Kind of really hate how insignificant Claude feels in the other two routes. Also not a fan of every route but Edelgard's own she's just straight up killed. It almost feels like there's a bias towards Dimitri most of the time and I really do NOT care for him as he has shades of most of the other "King Antagonist" arch-types in the series that isn't really addressed anywhere but his own route. I wish there was more bleed between the main characters because as it stands, picking one damns everyone else of their role in the story to just "boss eventually" and that drives me up the wall since all 3 have their positives and negatives.
I'm really bummed that nothing develops between Claude and Edelgard; Claude early in his route expresses similar amounts of distrust and desire to change things as Edelgard does, but his cooler temperament causes him to put a halt on any extreme thoughts. I get that Edelgard basically orchestrates the conflict, but honestly I feel like that only happens because she doesn't have anyone else who will give her ideas the time of day. Or at least, someone who isn't a bootlicker. The game tells you the bads of the world. (Crests, the Church, Nobles, etc.) Yet none of the main characters get to have moments where they're allowed to be challenged in ways outside of battle it feels. Had the two interacted more, I'm sure there would have been a ton of compromises between Claude and Edelgard that could have prevented much of the bloodshed at the cost of potentially harder battles, more enemies on all sides, and more plans to weed out the corruption in all the factions which could have been an interesting ending in it's own right.
And it's not like it would have been a golden ending either; in a route such as that, you basically force a massive divide in the entire country and shake up the power structure of all it's factions without having much of an alternative to replace it with. Depending on who you side with, Claude or Edelgard could've died/you lose one side of their Houses, maybe you're forced to kill Rhea or Dimitri, corrupt nobility could orchestrate attempts to grab at power against a disadvantaged people, etc. Something other than.
I guess I'm just rambling because I actually really fucking dig the story. And I do kinda get that the bittersweet "no happy endings" writing is what they were going for. I just kind of want more. I want to see a version of the story where Edelgard is proven wrong and has to backtrack on her plans a bit. I want to see a version of the story where Claude has to play his cards way more dishonestly than he does in-game in order to get ahead for the greater good. I'd like to have seen the scales constantly be tipping in other character's favors at extreme speeds, keeping me guessing as the game goes on. I want to see a version of the story where Dimitri dances more thoroughly with his dark side. What we have is really good, so much that I am asking for more at all.
But it is the truth. I do want more. This game is so appealing in that way.