Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
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| Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones | |
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| Developer(s) | Intelligent Systems |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance |
| Release | October 7, 2004 (JP) May 23, 2005 (NA) November 4, 2005 (EU) |
| Genre(s) | Tactical RPG |
| Mode(s) | Campaign (Single Player), Link Arena (Multiplayer) |
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (Japanese:Fire Emblem: Seima no Kouseki) is a Japanese tactical role-playing game for the Game Boy Advance developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. It is the 8th game of the Fire Emblem series, and the second to be released in North America.
Gameplay mechanics
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones builds upon the standard Fire Emblem mechanism, with many changes.
One notable way this game differs from the first North American release of the original Game Boy Advance Fire Emblem is by the return of Fire Emblem: Gaiden's World Map concept: instead of only training and buying items during battle, players can train units in special areas on the map, prepare for battle by purchasing weapons, and manage units, all on the map screen. This system introduces new aspects into the game's strategy - for example, there are some levels which can be restarted after training a specific character, making it possible to have characters attain their maximum level earlier than halfway through the game. However, this exploit takes considerable time, due to the minimized experience gained by the character as he or she gains levels. The introduction of extra maps is believed by some to be an improvement - in the previous game in the series, many players found it extremely hard to train a low-level character during battle, however this makes the game incredibly easy because this makes it possible to max out every character in the game with no problem.
However, during the story, players can only access these shops during battle, with a Member Card in their inventory, until they beat the game. As well, no stat-increasing items are sold in the main game. The game also allows purchase of basic iron weapons and low-level tomes from the armory in the supply caravan before battle, and lets players take items from supply during battle if they are in a group.
Sacred Stones also introduces the Branched Promotion Tree - units are still promoted using specific items (the standard system in most Fire Emblem releases), but it is now possible to choose what the unit promotes into. The only units that do not have a branched promotion are the Lords, Eirika and Ephraim, who both promote into their own unique Great Lord class (not related to Hector's class from FE7).
A rudimentary skill system was reintroduced, which gives some classes unique skills. For example, the Bishop class' "Slayer" skill triples a weapon's might when fighting monsters.
Like the previous game in the series, The Sacred Stones suffers from a few minor and harmless glitches. This game, however, also includes a harmful glitch which makes the game freeze when a Wyvern Knight uses the "Pierce" skill with a ranged weapon such as the javelin or spear while the animation for that character is on. Another glitch from the previous game in the series also reappears, allowing the player to control enemy units in the map, albeit being harder to perform.
The Sacred Stones carries over the multiplayer Link Arena from the previous game with no changes whatsoever, apart from different music.
Game Story
Prologue
"In an age long past... evil flooded over the land. Creatures awash in the dark tide ran wild, pushing mankind to the brink of annihilation. In its despair, mankind appealed to the heavens, and from a blinding light came hope. The Sacred Stones. These five glorious treasures held the power to dispel evil. The hero Grado and his warriors used the Sacred Stones to combat evil's darkness. They defeated the Demon King and sealed his soul away within the stones. With the darkness imprisoned, peace returned to Magvel. But this peace would not last..."
This is the text that shows in the cut scene upon starting a new game.
