Tried the newest version of NUPS and still nothing. A shame, I’ve played dozens of romhacks with no incident and this one looked pretty cool 
oh well, thanks for trying
I would try a different patching software and to perhaps even download a new [absolutely legally obtained] US Rom of FE8
I use this online tool for patching
Huh, looks like it was NUPS after all. How odd. Still, seems to be working now, so thanks for persevering with me 
Yeah no problem, hope you enjoy it!
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Heya I’ve updated the patch fixing a few things and adding some stuff.
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Oh wow 1K downloads this is… strange to think about
Thank you to everyone for playing and experiencing Host of the Dark, I really appreciate it!
Now, onto an update to future plans.
Host of the Dark is getting a sequel! Dawn of the Dark’s development is going smoothly so far, it’ll be a fair bit different in terms of gameplay than Host of the Dark, mostly having to do with the existence of skill systems!
I won’t promise anything but I look to release the first demo by October, when FEE3 videos start rolling out.
6 Likes
I just finished part 1 and there’s things I really like about this hack. The way promotional items work, the different units and their strengths/weaknesses, and the difficulty. But upon starting part 2 I just feel completely fleeced. I didn’t promote anyone in part 1 (I looked at the promotions but reset) because it never got difficult enough to, but I kept the promotional items and a bunch of the loot on the characters.
Come to part 2 I find out I maintain access to old convoy items even though that seems pretty illogical considering none of the characters are even the same. I just feel arbitrarily punished for not sending everything to the convoy.
Maybe if there was a good reason for all of this it would feel better, but overall the story is definitely the weak point. It went from a really fun premise of being chased by a scary cow skull to neutralizing the compelling villain and recruiting him to most of the plot points happening in parentheses thought bubbles and none of it really making much sense.
The convoy thing is the main gripe, like so much of the difficulty of the rest of the game is going to be determined solely by what items i chose to send to my convey in that one chapter.
But overall, I really enjoy the gameplay, just not a very well executed route split.
Edit: The more I think about it the gameplay of the first part was more just accidentally good. Getting to all of the chests and pushing the maps was perfectly balanced for nonpromoted units, it felt like a real challenge without being frustrating or relying on luck. But if I had promoted even 1 unit I’m pretty sure they would’ve just solod the map. There were so many small things too, like the archer being 1 shot by everything but also 1 shotting everything. The gargoyle phantoms, the bowbreaker. So many of the weapons and units were always just perfectly suited for quickly clearing the maps.
Now I played one more chapter and now that I get one of my units back as a different class with a different inventory (was never a thief before so I’m not sure why its not just a new character). Anyway, I kind of realize most of my loot is just permanently lost which really isn’t cool, that guy had most of my good swords and a master seal! I guess they are just swallowed by the void. I’m also thinking the lord might be the monk I never used from the first part but I’m not 100% sure. If so, its funny the first unit I instinctively bench is now the most important character that I should’ve been training.
Hello. With all due respect I believe your arguments are very flawed, allow me to explain.
The gameplay of part 1 largely is revolved around snowballing units and getting as powerful as possible on a first playthrough, this turns more into a 7 chapter setup for part 2 on repeat playthroughs due to the convoy system, however the game is not designed around getting incredibly powerful tools early in part 2, so ultimately it just comes down to if you want to make the back part of the game easier.
Part 2 is very intentionally supposed to deprive you of your best resources and your best tools on a first run because most players will give the best tools to their units, it’s part of how I am able to completely wipe the slate clean for part 2 instead of keeping such inflated and promoted enemies since part 1’s progression was extremely fast and unsustainable by design.
Your criticisms of the story are laughable, at best. No scene and no chapter should be isolated from the rest of the work so you saying that the story is a “weak point” due to not liking the timeskip only two chapters in is incredibly insulting to everything that I have built and the thought that went into it. The first part is there to characterize Solum as a character and all that he is about in order to establish him as a compelling villain, as well as to display how part of the cast has gotten their start in their youth. Fidem in particular has changed a lot in the ten years between parts, making him a separate character in part 2 completely takes this aspect away along with severing the pre established link with Sagiita.
