Okay I’m in the final few missions. I’ll say that the mid-game drags in a way I don’t love. I also have not enjoyed fighting most of the “boss” characters in this game.
That said, I still adore this cast of characters. It constantly reminds me why I like this series, and fairly often the actual missions will validate my love for this series by letting me create three or so teams of two and execute multiple objectives at once. Can’t get enough of these characters working together to accomplish objectives on the battlefield. The way the characters color the gameplay parts is wonderful, and I only wish there was more interweaving/boosting/co-operative powers available.
Anyways, IMPORTANT NOTE ON VANCEY THE DRUNK: Turns out the only way to get her Squad Story is to first unlock “Gertrude”, a hidden hoity-toity nobility character that will only join once you have 1,000,000 gp in the bank. So yeah, you have to fucking grind skirmish missions or whatever till you get her, which blows. I ended up just repeating the final skirmish 5 times, since that one can be won in a single turn.
Once you get Gertrude, the Squad Story with her, Vancey, and that random darcsen kid who idolizes Raz is unlocked, and you finally get to change Vancey’s turn-ending “Hammered” trigger into a “Former Elite”, which buffs fucking everything and turns her into the battlefield goddess she deserves to be.
I also love Gertrude, so, I’m ready to complete the final mission now.
Spoiler for the endgame, so I’m going to collapse out this whole part:
Endgame spoilers and thoughts - Part 1
There is an absolutely wild story element they introduce where your secret superweapon boat actual contains a ragnite atomic bomb, called the A2 bomb, which you’re determined to detonate in the Imperial capital, killing “millions.” This is framed as this wholly just act that is the “only way,” which is mind-blowing to see in a Japanese game about anime WW2.
Endgame spoilers and thoughts - Part 2
Endgame spoilers and thoughts - Part 3
Almost positive they’re not actually going to detonate it, because it’s also revealed that the A2 bomb is an Akira-like little girl, but like, just the entire idea seems buck wild.