It was very difficult playing this game and not expecting the series' absolute best after hearing endless talk about how Kuro no Kiseki is the best one by far. And after 85 hours of thoroughly playing the game, I can say with confidence that I do not think this is the best game or even close to my favorite in the series. Do I say this to discredit Kuro? HELL no. This game is one of, if not THE most consistently good games in the series from start to finish. The combat was fun and the characters were great, which are staples of the series and are still done just as well here. The story was also surprisingly ambitious considering it's only the first game in the Calvard arc. I feel like Kuro's slightly overhyped since it's the "shiny new thing" after 5 games of Cold Steel content (which is perfectly understandable) but I still think it's among the best Kiseki games. It's just top 4 for me instead of top 1 like everyone else.