Heyo everyone! It’s been a little over a month since opening the poll, and I’ve now finished the assignment.
For those curious, it was an open-ended writing assignment for an elective course where we had to choose a video game and write a critical analysis of it. I specifically chose the Sacred Stones and the hacking community surrounding it.
Thanks so much to everyone who responded! Your input really helped me figure out what I wanted to write about and provided some key insights I could refer to in my paper.
I figured that now that it’s over and done with, I’d go ahead and share the results of the survey in case anyone was interested. I’ll go through each question one by one, broken up by the section they appeared in. Overall, 175 people responded to at least one question on the survey.
Section 1: Intro Questions
1.) Which official Fire Emblem games have you played?
Unsurprisingly, the most played games among FEGBA hack players and creators are FE7 and FE8, with FE6 trailing close behind. The least played game is FE1, though an impressive 38% of respondents still played it. Given that “played” could mean anything from “played the first chapter for five minutes” and “played from start to finish,” perhaps this isn’t too surprising. FE1 was also given a limited time rerelease, which a number of people probably picked up.
2.) Which official Fire Emblem game is your favorite?
| Game |
Number of Respondents who chose it as their favorite |
Percentage of Respondents who chose it as their favorite |
| Thracia 776 (FE5) |
25 |
13.8% |
| Radiant Dawn (FE10) |
25 |
13.8% |
| Sacred Stones (FE8) |
19 |
10.5% |
| Blazing Blade (FE7) |
19 |
10.5% |
| Geneaology of the Holy War (FE4) |
18 |
9.9% |
| Path of Radiance (FE9) |
15 |
8.3% |
| Binding Blade (FE6) |
12 |
6.6% |
| Fates Conquest (FE14C) |
12 |
6.6% |
| Shadows of Valentia (FE15) |
7 |
3.9% |
| New Mystery of the Emblem (FE12) |
7 |
3.9% |
| Awakening (FE13) |
6 |
3.3% |
| Three Houses (FE16) |
5 |
2.8% |
| Shadow Dragon (FE11) |
4 |
2.2% |
| Mystery of the Emblem (FE3) |
4 |
2.2% |
| Gaiden (FE2) |
2 |
1.1% |
| Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (FE1) |
1 |
0.6% |
| Fates Birthright (FE14B) |
0 |
0% |
| Fates Revelation (FE14R) |
0 |
0% |
| — |
— |
— |
| Total |
182 |
100% |
The answers on this one are pretty evenly split all things considered. Thracia 776 and Radiant Dawn (hello fellow FE10 enjoyers) are tied for most people’s favorite, and there’s a tie between FE7 and FE8 for second. The only two mainline games nobody listed as their favorite were Fates Birthright and Fates Revelation.
3.) Do you have an account on the Fire Emblem Universe website?
Straightforward question. The only other places besides FEU where I posted a link to the form were a few Discord servers, so it makes sense a majority of people have an FEU account. Additionally, the sort of person who is willing to respond to an FEGBA hacking/fangame survey is probably interested enough in the subject to already have an FEU account. I think it’s important to keep in mind going forward that the following questions were answered largely by this demographic.
4.) Describe how frequently you visit the Fire Emblem Universe website.
5.) Describe how frequently you make posts or write replies on the Fire Emblem Universe website.
These two questions are fairly unsurprising. People read the site far more often than they most on it.
6.) Have you joined the Fire Emblem Universe Discord server?
About two thirds of respondents are in the FEU Discord, which is a pretty sizeable chunk.
7.) Describe how frequently you read messages in Fire Emblem Universe Discord server.
8.) Describe how frequently you send messages in Fire Emblem Universe Discord server.
Seems like people either check the Discord very frequently or only rarely (or just not at all), there aren’t quite as many people in the middle. And as always, people read far more often than they post.
9.) How long have you been interested in Fire Emblem romhacks, romhacking, or fangames?
Nearly a fifth of respondents have been into FE hacks and fangames for over a decade, which is impressive. FE hacking has been around for a long time!
It seems the majority of the community has been around for less than 5 years.
Section 2: Questions for Players
10.) Approximately how many romhacks or fangames have you played for at least one chapter?
