:38 thats not true tho, blazing blade has the same amount of appearances in cipher than sacred stones. Also Thracia only has one (and a half since it shared with genealogy). I dont think its as unloved as you claim it to be imo, usually the SS banners in heroes are well received and idk being a standalone game in the series isnt exactly its fault so to speak

@motegadg 4 года назад

L'Arachel is in it sooooooo i love it

@Haarwyvern Год назад

Exactly my take

@skycaptain39 4 года назад

I think the story is a lot tighter and well put together than fe7, especially with Lyon Oh yeah, the game is also stupid easy so maybe that's why it was more forgettable because the risk was too low

@edgelord8337 4 года назад

I'd say its the one that you should play first.

@yaboiskittlez7943 4 года назад

You say too easy. I say introductory game for new people to the series. You say low risk, I say look at Valter, Orson and his wife, Ismire and the man who obsessed over her, and even Selena and Dussel, two generals who lost faith in their nation, and one changed their path while the other remained loyal to death, despite losing hope at each turn in their country. Tell me how that's low risk. I bet we never see another Orson Monica situation in a fire emblem game.

@skycaptain39 4 года назад

@@yaboiskittlez7943 yeah personally I enjoy the story, but even without the tower of valni, seth alone snaps the game over his knee The game is really, REALLY easy and when the gameplay feels like there is no risk of anything wrong happening, it's hard to make it happen in the story alone

@ohtorikanae 3 года назад

*cough* Ephraim Route's chapter 14

@gtdfg4594 Год назад

@@yaboiskittlez7943 I know I'm late, and I know this is shocking, but let's not pretend that Orson and his wife are the plot of Sacred Stones. Of course it's a fantastic moment storywise, but it's only one reason why the story is good. Relationships are tight and very well explained, supports are great and the campaign fleshes out the villain really well. I think people overestimate Orson a little too much.

@Spoogebro 3 года назад

This game is literally just a modern fire emblem game and I think it doesn’t get enough credit for that. Sacred stone cemented almost everything he gave in a fire emblem game. This and awakening pretty much play identically. I hope they give scree stones a remake like they did with gaiden.

@Ochain 4 года назад

Perhaps it's nostalgia, or perhaps I simply have strange taste, but sacred stones is and probably always will be my favorite game in general. It was the very first fire emblem I ever played. Although I will admit that the cast of playable characters can be a bit underwhelming at times, it evens out for me personally when looking at the villains. Fomortiis, sure, was a bit bland, but lyon, Selena, caellach, valter, glen, and many more were SO awesome, and are what really made this game so memorable for me. People say that good protagonists can save bad villains, but good villains cant save bad protagonists, but in this case, I think the villains completely and utterly saved the whole story of this game for me. Now that's not to say I didnt enjoy some of the playable characters as well. Some standouts for me were Joshua, L'arachel's group, Saleh, and Myrrh. Even the wonder twins held up decently well in my eyes (Ephraim is my favorite lord in the series), though I know they are hated by the community, and not undeservedly. Gameplay wise, although i do consider myself to be a veteran of the series at this point, having at least played every game in the series, I LOVED this game. Branching promotions allowed for tons of customization and replayability. Grinding being optional I think worked completely fine. And possibly the biggest thing for me was the actual inclusion of a postgame. Even in similar style games like awakening, most FE games just send you back to right before the final chapter after beating the game. In Sacred Stones, you can instead grind to your hearts content, having fun building up each unit, and even being able to recruit some major characters along the way (like lyon, Fado, and Ismaire). Overall, this game just strikes all the right cords with me, and I love it immeasurably because of that. (Great video btw!)

@yaboiskittlez7943 4 года назад

You basically hit every point I feel for this game. And I don't think the cast of protagonists is in dire waters, by any means. You can look at Awakening and Fates today and put each character in an archetype and it's very easy to do so. Sacred Stones has a more well rounded cast and even if they don't get all the screen time in the world, show me a Fire Emblem game besides 3 Houses Today that truly does do this. At least Sacred Stones lets characters shine in supports and you can easily see them thanks to things like the tower if you choose to use it. I did so I could flesh out the characters over multiple playthroughs. And what I see in Sacred Stones is not what I see in Awakening or even worse Fates supports where the conversations are predictable and generic, though not as generic as FE 10. I see unique dialoge for each combination in Sacred Stones. Some highlights are Amelia and Dussel, Joshua in general, Gerik and Saleh, Knoll and Natasha, Cormag and Tana, and more. And like OP said, the villians make this game. I've yet to see another villian after FE 8 in the series (excluding perhaps Black Knight) as good as Valter, Orson, Lyon, and a few others like Glen and Selena. FE 8 made a few mistakes, but every game has a flaw. I think FE 8, for what it was, a game to fill a quota before Path of Radiance, stood for a lot more than that.

