fire emblem fates is my favorite game in the franchise. it took everything established in awakening and tweaked them to perfection. the pair up system has added depth to it, requiring good positioning and awareness to get the best use of it. the map design is also quite solid, especially on the conquest route even though the other two have some standouts. the biggest issue (besides the god awful writing that everyone loves to make fun of) is the gap in quality from conquest (one of the most challenging but also fair and rewarding games in the series) and the other two routes, birthright and revelation, which can become tedious or straight up jokes to play through. regardless of which path you take, the mechanical soundness of this game ensures you'll still find lots of fun playing