<s>
Fire	B-Device
Emblem	I-Device
:	I-Device
The	I-Device
Sacred	I-Device
Stones	I-Device
is	O
a	O
tactical	O
role-playing	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Intelligent	O
Systems	O
,	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
handheld	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
in	O
2004	O
for	O
Japan	O
and	O
2005	O
in	O
the	O
West	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
eighth	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
series	O
,	O
the	O
second	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
outside	O
Japan	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
third	O
and	O
final	O
title	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
after	O
The	B-Device
Binding	I-Device
Blade	I-Device
and	O
its	O
prequel	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Set	O
in	O
a	O
separate	O
continuity	O
to	O
earlier	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
titles	O
,	O
The	O
Sacred	O
Stones	O
takes	O
place	O
on	O
the	O
fictional	O
continent	O
of	O
Magvel	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
divided	O
into	O
five	O
nations	O
,	O
each	O
built	O
around	O
a	O
magical	O
stone	O
said	O
to	O
be	O
linked	O
to	O
the	O
imprisonment	O
of	O
an	O
ancient	O
demon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
five	O
nations	O
,	O
the	O
Grado	B-Device
Empire	I-Device
,	O
invades	O
its	O
neighbors	O
and	O
begins	O
destroying	O
the	O
stones	O
,	O
protagonists	O
Eirika	O
and	O
Ephraim	O
of	O
the	O
royal	O
family	O
of	O
Renais	O
set	O
out	O
to	O
gather	O
allies	O
and	O
halt	O
Grado	O
's	O
conquest	O
,	O
while	O
also	O
trying	O
to	O
uncover	O
the	O
reasons	O
for	O
the	O
war	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
previous	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
games	O
,	O
focusing	O
on	O
turn-based	O
,	O
tactical	O
movement	O
of	O
units	O
across	O
a	O
grid-based	O
battlefield	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sacred	O
Stones	O
began	O
development	O
alongside	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
:	I-Application
Path	I-Application
of	I-Application
Radiance	I-Application
as	O
a	O
side	O
project	O
,	O
sharing	O
much	O
of	O
its	O
visual	O
design	O
and	O
mechanics	O
with	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
while	O
incorporating	O
elements	O
from	O
earlier	O
entries	O
such	O
as	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sacred	O
Stones	O
would	O
be	O
the	O
last	O
original	O
handheld	B-Application
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
title	O
until	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
Awakening	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
in	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fire	B-Device
Emblem	I-Device
:	I-Device
The	I-Device
Sacred	I-Device
Stones	I-Device
is	O
a	O
tactical	O
role-playing	O
game	O
where	O
players	O
take	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
royal	O
siblings	O
Eirika	O
and	O
Ephraim	O
during	O
separate	O
campaigns	O
as	O
they	O
fight	O
hostile	O
forces	O
invading	O
their	O
homeland	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
allies	O
acquired	O
on	O
their	O
journey	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
begins	O
when	O
the	O
Grado	B-Device
Empire	I-Device
,	O
largest	O
of	O
the	O
five	O
founding	O
nations	O
,	O
launches	O
an	O
unexpected	O
assault	O
on	O
the	O
neighboring	O
nation	O
of	O
Renais	O
,	O
home	O
of	O
the	O
royal	O
siblings	O
Eirika	O
and	O
Ephraim	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Taken	O
by	O
surprise	O
,	O
Renais	O
is	O
defeated	O
and	O
the	O
two	O
siblings	O
are	O
separated	O
:	O
Eirika	O
escapes	O
to	O
the	O
northern	O
nation	O
of	O
Frelia	O
with	O
the	O
king	O
's	O
general	O
Seth	O
,	O
while	O
Ephraim	O
goes	O
underground	O
to	O
mount	O
a	O
resistance	O
against	O
the	O
Grado	B-Device
Empire	I-Device
to	O
the	O
south	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sacred	O
Stones	O
was	O
produced	O
by	O
long-time	O
developer	O
Intelligent	O
Systems	O
,	O
running	O
parallel	O
to	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
:	I-Application
Path	I-Application
of	I-Application
Radiance	I-Application
,	O
an	O
entry	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
staff	O
,	O
development	O
began	O
unexpectedly	O
in	O
2003	O
alongside	O
Path	B-Application
of	I-Application
Radiance	I-Application
:	O
the	O
staff	O
thought	O
they	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
developing	O
another	O
entry	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Character	O
designs	O
were	O
done	O
by	O
Sachiko	O
Wada	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
The	B-Device
Binding	I-Device
Blade	I-Device
and	O
The	O
Blazing	O
Blade	O
,	O
