Fire Emblem Engage is an exciting title that celebrates Fire Emblem as a series while also moving things forward. The story is good enough, but it’s the hard-to-put-down gameplay and incredible depth in mechanics that make it shine. A few aspects have been trimmed, but for the most part, Engage is another brilliant Fire Emblem.
Fire Emblem Engage
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Price: $79.99
Platform: Nintendo Switch (reviewed)
MonsterVine received a Switch code for review
Few franchises are as generally consistent in quality as Fire Emblem. Even at the series’ lowest point, it was at least a lot of fun to play. Now, with the franchise experiencing enormous popularity, Intelligent Systems is getting a bit more experimental and trying some new angles. Engage is certainly a bit different from previous titles, but it’s so fun that I don’t mind in the slightest.
I was a bit nervous about the story of Engage. The presence of so many iconic Fire Emblem characters had me worried this would be a fanservice-driven story. The way that the heroes are used in the story ends up being more inspired than that, as the different Lords, their histories, and legacies are all woven into the story. Their presence feels more earned than I had expected – partially due to the ability to bond with them.
These Lords of past titles all feel very in character and drop some nice little references to their own worlds. Plus, the selection of Emblems is very reasonable. Perhaps my mind is still stuck in the Fates and Warriors era of primarily just seeing Marth and Awakening-onwards characters in crossovers, but having characters like Radiant Dawn’s Micaiah and (my personal favorites) twins Eirikia and Ephraim from Sacred Stones was a pleasant surprise. Now if this could encourage Nintendo to plop some older Fire Emblems onto their online services, we’d really be cooking with gas.
“The opening theme is very silly and feels like it came straight out of a 4Kids/Fox Box show, but it fits the less dramatic atmosphere of Engage and is quite catchy.“
The main character, Alear, is a bit predictable. They’re another avatar for the player, though I’d say they lie somewhere between Corrin and Robin in terms of how interesting they are. Engage’s cast is largely quite good, with many main characters and paralogue party members who stood out to me. There’s a pretty entertaining sense of humor throughout the game with some of the bonding/support scenes, while others are rather moving. The scaling down of marriage in line with the typical S-Rank of the Awakening era is a bit disappointing, but it’s not a dealbreaker.
Battles in Engage are what you have come to expect from the series. You pick your units, drop them on a map, and strategically move them and perform actions with them to take down enemy units. The chapters in Engage are short but fun, making this a good game for quick bursts of play when you’re busy. There are combat-oriented skirmishes and side-story chapters called Paralogues to add some more meat to the overall story, which make for a well-rounded and thoroughly enjoyable playthrough.
There are plenty of mechanics in Fire Emblem Engage to keep you interested in each chapter. The obvious stuff like equipment, classes, and promotions are all here, but there are also inheritable skills from the different Emblem Heroes, the ability to refine weapons in various ways, a turn rewind feature like in Three Houses for when you want to pull off optimal plays or need a bit of help, and so on. The number of growth mechanics is almost overwhelming, but it makes for a decently complex system that allows every unit to be unique in the way that you most desire.
The Dragon Ball dork in me absolutely loves how Engaging works. Your character and the Emblem they have equipped do a fusion of sorts, becoming a wildly over-the-top superhuman with a slick new design that incorporates elements of both characters. It makes your unit significantly more powerful and allows for some spectacular special attacks. At times they feel a bit overpowered, but that feels in line with their aesthetic and makes for some exciting turns on each map, so I’ll let it slide.
The music in Fire Emblem Engage is exciting and memorable. The opening theme is very silly and feels like it came straight out of a 4Kids/Fox Box show, but it fits the less dramatic atmosphere of Engage and is quite catchy. The voice acting is strong as well, with many of the Emblems using their very fitting Fire Emblem Heroes voice actors in this mainline title.
The Final Word
Fire Emblem Engage isn’t the Fire Emblem I expected, but I’ve had an absolute blast with it. The scaling down of support and the somewhat predictable main character aside, the enticing gameplay, Engage mechanic, and depth of customization makes for a more than satisfying next entry in Nintendo’s premiere tactics franchise.
MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
