The Fire Emblem series has seen consistent success for its various gameplay implementations and winding narratives that seem to steer the franchise forward in both new and exciting directions. Fire Emblem Engage might be the latest entry in the franchise, but makes dedicated choices to bring the series back to its roots, instead focusing primarily on tactical combat. Certain recurring aspects like deep team management and time consuming side content have been dialled back, which might feel adequately tailored for those who admire a more linear experience, even if the age old tale of persevering evil rarely takes on themes that would impress anyone here for the story alone. But when it’s all said and done, Fire Emblem Engage’s decision to dive into tactical combat feels like a successful attempt, which develops over time to make for one of the more satisfying and nuanced strategy games on the market today.
The Return of the Divine Dragon
Fire Emblem Engage delivers a narrative that is rather easy to follow at face value, yet surprisingly deep and reflective of fans of both the franchise and Fire Emblem lore. Either as male or female, players take on the role of the Divine Dragon, initially given the default name Alear, waking up almost a thousand years after a fabled battle with the titles’ villain, Fell Dragon Sombron. Upon awakening from your slumber, Alear immediately learns that they must finish the fight by gathering what is otherwise known as the Emblem Rings spread across the continent of Elyos. Alear only retains memories of how to use Emblem Rings, which can summon various lords of previous Fire Emblem games to fight by your side.
I’m not a huge fan of the series, but even I flinched with excitement when one of my favourite Super Smash Bros. characters Ike, came to my aid. With various heroes and iconic names from previous titles along for the ride, the remaining narrative feels quite clear, even if it allows existing fans to unpack the surrounding lore and existent of the aforementioned heroes. Casual or newer fans of the series may find these cameos and appearances to lack their intended punch and relevance, which ultimately dampens the story given its linear nature and rather lengthy runtime, clocking in at around 40-50, although this can vary based on your commitment to side content.
The Way of the Battlefield
General combat plays out much like any tactical RPG. You’ll control various characters on a grid-based battlefield, as you take turns to move about the map, select enemies and plan your attack. Early pacing issues and dense exposition mean it can take a while to get to the meat of combat, but it’s all worth it once the squad is firing on all cylinders. But newer additions to combat have pushed the franchise to new heights, with the addition of Emblems. In our journey to collect each of the 12 Emblem Rings, you’ll unlock a new Emblem lord, a ghost or spirt of sorts, who fights by your side and can grace Alear with new and undeniably devastating moves in combat. Taking one of these Emblem Rings into combat also affects that skills that your teammates will inherit, generally changing your combat approach on the battlefield. This can range from increased attack effectiveness and the ability to attack more than once in a single turn, even if these skills boosts boil down to increased stats and numbers. It can take time to find the preferred Emblem and team chemistry, but given the sheer variety of each Emblem’s skills, you’ll more than likely find yourself trying on each for size evenly thought the narrative, even if most will find a favourite they rely slightly more upon.
The true highlight of combat comes from Alear’s ability to Engage with Emblem lords, unleashing a special attack that feels as good as it looks. Fusing with a particular Emblem also gives you a shiny new look in combat, complete with the ability to wield exclusive weapons and activate Engage Skills for even greater depth against a number of enemy types. Engage Skills yield three tiers, from a personal skill that simply comes with an Emblem, to a class skill that can be freely assigned to an Emblem once levelled up, to inheritable skills, in which players can spend Skill Points upon bonding with their Emblem, to inherit those skills in general combat. Encounters and attacks are also a joy to watch, due to the polished and varied combat animations that play out with each attack. Flurries are colourful and vibrant, and the game also runs smooth in these more chaotic moments. You might think that these animations would wear thin, but I’m here to put your mind at ease. The incredible variety of Emblem Ring abilities, various weapons and teammate abilities reward experimentation with a wealth of animations that are a joy to unpack for the first time. The sense of power you feel in these moments changes the tide of each battle, as the camera pans in and the music ramps up. While combat feels competent and diverse up until these moments, it’s no secret that most players will be looking to Engage at every turn.
From One Battle to the Next
Fire Emblem Engage ditches the battle between houses for a more focused battle against an all encompassing evil, at the cost of many side missions and additional activities that fans of previous titles may or may not enjoyed. That being said, the additional content that remains is incredibly focused and as a result, memorable. Much of Fire Emblem Engage revolves around its main battles, taking on waves of enemies or progressing throughout the battlefield to take on a final boss, who may or may not use your own Emblem skills against you, adding yet another layer to combat approaches. But Fire Emblem Engage also throws additional encounters at you, where Alear must take on existing Emblem lords in specific trials, based on maps and moments from pervious entries in the Fire Emblem series. The soundtracks and scores in these missions are also adapted into medleys of previous tracks. It’s a great inclusion;, but as a causal fan of the series, I found myself doing some extra research to understand the relevance of these encounters; but I can understand that these moments would put a smile on the faces of hardcore fans.
Fire Emblem Engage also adds third-person exploration to the mix, but this feels like more of a side note as it’s used more so to allow Alear to chat to supporting characters between entering the next main battle. You’ll be able to head back to previous areas you once fought in, which are now hollow and weathered, and hunt down small collectibles like money, material and experience, but these don’t feel necessarily important to the overall experience, and rarely feel like the extra effort is required for a true advantage in combat.
Final Thoughts
Fire Emblem Engage is an incredibly competent and satisfying tactical RPG that thrives on its combat and revels in the history of the franchise to present fans with some endearing takes on some of the franchise’s major moments. It’s decision to dial back on additional content and time-consuming systems allows combat to shine, while a variety of polished and slick animations keep things from ever feeling stale. The story is rather simplistic, but does propel the story forward at an even clip, even if the initial hours are admittedly heavy on both exposition and context. While much of the emotional attachment to returning characters and iconic moments may be lost on casual fans, Fire Emblem Engage is easy to follow and learn, and ultimately satisfying to master.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Deep and satisfying combat; Engage mechanics; Slick visuals; Pays homage to previous entries with grace
Lowlights: Rather basic narrative; Early hours drag; Exploration feels unnecessary at times
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo, Nintendo of America, Nintendo of Europe GmbH
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Available: Now
Review conducted on Nintendo Switch with a launch code provided by the publisher.