@Ochain 4 года назад

@@yaboiskittlez7943 100% agree with everything you just said

@Hilversumborn 3 месяца назад

A hero is only as good as the villain. Seth, Eirika and Cormag vs Valter. Joshua vs Caellach. Ephraim vs Lyon. These confrontations elevate Sacred Stones from good to great.

@frug9236 4 года назад

I think Sacred Stones has the best cast of any gba Fire Emblem

@usvidragonslayer3091 4 года назад

I enjoy fe8 so much! Its not perfect but i dont care!

@brux357 4 года назад

Me too! It’s my #1 or #2 favorite in the series swapping back and forth with Awakening. I actually love how breakable it is

@dudeman5303 Год назад

I loved it, it always drove me nuts that there was no world map or anything with prior games, it's all EXTREMELY linear to a total fault. I prefer FE7 actually despite this issue, but the added game mechanics for sacred stones are entirely a massive improvement. I for some reason never best sacred stones as a kid - I had played through FE7 numerous times already when my oldest brother got fe8 for me for a Christmas present but I was starting to realize by then that a had a massive video game addiction and was really hung up about it. I was in like 8th grade, going into 9th when I started to really get affected emotionally by my nonstop video game binging, so I beat path of radiance (also binging on harvest moon it's a wonderful life. lol), started playing the sacred stones but just stopped partway because I had decided I was quitting video games altogether or at least stopping entirely for a long time so I could get used to having an actual life before starting to slightly ease my way back into playing games. I didn't pick it back up for over a decade after that. I actually hadn't beaten the sacred stones until 2 years ago and so it had been almost 15 years since I'd tried playing it. And my god I LOVED that fvcking game. So good. I love the inclusion of the undead and their battles on the world map, it is such a nice addition I can't even begin to explain how much I loved that being added. Edit: I hate that these 3 (FE7 -9) were the only ones released in the US at the time - I would love to play through the other games but I don't personally like downloading roms.

@pmrobin8 4 года назад

Just binged the whole series today. I think its very entertaining to see someone’s takes on the series as they go through it blind. I’m excited to see your opinions on the rest of the games.

@acephilosopher5146 4 года назад

4:37 Forde actually killing something

@willbow1304 4 года назад

Ok Mekkkah

@willbow1304 4 года назад

@@vanjagalovic3621 I still don't understand that. I have used Forde alongside Franz as my cav duo and it paid off really well for both of them. Forde was not as good as Franz, but was still among the best.

@boredomkiller99 4 года назад

Forde for some reason is a level 6 cavalier with the bases of a level 2. His growths while fairly good are on par with Kyle and Franz but they actually specialize more with Franz getting speed and Kyle getting more strength on top of having better base stats due to specialization. Forde is on average always slightly off where he can't kill with iron and can't double with steel.

@lpfan4491 2 года назад

@@boredomkiller99 They actually had to lower Franz's bases in localization to make Forde look less bad.

@jespoketheepic 4 года назад

This is the game in the series i come back to the most, as it keeps being a pleasant experience with its consistently ok story, cast, and maps. This is to me the least flawed game in the series, even if that is coupled with not many high points either.

@bornknarlygaming8922 3 года назад

I agree with you jespoke! I also have some content with fire emblem eight randomizer!

@thelegacyofgaming2928 2 года назад

This is the only replayable Fire Emblem aside from Radiant Dawn imo

@sojuicee368 4 года назад

Fire Emblem Sacres Stones is not only my favorite fire emblem but its also my favorite game of all time... I never knew it was so like unpopular

@PhantamSam Год назад

Sacred Stones was my first Fire Emblem and will always hold a very special and nostalgic place in my heart because of that. The permadeath lead to one of the most memorable moments of my early gaming when I lost Gilliam near the end of the final battle to an extremely low chance crit, and I chose to go forward without him rather than reset, giving emotional weight to that game that exemplifies what can make Fire Emblem so special. As young teen, I infused a lot of the characters with personality that may not have been there textually, but felt important and real to me at the time.

@Aldotiti 4 года назад

Sacred Stones is one of my favorites since I love the cast so much. I'm surprised to hear you say it had such a weak cast, but I guess maybe I just played it when I was younger so it has a lot of levels on nostalgia for me. Ephraim will always be my favorite lord in the series since he is such a Chad, and the reveal that Joshua was the prince of Jehanna was a really memorable moment to me. It was made even MORE memorable since you get to fight the one that killed his mother pretty much immediately after. I also think it has some of the best music of the GBA era. They all have really good music but I just feel like Sacred Stones has the better overall soundtrack, though the final map theme is weak compared to the Dragons Gate imo.

