Lux Aeterna

You've really got me thinking now, because that could also be more impactful on Alear in retrospect. If the story spent more time demonstrating how great she was posthumously--simple things, like visiting to help with harvesting season in Firene, or moderating the tension between Brodia and Elusia--then they could gain an appreciation for her and their priority might shift from carrying on her legacy for obligation's sake to honoring her memory the best way they could. It also might serve to make a scene later in the game more poignant, and despite this being a thread that's a game retrospective, I'll spoiler mark it just in case since it's pretty deep in there: If nothing else, the premise you raised means her original death scene wouldn't be there, which still jumps out to me as the most at odds with the rest of the story's tone.

In terms of story, I'm with most people in that it wasn't particularly gripping, but for the most part I got the impression that it wasn't really trying to be. This also made it feel tonally confused at times, though. The death scene that vanguard333 mentioned was a great example of that, especially since Alear mentioned not having much attachment to her shortly before that due to their amnesia, and yet there they were, crying their eyes out with the rest of the characters. It was like the story wanted to get straight to as many gut punches as possible without working to make the payoff worthwhile. Not every story has to be as grave as 3H, so if the game was going for a lighter touch, I just wish it stayed that way instead of lurching awkwardly in a more serious direction at times. That's fine, though, because the gameplay was among my favorite in the series. Engage was the first game where I started with Maddening, because I thought back to my experience with 3H on Hard and how the gameplay there felt like more of a formality on that difficulty. I wanted to struggle a bit this time, and I struggled plenty. The emblems are probably my favorite singular addition to the series because of how powerful they made me feel. I liked the idea that you were obliged to choose carefully when to Engage, because when the proper moment was chosen, it always felt like you were either setting the tide of battle or turning it back in your favor. Corrin was the MVP for me, because her terrain-generating powers were handy in some way in pretty much every situation paired with Alear. I also enjoyed silly shenanigans like warping my entire team in a single turn with Micaiah or sending my allegedly immobile general halfway across the map with Sigurd. One thing I found funny about Maddening difficulty was how the "smarter" AI sometimes was abusable. What springs to mind is how if an enemy has no chance of damaging a unit, they'll avoid combat with that unit--even if that person is their only way through. It makes me remember how in Ike's paralogue I sat Louis on one chokepoint and Zelkov in constant fog in another. The enemies saw no way to damage the only units they could reach, so I was free to pick the ones even further back with longer ranged combatants. But, if this was Hard, where the enemies would have suicided and the sages would have been able to get through and ignore Zelkov's terrain bonuses, I would have been doomed. Also, Lyn's clones were a godsend. I'm glad that for whatever reason, the enemy considers those to be more valuable targets than my actual units just because they can be killed. There were a lot of turtling situations like that, because I'm not fussed about LTCing, and it's probably why the chapters I found the most aggravating were the ones where that wasn't possible. There was the chapter with a turn limit where you had to dispatch the boss while being hit by avalanches and being swarmed by enemies, and I had to get through that by attacking the boss from the other side of the map and making him come to me. There was also the final chapter where the endless swarms of reinforcements had me resorting to just only halfway dealing with the gimmick of the map and then muscling my way through. I suppose that's the reason I haven't felt a strong urge to replay it since it came out in January. It felt like I had "solved" each of the maps, unlike in other entries in the franchise where I felt free to explore other characters and strategies on another playthrough, and there didn't seem like much of a point of going through the same motions. As many have raised, going through the Somniel also dulls the urge, because that was a slog even the first time through, and I'm not sure if I would have made it through if I skipped everything. That said, it was the first game where I went for the "big boy" mode and stuck with it, so maybe fans with more exposure to that level of difficulty can attest to the way forward being similarly limited in other entries. At any rate, I played before any of the patches and without any DLC, so maybe with enough time, that'll present enough of a fresh experience that I'll want to return. Finally, although I don't remember most of the music, the first battle preparation track has to be my favorite of its kind in the series. The energetic violin/synth combo really hyped me up each time to get ready to tackle another challenge--one that would require clever thinking, but was always surmountable.

alright last one before I start studying because I don't want to lose my grades now: @TE: It may sound a bit odd, but I tend to talk or think to myself in Japanese if I can manage. But unlike, say, art, I don't feel like I should stop just because I don't see massive payoff. Every time I see Kanji or understand a word or grammar structure, it's enough to remind me that I'll get there if I keep at it. The biggest result I saw was when I learned Katakana just because of the droves of loan words. Since then not as much, but... I just love the language, I guess, and that's enough. Weeb trash, really. The grammar is easy to pick up so far, though I give the possibility it'll get worse. But huh... then after my language track is done I'll see if I can go. There's no substitute for experience I suppose. @Rei: Nothing but the you who believes in me who believes in you should know.

@TE: You should be safe; they say the older a person gets, the less likely they are to be influenced by others! @Rei: Your true self, maybe? alright alright alright no more excuses i should be preparing for finals oh yeah and hi sask

@Rei: Well my form says no one visible is looking here, at the very least. @TE: Naturally. If it was only that then I'd be shit out of luck. I always feel like I've learned so much, but not nearly enough. I love the grammar, but remembering vocab and Kanji is considerably harder. That said, I guess my goal of studying abroad in Japan after two more years might be a bit optimistic..? "I NEVER SUBSCRIBED TO THE COWARDLY WAY OF LIVING" -Rei, probably

You're telling me. When did you become one of the hidden people?

Paging Mr. Marthur: happy birthday Mr. Marthur! ... what an odd coincidence that was. Paging Mr. TE: how long did it take you to learn moon runes? For me, it's just that (and I'll say it only to the extent that I know how), 一年ぐらい日本語をべんきょうしていますが、かんじを百三十しっています… Obviously some of that stuff could be replaced with Kanji but I don't know which one is correct, soooOooOoOo It's just discouraging. And I got my textbook for next year and it turns out I'll only know 348. I'm only hoping it'll become more mechanical to learn the rest, or else this'll take forever.

今、日本語を話せますよ！ That's a lie. I still can't do it. One semester is not enough...

We might have been This thread's family tree was more confusing than a Midwest incest genealogy kind of thing

And why are they shouting at you

@Sirius: I agree. You're still a condescending asshole. Regardless, technicalities hold different weight with me Or maybe the same with you if you're going to pick on my syntax with my vocab I could argue that definition but if you're not interested in the technicalities I'll just throw up my hands and say "you're right" @Ein: o I was just ripping off TWGOK for shits and gigs although that was with demons, not ghosts AHHHH TIME FOR LEAGUE