As much as I wish I could say otherwise, this is the superior Conquest. This game is probably the absolute best and most fair Fire Emblem has ever been in terms of raw gameplay systems, as long as you are open to changing your playstyle when met with maps that demand it (See: C10, C21, C24.)

I’ve heard some argue that it’s too easy to break or cheese, but the game keeps you on your toes enough that you are literally never gonna be bored. It’s far preferable to FE12’s highest difficulties, cause you can still use p much every unit in the game to good effect. Stats aren’t the difficulty, the difficulty comes from smart map design and interesting enemy formations with interesting skill setups.

If you haven’t, please use the Capture command next time you play, some of the units you get fucking rule


not defending the furrycon 2015 map tho its just bad

smart fuckin game, dude!!!

even ignoring the obvious points it gets for featuring LADY CAMILLA alone, the way they nerfed the pair-up mechanic from awakening into something actually engaging here is a real marvel to behold. You can pair a unit up with another to get them into a defensive state that will block bonus attacks from supporter enemies, OR you can have them stand solo - forgoing the safety, but gaining additional attacks from their adjacent friends! Risk? Reward??? Dopamine????? It's pretty brilliant! We are decision-making in the rpg, boys!!!

SO much of the game is like this! No great power comes without some kind of weighty trade off you've got to think the pros/cons through for each immediate moment. And with enemies all able to tap into the same level of technical depth your guys can, you're gonna be living it up, reading all those skill descriptions for stat alterations and advantages for dayz~

Every map is a 10 and you are wonderfully encouraged to be AGGRESSIVE and rock your way through them with purpose NOT ONLY thanks to that killer pairup mechanic, but the crazy buff/debuff potential units can get hooked up with too! Making even the less immediately exciting actions like the out-of-combat positioning of guys or chip damaging with weaker folk moves that can involve some decent thought and provide mad payoff! It's all just so... CONSISTENTLY thought-provoking! Remarkably deep!! I love it...

SURE, the story kinda just flounders around after the big chapter 6 break up; leaving things feeling a bit undercooked and lacking in like a real throughline to really grab you narratively. The kids you can get and their hyperbolic baby dimensions are overtly ridiculous and come off feeling shoehorned in. The petting is goofy, the drama can fall flat, but bro - I don't caaaare??? In a game THIS polished and complex, all that's just the garnish for the real ass rpg experience, bro....

With how unintrusively the narrative elements present themselves, you're left without them more often and spend a greater amount of time just engaging in the raw GAMING of it all and the decision-making over a bulk of any intensive story shit. As long as you go into the thing with the goal of engaging with it mechanically, I think you'll come out fine and feel pretty rewarded! And any story trifles by that point can just serve as relatively cute and goofy set dressing! (They're ROYALS, of COURSE there's gotta be potential anime INCEST ;-;-;-; >:') )))

I think the broadstrokes are DECENTLY entertaining anyway and KINDA LIKE watching Corrin struggle through their DRAMATIC, IMPOSSIBLE DECISIONS all miserable-like and consistently FAIL in their peacemaking efforts before just getting revenge and killing all of their comedically evil oppressors by endgame and uprooting the whole system; all while spouting delicious melodramatic poetry with the help of their loving family of level 20 badasses. It is KINO. JUSTICE IS AN ILLUSION! WE ARE THE MASTERS OF OUR OWN FATE!!!

Ahh just a real lovely game~