11.) Approximately how many romhacks or fangames have you played through to the final chapter?
I’m happy to report that every respondent has at least played one FE hack or fangame! Moreover, most respondents have played a good number of games, which is cool to see. When it comes to completing games however, the numbers understandably drop. Shout outs to the two people who have completed more than 30 romhacks/fangames 
12.) Have you ever replayed a COMPLETE Fire Emblem romhack or fangame that you have already beaten?
A majority of people replay romhacks they’ve already beaten, which is neat. Various different kinds of challenge playthroughs are very popular, which probably contributes somewhat to romhacks and fangames’ replayability.
13.) Does the number of chapters that a Fire Emblem romhack or fangame has factor into your decision to play it?
Most people don’t really care how long your hack or fangame is, which was actually a bit surprising to me personally. About a fifth of respondents like longer games, whereas 14% actually like shorter ones.
14.) Do you play incomplete romhacks or fangames?
This result isn’t really surprising; for a multitude or reasons, people prefer to get invested in things they know will be finished. Still though, only 12% of people said that they won’t play incomplete projects outright.
15.) How important are the following aspects of Fire Emblem romhacks and fangames to you, as a player?
For this question, I gave each aspect a score based on the specific responses they received. A response of “Not Important” was worth 0 points, “A Little Important” was worth 1 point, “Very Important” was worth 2 points, and “Essential” was worth 3 points. The values of every response for each aspect were summed up to get a raw score, and then that raw score was divided by the number of people who marked an answer for that aspect to get a final, weighted score. The results are as follows:
| Aspect |
Ranking of Importance |
Raw Score |
Number of Respondents |
Weighted Score |
| Characters |
1 |
362 |
178 |
2.03 |
| Story |
2 |
294 |
180 |
1.63 |
| Character Portraits |
3 |
272 |
180 |
1.51 |
| Map Visuals |
4 |
268 |
181 |
1.48 |
| Unique Mechanics |
5 |
256 |
182 |
1.41 |
| Story Map Events |
6 |
235 |
180 |
1.31 |
| Custom Music |
7 |
229 |
181 |
1.27 |
| Supports |
8 |
158 |
179 |
0.88 |
| Skills |
9 |
139 |
181 |
0.77 |
| Custom UI Visuals |
10 |
130 |
181 |
0.72 |
| Custom Item Icons |
11 |
117 |
181 |
0.65 |
| Multiple Difficulties |
12 |
110 |
179 |
0.61 |
Fire Emblem is a series known for and defined by its character-centric focus, so it makes sense people would tend to rank aspects related to characters and their stories as some of the more important ones in romhacks.
16.) Do you prefer Fire Emblem romhacks and fangames that stick closely to the design of Official FE games?
While about half of respondents don’t particularly mind the direction of the hacks and fangames they play, a little over a quarter are looking for novel experiences. A good amount of people prefer something familiar, too.
17.) How do you find new romhacks or fangames to play? Check all that apply.
A good mix of answers here, with “Browsing FEU” unsurprisingly being the most common method of finding new hacks and fangames to play. FEE3 seems to have a sizeable influence here, too!
18.) How often do you talk with friends about the Fire Emblem romhacks or fangames that you are playing?
Not much to say here; most people talk about romhacks and fangames with their friends at least a little bit. If the friends in question are present on FEU, then that sort of talk is probably a lot more common
19.) How often do you stream yourself playing Fire Emblem romhacks or fangames on Discord, Twitch, Youtube, or etc.?
Most people don’t stream FE romhacks and fangames, probably because most people don’t stream in general. That said, at least 8 respondents say they stream romhacks and fangames frequently, which is neat!