@bornknarlygaming8922 3 года назад

This game is a lot of fun. On my channel, I played it with my step-brother Cole on a randomizer mode. It was my first time playing the game and it was really enjoyable.

@westberrygaming9741 3 года назад

When I was a kid I absolutely hated strategy games, I have add so I didn't have much of an attention span. One day my mom took me to gamestop and I was only allowed to get 1 game. I started looking at the gba games they had and I saw one that stood out, Fire Emblem: the Sacred Stones. It didn't have a box so I had no idea it was a strategy game, I just thought the name sounded cool. You can imagine my disappointment when I got home and played it, but since I just got it and my mom wouldn't let me get a different one, I was stuck with it. So, I forced myself to play it. At first I hated it, as usual for these kinds of games, but over time that started to change. Around the time i got to Carcino in the Eirika path, I realised something, I was having fun. I actually cared about the characters and what would happen next, I was enjoying everything about the gameplay. I beat the the game later on, and I immediately went back to play it again. I don't know how many times I've beaten it, I just know that I still play it every now and then. A few years later, I went to gamestop again. Like every time before, I could only get 1. I then saw Path of Radiance on the shelf, and thought "Holy crap another Fire Emblem game!" I bought it, went home, and played the hell out of it. After beating it the first time I couldn't help but wonder, if these games were so good, why shouldn't I try other strategy games? I later got Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced and had a blast. From there I kept playing more and more strategy games, disgaea, valkyria chronicles, dawn of war, etc. I was a fan of these games now. And all of it can be traced back to an accidental purchase of FE8. I know this game isn't perfect, I know it objectively is far from the best in the series, but it's still my favorite Fire Emblem because of what it's done for me. If you actually took the time to read all this, thank you for listening.

@Morow991 3 года назад

FE8 Pros and cons: Pros: Seth is in this game. Cons: None left, Seth murdered them all.

@Guts_Brando 2 года назад

Lol

@shinylunala404 2 года назад

this is the absolute best comment i have seen it is soo true too because seth is the most broken unit in all of the series

@thelegacyofgaming2928 2 года назад

Seth easily the strongest character in FE. No other unit dominates from ch. 1 to endgame

@TheFreestylebeast Год назад

And Joshua lol

@Abundy 4 года назад

Surprising take after you viewed FE7 so positively, I think FE8 is much better story and character wise, it has it's flaws, but far less than FE7

@azulesmalls5514 4 года назад

... well the characters in FE7 actually have a personality... and the emotional moments in FE7 really hit... Its just fun to play a Fire Emblem game that's much more customizable than usual... it's the reason why Pokemon got so popular. But... having less flaws story and character-wise doesn't make the experience good or memorable... If the characters are better why are they so forgettable? (except for a few). (sigh) anyway subjectivity is a thing and I hope you realize that your opinion is unpopular... so hopefully you can defend yourself from haters...

@lpfan4491 4 года назад

if one wants a good example for how deep fe8 can go when it wants to:dozla and garcia japanese supportline

@thelegacyofgaming2928 2 года назад

FE8 definitely ranks above FE7 overall. The cast is much better, whereas in FE7 only the Lord's were good.

@raphaelsorel6907 Год назад

@@thelegacyofgaming2928 Amazing, every word of what you said is wrong.

@Fizz-Q Год назад

@@thelegacyofgaming2928 you are literally wrong on every single level my guy what on the actual fuck.

@makohidari4723 4 года назад

have to disagree a bit with this one. I'd say the story was at least a step up over 7. And even now. Sacred stones has my favorite cast of characters in the fire emblem series. Also. using cipher the judge popularity of characters.. i don't know about that... i would say it's biggest problem is simply the lack of difficulty. FE8 could use a remake in that regard

@raphaelsorel6907 Год назад

The characters are painfully boring compared to FE7 and you know it, fanboy.

@dreamz1417 Год назад

@@raphaelsorel6907 11/10 argument you got me convinced FE7 characters aren't bad by any means but I'd have a hard time even recollecting all of them even though I've replayed the game last year. Haven't played Sacred Stones in a few years but the characters are still living rent free in my head and I love them a lot.

@raphaelsorel6907 Год назад

@@dreamz1417 Nah, you’re just being a fanboy. They aren’t really all that interesting compared to the FE7 characters. Also, Ephraim and Eirika pale in comparison to the Lyican Noble Trio.

@dreamz1417 Год назад

@@raphaelsorel6907 Am I out of touch? Back in my day being a fanboy was a good thing and a good argument for one game being better than the other. Not saying it is, but personally I like Fe8 more. Also I don't agree with the Lycian Nobles being more interesting. Hector is great, but the other two are very standard issue fire emblem characters. Now don't get me wrong, I love all three of them too, but Eirika and Ephraim are more interesting to me because Lyon exists. Keep in mind, these are subjective opinions. Which is why I'm weirded out by you treating your opinion like it's a fact everyone should know.