I’m sorry that you didn’t enjoy the story however criticizing it without reading all of it isn’t constructive at all and, as I said before, insulting. Many have praised the story and call it the best aspect of the hack so I think you should read a bit more into it as, judging by how you describe it, you completely missed the point of both Solum and his journey along with the connections he makes and may have even forgotten about the numerous scenes with the demon king’s generals.
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I don’t think its good design the main challenge of the game is being fast enough to get loot from chests (which was really fun with unpromoted units), then any loot that isn’t in the convey is deleted because talking to a falcoknight on a chapter with no boss triggers a poorly telegraphed routesplit that permanently deletes the old characters by reclassing them.
As far as the story, at some part I started skimming it because it just wasn’t that compelling. I didn’t catch on that there was a 10 year jump in time, if there was I don’t know why the convoy would keep items from 10 years ago.
It really is hack specific how much I pay attention to the story, again, the gameplay was pretty good but now that there’s no item balance or promotional item balance at all since its just what I happened to put in the convey its kind of strange.
The reason I quit paying attention to the story was I just didn’t find the whole demon lord thing very interesting especially when a lot of the plot points are just characters having thought bubbles in parentheses instead of actually talking to each other. If there was giant red text somewhere saying “MOVE ALL OF YOUR ITEMS TO THE CONVOY BY THE END OF THIS CHAPTER OR THEY WILL BE DELETED” then that’s my fault, but I shouldn’t have to guess or read every line for something that important. And I honestly was on Solum’s side and against all of those other characters because the mage seemed like the bad guy, but then I talk to a falcoknight and whelp, guess the act of having mercy on the boss means he really was the demon lord.
Again, you completely missed the point. The hack is story focused, and when a large plot point happens you should be gut punched in both story and gameplay. I’m sorry if you didnt like getting units taken from you but it’s not constructive to call it “bad” when the entire point is to gut punch you with the timeskip, and the game is properly designed said gut punch. The timeskip being untelegraphed is part of what makes it work, it sucks to lose stuff but that’s intentional and built around.
The story is meant to be character focused and part of that is giving the characters room to breathe as they make their way towards the goal. If you skim through the story then you revoke the right to give proper criticism about said story I’m sorry to say. Solum being the demon king is the crux of all of part 2, and you’re supposed to think something is off with Cory and only further see the cracks forming with the narrative surrounding demons and the demon king as a whole that permeates around the continent, you dont always fight on the right side. I will say that part 1 is the weakest in terms of plot, however it is essential to understanding part 2 and the conflict surrounding the entire game’s plot.
I’m sorry you didn’t like the hack so far but I just do not find this criticism at all constructive.
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I’d be ok with it if the convoy and units just got deleted. But the fact my items are selectively kept or deleted based on if I throw them in the convoy means theres just no basis for the economy in part 2. I don’t think its ok to keep some things like the convoy and delete others. You either have to delete everything and start fresh or delete nothing. I’m looking for my hammer to hammer the knights in chapter 9 but I guess it was on mick so no hammer anymore but I kept my gold so I guess I have 10k gold to spend arbitrarily.
A big part of gameplay is being able to manage items and economy and starting from such a variable place completely determined by just if I decided to put things in the convoy or not is just going to make the rest of the gameplay out of balance.
And I just don’t find that logic reasonable. The convoy is a bonus, a way to see if you can bounce back from the end of part 1.
Part 2 is designed around the logic that most players will put their best tools on their units on a first playthrough, which is true for the most part, and i find it okay to set the balance off kilter on repeat playthroughs.
I make art, not perfect logic boxes to optimize and always be perfectly content with.
If it is any compensation, the planned lunatic mode will wipe your convoy and money upon part 2 beginning as lunatic is designed to be a difficult and tight experience as to the current version being designed to be fun and experimental
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Idk, its weird saying my logic is unreasonable. I’m unhappy with a “game mechanic” that is described by you as deleting most of the player’s good items as a gut punch. It was supposed to be a gut punch so of course I’m not too happy about it, that was the intention of the design.
