The Fire Emblem that saved (or ruined, depending on who you ask) the franchise. Packed with allusions to Fire Emblems past, as well as overt inclusion of older titles' characters with the introduction of the multiverse into Fire Emblem canon, Awakening was meant to be a last nostalgic love letter to the floundering franchise and its loyal fans.
Feels bad rating this low, because on release this was definitely one my favorite games ever. Trying to revisit it was a bad idea, it was hubris to think I could recapture the feelings in my wonderful memories. Unfortunately, the maps are kind of bland without the element of surprise from experiencing them for the first time and especially when compared to other FEs, and it takes a while to get units that stand out as much as Frederick and Robin.