@raphaelsorel6907 Год назад

@@dreamz1417 Nah, you just barged in to share your opinion and make it seem like a fact. I did it too, sure, but so does everyone at some point in life. This habit isn’t anything special. Also, they’re really lame characters. They are painfully cookie cutter protagonists. Simple as that.

@Oblivion776 4 года назад

"Grinding is optional and its inclusion doesn't diminish the quality of the game" (paraphrased) Why would you say something so controversial yet so brave?

@yaboiskittlez7943 4 года назад

It's not brave or really a controversial topic for Sacred Stones. Most players can concede that Sacred Stones doesn't need grinding to be easy. It IS controversial in Awakening where you get underleveled units in joining chapters where you need to grind to use them. However, this isn't Sacred Stone's fault. And if anything, it was cornerstone for those games in how to implement it. Those games doing it different is those games' fault. Reguardless, I think the Tower in Sacred Stones helps it more than it hurts. It makes Sacred Stones a good jumping into the franchise game to play. And while that could hurt players later when they play games without it, it still serves as a better starting game than Awakening or Fates. Probably better than FE 9, definitely better than FE 10. I'd argue better than Shadow Dragon or FE 12. And SS is probably even better than FE 7 because FE 7 is just a mess, really.

@dudeman5303 3 года назад

@@yaboiskittlez7943 I seriously don't get why anyone would think FE7 is a mess. I've played like 5 fire emblem games and that's the one I go back to the most. Hands down my favorite.

@cyanlos01 3 года назад

I'm confused. Sacred Stones was my first Fire Emblem game, and it was what made me love the entire franchise as a whole -- especially because of its story. So when FE Heroes came out, I was very ecstatic to collect all the Sacred Stones characters I could. Despite its shortcomings, and despite it being forgettable for most people (and even the developers), should I really "need" to hate it? Because there's a lot of things about the story that still resonates with me to this day.

@abhishek79 4 года назад

This is the very first FE game that i played. It will always be my fav

@mysterroniouscherry326 3 года назад

Same me too😁

@edgelord8337 4 года назад

I've been coming across hard times and looking at this makes me remember the sacred stones is my all time favorite fire emblem game. Almost every single character is an a to me and the supports are some of the best in the series. The pixel art is stunning and the story while short is enjoyable. I'd say this is my favorite game in the series and I can't wait for more.

@soggysoles2872 2 года назад

I know this is an old video, but I truly love and respect how you can find something good to say about anything. It’s a really admirable quality for a reviewer/creator to have!

@FlufyDestryrOfWorlds 4 года назад

As someone who's unable to play the earlier games and gets anxiety from perma-death, but also wants to know the ins and outs of the games and it's lore, this series was a fantastic find! The videos are so well made and I look forward to every update. I'm glad I'm now in a place where I can actively support on patreon. Thank you for your dedication, Shane! Looking forward to seeing my boy Ike take the stage!

@GamesBrained 4 года назад

I'm glad to hear that you've enjoyed them so much! :)

@danny18894 4 года назад

This just popped into my feed , and since I loved Sacred Stones I decided to watch , Not caring for how long the video was. Thanks for your incredible work on researching and creating a well thought out video for this game. Your retrospective of this game was an incredibly thought out and very well implemented , I'll make sure to subscribe and watch the rest of your retrospectives when given the time to see if any other game may have things I didn't know. Bless your work and I hope things keep going well.

@yaboiskittlez7943 4 года назад

If you loved Sacred Stones, then this wasn't a perfectly executed video. He barely touched on the things that make this game as good as it is. He merely scratched the surface on Valter, Orson, Glen, Selena, how Lyon was a good foil in each path on it's own. He instead opted to combine the canons like there isn't a true one and declare it confusing or a flaw in the game. He used Fortimis in his arguement. No Fire Emblem game has a stellar final boss aside from perhaps Three Houses and maybe Fire Emblem 4. His retrospective in this video was more talking about surface level gameplay and story and not actually digging into how interesting the characters can be if you read supports. I'll agree, he defended grinding decently well, for this game at least, but he did little good for the game's stronger points.

@Oblivionknight 4 года назад

I have loved all your videos, but I can't believe you think SS has a weak cast and your analysis on Lyon felt so lacking.

@DudeCrazy198 Год назад

Here 2 years later and agreed. The characters have less supports and story significance but the supports they have make them way more dynamic and interesting than the other GBA FE casts imo

@raphaelsorel6907 Год назад

@@DudeCrazy198 Nah, they’re too unmemorable and bland compared to FE7. You know that’s true. They’re just really lame.

@raphaelsorel6907 Год назад

The cast is weak, kid. Remove your fanboyism filter.

