Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (prototype) is one of those weird little time capsules—you boot it up on your GBA, and suddenly you're seeing all the rough edges of what almost was. The maps feel familiar but slightly off, some character portraits are unfinished, and there’s this weird charm to spotting the differences from the final version.

It’s still classic Fire Emblem, though: grid-based battles where every move matters, permadeath looming over every dumb decision, and that addictive loop of leveling up your ragtag army. The prototype just makes it all feel… rougher, in a way that’s weirdly fascinating if you’ve played the original to death. I kept pausing to compare notes—like, "Wait, why does this boss have different stats here?" or "Oh wow, they totally changed this cutscene."

If you’re a diehard fan, it’s a neat peek behind the curtain. Just don’t expect a polished experience—this is more like digging through a dev’s old sketchbook than playing a finished game. Still, there’s something cool about watching a classic take shape, glitches and all.