It sucks that I’m giving this game such a high rating. The story is campy and the art direction is all over the place (although I will say that the animations themselves look fantastic). The characters are nothing great (even when enjoyable) and I wish that I could say that it at least doesn’t take itself too seriously but it really does, in which the more “emotional” moments are really only carried by the protagonists’ shockingly good voice acting (a la Brandon McInnis and Laura Stahl). All of that is… whatever. Alas, the gameplay is really, REALLY good. These are some of the best maps that Fire Emblem has sported in a long while, and it’s a real breath of fresh air after the tedium of Three Houses. I hate to say it, but the gimmick of the game really does add a dimension to it and is fun in execution, as annoyingly self-referential as the rings are. The music, as is par for the course for the franchise, is fantastic. I really would recommend this game to other Fire Emblem players, which is a bit embarrassing, but fuck it, those paralogues are so, so good. Note that I have yet to play past the first wave of DLC, however.