It was so weird I honestly thought it was a glitch. I’d ask about it and be told the convoy was supposed to start empty and I could just delete everything and play on with the peace of mind that there was some thought put into when items are acquired and how difficult maps are. But if it really is just no thought put into gameplay with the only focus being on the story, I don’t know, most of time spent in fire emblem is gameplay.
Please don’t intentionally misconstrue my words here, that’s unproductive. The purpose was to be a gut punch yes but feeling bad about it and denouncing the entire work for it are completely different. You are supposed to carry on and keep your resolve instead of quitting at the setback. It is as cruel as the Manster eacape sequence or genealogy’s inheritance system, cruel on a first time playthrough, but something to maximize on a second playthrough.
Don’t treat having a convoy not reset means the entire thing isn’t deliberately designed. As I said before I design the hack with the intention of a first time player not having many tools available, which is completely reasonable to expect. Having some extra weapons and money is not the end of the world in terms of balance and you know that as well as I do. I designed the hack with the intent for units to be fun and for the maps to be passable by most skill levels. If you dont like the game’s difficulty being easier the more you know about it, then congrats, you hate fire emblem.
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I’m not denouncing the whole work. I enjoyed the gameplay of part 1.
But I don’t see how there can be much gameplay design in part 2 when having a randomized convey makes it so unpredictable. I can have promoted units as early as chapter 9 or 10 or have to wait a long time just depending on where I stored items in the first part. It has nothing to do with the story, it just feels like an oversight or glitch. I don’t think its the same as the other examples you mentioned, but overall it was fun until this part so again I’m not denouncing the full thing.
Part 2 is the bulk of the game, so you’re denouncing most of the work due to having the convoy carry over which doesn’t really make sense.
The convoy isn’t random??? I base the gameplay off of the fact that you likely wont have many tools in the convoy, and even then theres only do much that can be obtained in part 1. Considering the game encourages you to promote before part 2 and tells you straight up about part 2 existing excuse me if I assume people will put their resources on units.
Promotion items are available as early as chapter 11 and become available to buy in the preps menu at 15. Promoting early isn’t a big deal.
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Ok, didn’t have a save, but replayed through the first part and only deployed solum (deployed the dracoknight too sometimes for chests) since training people doesn’t matter. Now I can start part 2 without being scammed. Its kind of amazing how easy it is to solo maps with solum and still get every chest.
Not a scam but okay. Deny yourself the experience of a first playthrough.
Ok I finished the game and overall I’d give it a 6/10.
Pros:
Units 9/10. Really fun class system and a good balance between real units and meme units. The alternate seals are a great idea and more hacks should do it. Making Davvy a general and giving him thorn was satisfying.
Music 9/10. (battle preparations theme is messed up and final map theme isn’t as epic as previous maps but other than that good.)
Map design 8/10. The maps themselves look good and none of them are needlessly time consuming. The reinforcements can be odd and would ruin ironmans but they aren’t that unfair, they at least mostly spawn around forts. I think the reinforcement spam makes up for the horrible balance in a lot of cases.
Cons:
Story: 3/10. It got better than the first part but the biggest problem is Sal is probably the most unlikable lord I’ve ever seen in any hack. And then the story is just kind of convoluted. A lot of moving pieces but at the same time not much depth where I can really identify with a character. And it does that thing every hack does of giving the main lord some character flaw they have to work through that just feels forced. And pretty anticlimactic at the end. But there are worse stories in hacks.
Balance: 2/10. The convey was a symptom of there just not being any thought put into how people will play the game and it was downhill from there. I wish there was a turncount by map like some hacks have because by the endgame it was 5 turns or less for everything. Never even used warp or rescue, route objective maps were melted butter. That one 10 turn survival map was beat in 2 turns before the reinforcements could spawn. It was so bad the final boss got unceremoniously 2 shot without being in range to retaliate and the whole map was rolled over in 4 turns with the trickster in the corner consuming a whole extra turn meaning the last enemy to be killed was just a random generic.
