Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave Review – May the Three Houses Discourse Live On

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is a ridiculously ambitious new entry in one of Nintendo and Intelligent Systems’ most brilliant series. Though it occasionally struggles with pacing its enormous web of systems and narrative, the sheer scale of the game and the absurdly high rate of success it reaches make this one of the most impressive games on the Nintendo Switch 2 by a country mile.

I’d say Fire Emblem is one of my top five favorite Nintendo series, alongside other heavy hitters like Mother, Xenoblade Chronicles, Pokémon, and Metroid. Ever since Fire Emblem: Awakening, each entry has tried a number of new and exciting things, with the swings getting bigger and bigger. This reaches a fever pitch in the latest title, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, which goes beyond anything I could have expected from the series. Though it certainly has roots in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Fortune’s Weave is so different and expansive that I can’t help but be wowed by Intelligent Systems’ moxie.

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave takes you across four characters’ stories, as well as a larger narrative after that features the avatar character Eshmel. Each of the four new protagonists shines in their own way, giving you different perspectives on the complex continent of Dagda and its many people and customs. I’ve enjoyed this look at somewhere beyond Three Houses’ Fodlan, as comparing and contrasting the two cultures became an enjoyable part of the stories (especially Dietrich’s). The stories each have their own tones and vibes, but despite so much narrative content to take in, none of it ever feels boring or repetitive. It’s a massive feat to pull that off, and I can’t imagine how much effort went into polishing the plot.

I do feel that the pacing of Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave’s gameplay between major battles struggles a bit, as the free time activities begin to feel repetitive. Doing the same loop of Arena training, Inn meals, Temple services, Theater showings, and Pale Raven feeding is beneficial in terms of stats and bits of character development, but having to navigate the sprawling map for very basic side missions, then return to Dagsion to do the loop again and again before the deadline can begin to wear on you.

The battles, however, are fantastic. The maps are decently varied, and the objectives cover a wide range of goals, encouraging unique strategic approaches. Molding each unit into its ideal form is as rewarding as ever, especially for the Flame Lords and their close allies. Recruitment is a little less exciting in Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, with little story content for characters outside the main cast and their closest teammates, but it puts the game more in line with earlier entries in the series. Using these characters in battle is still plenty fun, and many of their designs are top-notch. 

I felt Fire Emblem Engage had a lot of over-designed characters, so I’m glad this one scaled that back. Most of the cast looks great, with design choices that clearly communicate their personalities without going over the top. I especially love the looks of all four Flame Lords, as they perfectly encapsulate what each one is about. I’d be thrilled to get any/all of them in the next Super Smash Bros. game, internet commenters be damned.

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave doesn’t require any knowledge of previous games.

As I said earlier, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave has plenty that comes from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and the two games are even set in the same world (though centuries apart). That said, you don’t need to have played Three Houses to understand everything in this newest title, so anyone who checks this game out first will have just as much fun as the Three Houses diehards.

Finally, the music and voice acting in Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave are second to none. The combo of riveting new themes and snazzy remixes of recurring series favorites is perfectly tuned and never loses its luster over the many hours of play. The voice acting is incredibly impressive, especially given how many lines there are throughout the title. Everybody sounds expressive and enthusiastic when appropriate and eerie at times.