@ilikedota5 3 года назад

You used Gerik as a ranger? Why? My impression is that Lyon is fully posessed on both routes, but possessed differently, like Lyon's was more slower but also more complete, and Lyon was a bit more willing perhaps. Ephraim's already decided on stopping him, but Eirika has more drama about it. Also, if you do it right, you don't need to take a single hit from the Demon King. I think you need to read through the text more carefully next time, because there is a lot you missed in the analysis as far as plot differences between the two. You seem to think that in Eirika's route, Evil Lyon had manipulated her, but don't seem to believe that as much for Ephraim... Even though the Demon King could have manipulating them both through Lyon on both routes.

@stephenjex8841 3 года назад

Gerik as a ranger makes me so uncomfortable

@versebuchanan512 Год назад

Eph is my favorite Lord to this very day. That promoted crit animation is godly.

@RichardBlaziken 4 года назад

Aaand I'm caught up! Took a couple days, but man I'm glad I watched them. I've never gotten into Fire Emblem too much outside of Awakening and watching these has been fascinating insight into the series. I cannot for the next season! You earned a Sub. :)

@bigtimetimmyjim6486 4 года назад

How the heck do you not have more subs? Not only are your videos well-done, but your witty humor (especially at 22:36) is great!

@zo0bit 2 года назад

Saying Sacred Stone's story is bad is certainly a hot take, especially after playing FE6 and 7.

@raphaelsorel6907 Год назад

It’s not bad, just too cookie cutter.

@Hilversumborn 3 месяца назад

Sacred Stones is my favorite GBA FE title. It’s simple but when it peaks, it PEAKS! The cast is actually one of my favorites, in part because the villains are great.

@michaelpodgorski1692 4 года назад

I put in waaay too many hours into this game. I've done LTCs, drafts, and mastered endgame RNG manipulation.

@graemetang4173 2 года назад

It's very interesting to think about how much Sacred Stones laid the groundwork for the future of the series with the changes to the "limitations" formula. PoR was in development at the same time, and went back to basics for the most part, and RD being a direct sequel also wouldn't have made much sense to change too much from PoR's format. Then SD and NMotE were remakes of the Archanea games, and while they added more base activities between battles, they were still fairly beholden to an established format. It wasn't until Awakening that a game was free from direct associations to previous entries, and was really built upon the Sacred Stones format.

@Real1Gaming 4 года назад

Found your channel today and have marathoned my way here. Great vids mate! Very curious what you think of the GC and Wii entries as they, along with Three Houses, are my favorites by far of the whole series.

@Robstafarian 4 года назад

Shane, this series is among may favorite things I have ever watched on RU-vid; it is extremely heartening to find someone who appreciates the history of video games in a way which is even remotely similar to my own. As I commented on an earlier video (yes, I am binging them due to my sleep disorder), I have yet to play any Fire Emblem game.

@GamesBrained 4 года назад

I'm very glad to hear that you are enjoying them so much!

@Robstafarian 4 года назад

@@GamesBrained Thanks, again, for all your hard work. Once I finish Dragon Quest XI, I am going to try splitting my time between Trails in the Sky Second Chapter and Fire Emblem 3 (starting with Book I).

@D3stinySm4sher Год назад

Been working my way through this series and really enjoying it. It’s been awesome seeing how the series took shape, and it’s so wild to me how three totally different FE games were on Super Famincom.

@jesfest 4 года назад

Wanted to let you know that the small delay between uploading and making a premiere is actually helping, at least for me. Past 2 retrospectives have been correctly showing on my feed now. About to watch this one but so far I've enjoyed every entry in the series, regardless of my own stance on the games

@Heccct 4 года назад

While I may not like this game, it's importance to the hacking community can't be denied, so I'm still glad it's a thing. And while I think it's unlikely that you'll cover hacks on your channel, maybe you should still take a look at them. There's a lot of fun to be had.

@boshwa20 4 года назад

Grinding got me an Amelia General that could double most enemiess

@GrassPokeKing 3 года назад

General Amelia best General AND best Amelia

@FreezingInfernos 4 года назад

Very good work! Loved the discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of open-world grinding. I myself used this game as the second step in an ongoing process of accustoming myself to the prevalent style of old Fire Emblem, with the limited experience. Now I'm rolling with Echoes on Classic Mode and it's fun, though I am grinding a bit because I enjoy the curbstomping aspect (and am anxious at how much of my Casual Echoes run was an absolute massacre on every map). Limited XP almost feels like survival horror mechanics, where you have to use what little you're given to survive to the best of your ability. For some people, it clicks, but for me that idea is terrifying and fills me with anxiety. Well, I'm working up to it. Good video, and looking forward to what's up next =)

@just_a_cabbage7756 3 месяца назад

One thing I have to give Sacred Stones is that, I am assuming due to the more expanded mechanics, it is the prefered game to romhack by a mile, based on an online directory that gathers and organizes links to FE romhacks. Obviously one directory cannot represent the entirety of the fandom, but FE7 is the second most used game in this directory with 88 entries. FE8 is in first place with 226.

