i loved this game so much when it launched back in 2019 so i have a bit of a nostalgia boner for it admittedly. and i definitely get why people are super attached to this game, especially its characters. it has probably my favorite cast in the fe games ive played so far, and that can go a long way for a game's staying power and fanbase building. however, this is unfortunately a game i struggle to get back to, even with nostalgia goggles. for a more petty note, the game is just kind of ugly, or at least just does not appeal to my personal aesthetic standards at all. the characters' animations in battle feel rather standard and nothing special, and the models are sort of rough. the muted colors are an intentional part of the aesthetic which i like, but again not my thing. and while i do love the character designs of this game (mostly in the war phase), the character portraits feel rather bland. again, it's the colors and the paleness, it all feels kind of lifeless (i'm pretty sure the portraits were not drawn by kurahana but a different artist trying to ape her style cuz it sort of feels that way). i'm also not too big on the gameplay. i'm no scholar in TRPG map design, but the gameplay that occurs between the chapter maps is rather dull. the monastery is mostly just busywork that becomes more egregious as you progress further in the game and does not feel as skippable as something like the somniel in engage. i am also not super into the tutoring system. it's cool to have all the units be completely flexible with their own strengths that nudge you into an "intended" class for them, but i prefer fe games just give me characters as is and not make me build them from scratch i guess (it's also why i like the war phase's character designs since they're generally designed with their intended class in mind and thus don't feel like blank slates like they do in the school phase, if that makes sense. like they feel like a more traditional fe cast). the story... well it's been a while since i've experienced it so i can't really comment on that, and i don't really play fire emblem for its story anyway.
that said: best fire emblem ost. one of the best. so many bangers ranging from the cheery support music to the map themes that can be either calming or intense.

the story is really bad and its supposed plot [Revelations] hinder the experience of the rest of fire emblem fates (especially since the other routes feel like subtle advertisements for this one). the maps are gimmicky nonsense and it's also one of the less challenging fe games. but god dammit i still have a strange attachment to this game with all of its gnarly warts. maybe it's the satisfaction of having Almost every playable character in fates in your army, maybe it's the crazy sandbox breeding and character building you can do because of how big your army is, maybe i actually am a sucker for the stupid maps because at least it's some attempted weird variety in the campaign, idk. it's my most played fates route. i like building my super child soldier army to its fullest potential ok

i don't really like warriors-type games, so i won't likely revisit this game for a while, but this was a pretty good time. it felt like a pretty natural and faithful continuation of the base story of persona 5, and it's cool seeing the characters hang out again once you've gotten to know them in persona 5. though the gameplay isn't my thing, the sound track SLAPPPPS like no other, one of my favorite video game osts fr. honestly that helps motivate me to keep finishing the game as the game has so many bangers from start to end.

it's alright. definitely a persona 5 spinoff
i love the art style though, it's definitely different from the mainline but it's super expressive and the posing for the characters rules. gameplay is pretty fun, though i would not recommend trying to binge this game as it can start getting pretty repetitive. the final world kind of sucks though i'm not gonna lie, feels like padding in the story + it's sort of a rush-through of all the previous worlds using their aesthetics and gimmicks but with an extremely bland color palette. the final boss fight(s) took a few years off of my life with how long and droning they felt but that's persona climactic boss fights i guess.
also, an annoying thing i noticed during the game's story: there would be times where the characters come across a prop or something like that in the world that's meant to symbolize something of the current bad-guy's personality or motivations. and then the characters would basically turn towards the camera to explain the exact symbolism and meaning of this prop instead of letting the player figure it out on their own. got EXTREMELY distracting once i noticed this, and i feel like it's not as bad in the mainline games

actual peak, i love this game a lot as a crossover enthusiast and it has given me all the brainworms. the ai-controlled party members is kind of a bummer even if things being hands-off is an intentional feature of the mii series. i would have liked the option to at least try controlling the party members during certain fights or as a gimmick level at some point, but again i do understand that your party doing whatever is part of the challenge and charm of the game. for what it's worth, the ai companions are pretty sensible, though there aren't a lot of complex mechanics that they could mess up when acting on their own lol.

played from launch to the addition of beast units. typical gacha stuff, currently plagued by some really funny power creep. i feel like it's one of the more generous gachas i've played, but i don't wanna give it too much credit since i don't play a whole lot of those. the art is really great though! i'm serious, i love the variety of artists and styles here and i still somewhat keep up with the news just to see new characters added. so, maybe just go to the wiki list for all the artists that have contributed.

lots of quality of life features to appreciate like the much more diverse/accessible character creator, plus the aesthetics and customization are great! but there is still much i have to criticize about the game, unfortunately. though it has all the basic pieces one would expect from an animal crossing game, like a town hall or a clothing store or a museum, comparing it to previous entries does make it feel like it's missing a few stuff. the drip-feed style of content additions did not do it any favors. like, the art exhibit being added in a post-launch update was kind of ridiculous. but even now, when the game is in its "completed" state, it still feels like only the bones of an animal crossing game are found here without much meat to dig into, especially if you are not interested in town customization and more into town simulation and roleplaying. while i more favor the former, i think new horizons went too far in favoring customizing the town over actually living in it, and i hope future entries don't follow too closely in its structure.
still, the 200+ hours i put into this game were not wasted ones, in my opinion. the expansion pass is well worth the money and my main reason for returning (again, i like decorating!)