Eirika (Eirik)'s Story (Prologue - 8)
This game starts in the continent of Magvel, in the country of Renais, year 803. The Grado Empire, which had a long-standing alliance with Renais, launched a surprise attack on Renais by the order of Emperor Vigarde. This threatens the whole of Magvel, and Renais is taken by surprise and soon defeated. Prince Ephraim has gone missing as Grado seizes territories through Renais. Princess Eirika escapes Renais Castle as it is attacked, with King Fado's bodyguard General Seth guiding her to Frelia. Valter, the Moonstone General, attempts to capture her and badly injures Eirika's guard Seth. Along the way to Frelia, a friendly country to Renais, she meets up with Franz, a young cavalier of Renais, and Gilliam, a knight of Frelia, and rescue Princess Tana from Grado's soldiers as they invade Border Mulan. They meet King Hayden, who suggests that Eirika stay and wait for Ephraim to return, but Eirika wishes to move towards Grado. King Hayden sends Moulder the priest and Vanessa the pegasus knight to aid Eirika. They enter the town of Ide, meet two villagers, Ross and Garcia, and assist them after their village is destroyed. They venture to Borgo, meeting Colm and Neimi, where bandits wreak havoc after the fall of Renais. Their ventures lead them to Za'ha Woods, where monstrosities have mysteriously appeared, and get through with the assistance of the light magic of Artur and the anima magic of Lute. Upon entering Serafew, Grado has discovered their presence. Natasha of Grado and Joshua, a mercenary, ally themselves with Eirika. Natasha tells Eirika of the Sacred Stones, and that they sealed away an ancient demon king centuries ago. At this time, Ephraim and his companions go into Fort Renvall and battle through to seize the castle. However, Valter surrounds them and puts Ephraim and his companions into a battle. Upon arrival at the Adlas Plains, entering Grado territory, a mysterious man, holding hostage a young girl from Renais, tricks Eirika into giving him a bracelet that her father handed down to her, and Eirika's friends are soon in a foggy fight where they must save a family as well as obtain Eirika's bracelet. After taking it back from the man, Eirika is told by Seth that her bracelet, along with Ephraim's, would be able to open the passage to Renais' Sacred Stone. If all stones are destroyed, a centuries-old Demon King could be resurrected. Eirika ventures into Fort Renvall, where they attack the main gate. As they enter the fort, they meet one of Ephraim's companions, Orson, who tells Eirika and Seth that he can lead them to where Ephraim is being held. However, this is a ruse, as Orson has betrayed Ephraim for the chance to rule Renais. Orson leaves, and a battle starts to take the castle. During the battle, Ephraim and his loyal cavaliers Forde and Kyle meet up with Eirika. They seize Renvall and return to Frelia, wondering whatever is happening with Lyon, a childhood friend of theirs, the crown prince of Grado...
Eirika's Split Journey (9- 14)
Following a military meeting in Frelia, Eirika splits from Ephraim, bringing Forde and Kyle with her to take a ship to the Theocracy of Rausten. When she reaches Port Kiris, she finds no ships are sailing as a ghost ship has been sinking any ship it finds. A young recruit in the Grado army, Amelia, switches allegiences and joins Eirika. She ends up taking an overland route to Rausten, which goes through the Republic of Carcino. This is the very same route Prince Innes of Frelia takes, who finds that some members of the council of the Republic of Carcino have betrayed Frelia and joined forces with Grado. Carcino is ruled by a council of elders who maintain order within the country, but Pablo, one of the elders, has allied himself and an army of sellswords with Grado. Innes and his mercenaries Gerik and Tethys are trapped hopelessly, so Eirika rushes to their aid. During the battle, Gerik is able to persuade a fellow mercenary, Marisa, to join their cause. Ewan, Tethys's brother, offers to guide them to the mountainous village of Caer Pelyn, where his teacher, Saleh, lives. Along the way, they meet up with the troubadour L'Arachel and her bodyguard, Dozla, who join their cause. Eirika passes into Caer Pelyn, where she meets Glen, a General of Grado whom has been sent to execute Eirika. When Eirika tells her story, Glen believes her and sets off to find answers of Grado's rebellion. Before he can report back to Vigarde, he is betrayed and killed by General Valter. Valter tells of Glen's death to Glen's brother, Cormag, who believes that Eirika is the culprit. He promptly flies off for revenge. Once the army makes it to Caer Pelyn, Saleh offers to guide them to Jehanna. He, also, is looking for someone: the Manakete Myrrh, who is travelling with Ephraim. As they continue towards Jehanna, Cormag shows up and confronts Eirika. Eirika tells him that she did not kill Glen; Cormag realizes that Valter must have killed his brother, and joins her army for the sake of avenging his brother. When they reach Jehanna's palace, L'Arachel encounters Rennac, a rogue that was formerly employed by her, and presses him into service. After taking the throne from the traitor Carlyle, Eirika discovers the Queen of White Dunes, Ismaire, mortally wounded by Caellach's axe. Even worse, Jehanna's sacred stone has been destroyed. In her dying throes, Ismaire reveals that her prodigal son is Joshua and gives him the Sacred Twin weapons of Jehanna: Audhulma the Ice Sword and Excalibur the Wind Blade. While these events took place, some enemy soldiers had spread oil around the palace and set it ablaze. Barely escaping with their lives, Eirika finds herself trapped between the forces of two of Grado's generals: Caellach and Valter.