the	O
latter	O
localized	O
as	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
gameplay	O
systems	O
designed	O
for	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
were	O
carried	O
over	O
into	O
The	O
Sacred	O
Stones	O
,	O
barring	O
some	O
minor	O
additions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
its	O
gameplay	O
mechanics	O
were	O
borrowed	O
from	O
the	O
1992	O
entry	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
other	O
unspecified	O
mechanics	O
from	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Famicom	I-Application
entries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
series	O
 '	O
titular	O
"	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
"	O
,	O
which	O
takes	O
different	O
forms	O
across	O
each	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
universe	O
,	O
appears	O
in	O
The	O
Sacred	O
Stones	O
as	O
the	O
gemstone	O
kept	O
by	O
the	O
Grado	B-Device
Empire	I-Device
,	O
which	O
was	O
used	O
to	O
seal	O
the	O
Demon	O
King	O
's	O
soul	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
setting	O
of	O
Magvel	O
is	O
the	O
only	O
setting	O
within	O
the	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
series	O
to	O
date	O
which	O
remains	O
unconnected	O
to	O
another	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sacred	O
Stones	O
would	O
be	O
the	O
last	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
game	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
,	O
along	O
with	O
being	O
the	O
last	O
original	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
on	O
handheld	B-Application
devices	O
until	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
Awakening	I-Application
in	O
2012	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
promote	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
a	O
special	O
commercial	O
was	O
created	O
for	O
broadcast	O
in	O
September	O
of	O
that	O
year	O
:	O
it	O
involved	O
a	O
girl	O
playing	O
on	O
a	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
being	O
drawn	O
into	O
the	O
worlds	O
of	O
the	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Western	O
release	O
was	O
first	O
hinted	O
at	O
in	O
a	O
Nintendo	O
report	O
,	O
revealing	O
its	O
prospective	O
release	O
of	O
both	O
Path	B-Application
of	I-Application
Radiance	I-Application
and	O
what	O
would	O
turn	O
out	O
to	O
be	O
The	O
Sacred	O
Stones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sacred	O
Stones	O
was	O
the	O
second	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
to	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
both	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
move	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
Western	O
game	O
to	O
The	O
Sacred	O
Stones	O
and	O
Path	B-Application
of	I-Application
Radiance	I-Application
meant	O
that	O
any	O
work	O
on	O
localizing	O
The	B-Device
Binding	I-Device
Blade	I-Device
could	O
not	O
be	O
managed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
title	O
was	O
later	O
re-released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
promotional	O
"	O
3DS	B-Operating_System
Ambassador	O
Program	O
"	O
as	O
a	O
free	O
download	O
on	O
December	O
16	O
,	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
re-released	O
on	O
the	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
:	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
August	O
6	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
PAL	O
regions	O
on	O
January	O
1	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
June	O
18	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
no	O
exact	O
total	O
sales	O
figures	O
have	O
been	O
published	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
cited	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
being	O
among	O
its	O
successful	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
titles	O
for	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Harris	O
enjoyed	O
the	O
gameplay	O
despite	O
noting	O
that	O
little	O
had	O
changed	O
since	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
,	O
saying	O
that	O
players	O
would	O
not	O
find	O
any	O
notable	O
changes	O
from	O
their	O
original	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chapman	O
positively	O
noted	O
the	O
improvements	O
made	O
since	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
positively	O
noting	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Knight	O
enjoyed	O
the	O
gameplay	O
experience	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
mixed	O
to	O
negative	O
about	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
true	O
innovations	O
,	O
feeling	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
an	O
overly	O
similar	O
experience	O
to	O
earlier	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