@Slenderquil 2 месяца назад

I used to do a lot of fe8 hacking, and it's definitely the most popular of the bunch. Fe7 used to be the easiest to hack, but sacred stones took over once people figured it out. The main benefit of sacred stones hacking is the expanded skill system that most hacks tend to use.

@ReaganWolf64 4 года назад

Great video!!!

@Philemon_Logos 4 года назад

Sacred Stones is my favorite FE game with my favorite cast of characters. Playing through it was an unforgetable experience. I think you did this game justice.

@ItsBeenTooLong Год назад

I respect your opinion but being as this was my introduction to Fire Emblem. GOD I LOVED THIS GAME! Imagining growing a weak little Ross, Ewan and Amelia into the Seth I mean god they want to be. Imagining a Saleh in the middle of a desert just nuking everyone who comes near him, seeing Ephraim saving his teacher and fight along side him. Googling to find any way to save Selina, using Joshua to slit throats, using Gandolf sorry I mean Althos at the end… Damn such good times

@biglizardisaac5164 4 года назад

Bro you’re the creator on the rise today!!!

@NT-ys3oh 2 года назад

I adore sacred stones. It ranks with shadows of Valentina as my favorite games in the entire series, which I think speaks to the ways different styles of games appeal to different players. I like monsters, branching stories, and unique classes. My most vivid memories of the game are the summoner class being so much fun and the demon king being a better boss than the vanilla dragon from blazing blade. I love it and watching this made me so sad that we’ve never revisited Magvel.

@UltaFlame 3 года назад

Everything you say here ain't wrong and I don't disagree that the characterization is weak but Myrrh is the best manakete character in the series by pure aesthetic and I just wanted to make sure that was known

@V-Jes 3 года назад

Aand 1 of the worst solely because how badly they handle the dragonstone in this game...

@darklordoffirex7777 4 года назад

Fire Emblem and The Sacred Stones with my first and favorite Fire Emblem game I love the Tower of Babel and how you can grind there as well as if you get high enough you can unlock enemy bosses. Such a good game

@sirwolfy9372 8 месяцев назад

I actually like SS the most from the GBA era. Your army can consist with every LOYALTY MEMBERS OF THE GAME!! It is incredibly satisfying to use them and they can even support with each other to maximize their effects! I like that you can really build your team very effective and GOD BLESS THAT EVEN ON HARD MODE THE SPAWN ENEMY UNITS DONT MOVE UNTIL YOUR TURN! IT IS VERY WELL MANAGEABLE AND FAIR TO PLAYERS!

@sirwolfy9372 8 месяцев назад

I forgot to mention something, is not actually a problem but I found it funny when I realized after seeing a video that I catched that detail. There is a secret shop in Sacred Stones. I managed to get there, buy stuffs until I get poor... But I sold my Silver and Member Card to buy some more, nothing unusual there right? Well... the video I mentioned early shown me that if you still have the member card, you have access to the shop in the world map... I was just... "WHAT???? THEY LET YOU KEEP ACCESS TO THE SECRET SHOP EVEN AFTER THE SEIZE MAP??? THAT IS BUSTED!!!" My thoughts about the secret shops were just like the previous games, where you could only access on that map. I know that you can visit normal shops from the other maps but this I think it was too much to be honest. I can see that it would be a reward for players to access and build a Juggernaut of an army but I could only guess that was only for new game+ not for your first run!(maybe it was exclusive to HARD MODE since my first run was on hard but still, it is just a busted feature to first runs). Don't get me wrong, again, I actually think that this was a great idea but not like this, this should be a reward for veterans not first timers imo.

@christianacosta9556 2 года назад

i would never understand why people hate on this game because of the grinding element. like you dont have to use it.

@abc4781 4 года назад

Personally my favorite fire emblem game.

@middle_pickup 3 года назад

I cannot wait for your retrospective on Young Lord Tingle's adventure throughout Fire Emblem Balloon Trip of Love. Please next!

@TheBiggBopper 4 года назад

The only reason why I love sacred stones is because Lyon is a great villain in the Ephraim route. Also Ephraim and L'arachel are fantastic characters. The gameplay is meh but it's enjoyable.