Ephraim's Split Journey (9- 14)
After splitting up with his sister, Ephraim ventures to Grado. During this journey, he finds Grado forces commonplace, with mercenary groups attempting to catch Prince Lyon. First, in Fort Rigwald, Ephraim finds Tana, the princess of Frelia, and frees her from her kidnappers. Next, he recruits Duessel, a general in Grado's army and the man responsible for Ephraim's weapon training, who is dubious of the intentions of Emperor Vigarde. Duessel mentions a "Dark Stone" to Ephraim. In the same battle in which Duessel switches allegiances, Duessel encounters Cormag, a Wyvern Rider whose brother, Glen, has been murdered. Duessel convinced him to join Ephraim. Ephraim takes a sea route to Grado, but is hindered by a ghost ship said to be sinking any ships it encounters. After he arrives in Grado, Ephraim defeats General Selena Fluorspar, receiving a dragonstone from which his friend Myrrh draws power. Ephraim arrives in Grado Keep and annhiliates Emperor Vigarde, who bizzarely cannot speak. Following the battle with Ephraim, Vigarde crumbles to dust. Lyon appears to Ephraim, and Ephraim learns the secret of the Dark Stone (also known as the Fire Emblem) from Knoll, a researcher of ancient magic.
Joined Quest (15- Epilogue)
Ephraim meets up with Eirika in the desert, and they defeat Caellach and Valter. When Ephraim and Eirika reunite their forces, they find Renais in a state of chaos, and must defeat the person assigned to guard Renais, the traitor Orson. After securing their homeland, Renais' legendary weapons Seiglinde and Seigmund, and their Sacred Stone, they decide to head to Rausten to secure the last remaining stone. As they continue, they are supposed to meet up with Frelian reinforcements, but all are killed by Grado remnants apart from Syrene, their commander, who then joins Ephraim and Eirika's army. The twins meet Lyon, who has radically changed from the friend they once knew. He leads them into a trap, intending to defeat them with Gorgons. However, the army is victorious, and one of the twins goes to confront Lyon. When following Ephraim's quest, Ephraim approaches Lyon, who freezes Ephraim, takes the Sacred Stone, and crushes it. Ephraim argues with him and asks whatever happened to him. Lyon reveals that the possessed form is a drama and that everything he had done had been under his own free will. Along Eirika's journey, Lyon is completely possessed by the Demon King, and manipulates Eirika into giving him the Sacred Stone which he then crushes. Lyon says that he will be in Darkling Woods, and teleports away. Eirika and Ephraim take time to rest at Rausten Court and to obtain Rausten's Sacred Stone, the only surviving one. Rausten Court is invaded by the last Grado General, Riev, who seeks revenge for his exile years before. After repelling the attack, the army comes Darkling Woods to stop Lyon from performing a ceremony which he believes will stop a natural disaster from occurring in Grado in the future. He is gravely mistaken, however, and the ceremony only leads to the resurrection of the mastermind behind all of these events... Formortiis the Demon King.
Characters and Creatures
These are all the characters that can be recruited during the story. The cast of characters may seem large to Fire Emblem newcomers, but this game actually has a small cast compared to other games in the series. Template:Spoilers
Lord characters
- Eirika - Lord The princess of the kingdom of Renais. She's elegant and kind.
- Ephraim - Lord The prince of Renais. He is a man of great honor and bravery.
Minor characters
Monsters
Monsters sometimes show up in story chapters and are also the only enemies in "skirmish" battles and extra maps. These are battles that take place in a location where you have cleared, and are exclusively against monsters. Monsters carry various items. They range from fairly useless items such as small amounts of gold, Iron weapons, and Vulneraries to incredibly useful items such as Elixirs, Brave weapons, Silver weapons, Killer weapons, promotion items, and stat increasers.
The monsters are:
Mogalls
Giant floating eyeballs that use dark magic. Equip: Evil Eye, Crimson Eye (which is stronger and has a slight critical). Both have unlimited uses. A higher form of mogall is an Arch Mogall. Arch Mogalls are stronger and usually use Crimson Eye. Mogalls also (rarely) use Shadowshot, which is long-range dark with 5 uses.
