Proving that we always need to be on our toes, Nintendo surprised everybody by dropping a Nintendo Switch Online game on a Monday. That's right, Expansion Pack subscribers, you can play Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones for the Game Boy Advance right now. That's super cool news, but is this game actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, Edge and more classic magazines that reviewed The Sacred Stones back when it first came out. I hope you're ready to go to war, because this is going to be a very strategic episode of Nintendo Switch Online Review Crew.


Although The Sacred Stones is actually the eighth installment in the long-running Fire Emblem series, it was only the second entry to make its way outside of Japan. This was a time when Nintendo wasn't convinced that the world would embrace fantasy-based strategy games, despite games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Ogre Battle doing reasonable business in the U.S. and Europe. And it did ... fine. It wasn't a huge blockbuster, but Nintendo claimed at the time that it was one of the successful Game Boy Advance titles in 2005. And it certainly didn't blunt the franchise's momentum, as Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance was released on the GameCube just five months later. The Sacred Stones may not have been one of Nintendo's top-selling games, but it was a sign that the Fire Emblem series was here to stay in the West. Let's see if that's how the critics saw it at the time.

I know I'm predictable, but let's start with Electronic Gaming Monthly, who once upon a time loathed reviewing this style of strategy game. Thankfully, a more enlightened EGM gave The Sacred Stones an average score of 8.2 out of 10, enough to earn one of their Silver awards. Che summed the game up this way: “Strip away the epic story of good versus evil and the dizzying number of characters, and you have very straight-forward combat – essentially nothing you haven't seen before in kindred spirits like Final Fantasy Tactics or Advance Wars. What makes Sacred Stones unique is how it sugarcoats the level-grinding, treadmill-like repetition with a captivating, episodic storyline. It's definitely one of the GBA's best tactical games.” Giving it a 7.5 out of 10, Shawn was the magazine's one detractor: “Duck the dry dialog, skip the story. You'll still dig your clerics, falcon knights and cavaliers – not for who they are, but for what they do in Fire Emblem's whip-smart battles. In fact, when one falls, it's like losing a best friend. And that – the part that says when he's gone, he's gone forever – is the game's tactical error. The rest is four-star strategy, squarely done and with enough back-and-forth between studied defense and decisive sieges to keep your feet on the coffee table.”

EGM's 8.2 average is right in line with NGC Magazine, which went with a 4 out of 5 in issue 109. Unsurprisingly, Edge is the English-language magazine that gave The Sacred Stones the lowest grade, going with a 7 out of 10. “The most contentious issue in this release of Fire Emblem is the introduction of an Ogre Battle-esque overworld map, enabling the revisiting of areas to buy weapons, as well as providing optional random dungeon maps. While this might not seem like a major development in a genre that has always provided extracurricular levelling opportunities, it has removed the developer's strict control over the game's difficulty. Over-levelling all too easily threatens to undermine Fire Emblem's unique place in the genre. Manage to find the difficulty level best suited to your play style and you'll find the experience a delightful tightrope walk on the border of pain and pleasure. It's a frequently infuriating game, even if you disregard the extreme caution necessary to ensure your entire team makes it to the closing credits. Often the sheer shock of a misread attack that sends one of your nurtured avatars to their eternal limbo will draw in the red mist, making the most even-tempered gamer impetuously scramble for the off switch. But where many games would be cast aside at this point, the wonder of Fire Emblem is just how quickly you turn it back on again in search of strategy perfection.”

As we climb back up the scale, we see Game Informer give this Fire Emblem installment an average score of 8.5 out of 10, enough to make it their game of the month in issue 147. GamePro went even higher, giving it a 4.5 out of 5. “The turn-based combat system is tight, neat and inspired. As in an RTS game, you assess strengths and weaknesses, position your team members around a grid-based terrain map, and take your best shot at the A.I. The animation puts out some slight fighting moves, too. If your favorite character becomes some monster's lunch, no problem – the game gives you a do over. Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is a great little game that instantly sucks you into a deep fantasy world of conflict and combat. If you have the mind for turn-based strategy, Fire Emblem's got the Stones.”

While the range of opinions may vary, everybody agrees that Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is a fun strategy game that is worth playing. Some liked the story more than others, but pretty much everybody praised the combat. With an overall average of 81%, this 2005 sequel is down a bit from the 88% the critics gave the 2003 original. Still, if you're a fan of Fire Emblem or just tactical games in general, The Sacred Stones is a must-play. Another solid release from Nintendo.