@Bjorick 3 года назад

gotta say, i'm a grinder/curb stomper type of gamer lol, i appreciate your comments regarding this it's how i handle life as well, prepare for a situation, go into it, and do your best to crush it, going into areas without review isn't a strong point for me, so yeah..... regardless, as you mentioned, so long as they support the previous play style and don't force the new style, then there isn't much wrong with giving the options to play like you want :)

@kingofthebis1068 4 года назад

Coronavirus quarantine got me waiting so long for the next vid that I literally just decided to play the game myself

@x54xHantamachine 3 года назад

Sacred Stones is my second favorite game after SoV. I really like a lot of the cast, the pacing feels decent, and honestly the minmaxing, unit building, rpg-esque grindjng that is made an option in this game is way up my alley. I know its not everyone's cup of tea, but I really like to take my time with FE games and make my favorite units as strong as possible.

@onadaTotihotiH 3 года назад

Honestly, this was my first FE game and it was only relatively recently that I actually went back and played it again for the Creature Campaign as I actually didn't know it existed back in like 2006, lol. All things considered, it definitely fit in a lot better for newcomers since you had all of these options for extra grinding and stuff and I appreciate the effort since they took this into account following the success of FE7. I will admit that CC as postgame content itself was actually a really nice idea and I'm surprised that it still hasn't really been utilized much

@whiteamericanmale7392 4 года назад

Funny how this comes out the day after the Draft Race

@matrixracing8268 4 года назад

Creator On The Rise!

@piojoaquinlopez8881 4 года назад

I thought you would mention this but its OK, but I really loved the idea of the post game dungeon that allowed you to unlock characters. Its not necessary but its fun to try a post game challenge.

@matthewcunningham5382 4 года назад

I do like your perspective when you were critiquing this difficulty issue. I do think you're a little harsh on these games stories, the Demon King may not have been all that interesting by himself but his relationship with Lyon made both of them some of the most interesting antagonists in Fire Emblem

@yaboiskittlez7943 4 года назад

I've read some comments, and a couple agree, but I wanted to throw my hat in the ring for a couple of things. 1. As far as the final boss goes, look at the majority of FE final bosses from the GBA era. The final red dragon had no real importance from FE 7. FE 6's actual final boss is skipable, and even that fight is easily won with the Blinding Blade. I'd argue even in newer games, Awakening, for example, Grima was not a crazy good fight that made sense. So judging FE 8's final boss isn't really judging the franchise for a high point. 2. Sacred Stones is more liked than people give it credit for. Recently, it's gotten more banners in Heroes, heck Ephraim is a legendary hero, something not all the games can say they have 1 of yet. And he got a brave hero form as well. Few characters besides Ike can claim that this early in Heroes. Maybe not the entire cast gets a lot of credit, but support conversations in FE 8 reveal a lot about them. Something you can't say in later entries (Radiant Dawn) and not all of FE 8's characters just fit a mold that Awakening seemed to establish as a norm once we got to games like Fates. The characters of FE 8 don't exist to fit a stereotype, though some do compliment one or two. 3. I feel like without Sacred Stones, Awakening and games after that used the open map would be worse off. Gaiden made it, sure. But, Sacred Stones took the first steps to refine it. And while we could get into a debate of open map progression vs chapter to chapter, let's stick with just how well Awakening did, where most of the open map progression was refined even more, and the game saved Fire Emblem. To then go to Fates where one game supported open map and the other took it away unless you paid for DLC. Overtime, Fire Emblem has been working on mastering this playstyle of open map progression, and with Gaiden as the foundation, Sacred Stones is an important cornerstone to this. TL;DR: Sacred Stones is a lot more in this franchise than given credit for, here. Both to the fans and the devs of the game. Was it a one off story wise? Perhaps. But it is no less important than any other installment.

@FhargaZ 3 года назад

The access to the supply from the main character in the map is a nice addition.

@AdamsGemu 4 года назад

Congratulations for being the creator on the rise 👏

@ok-yv9dd 3 года назад

Can we talk about the combat animations? I'd take these over anything in recent games any day! Like jesus christ, i love them.

@deadtotheworld00 4 года назад

This was the first fire emblem I had ever played so it holds a special place for me. I'm one of the people that does enjoy grinding, I love doing it in every game! So that was never an issue to me. I really just love the amount of polish in the animations and graphics that 8 had over 7. Its been a while since I've played this one, guess I should probably pop in for another one soon!

@MayaCreations95 2 года назад

Yesss!! I grew up playing this game! This is the first fire emblem game I played when this game released in game boy advance 😍💖

@dvader518 2 года назад

16:18 Of course you started to care when meeting L'arachel. She's a "love her or hate her" kind of character. Also, hilarious.

@boredomkiller9985 4 года назад

Sacred stones might not have been anything special but it is tighter because of it. Fe 7 story seems good due to how different it is but the story is pretty bad due to having a lot of plot holes due to its ambition

@raphaelsorel6907 Год назад

No, you’re wrong.