Bonewalkers
Dead warriors come back to life and given will by dark magic. Equip: Swords, bows, lances/ A higher form of a bonewalker is a wight. Wights wield the same weapons, but are stronger. Bonewalkers usually have exeptionally low defences and also have low attack but very high speed.
Revenants
Recently dead corpses, resembling zombies. Equip: Rotten Claw, Fetid Claw (which is stronger). Both have unlimited uses. A higher form of a revenant is an Entombed. Entombed almost always use Fetid Claw and have absurdly high HP (often 45+). However, they have low defense and are therefore great for using to level up lower-level characters. You should weaken them a bit first, though.
Baels
Giant spiders. They resemble acromantulas (Harry Potter). Equip: Sharp Claw, Poison Claw (which is poisonous), and Lethal Talon (which is also poisonous, but stronger than either). All 3 have unlimited uses. A higher form of a Bael is an Elder Bael. Elder Baels either use Poison Claw or Lethal Talon or Sharp Claw.
Tarvos
Giant centaur-like creatures. The stronger form is called Maelduin, which are dark purple in hue, and can use bows as well as axes. Equip: Axes, bows. Because they are horse-like, anti-calvary weapons are effective against them.
Cyclops
One eyed Giants, with immense power. Can resist almost any weapon but are very slow. Magic is the key to defeat them. Equip: Axes. There is no known higher form of a cyclops.
Gargoyle
Giant winged beasts that slightly resemble wyverns but wield their own weapons. Equip: Lances. A higher form of gargoyle is a deathgoyle. Deathgoyles also wield lances and are stronger.
Because they are winged creatures, bows are very effective against them.
Mauthe Doog
Four-legged fiends that resemble dogs. They have an incredibly high Speed rating but they generally can't take many hits. Equip: Fiery Fang The Mauthe Doog's higher form is Gwyllgi, which have 3 heads, are slightly stronger, and can use Hellfang.
They may move on four legs, but they are not to be treated as cavalry in the same manner as a Tarvos.
Gorgon
Snake-like magic-users resembling Medusa. Equip: Demon Surge, Shadowshot (long-range dark attack; 5 uses), Stone (turns a unit into stone for a few turns; 5 uses) In Chapter 18, many Gorgons are still in their eggs and will hatch if left alone, but units can destroy them much like any other enemy unit. If a unit successfully destroys a Gorgon Egg, that unit earns 50 EXP, but if the unit fails to destroy it that turn, they gain no EXP. A Gorgon that hatches may also move and attack on that turn. Gorgons have no higher class.
Phantom
Undead units wielding axes that are created by the Summoner class. Phantoms are not normally included in maps as they are manually summoned by the player through a Summoner class unit. Despite this, they are still considered a monster due to their weakness to Holy/Light based attacks. They share the same level with the unit that summoned them, usually have a high STR, and come with only 1 unit of health. They have a unique ability to walk over mountains, trees, and other land types that would usually hinder movement. No more than one phantom per Summoner can be present on the map, and they can be summoned indefinitely with no penalty.
Triangle Attack
When 3 Pegasus Knights (or any combination of 3 Pegasus and Falcoknights) are all positioned within attacking distance of the same enemy in a triangle shape and one attacks, they will perform a triangle attack. This attack can be performed up to six times (or 12 times using 3 brave lances), depending on what the opponent's speed and HP is. This attack works if one of the attackers was promoted to Wyvern Knight (they have to have been a Pegasus Knight before promotion), however, if more than one of your attacking party is a Wyvern Knight, the Triangle Attack does not work. The Wyvern Knight's Pierce skill will only activate if that unit triggers the Triangle Attack, and so is the main reason both Pegasus Knights, Falcoknights or one of each class should be used to draw the first two points of the triangle and having the Wyvern Knight complete it.
External links
- Official Japanese Page
- Official U.S. Page
- Fire Emblem World - A Fire Emblem dedicated site with a large amount of Sacred Stones information.
- chitomv10's Random Number Generator FAQ (hosted on IGN)
- (Note: contains some misinformation--more up to date notes on the RNG here)
- Speed Demos Archive - Speedruns
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