The Tellius Duo is my favorite!

This game is the closest I’ve got to feeling what I felt in the Tellius games. Three Houses creates such a rich world and rich characters that I love coming back time and time again. It doesn’t hurt that this game has some of the best presentation of any Fire Emblem game with great cutscenes, art direction, and full voice acting. My biggest complaint is that not all of the routes feel as fleshed out as they could be, and the White Clouds portion starts to feel tedious upon replays. Still, I have never been able to choose a favorite lord because I love them all so much for very different reasons.

I have a confession: I was not excited for this game, and did not enjoy the first few hours of gameplay. It was overwhelming and reminded me that I didn't really care for the first Warriors. However, this quickly changed when I got used to the systems and intrigued by the diverging storylines. Soon enough, I was having a blast. The AU paths got to explore unique ideas and the more rused storylines of Three Houses. It was just the perfect companion piece.

I love the Blazing Blade! It has a smaller scale story and tightly knit cast that really come together for me. I love the dynamic between Lyn, Hector, and Eliwood; the three have great chemistry. I like that most of the plot is about unraveling a conspiracy rather than fighting an all out war. There are so many great scenes and side characters that get to shine. I don't think I'd want every Fire Emblem story to be this small, but it's a nice change of pace in the context of the series. The gameplay is controversial, but I don't have an issue with it. I have fun fighting off weaker enemies, and decimating armies with strong units. Probably my favorite GBA Fire Emblem.

This is the first Japanese-exclusive FE game I played to completion and I'm so glad I did. I was originally put off by how complicated its systems looked, but this YouTube video, gave me the explanation I needed to get started! Geneaology of the Holy War is am ambitious game with a multi-generational storyline spanning the entire continent of Jugdral. Its interesting politics and flawed characters carry the weight of the first half, while their stronger hopeful offspring carry the second half. The plot reminds me a bit of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, in a good way! I struggled a bit the the gameplay. The game's huge maps, skills, and management systems took some getting used to, but it was all worth learning. By the end, my army was powerful in a way that felt earned. Here's to hoping for a remake!

This was the first Fire Emblem release I was really excited about. I followed the pre-release and pre-ordered both versions, scheduling time in my busy college schedule to play both games. I went into them sincerely trying to engage with the storylines, but left a bit disappointed. After playing all three routes, I’ve decided that Fates is a very mixed bag. I love a lot of the characters, more so than many other FE games, but when they don’t hit they really don’t hit. The anime archetypes can be especially grating. The different plotlines are lacking relying on a lot of coincidence and stipidity from its cast of characters to work. It's not all bad though - I enjoyed my time playing each of the routes. The OST might be my favorite in all of Fire Emblem, I never muted it. I've also seen some great fan rewrites that really tap into the potential of what Fates' story could have been.

Engage is such a weird game. It's got a very Saturday-morning cartoon type of story that, if I'm honest, doesn't work for me. So many of the elements are just too over the top or are so bad they're funny. Alear is not a compelling character, and I hate that they're just worshipped by the cast. It's a really good thing that everything else about this game is great. The gameplay is some of my favorite in the entire series - I love how the Emblems add an additional layer or strategy and unit customization. I love a lot of the characters, and some of their goofier support conversations. The comedy can actually hit pretty well. I enjoy the OST, it's one I've gone back to quite a bit. All of these things elevate my opinion of Engage, which might have been extremely negative otherwise.

I have Awakening to thank for, well, re-awakening this series. When I first got into Fire Emblem I couldn’t find another soul IRL that knew what it was, or liked it as much as I did. I had to live in niche forums and image boards to get my fix. Then Awakening came along and changed everything. I can’t begin to describe how exciting it was to have voice acting (even limited), an avatar, romance, etc. It got me back into the series, and for a while I was obsessed with it. Now that time has past, I don’t really come back to Awakening anymore. I'm not too attached to a lot of its characters or the the storyline. The gameplay is fine, but the pairup mechanic isn't my favorite. I'm happy for the existence of Awakening, but it hasn't stood the test of time for me.

Sacred Stones is pretty good! It's a game I neither love nor hate. I have a good time playing it, but not a lot of it really sticks with me longterm. To note positives, I like the villians (especially Lyon), I love Seth (kind of ship him Erika tbh), I think the sprites look great, and I love building up busted units. On the otherhand, I do find some of the cast to be a bit bland. I'm especially disapointed by Eirika whose whole character is just "kind" and "I love my brother" - she had the potential to be so much more! That all said, Sacred Stones is a solid game and one I enjoy playing.

Shadows of Valentia (SoV) has my favorite art style of any FE game period - Hidari is incredible. The voice direction and music in this game are also incredible, leading to a very polished presentation. Unfortunately, the plot and gameplay are a bit lacking. Shadows of Valentia is a remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden on the NES, so not all of its maps/systems have aged the best. Its storyline is also a bit of a mess with its inconsistent themes and slight sexism. That all said, I do think it’s a fun time, and worth a visit.