@TheCayDawg 3 года назад

I love this game so much. Everyone says it's too easy but I don't think that means it's a bad game. It's definitely a good game to play for newcomers. I really want a refined remake eventually with voice acting and stuff.

@butteredsalmonella 4 года назад

Make a Retrospective of the Advance Wars Series too. The sister series of Fire Emblem.

@Scanny524 4 года назад

I'm just stop off real quick to agree that L'Arachel is the best thing about this game's plot. Hilarious, dynamic, and heroic, she breathes fresh air into every scene she features in. I remember my first time playing through I was hoping that beating both routes would unlock a third secret L'Arachel route. I can recognise that an entire game with her as a protagonist might get tiresome, I think she could have been utilised a little more in the story (maybe to the degree Lyn features in Eliwood/Hector's story?).

@secrated 3 года назад

When i was young playing this ,i was fanboying at seth, saleh and gerik :D

@ctochtli2964 2 года назад

I love sacred stones, and I love the two sistems, the farming and the limited one, I'm glad be able of use both sistems depending the game. Is like the metroidvanias, I love the metroid and castlevania.

@brianmidkiff5408 3 года назад

What FE7 did you play? You keep mentioning the poor translation, something I’ve never experienced. I’m also still salty to your criticism of FE7’s story, which you didn’t explain. Great series of videos in general though

@dudeman5303 3 года назад

Yeah I have seen like 4 people say the story to FE7 was bad, I legitimately don't see it because it's had hands down the best story of all fire emblem games I've played, it actually keeps you engaged the entire time. I am replaying sacred stones right now and whereas I like the game, it doesn't have the "character" that FE7 had. I think FE7 had the best story and characters of all of them, and I love the other FE games I've played but most of the games don't put as much into creating memorable characters like that game did.

@Greenbonerful Год назад

Thank you for the informational and thoughtful video. As a young kid in the states, FE8 was actually my first FE game and is why I fell in love with the series. I remember going back and playing FE7 and thinking "wow this is way harder" and I got a much greater sense of accomplishment from beating that game. But I still love FE8 and I think it's got a lot of replay value. So this retrospective review made a lot of sense to me! However one thing I disagree with is that I think the FE8 class has some memorable units, albeit maybe not given the best writing. It was always cool to see the trainee dialogue though for Ross and Amelia and I really enjoyed Lyon, while Formortis is not my favorite final boss.

@29go 2 года назад

Sacred stones was the very first video game i ever played, i hold very fond memories of this game and i play it often on my original gameboy advance, its not my favorite fire emblem but its a peak memory for me

@mysterroniouscherry326 3 года назад

This is my first FE game I played, and it is always my favourite😁 This is my Childhood😊

@bobbyasaka 3 года назад

The fact that you have Samto cameoing here for really no reason makes me happy.

@gustavoroque8830 2 года назад

I fricking love this game. I put hella hours on it. I loved the branch choices and the story was cool imo

@davidgeorge1943 Год назад

Don't mind me, I'm just admiring the visual aid at 24:38.

@GribbleGob 4 года назад

Best GBA Fire Emblem.

@stephenavignone8836 Год назад

This was the first game I played back when I was 14. I loveeeeed this game and put countless hours. So this is actually my favorite FE (even if its not as good as 7)

@connormclernon26 3 года назад

This is the Fire Emblem I am most familiar with. It was my childhood

@qazentro4444 4 года назад

8:21 Heart attack.

@leemeyer9395 4 года назад

@SoupRoutine 5 месяцев назад

This has always been my favorite in the series. I know you said the characters didn't land for you, but for me I enjoy them all. They do feel considerably less "anime" than other games, but I'm not a huge anime fan so that's not a bad thing IMO. Some of the future games' characters are so goofy and anime that it honestly starts to take me out of the experience. I enjoy the open map progression a lot, but I can see why it would be a divisive topic and why the purists feel the way they do about it. Personally, I feel like it adds a good level of accessibility to the games and that the benefits outweigh the negatives. Because like you said, you're not really FORCED to do any extra grinding if you don't want to. But I am firmly in the camp of people who enjoys creating extremely powerful teams who can sweep the rest of the game with ease, so I'm not really an authority on this. Great video anyways. Gonna have to check out the rest of the series (at least for the FE games I've played)

@ty_sylicus 2 года назад

As my second Fire Emblem game, I have such fond memories of Sacred Stones. I found the protagonists to be super cool and I especially liked having one wield a Spear for a change. I felt the cast and soundtrack were both great too. I enjoyed the dual narratives and, like FE7 before it, I played through multiple times in a row to experience both difficulties (normal and hard), and unlock some of the boss units for fun. I really liked the trainee classes and the monster battles. Was FE8 easy? Well sure but, after the difficult of FE7, it was a refreshing experience.