One of the most accessible entry points to the Fire Emblem franchise, but it comes with a few foibles that might put established fans off.
Like many Fire Emblem games, our story here is centred around some heroic folk having to resist oppression and deal with a great big fantasy bust-up. In this case we take command of the twin scions of Renais, Eirika and Ephraim. The pair escape the invasion of their home by an evil empire and rally forces across the world to fight back, as well as investigating what caused their once-allies to turn so bad. The overall narrative's never really the draw in Fire Emblem though - it's all about the character writing! It's reasonably good stuff, and taking the time to do multiple playthroughs to find all the different interactions is as rewarding and satisfying as ever. The twins at the core of the story are a bit Game-of-Thronesy though, if you get my drift, and their interactions are just on the side of too uncomfortable.
The general gameplay is the usual Fire Emblem fare. It's a tactics RPG, so we've got a big grid around which we move our units, paying attention to terrain and the series' typical weapons triangle to make sure that you've the best chance each turn of winning your battles and not losing your units. Of course, this is Fire Emblem, so when I say "losing" a unit I mean that they die; yep, we've got permadeath as per the series' wont, and it's part of what makes any entry in the franchise brilliant for stat-obsessed weirdos who are happy to plan every turn meticulously and then reset through furious tears because one unit died (hi, it's me, I'm the problem, it's me). However, The Sacred Stones upsets some fans because it lets you level grind units in a repeatable dungeon; I personally love this because it helps alleviate some of the challenge, making the entire game more accessible. It is optional though, so you don't have to engage with it.
Like many Fire Emblem games, our story here is centred around some heroic folk having to resist oppression and deal with a great big fantasy bust-up. In this case we take command of the twin scions of Renais, Eirika and Ephraim. The pair escape the invasion of their home by an evil empire and rally forces across the world to fight back, as well as investigating what caused their once-allies to turn so bad. The overall narrative's never really the draw in Fire Emblem though - it's all about the character writing! It's reasonably good stuff, and taking the time to do multiple playthroughs to find all the different interactions is as rewarding and satisfying as ever. The twins at the core of the story are a bit Game-of-Thronesy though, if you get my drift, and their interactions are just on the side of too uncomfortable.
The general gameplay is the usual Fire Emblem fare. It's a tactics RPG, so we've got a big grid around which we move our units, paying attention to terrain and the series' typical weapons triangle to make sure that you've the best chance each turn of winning your battles and not losing your units. Of course, this is Fire Emblem, so when I say "losing" a unit I mean that they die; yep, we've got permadeath as per the series' wont, and it's part of what makes any entry in the franchise brilliant for stat-obsessed weirdos who are happy to plan every turn meticulously and then reset through furious tears because one unit died (hi, it's me, I'm the problem, it's me). However, The Sacred Stones upsets some fans because it lets you level grind units in a repeatable dungeon; I personally love this because it helps alleviate some of the challenge, making the entire game more accessible. It is optional though, so you don't have to engage with it.