I'm surprised people ranked this game so low, but from what I can tell it's had quite a long update history....
In any case, as a not-Fire Emblem it's pretty alright and on the nose with all the pros and cons of Fire Emblem: A boring plot with characters that shine better in supports, and an alright Strategy game that can become a steamroll really fast. Some characters like Bridget and Cia early game, Alden midgame, and Elias and Meave late game can effectively run the show by themselves, while funny enough MC Irving is never good. Unlike Fire Emblem though you can actually tell the MC to bug off to the Bench, which after FE6 feels really nice.
Where this game is unique is its take on death, which is neat on paper but flawed in execution: When a unit dies, they will be gone for a map but permanently lose a percentage of a stat. This sounds nice until you see your Berserker lost 0 magic meaning nothing, or your Tank lost 8 HP which is a real death sentence. The inconsequential punishment for death reduces the amount of strategy I need, especially with the aforementioned wrecking balls. The worst of death gets cancelled out lategame where you'll have so much money stockpiled that you can just buy stat increasers that cancel out what was lost on death and be on your merry way.
The voice acting is alright. The presentation is fantastic as is the sprite-art and GBA FE animations are pretty nice, but I do wish unit balance was better and glitches were eradicated. I've straight up lost some turns with units that got stuck or had their movement glitched. Meanwhile treasure chests that contain weapon upgrades can be opened infinitely, meaning the balance of the weapon upgraded system is thrown out the window once you find a good chapter to get as many as you want on.
So all in all, it's a great idea with solid execution, varied mission objectives, a few ideas to call its own that don't always pan out, and a professional presentation only slightly soured by a few gameplay glitches. If you've played Fire Emblem and somehow still need a fix, I think Dark Deity is worth checking out.
In any case, as a not-Fire Emblem it's pretty alright and on the nose with all the pros and cons of Fire Emblem: A boring plot with characters that shine better in supports, and an alright Strategy game that can become a steamroll really fast. Some characters like Bridget and Cia early game, Alden midgame, and Elias and Meave late game can effectively run the show by themselves, while funny enough MC Irving is never good. Unlike Fire Emblem though you can actually tell the MC to bug off to the Bench, which after FE6 feels really nice.
Where this game is unique is its take on death, which is neat on paper but flawed in execution: When a unit dies, they will be gone for a map but permanently lose a percentage of a stat. This sounds nice until you see your Berserker lost 0 magic meaning nothing, or your Tank lost 8 HP which is a real death sentence. The inconsequential punishment for death reduces the amount of strategy I need, especially with the aforementioned wrecking balls. The worst of death gets cancelled out lategame where you'll have so much money stockpiled that you can just buy stat increasers that cancel out what was lost on death and be on your merry way.
The voice acting is alright. The presentation is fantastic as is the sprite-art and GBA FE animations are pretty nice, but I do wish unit balance was better and glitches were eradicated. I've straight up lost some turns with units that got stuck or had their movement glitched. Meanwhile treasure chests that contain weapon upgrades can be opened infinitely, meaning the balance of the weapon upgraded system is thrown out the window once you find a good chapter to get as many as you want on.
So all in all, it's a great idea with solid execution, varied mission objectives, a few ideas to call its own that don't always pan out, and a professional presentation only slightly soured by a few gameplay glitches. If you've played Fire Emblem and somehow still need a fix, I think Dark Deity is worth checking out.