Game: Fire Emblem Engage
Genre: Adventure, RPG, Action, Strategy
System: Nintendo Switch
Developer | Publisher: Intelligent Systems | Nintendo
Age Rating: US T | EU 12+
Price: US $59.99 | UK £49.99 | EU € 59,99
Release Date: January 20th, 2023
No review code was used; I purchased the game myself.
Fire Emblem celebrated its 30th anniversary last year; over those thirty years, there have been 17 total titles. The newest one is Fire Emblem Engage, a tactical JRPG that moves away from some of the worst parts of previous FE games and makes something old new again.
The Story of Fire Emblem Engage
Fire Emblem Engage follows the adventures of Alear, the inheritor of the title of Divine Dragon. He or she, depending on which version of Alear players choose to be, has been healing and asleep for the last 1,000 years. After they wake, all their memories have been erased. Thankfully, they are surrounded by friends and their only living family: their mother and the current Divine Dragon: Queen Lumera.
During their tearful reunion, the castle is invaded by Corrupted critters that attack and kill the Queen, leaving Alear alone. They begin to collect characters from all over the world and spirit characters living in special Emblem Rings. There are 12 rings, and they provide unique powers to each playable unit.
Anime Like
Like Three Houses, Engage‘s graphics are very anime. But unlike Three Houses, it’s a much more modern anime style. The faces are rounder, the eyes are bigger, and the colors are brighter. It’s the difference between serious late 1990s anime like Paprika and Perfect Blue and newer, more gimmicky and cutesy anime like Healer Girl. Either way, despite how different they look, I love the anime cutscenes of both Three Houses and Engage.
As the story continues through the chapters, some surprises happen around Chapter 10, and Chapter 22 has one of the goofiest plot twists ever devised in any video game ever. But overall, despite its simplicity, the story of Engage is, well, engaging. Each character is introduced slowly, and players get a good feel for each unit before they join the team. The Support conversations and the eating together Support system is so adorable. Players get to choose the outfits of all their friends while in their safe house, and every single one of them is cute.
The Gameplay of Fire Emblem Engage
Like many tactical RPGs, Fire Emblem Engage is mostly focused on strategic battles between different kinds of units. This game saw the return of the Fire Emblem weapons triangle; players need to utilize the strengths and weaknesses of their character’s weapon type against other types on the battlefield.
Added onto the normal tactical nature of Fire Emblem‘s battles, players have to match up the powers of the Emblem with the powers of the unit. Some units work better with some Emblems than others, and by the end of the game, players have enough of these Emblem powers to give one to every unit.
Plenty of Content
On top of battles, there are also mini-games like Wyvren flying, which is like a flying shooter, fishing, working out, and this weird side game where you have to polish the Emblem’s rings. Not to mention all the social Support stuff. There are also mock battles, gifting, making bond rings, and upgrading weaponry and classes.
While you can power through the game in about 40 hours, there is so much side content that most players will spend more than 60 hours playing through. There are six levels of difficulty; players can choose between Normal, Hard, and Insanity, and each of those can be played on Classic or Casual.
- Classic means all units have permadeath.
- Casual means all units come back to life at the end of the battle.
- Normal is story-focused play. Battles and enemies are much easier.
- Hard is a step up from Normal.
- The hardest level is all about massive consequences for mistakes. Also, bosses can’t be broken, and there are other unique in-battle things that make this level much harder.
I Love Everything About This Game
From the music, which is orchestral and epic and beautiful, to the vistas and the characters- A lot of thought went into every inch of this game. They brought back some of the most popular Fire Emblem characters of all time to fill in the Emblem characters, and even more, will be added in the DLC.
The two current DLC Emblems have such unique powers that I’m actually looking forward to the next rounds of added content more than I thought I would. $30 USD is a lot for some DLC for any game, but I’m okay with paying it, considering how much fun I had with the base game and the currently available DLC.
My favourite part of the whole game is this little man: the guardian spirit of Somniel named Sommie. Look at its perfect little face. You can dress it up, and it follows you around in Somniel, pooping out Bond fragments and looking adorable in his sunglasses and goofy smile. I love him so much.
Fire Emblem Engage is Not Three Houses
Anyone coming into Engage looking for the complexity and the deep delve into the unit’s lives that was Three Houses will not find it. All the information can be gathered in one playthrough, and no major choices change the course of the game. The story is simplified, while battles are better. Engage did away with weapon durability and brought back the weapons triangle that makes Fire Emblem combat so interesting.
However, if players love Fire Emblem and are not looking for Three Houses 2.0, they won’t be disappointed. There is a lot to love about Engage, and I would recommend this wholeheartedly to anyone who loves tactical JRPGs.
Conclusion
I love the music, the look, the vibe, the simplicity, the anime girls and boys you can flirt with, the addition of LGBTQ+ couples, the battles, the removal of the weird marriage system, and the return of old Fire Emblem characters… Everything. Especially my Sommie, the cutest little anime mascot ever.
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up:
