I have completed Swords & Peace, one route at least. Very good game, so I wanted to give my thoughts.
Characters: The strongest part of the game. Every character has a story, gameplay plan and gimmick. Not everyone is strong, but everyone has several supports, events, skills and conversations that add to their depth. I love FE games that focus on developing the playable cast rather than everyone, so I appreciate all support partners have paired endings and how easy support gaining is. Even characters that don’t support often have conversations showcasing that overall, they’re all friends. If I had to choose a favorite side, it would be Millia’s. Scord, Roish, Perseus, Yllecia, Izzy, Uta, Varris, just so many great characters.
Story: The plot of the game is very strong and clearly well detailed. I’m sure there’s a lengthy google doc that keeps all the lore in check. I love how each town has lore to it and it’s not just one-offs, units mention it all the time. Now that I’ve beaten the game I am curious about what it’s store for the future and what’s beyond the ocean.
Writing: Very strong writing. I love the flowery language and eloquence of characters. I sort of wish I wrote some lines down because of how iconic they were. My only gripe is that sometimes they spoke too much.
Route Split (Huge Spoilers): I chose Millia’s route because her units are stronger and I wanted my Perseus and Varris ship to survive, but overall I liked her cast more. I don’t love losing the other half of the cast honestly, especially since I feel like the remaining cast didn’t care. Maybe I wanted my gold ending, but also the fact that defeating Hecate only stalls her for the future and we never delve into the black globe. This game screams sequel potential with other continents getting involved and finally destroying Hecate and hopefully destroying the object that started centuries of conflict. I checked both Millia and Esdin’s routes endings in the post game map and I feel Esdin got the better ending, which makes sense to me. Despite all of Millia’s achievements, he accomplished just as much while being careful. Everyone underestimated him, but I’d say he’s a better leader overall. He told the continent the truth immediately, ended all monarchies and created democracy. It seems his methods were slower, but I feel between Helena, Hecate and Millia his route will bring the most long lasting improvement to Wynlen.
Gameplay: I absolutely adore the game tips section, more games need that. Enemy reinforcements/numbers could be overwhelming and bosses could be annoyingly powerful. The Bronk Bandits chapter was insane even if the method to defeat him is obvious, but the final boss chapter? Obscene. I only managed to win because Scord activated one of his offensive skills and one shot the boss. Otherwise, I’m not sure how to have won. It was enraging to fight so many powerful units that I legitimately cannot hit because I have 2 leadership stars to their 12. So please never do that again or give us opportunities in the story to increase leadership stars to survive the end.
Overall, I’ve noticed a lot of comments about the difficulty which is why I played the game on the easiest mode. I would suggest severely decreasing the amount of enemies, some of their skills and leadership stars. It’s a hard game, but it can feel obnoxiously hard at times.
Unit Overview
Gallae, Sienna, Felicity, Hannah: Unfortunately, these girls were all kind of duds for me. Gallae didn’t reach high enough level until I got access to tier 3 and she was barely okay, Sienna just barely before. Felicity, like most myrmidons in all romhacks I’ve played, isn’t amazing and Hannah has awful HP.
Millia & Esdin: Both strong lords with different niches. Millia’s low HP can be a problem, but otherwise both had great combat ability.
Armor Knights & Cavaliers: All four were useful especially when supported together. I love it when armor knights are viable.
Scord & Roish: Scord is my MVP, could not beat the game without him! Prolly the raw strongest unit in the game. Smite is very helpful, his skills are insane and his support partners are all good units. Roish is like Scord but not as good.
Kagney & Pluto: Both are really strong mages, no notes.
I could say more, but I’ve rambled enough. This was an excellent experience and hope your team continues in the future!
