GameSpot’s “new peak” line only holds if the four Flame Lord routes actually talk to each other.
The trick is that you are the time-traveling visitor. Same war, any order, hidden knowledge they don’t have. That’s the Three Houses ambition without the lock-in, and the Engage toybox without the empty middle.
If route two is just the same bracket in a different coat, the review is early. Play two stories before you buy the peak.