20.) If you wanted to introduce a friend to Fire Emblem romhacks or fangames, what romhack or fangame would you have them play?*
| Game |
Number of Responses |
| Vision Quest |
53 |
| The Last Promise |
29 |
| Storge |
12 |
| Absolution |
7 |
| Sacred Echoes |
6 |
| FE7x: Immortal Sword |
5 |
| Iron Emblem |
5 |
| Bloodlines |
4 |
| Dark Lord and the Maiden of Light |
4 |
| Justice and Pride |
4 |
| Souls of the Forest |
4 |
| Blessed Heart |
3 |
| Code of the Black Knights |
3 |
| Code of the Burger King |
3 |
| Elibean Nights |
3 |
| Order of the Crimson Arm |
3 |
| The Road to Ruin |
3 |
| Bells of Byelen |
2 |
| Four Kings |
2 |
| FE6NA |
2 |
| Fractured Realms |
2 |
| Lex Telephonis |
2 |
| Midnight Sun |
2 |
| Pokémblem |
2 |
| Sun God’s Wrath |
2 |
| The Lion Throne |
2 |
| Askr Attorney: Investigations |
1 |
| Blade and Claw |
1 |
| Biraku Emblem |
1 |
| Call of the Armor |
1 |
| Eligor’s Spear |
1 |
| Ember Sigil |
1 |
| FE5 Overclocked |
1 |
| Illuminated |
1 |
| Lady of Masks |
1 |
| Last Heavenly Throne |
1 |
| Maiden’s Quest |
1 |
| Project Ember |
1 |
| Requiem |
1 |
| Seven Siblings |
1 |
| TGMC |
1 |
| The Lonely Mirror |
1 |
| Virtuous Three |
1 |
| Void’s Blitzarre Adventure |
1 |
This question garnered a huge array of distinct answers, but The Last Promise and Vision Quest were the clear favorites.
(Data for projects banned from the site or known to violate site rules was not reported for this question.)
21.) What device do you primarily use to play Fire Emblem romhacks or fangames?
This question was very surprising to me, as it seems to indicate that the vast majority of people don’t usually play romhacks or fangames on their phone. Part of me wonders if this question in particular is being heavily influenced by sampling bias. Common responses besides the big three included various consoles such as the GBA, 3DS, PS Vita, etc.
22.) Are you willing to play Fire Emblem romhacks or fangames built on the following engines? Check all that apply.
Obviously, virtually everyone is open to playing FEGBA romhacks. LT, Tactile, and SRPG studio then descend in willingness in that order.
23.) Please list any incomplete romhacks or fangames that you are excited to see complete.*
| Game |
Number of Responses |
| Absolution |
32 |
| Cerulean Coast |
26 |
| Eternal Winter |
21 |
| Sacred Echoes |
20 |
| TMGC |
19 |
| Aletheia |
15 |
| Staff of Ages |
14 |
| Bloodlines |
13 |
| Deity Device: Saint’s Blood |
11 |
| Souls of the Forest |
11 |
| FE7x: Immortal Sword |
9 |
| Lady of Masks |
9 |
| Legends of Avenir |
9 |
| Of Sand And Sabers |
8 |
| Aurora Chasers |
7 |
| Home By Winter |
7 |
| Frozen Throes |
6 |
| Dreaming of Other Twilights |
5 |
| Iron Emblem: Gaiden |
5 |
| Lex Telephonis |
5 |
| Chthonic Curse |
4 |
| Radiant Dawn: Daybreak |
4 |
| Illuminated |
4 |
| Starlit Souls |
4 |
| 7 Siblings |
3 |
| Fractured Realms |
3 |
| Genesis |
3 |
| Justice and Pride Book 2 Remake |
3 |
| Maiden of Darkness |
3 |
| Virtuous Three |
3 |
| A Vestrian Tale |
2 |
| Ballad of the Bard |
2 |
| Drums of War |
2 |
| Carcino 803 |
2 |
| Eligor’s Spear |
2 |
| Grug 2 |
2 |
| Host of the Dark |
2 |
| OC Emblem Redux |
2 |
| Scourge of Proxima |
2 |
| Searching for Light |
2 |
| Shackled Power (has since released) |
2 |
| Stargazer |
2 |
| The Nameless Heroes |
2 |
| The Order of Frost |
2 |
| Tierra Maldita |
2 |
| Void’s Blitzarre Adventure 3D |
2 |
| Vyland Saga |
2 |
| Awakening: Project Thabes |
1 |
| Awful Emblem |
1 |
| Before Fates |
1 |
| Binding Blade+ |
1 |
| Book of Exiles |
1 |
