When I decided to host the mega again a bit ago, I had no idea what to make it about (of course). So it fell between two topics: a post on the importance of sleep, or a post on just how much I love Fire Emblem: The Sacred Echoes. Well, I felt like the importance of sleep was well-known, and could always wait for the next time I host a mega. I wanted to make sure I hit the Sacred Echoes iron while it's hot, because I've almost finished my play through at this point, and it might genuinely be one of the best games I have ever played.
Sacred Echoes feels so polished, considering it's a fan-made romhack of Sacred Stones, with the goal of bringing the 3DS game, Shadows of Valentia (SoV), to the GBA. Everything about the game aesthetically is very well-done, from the portraits, to the battle sprites, and literally anything else that could be thought of about a game. This includes new character writing, which helps the game in areas where Shadows of Valentia was a little, well, off. That's what I want to go over first, and although I've made a post before, I had only played a little bit of the game. Being at the end, I've noticed more things, and grown to appreciate this game even more than I already did.
Let's start off with the relevant (and interesting) bits: Sacred Echoes actually does a really good job at representing a variety of backgrounds, while also being diverse in a way that doesn't feel like it's simply to have a token character. This game doesn't suffer from the cracker curse, for example. Although most of the characters are white, there is more than one person of color (
) . In terms of LGBTQ+ representation, it's even better. There are many gay/lesbian characters, whose sexuality actually plays a role in the plot and how they interact with others. There's also an aroace character, Lukas, who goes through a whole arc of self-discovery in his support conversations (support Python). It's good stuff, and not things I would normally expect from a Fire Emblem game. I hesitate to bring up the (possibly) only trans character in the game, Jesse. HOLD ON, NO HESITATION AT ALL! I just decided to do more research, and I wasn't just projecting. He is 100% trans, and it's in supports, and it's relevant to his plot and backstory, so it's just like the rest of them, thank goodness, I was worried he was a token. So yeah, support Clive and Jesse. Good stuff, and good luck getting to the end of the game so they can actually meet, one fights for Alm and the other for Celica...
This is Jesse
Here's some dialogue between Clive and Jesse, in the context of a will:
Clive: Only the following will be yours - your mother's wardrobe, her jewelry box, and all corresponding contents.
Jesse: Urgh. Even from halfway in the grave he's trying to tell me what to wear. So yeah, he's still the same tyrant he always was. Hasn't changed a bit.
In terms of character background, it's more diverse than one would think, and it addresses the issue of feudal class. Not all of the characters are nobles, and one of the main characters is a commoner from a random village. The plot regularly deals with the fact that nobles and commoners do not get along. However, it does not try to redeem most nobles. If they aren't proving themselves with their actions, they're probably shitty. Even if they are supposedly "one of the good ones", there's usually some underlying prejudice that comes out when you might not expect it. I love it so much, and I am extremely impressed that the plot doesn't try to redeem nobility as a whole, but rather allows the noble characters within the cast to have character development that feels less like justification and more like re-education.
Pictured is the class traitor Lukas absolutely destroying Fernand
For other details about the story, I'll link my original post. I don't want to drag this on too long, and I mention most of the improvements there. It also includes where to find the patch for the game, and how to play the game for yourself. If you enjoy SRPGs, or are new to the genre, I recommend this game. It has an easy mode for the newbies, and hard mode for those of us who hate ourselves (/s), and a normal mode for everything in-between 
The Echoes cast is amazing, and I love how they interact with each other and the world. Each character stands out, and they feel unique in their relationships with the other characters. Even characters that suffer in SoV, like Faye and the Masked Knight (has a name but it's spoilers), benefit from the Sacred Echoes writing, making them actually enjoyable characters. The villains of the game are also great. I don't want to go too deep, because I don't want to spoil too much, but they aren't just pure evil, and for that I applaud the SoV writers. Berkut is probably the highlight of the game, being the heir to the throne of the empire. I am once again asking you to play the game, because IT IS SO GREAT, and I would not have expected these good of villains to pair with Alm and Celica, as well as their armies.
Pictured is the Masked Knight being a gay little guy. The other guy (Saber) is threatening his life...
Everything about the game design is also amazing. It's GBA Fire Emblem, so the animations are peak and the pixel art is stellar. The maps are improved from the original SoV maps, and they are definetly much better, and much less repetitive. Classes in the game are fun in how they work, each character being able to promote 2-3 times. Mages also work really uniquely and well in this game, with spells costing HP to cast. They learn spells as they level up, rather than by purchasing tomes, which makes for (in my opinion), better gameplay. Sacred Echoes also adds the GBA weapon and magic triangles!
All in all, Sacred Echoes is a great game, and even if you never ending up playing it, you now know of its existence. It stands out as a great romhack, as well as a great Fire Emblem game, AND it has the gay. Can it really get better than that?
