The eighth game in the Fire Emblem series, the third release for the Game Boy Advance, and the second to be released outside of Japan. This game stars the royal twins of Renais, Eirika and Ephraim, as they try to find out why neighbouring kingdom Grado attacked their land and investigate into rumours of the Demon King being revived.

Sacred Stones brings back many features last seen in Fire Emblem Gaiden, such as a world map the protagonists navigate before battles and freely repeatable skirmishes that allow the player to grind up strength if they are struggling. It also introduces split promotions, allowing a unit to take an alternative route for their growth.

FE: Drums of War is a full campaign total conversion hack, that implements a wide array of custom graphics, QoL patches and unique objectives, while still operating within the non-SkillSys GBAFE framework. It features 22 chapters, a cast of 46 playable characters and over 50 complete support chains, as well as a number of non-essential secrets. It aims to tell a nuanced, grounded story, without reverting to tired cynicism; no matter how dark the hour, it is strength to be found in each other, and a new day will always come.

In gameplay, emphasis is placed on decisive, aggressive play to deal with tight, hard-hitting enemy formations that will overwhelm passive play and outflank lowmanning. It is probably closest in difficulty to Radiant Dawn’s Normal mode, or the Hard/Classic setting of more recent titles, and is designed to be ironman-friendly with clear signposting, a tough lord, and a constant stream of available recruits.

WEBSITE: https://drums-of-war.vercel.app/

FEU PAGE (INC. CREDITS): https://feuniverse.us/t/fe8-fire-emblem-drums-of-war-v-2-complete-22-chapter-campaign/16368?u=parrhesia

Database match: Fire Emblem - The Sacred Stones (USA, Australia)
Database: No-Intro: Game Boy Advance (v. 20210227-023848)
File/ROM SHA-1: C25B145E37456171ADA4B0D440BF88A19F4D509F
File/ROM CRC32: A47246AE

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