| Dark Dragon Rebirth |
1 |
| FE5 Forseti’s Cut |
1 |
| FE5 Overclocked |
1 |
| Flames of Redemption |
1 |
| Heaven’s Fall |
1 |
| Hiraeth: Legacies |
1 |
| Inheritance |
1 |
| Legacy of Sorrow |
1 |
| Monster Mash |
1 |
| Nations of Conquest |
1 |
| Parallel Emblem |
1 |
| Radiant Dawn: Exalted |
1 |
| Sacred Dawn |
1 |
| Sain’s Tale |
1 |
| Seasonal FE4 Remake |
1 |
| Sengoku Oda |
1 |
| Transcending Darkness |
1 |
| The Last Promise 2 |
1 |
| The Last Promise 4 |
1 |
| Twilight Sword |
1 |
| White Feathers |
1 |
| Wings of Dawn |
1 |
| Wrath of the Crusade |
1 |
Last Heavenly Throne 
|
1 |
Since I’m fairly certain Absolution is not the most anticipated FE romhack/fangame, I’m going to assume the free-response questions are either victims of sampling bias or victims of people knowing who made the survey. I think the honor should instead go to Rivian, Devisio, and Gamma. Ultimately though, many respondents indicated there were simply too many exciting upcoming projects to list. So the real takeaway here in my opinion is that FEU users are heavily invested and excited by the games the community creates.
(Data for projects banned from the site or known to violate site rules was not reported for this question.)
24.) Please list your top 3 Fire Emblem romhacks or fangames that you have played (they can be complete or incomplete).*
| Game |
Number of Responses |
| Vision Quest |
60 |
| The Last Promise |
34 |
| Souls of the Forest |
24 |
| Absolution |
19 |
| Sacred Echoes |
19 |
| Bells of Byelen |
13 |
| FE7x: Immortal Sword |
11 |
| Code of the Black Knights |
10 |
| Iron Emblem |
10 |
| Justice and Pride |
10 |
| Storge |
10 |
| The Road to Ruin |
10 |
| Code of the Burger King |
9 |
| Dark Lord and the Maiden of Light |
9 |
| Four Kings |
9 |
| Cerulean Coast |
8 |
| Order of the Crimson Arm |
8 |
| Sun God’s Wrath |
8 |
| Bloodlines |
5 |
| Deity Device |
5 |
| Eternal Winter |
5 |
| Project Ember |
5 |
| Midnight Sun |
5 |
| Elibean Nights |
4 |
| Eligor’s Spear |
4 |
| Legends of Avenir |
4 |
| Requiem |
4 |
| Staff of Ages |
4 |
| TMGC |
4 |
| Blessed Heart |
3 |
| FE4 Binary |
3 |
| FE7 Boss Rrecruitment |
3 |
| Fractured Realms |
3 |
| Hope’s Trail |
3 |
| Lex Telephonis |
3 |
| Myrmidon Emblem |
3 |
| Pokémblem |
3 |
| Sacred Trilogy |
3 |
| A Vestrian Tale |
2 |
| Blade & Claw |
2 |
| GreenFE |
2 |
| Journeys |
2 |
| Lady of Masks |
2 |
| Last Heavenly Throne |
2 |
| The Lion Throne |
2 |
| The Lonely Mirror |
2 |
| The Phantom King |
2 |
| Void’s Blitzarre Adventure |
2 |
| 7 Siblings |
1 |
| Aletheia |
1 |
| Askr Attorney Investigations |
1 |
| Bandit Emblem |
1 |
| B3ll-h@ll@ |
1 |
| Biraku Emblem |
1 |
| Death or Glory |
1 |
| Embers Entwined |
1 |
| FE4 Holy Preambulation |
1 |
| FE5 Overclocked |
1 |
| FE6NA |
1 |
| FE7if |
1 |
| Fire Emblem Forever |
1 |
| Fire Logo: Legend of John |
1 |
| Genesis |
1 |
| Grug’s Primitive Disadventure |
1 |
| Home by Winter |
1 |
| Inheritors of the Crusade |
1 |
| JP Hack |
1 |
| Legacy of Sorrow |
1 |
| New Theory of Thracia |
1 |
| Maiden of Darkness |
1 |
| MK404FE |
1 |
| Myth of Blight |
1 |
| Restoration Queen |
1 |
| Sacred Dawn |
1 |
| Scarlet Rising |
1 |
| Sengoku Oda |
1 |
| Shackled Power |
1 |
| Super Thracia |
1 |
| The Dark Hour |
1 |
| Yggdra Patch |
1 |
Vision Quest, The Last Promise, and Souls of the Forest are the most beloved romhacks among respondents! Similarly to the last question though, I heard from a number of people that choosing just 3 games was hard. There are so many good and interesting projects out there!
