In terms of story, Radiant Dawn is conceptually ambitious and consistently entertaining, albeit falling apart like a house of cards under the slightest scrutiny. I enjoyed my time with the story and for the most part liked the directions it tried to take, but I'd be hard pressed to say it's "good", because it's absolutely packed to the brim with holes and sloppy writing choices. Even still, it has its moments; part 2 is alright and ends on a peak note, and the game's ending is pretty solid too. Despite its massive flaws I still find myself liking the story more than most FE stories simply because of how different it is and how consistently eventful it is. Well, except part 4 - part 4 isn't eventful at all. haha...
In terms of gameplay, similarly, it's a massive mixed bag. Unit balancing is at an all time low with multiple armies ending up far apart from each other in terms of level and the gap between classes being extremely polarizing. Map design also varies wildly, with some of the best maps in the entire franchise such as 2-E being mixed in with Gaiden tier dogshit like 4-5. Hell there are more wet maps and fog maps in this game than in any other single FE I think. The fog maps are rout maps too. It can be pretty bad sometimes. Enemy phase can also be a massive slog with massive maps absolutely PACKED with enemies that end up taking control away from you for what feels like an eternity.
But when it's good it's some of the best FE gameplay out there. The skill system is amazing, offering a perfect balance between unit identity and player customizability. The bonus exp system is extremely fun, allowing clever allocation to create absolutely busted units like my very own stat capped Mia. The soundtrack and presentation have received a massive upgrade since FE9. And like I mentioned before, there are just as many amazing maps as there are terrible ones. In conclusion, it's a good game with a lot of really massive flaws lol

While the presentation leaves a lot to be desired, the core gameplay of FE9 is pretty much just as awesome as it was in the last two games, with map design remaining fantastic and some really neat new mechanics. While super canto and shove are both certainly funny, I mostly had fun playing around with laguz units and some of the new map gimmicks. The story was a little underwhelming but definitely not bad. The biggest issue are definitely simply a couple of stinker maps that stand out for the wrong reasons (chapters 10, 11, and 25).

This is almost my ideal FE game. The story features well written antagonists, likable protagonists, shocking twists, and enjoyable side characters that fill out your army and leave a bigger impression than the units in other games I've played. Gameplay wise, it's kind of just more FE7, which was already peak in that department. But it's made even peaker by the even better map design and addition of branching promotions, the latter of which makes me care even more about my units. This feels like MY army because I am the one who chooses how my units promote. The deeper connections that your units have with the worldbuilding also make these characters' lives feel so much more meaningful, which gives the gameplay more weight. My biggest issue, which is still pretty small honestly, is that the final boss and ending are pretty underwhelming.