"GBA? RPG? OMG! Look No Further!"

A brief history of Fire Emblem: Fire Emblem has been burning on Nintendo systems since the NES days, but very few Americans know that. If you have ever played Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Nintendo Gamecube then you might have played as the two unlockable characters named Marth and Roy who were both from past Fire Emblem games. Unfortunately, both Marth and Roy are not in this Fire Emblem. The first Fire Emblem game to hit the North American shores was Fire Emblem for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. Although it was the first time Americans got to play a translated Fire Emblem game, this was the seventh one for Japanese players! Now two years later we get to once again taste another bigger and better installment known as Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones.

Renais, a war-torn country in ruins by the Grado Empire. The hope of this small country rests on the shoulders of a brother and sister, Eirika and Ephraim. As they escape from the burning castle they must set out to reach the other surrounding countries and protect the sacred stones that hold the key to defeating the evil emperor. Only with your help can you guide these two unique warriors on the task of defeating the Grado Empire and freeing the land of evil. But armies, mercenaries, monsters, and demons of all kind will try to stop you. Think you're up to the task?

Graphics: Fire Emblem has very impressive graphics for a Game Boy Advance game. The field map is a little gritty and sometimes it's hard to tell which characters are yours. The battle animations on the other hand couldn't be better! The fighters are drawn to perfection and very detailed. Watching two characters in combat is one of the most spectacular visuals you wil find on any hand held game. The cutscenes are very well drawn as well, from the character's appearance and the backgrounds. (9/10)

Sound and Music: If you played the first GBA Fire Emblem, you will be quite pleased to hear that the music is just as good if not better than before. The music is incredible and can actually get you hyped for the battle ahead. And like it's counterpart it comes with a sound room so you can hear all the tunes you've unlocked for hours upon end. The sounds of swords clashing and axes hitting armor also add to the war experience. However, if played on a TV via the GBA player the music and sound can sound a bit distorted. I recommend playing this game on your Game Boy Advance SP with it has smaller speakers so not as much fuzzy sound comes out. Or better yet on a Nintendo DS since it has improved sound quality stereo speakers. (10/10)

Gameplay: If you are looking for a very long, story driven RPG then look no further. If you are like me, then you love a game that let you build your army and characters. Ogre Battle fans are sure to love the way you can upgrade the class of your characters. Unlike the 2003 Fire Emblem you not only have the choice of changing a character to a more powerful version of it's original class, you get TWO choices. Say you have a cavalier at level 10 and you have already acquired the class changing item. Well now when you use it on him or her you get the choice of changing to a lance and sword wielding paladin (as in the first one) or a mighty powerhouse great knight! There are also many more classes to choose from like rogues and summoners that were previously not in the first one. Unfortunately, for every excellent game, there is one major flaw. If you have already played a Fire Emblem game, you may already be aware of this: Once a character dies, it will be gone FOREVER! No matter how strong or powerful you character has become when their HP hits zero, they are out for the entire game. If you want to bring your warrior back to life, you will need to reset the game and start the mission anew. I find this to be the one most frustrating aspect of this great game, especially in the later chapters when you are on the final boss and he defeats your powerhouse. So if you have little patience, there's a heads up to you. (10/10)

Replay Value: Unlike most RPGs, after you beat it once you may not feel the need to play it again. Fire Emblem may make you change your opinion of this. Maybe you played through the game once and wonder: "What if I changed my fighter to a hero instead?" Just play the game again and see how it affects the story. There are many side conversations that certain characters have with each other but you can only unlock five of those per game with each person. To get the whole story you will want to play it over and over until you have heard them all. (The conversations also affect the ending of the story, so pay attention to what they say!) The biggest replay has yet to come. After you beat chapter eight, you will have the choice of continuing your journey with either Eirika or Ephraim. You can only choose one and unless you play two save files (which will take a LOT of time) you may want to start a new game to see how the other side of the story ends. (9/10)

Nintendo has many series under it's belt that only Japanese gamers get to experience. In the past few years they have been letting the US play more and more of those that were previously unreleased. Fire Emblem is just one of those many series and I have to say that it is now one of my favorites. I will admit that I tend to hold Nintendo games up on a pedestal, but I think after you play this game you would agree with me. So should you buy this game? Yes. Hell yes. In fact stop reading this review right now and go to Gamestop to purchase this masterpiece! If you are looking for an incredible RPG that doesn't start with Final Fantasy, then pick this game up now. Or if you own a DS and can't seem to find any good DS games besides Super Mario 64 DS, buy this and plug it in the opposite side. I hope I have helped you come to a decision. I would like to thank Nintendo and Intelligent Systems for creating such a beautiful game and I would like to thank you for reading my review! Good luck fellow gamers and I'll see you another time!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/31/05