(Data for projects banned from the site or known to violate site rules was not reported for this question.)
Section 3: Questions for Creators
25.) Have you or a team you were a part of released a complete Fire Emblem romhack or fangame?
Most people have not completed a romhack or fangame, which is not a surprise. What is a surprise is that slightly more respondents have released multiple games than just one.
26.) Are you or a team you are a part of currently developing a Fire Emblem romhack or fangame?
Over three quarters of respondents are working on a romhack or fangame, which is super exciting!
27.) Once all your current romhacks and fangames are finished, do you plan to make another?
Over a third of respondents already have their next project planned, which is cool to see.
28.) Have you ever canceled or permanently ceased development on a project before it was finished?
Cancelling a project is not at all uncommon. Interestingly, if you’ve cancelled at least one project, you’ve likely canceled multiple based on this data.
29.) Which of the following BEST describes your general goals for the gameplay of your most recent project?
Capturing the gameplay goals of a project in a single sentence is tough, so I’m not sure how meaningful this question really is. That said, it seems about half of hack and fangame creators want to produce an experience that’s not too out there by FE standards, at least.
30.) Which of the following BEST describes your general goals for the story of your most recent project?
I admit I had actually expected the number of respondents who wanted a minimal story to be higher here.
31.) Why did you decide to start making Fire Emblem romhacks or fangames? Check all that apply.
The pre-written responses to this question were:
- I felt the official Fire Emblem games were lacking and wanted to make something better.
- I enjoy Fire Emblem’s gameplay and wanted to put my own spin on it.
- I felt a Fire Emblem game would be a good vehicle to tell a story of mine.
- I saw it as an opportunity to work together with friends.
- Someone said I couldn’t do it, and I wanted to prove them wrong.
- I had preexisting original characters and wanted to insert them into a video game.
- I was inspired by playing other romhacks or fangames.
32.) What official Fire Emblem games have influenced your romhack(s) or fangame(s)?
| Game |
Number or Respondents |
| Thracia 776 (FE5) |
40 |
| Radiant Dawn (FE10) |
34 |
| Fates (FE14) |
26 |
| Binding Blade (FE6) |
23 |
| Sacred Stones (FE8) |
23 |
| Blazing Blade (FE7) |
21 |
| Path of Radiance (FE9) |
20 |
| New Mystery of the Emblem (FE12) |
15 |
| Shadow Dragon (FE11) |
11 |
| Shadows of Valentia (FE15) |
10 |
| Geneaology of the Holy War (FE4) |
9 |
| Three Houses (FE16) |
8 |
| Gaiden (FE2) |
7 |
| Awakening (FE13) |
5 |
| Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (FE1) |
4 |
| Mystery of the Emblem (FE3) |
4 |
| Heroes (FEH) |
1 |
Thracia and Radiant Dawn inspire people the most, which makes sense given that they seem to be the more common favorites according to question 2. Also, most people who put down Fates specified Conquest as their inspiration. No one specified Birthright or Revelation.
