This is absolutely 100% the worst fire emblem game out there. For a bit of context - I've played every game in the series - in some cases more than once - but compared to a lot of the fanbase I'm a bit of a casual. I only ever play the games on normal or hard difficulty, so I'm not really out in the weeds with players who are map design and character balance connoisseurs or who can run through lunatic / maddening difficulty in their sleep. I mostly play the FE games for a fun gameplay challenge and memorable characters. Due to this, I can generally tolerate FE games that have somewhat weak level design if I can get behind the characters or story. This was the case for me with Fates Birthright. Despite the somewhat below average level design I was able to connect with the characters and story (again despite being subpar for the series) and still enjoyed it. The same absolutely cannot be said about Revelation, which not only has outright bad map design but also has 100% the worst writing the series has ever seen. Most of this game reads like a bad Fire Emblem fan fiction. I played this after both Birthright and Conquest expecting to now get to experience the true story of Fates. Everything in Birthright and Conquest points towards Revelation being the true story and true ending. The unfinished plot threads and mysteries, Corrin's characterization, and the sense that the true villain has not been revealed in the other two games strongly suggests this. Given this build up I cannot say how disappointed I was to be met with a game that felt like a 5 dollar DLC afterthought. It was like a slap in the face for all the time I spent on the other two games. The worst thing is, this entry wasn't even necessary. The story of Fates easily could have just been a straightforward tale of a war where the player character is forced to pick a side and live with the consequences of it. This almost certainly would have been more interesting than having this laughable "true story" where everything is revealed and everyone learns to get along and love each other. It kind of kills anything interesting about the storytelling of the other two games in this entry. Even if the game was good it would most likely still have this deflating effect, which feels inherent to it's existence. As it stands, Revelation is a bad game that actively makes the other two Fates games worse by extension. They weren't anything special to begin with, which makes this quality of Revelation sting even more.

This is the lowest review I've ever given a game at this point. It's certainly not unplayable on a technical level. The game works well enough, isn't totally broken, and provides some basic enjoyment for the player. My low score is for this game, IMO, being offensively bad. I'm very rarely annoyed when faced with playing a bad game. It's really only happened to me twice - it happened with AC Valhalla and it happened with this one. Like I said before, it made me feel like an absolute asshole for investing any time in the other Fates games and served to kind of spoil my moderate enjoyment of them.