Instead of just doing a write-up of Solomon, I figured I'd give my overall view on this entire arc as a whole, from most to least favorite singularity. I'm not sure if anyone actually reads these but I have fun writing them anyway so here goes lol:
- Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia - I've already elaborated on this one a bit on my previous post. I'll just add that the gameplay-narrative "gimmicks" they pull off here is something I always enjoy in games (Camelot started this with the Gifts, but Babylonia iterated on it to greater effect), such as altering the world map and music to match the current situation, the final boss sequence which ended up not being as tough as the ones from the 6th and 8th singularities but made for an awesome experience, etc (the "quake" thing got annoying in the Ushi fight tho). Best supporting cast, best scenes, best climax, huge step-up in presentation. I love how the story does a complete 180 in tone just when you think you're nearly done with it. 9/10
- Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot - I wrote quite extensively about this one in a series of posts already: 1, 2, 3, 4. So, yeah... I don't really have anything else to add unless I were to write a more in-depth analysis of its themes and story, but that'd take too long so I'll just reiterate that Bedi is a good boi and Arash is a bro. 8/10
- The Grand Temple of Time: Solomon - The start of the singularity with Jeanne leading the way for all the servants you've met along your journey hyped me the hell up.The individual sections were unfortunately monotonous though. Too much superfluous dialogue that was just there as a "hey, remember me? I'm here!" sort of deal. Some of the interactions were good (shout-outs to Drake and Blackbeard) and I was reminded of how endearing some of the cast from the older singularities were, but after a while I just wanted them to move on with the plot already. The biggest issue with this section is that it's too formulaic, I should like it in theory but the execution was lacking. It must've been better for the people who were there when the raids were going on, but for a late player like myself it felt padded. Thankfully the latter half of the singularity more than makes up for it. I had my suspicions that Roman = Solomon or that they were at least connected in some way, but it was still satisfying to watch it unfold and get the bigger picture. Mash's sacrifice was really touching even though I knew they had to bring her back by the end of it (thanks Fou), and the presentation here and on Roman's scene was top notch. The soundtrack was at its best here, the events unfolding felt like an appropriately grand finale and an overall really satisfying conclusion for the saga. I actually debated putting this at #2, it certainly has some of the best moments in the game, but the middle part does drag it down a bit. 8/10
- North American Myth War: E Pluribus Unum - I also wrote a little bit about this one. Despite being on the weaker side of the good singularities, this was admitedly a significant step-up when compared to its predecessors. The writing was better than what came before, the cast was pretty fun and Fate's interpretation of Thomas Edson is amusing. However, there's nothing hugely exciting here, the presentation is still as barebones as it can get and most of the fights are easy filler. And as the next 2 singularities would clearly show, there is a severe lack of worldbuilding in these early singularities. Besides the two factions fighting, where are the people of America? How do they live in these conditions, what do they think of this conflict, how has this affected everyone? The setting feels largely hollow since nothing exists outside of the two main factions and the "rebels". It's fun for what it is, but I'm glad the game has moved on to better standards. 7/10
- Sealed Ends of the Four Seas: Okeanos - I changed this one's position again because Solomon reminded me Okeanos' cast was actually pretty fun. It's also better written and structured than the singularities below it since it feels like a legit sea adventure. The villain is unfortunately on the forgettable side, but Blackbeard is there to pick up the slack. 6/10
- Hundred Years' War of the Evil Dragons: Orleans - It might just be rose-tinted glasses but I remember enjoying Orleans due to its cast and villain. It probably doesn't hold up to scrutiny and is on the average side of singularities, but for the novelty of being your first real adventure I'd say it did its job well enough. I flip-flop a bit on whether I prefer it to Okeanos or not, but for this ranking I'm settling on this. 6/10
- The City of Fog: London - I liked the ending a lot, but the events leading up to it were a mixed bag. Basically everything with Solomon was good, the setting is great (though unfortunately underdeveloped, much like every other singularity pre-Camelot) and the cast is nice, but it has some weird localization issues... Some of the text is legit impenetrable. The writing is also messy in general, with Tesla, Okita and Tamamo feeling incredibly tacked-in at the end. I still think London is enjoyable, but it's also very odd. 6/10
- Flame Contaminated City: Fuyuki - Hey, remember F/SN? I remember. The beginning (before you get into the singularity proper) does a good enough job of introducing the game's overall premisse and cast of characters. Lots of "enemy skeletons approaching! Spooky!" and all, but at least Caster Cu was cool I guess? The ending is pretty good and is the one aspect I remember the most from this singularity. RIP Director. 5/10
- Eternal Madness Empire: Septem - I just... Don't remember what happened here. I rushed it quite a bit but yeah, nothing stands out and there are no particularly noteworthy moments besides your first encounter with a demon god pillar. Altera was there but I don't remember why? And Waver, I guess? It felt padded and had some unnecessary detours. Lev was also wasted, though they thankfully brought him back for Solomon. I don't know, I don't hate Septem like most of the fanbase seems to, I'm just indifferent towards it. 5/10
Overall, while I enjoy some of the earlier singularities well enough for what they are, the last 3 are really the ones who did all the heavy-lifting when it came to making me truly care for the end of this journey. For all of Nasu's issues as a writer you gotta give props to him for elevating FGO's narrative to a legitimately very good standard for video-game stories. I did not expect to ever be moved while playing a mobile game yet here we are. If he managed to pull this off with the rather shaky foundation of the first few singularities, I wonder how much better he could do with a stronger general arc. Is he writing/going to write for part 2 as directly as he did here?