If you want my original (and more in-depth) analysis, check out my original post. It's mostly about what Sacred Echoes improves upon the original Shadows of Valentia.
Hope you enjoyed my little nerd-out session, and have a good week everyone! 
DOWNLOAD SACRED ECHOES: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/o9v75blehaid1re2i8qou/ALhV8LN1A59jdFIP6HYRH3c?rlkey=d7fl1m8qh9gl7ztmnim33euu1&e=1&dl=0
PATCH TO AN EXISTING SACRED STONES ROM: https://www.marcrobledo.com/RomPatcher.js/
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Sacred Echoes Character Appreciation: Villain Weekend (Berkut and Fernand, plot and character spoilers)
This will be the last character post, everyone! Had a lot of fun looking over some of my favorite characters from SoV/Sacred Echoes, and hope can appreciate the games more because of these.
Fernand hates commoners. A lot. He recognizes the noble duty to rule over them, but in person he does not trust them and will regularly disrespect him. Now it's easy to say "Fernand bad and classist", and that's because he is. He wasn't always this way, though, and he was more similar to Clive, someone with a pretty good stance on commoners. However, when his home was burned and his family killed by a peasant revolt, he could never feel the same about them. In this way, the player can see not only how he had views shared with his friend Clive, but also views based on past trauma. No, it's not right what he's doing and feeling, but you can understand why he would feel that way. He eventually overcomes this, not only after seeing the competence of the Deliverance once he left, but how bad he felt by leaving the way he did.
Fernand is a hopeless homosexual, and he has feelings for his best friend, Clive. Clive is engaged, however, to a woman he openly loves. He always thought of Fernand as a brother, nothing more, and Fernand never told him how he felt. He leaves the Deliverance on a bad note, pinning Clive against a wall and screaming at him for daring to make a "random farmboy" the leader of the Deliverance. He leaves in rage, actually joining the enemy army and following Berkut, who he sees as being a true noble (with his rage and heartbreak clouding his judgement). He realizes later on that he misses Clive, misses the Deliverance, was harsh with Alm and the other villagers, and even that Berkut is pretty flawed. He tells Berkut's partner, Rinea, that he would speak to Clive when he next got the chance. He never really got that chance. Berkut ends up killing him, and the Deliverance arrives just in time to hear his final words, his regret, his apology, and his declaration of love to Clive. It's a powerful moment, as you watch Fernand die in the arms of someone who just wished he had come back sooner, and had already forgiven him for his misdoings. Fernand is a tragic character, and one that is paired really well with another extremely tragic character.
EXTREMELY HEAVY SPOILERS FROM HERE! CLICK AWAY IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE!
Berkut is next in line for the throne of the Rigelian Emperor, and his uncle, Emperor Rudolph, has invaded and occupied Zofia. He was groomed since childhood for this role, and he had developed a complex with all of that weight on his shoulders, as he attempted to show his uncle that he was worthy of the role. He eventually found a future bride, Rinea, and together they would rule over Rigel. If things were perfect for him, which they weren't. Despite his power, and his people's respect, Berkut could not succeed. He lost to the Deliverance, again, and again, failing to push them back, and failing to hold Zofia. After slowly crumbling under the weight, Berkut gets his last chance, praying to Rigel's god, Duma, and insisting he bear the weight alone. He fails, and the Deliverance enters Rigel. This was the last straw for Berkut. He's gotten more angry, more impatient, more insane as he doesn't believe he has the approval of his uncle. Then, it happens. The Deliverance reaches Rigel Castle and kills the Emperor. In his last moments, he reveals that Alm was his son, and uses his knowledge of the Brand to prove it. It couldn't be denied, and he had told his top generals in advance that they would be fighting a losing battle. Berkut breaks at this point. He was raised his whole life to do one thing, and it was never the plan. He was always going to be cast aside, replaced by someone he had never met, replaced by his cousin. This is where Berkut goes insane.
He's willing to give it all up for a chance at the throne. At this point, he's completely forgotten the reason he wanted the power and position in the first place. He sacrifices his fiance, Rinea, to the mad god Duma, who gives him the power to crush the Deliverance, and Alm, once and for all. He fails, and at the end he is left with nothing. He does not get closure, he does not get to work with Alm to build a new country. He just dies. Seeing Rinea standing in the light, he walks into it.
Other than the Fernand being gay for Clive thing, all of these things happened in the original SoV, and these characters were new additions to SoV, rather than being characters from FE: Gaiden. How the SoV team managed to create two amazing villains, while creating two horrible heroes in Faye and Conrad, I will never know. All I know is that Sacred Echoes somehow manages to improve upon already good characters, and I will always cry realizing neither of them truly got a chance at redemption. They were both misguided, and could have been great people, but the burdens and trauma that lay upon them condemned them to death.