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 Day 4: Lukas (character spoilers)
Today's character is Lukas. Introduction done. Lukas is a noble. He was born into a noble family, and is open about the fact that he is a noble. What's unique about him, however, is the nature of his nobility. Lukas doesn't have anything to his name. The region his family rules over is in the middle of nowhere, and he's not the eldest child, meaning out of what they have, he gets nothing. Even other members of the nobility refer to him as a "backwater noble" disrespecting him in a very similar way they would a commoner. This "radicalized" Lukas in many ways, as he has much respect for many commoners, and is the only noble in the game to assume nothing bad of commoners. He has gone through the treatment himself, and therefore he treats nobles and commoners equally, no questions asked. This includes defending commoners when what they do, and where there place is, comes into question. Lukas is always the first noble to defend the commoner characters, with no hesitation. See the mega post, that's how he gets when people try to disrespect them.
The person with all of the power in Lukas's family is his half-brother. In fact, his half brother treats Lukas like a political pawn. He forced Lukas to join the Deliverance rebellion against Desaix, using Lukas as a way to gain favor. If Lukas and the Deliverance reclaimed Zofia, he could boast that he was the reason Lukas joined. If they lost and were killed/captured, he could feign ignorance. Lukas likes his work though, and he believes in the cause he is fighting for. Lots of respect for Lukas, because without him the Deliverance would have died...
Here's where Lukas gets really interesting. He struggles a lot with emotion. People find him reliable because he is so level headed, but he wants to be able to portray more of his emotions. He's definitely a kind of autistic, there's a lot of them in this game, and there's another aspect of his character that makes him feel worse in this case. Unlike all of his comrades, he does not experience any sort of sexual or romantic attraction. He's very self-aware about this, but he doesn't know why he feels this way. He just feels like something apart of what he sees as the human experience is missing for him. He has a partner back home, but he really doesn't miss her, or care for her in that way. Another thing I like about Lukas's writing is that he grows to accept his aroace identity, rather than tricking himself into a sexual or romantic relationship. He realizes that he doesn't want that, and throughout the rest of his life, he never longs for a companion. He realizes that he was not missing something, but that being aroace is apart of him, something that makes him who he is.
This was Lukas, if you enjoyed please leave a like, subscribe to the channel, and comment below about who your favorite character from the world of Valentia is! I'll see you all in the next one, bye
(cringe 2010s youtube outro music plays)