Most of the imbalance is item management and the sacred tomes being too op. Beyond that, thorn is probably op but at least fun though it being 1 range basically makes it last forever, funny that trying to nerf it made it more powerful. Worse than thorn, aspect of truth is the biggest culprit in the game as a random d rank tome gives half the stats of a legendary weapon. No clue why it gives 5 luck and res, just a weird way to make something too strong.
As far as specific units, Atom is the only egregiously broken one. I saw you say atom is supposed to be a glass cannon but he was my tankiest unit (especially with thorn) and I’d just send him to clear out half the map by himself.
Then the longbow range on mira is just too much and the sagitta bolting strip, but those 2 were fun. Atom was just have him clear the map by himself with no risk.
Anyway, here’s a tierlist out of units I tried.
S++ Atom
S+ Mira, Sagitta, Luna
S Luminan, Garth, Serenity, Mark
A Sal, Tobias, Near, Davey(falls off but really good for a long time as general), Juniper (not sure why he can use dark magic if humans arent allowed to)
B Raigholm, Barya (Would’ve been d tier if I didn’t retain a lancereaver from the first part, the convoy mattered), Dominic, Fidem
C Kein
F: Subaru (godawful unit 10 strength growth is a joke and canto doesn’t save him at all since too many other units have it, benched as soon as I could)
Anyway, some aspects are really good and the gameplay is fun. The balance and story are pretty mediocre though so its solid for a 1 time playthrough but I don’t see any reason to repeat it down the line. Convey thing is still the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen in any hack. I feel like you just didn’t figure out how to delete the convey between parts and just gave up and decided to call it a stylistic choice. Overall, good hack.
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Oh boy let’s unpack this. First of all, thank you for the review I do really appreciate it however this is one of the funniest reviews I’ve gotten with how strange it is, especially with the story part.
what?
yes that’s called having a protagonist with issues. Have you ever played Blue Lions route in Three Houses? The point of Sal is to beat the point that demons are not in the wrong through having Sal be the product of the world, and a product of the system within Cloigeann.
This is… An extremely odd comment seeing as the main lord has a savior complex and has to work through his issues of being racist against demonkind all the while having demons within his army. You also have Sol and his generals who all get their own screentime and their own scenes, needing to keep Sal alive so that he may get the brand and emblem for them while also having to contend with him getting more and more extreme with his ideology and even killing one of their own in chapter 18.
Honestly saying there’s a lack of depth in any character has me really question how much attention you were giving to the story. You can not see depth in characters unless you actually read their dialogue and think about who they are, and seeing as you admitted to skimming through dialogue before idk why you even bothered.
You turned your first playthrough into a second playthrough, cheating yourself out of any need for resource management. Instead of moving forward with the inventory you had you chose to replay the game and abuse the system to get an advantage you would not have on a first playthrough.
You have either given Atom three dragonshields and two angelic robes or have gotten incredibly blessed with your Atom. 10 defense and 32 HP isn’t that great at that point in the game and you’re giving up summoner utility just to use thorn more effectively, you might as well just give Eagle thorn and some talismans.
If you dump an egregious amount of statboosters into a single unit you can make any unit broken, however that’s something I have accepted as a downside to giving the player statboosters.
they
did you even read that chapter? They’re a half elf.
Subaru is one of the strongest units in the game. He can easily get one rounds in early on since he can double with a steel axe and only continues to get better from there, you don’t even need to get lucky with his 15% strength growth. His axe rank allows him to make use of silver, brave, and ranged axes extremely easily to make up for his low strength especially since all of his other stats are stellar. The fact that you benched him immediately really shows with your rating of him.
bruh it’s literally a single event command
I’m glad that you ended up enjoying the hack despite denying yourself the right of a first playthrough experience. The convoy decision is final, it has never been as much of a problem to anyone else and it being abusable on a second playthrough is very much intentional to allow for unique repeat playthroughs. I feel like you only skimmed through the story then got frustrated when you didn’t understand it like when someone pays half their attention to a movie then can’t give a proper summary.