33.) What OTHER Fire Emblem romhacks or fangames have influenced your project(s)?*
| Game |
Number of Responses |
| Vision Quest |
37 |
| Souls of the Forest |
20 |
| The Last Promise |
19 |
| Cerulean Coast |
10 |
| Absolution |
9 |
| Bells of Byelen |
9 |
| Sun God’s Wrath |
8 |
| Deity Device |
7 |
| The Road to Ruin |
7 |
| Eternal Winter |
6 |
| Four Kings |
6 |
| Sacred Echoes |
6 |
| Eligor’s Spear |
5 |
| Legacy of Sorrow |
5 |
| Code of the Burger King |
4 |
| Storge |
4 |
| TMGC |
4 |
| Code of the Black Knights |
3 |
| Dream of Five |
3 |
| Lady of Masks |
3 |
| Iron Emblem |
3 |
| Myrmidon Emblem |
3 |
| Order of the Crimson Arm |
3 |
| Project Ember |
3 |
| Staff of Ages |
3 |
| Aletheia |
2 |
| Blessed Heart |
2 |
| Call of the Armor |
2 |
| FE7x: Immortal Sword |
2 |
| Journeys |
2 |
| Justice and Pride |
2 |
| Last Heavenly Throne |
2 |
| Of Sand and Sabres |
2 |
| Sacred Dawn |
2 |
| Void’s Blitzarre Adventure |
2 |
| A Vestrian Tale |
1 |
| Ballad of the Bard |
1 |
| Biraku Emblem |
1 |
| Bloodlines |
1 |
| Dark Lord and the Maiden of Light |
1 |
| Decay of the Fangs |
1 |
| Dragon Herald |
1 |
| Dreaming of Other Twilights |
1 |
| Elibean Nights |
1 |
| Embers Entwined |
1 |
| Fractured Realms |
1 |
| FE Girls |
1 |
| FE4 Advance |
1 |
| Isekai Emblem |
1 |
| Legends of Avenir |
1 |
| Lex Telephonis |
1 |
| Mark’s More Precious |
1 |
| MK404FE |
1 |
| Pokémblem |
1 |
| Sengoku Oda |
1 |
| Super Thracia |
1 |
| The Lion Throne |
1 |
| Transcending Darkness |
1 |
According to the results, Vision Quest, Souls of the Forest, and The Last Promise are the most inspirational romhacks!
(Data for projects banned from the site or known to violate site rules was not reported for this question.)
34.) What way of handling romhack/fangame releases is better in your opinion?
FEU has decided, posting your project publicly prior to completion and gathering feedback is better.
35.) Which engine(s) have you used to develop a Fire Emblem romhack or fangame?
Nothing much to say here. Shout outs to the RPG Maker user.
36.) If you chose to make a fangame using a custom engine like Lex Talionis, Tactile, or SRPG Studio, why did you do so instead of making a romhack? Check all that apply.
The prewritten answers for this one were
- I felt limited by the technical constraints of the FEGBA engine.
- I felt it would be easier to implement my ideas in a custom engine.
- I am more familiar with the custom engine than FEGBA romhacking.
- I wanted to try out something new.
- I wanted my fangame to be a stand-alone executable.
- I have already made too much progress on my game in the engine to switch to a romhack now.
- I was inspired by another fangame running on the engine.
37.) If you chose to make a romhack using an FEGBA engine, why did you do so instead of making a fangame with Lex Talionis, Tactile, or SRPG Studio? Check all that apply.
The prewritten answers for this one were
- I enjoy the process of hacking and pushing the limits of the FEGBA engine.
- I felt it would be easier to implement my ideas in FEGBA.
- I am more familiar with FEGBA than other custom engines.
- I felt using FEGBA would give my game a more authentic feel.
- I wanted my game to be playable on phones.
- I have already made too much progress on my hack in FEGBA to switch engines now.
- I was inspired by another romhack.
The first prewritten answer should have been split into two different options, as the “pushing the limits” language likely alienated some respondents it would have otherwise attracted.
Some free-response answers I probably should have included as prewritten ones were “new engines did not exist when I started,” and “a team project required us to use an engine we were all more collectively familiar with.”
One thing I should also note about this question is that Tactile games are in fact playable on phones.
38.) Have you ever used the skills you’ve acquired from making Fire Emblem romhacks or fangames at school or work?
It’s decided, folks. Fire Emblem is not a marketable skill. However…
39.) Have you made friends through the process of developing your Fire Emblem romhack or fangame?
… it is a great way to make friends.
. I’m generally pretty confident that things are reported more or less accurately though.
