Fire Emblem Engage

Sometimes, defining what makes a video game saga special is not something simple, a task that can be quite complicated in cases like this iconic Nintendo saga, a series with more than 30 years of history that ended up establishing and popularizing the foundations of an entire genre. For many, it is the quintessence of role-playing and turn-based strategy and, therefore, it is their battles that make the difference and make their games more or less memorable.

However, they have also focused on keeping their gameplay and mechanics fresh, and that's why the new Fire Emblem Engage caught the attention of many fans. Now it remains to be seen if it lives up to the high expectations, and that's what we'll talk about here.

About the game

In Fire Emblem Engage, the player assumes the role of a Divine Dragon who must gather the Emblem Rings scattered around the world to defeat the Fallen Dragon and restore peace to the continent of Elyos. The game features a cast of playable characters from different games in the Fire Emblem series, providing a sense of familiarity and nostalgia for fans of the series.

The story and characters in Fire Emblem Engage are solid and well-written. The player is engaged in an exciting narrative full of unexpected twists and turns, and the characters are interesting and well-developed. In addition, the game offers a lot of dialogue and conversations between characters, which helps develop the relationships between them and deepen the story.

Compared to another similar game, such as XCOM 2, Fire Emblem Engage stands out for its emphasis on customization and depth of story and characters. While XCOM 2 focuses more on strategy and action, Fire Emblem Engage focuses more on tactical gameplay and exciting, well-written story.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Fire Emblem Engage is typical of turn-based strategy games. Each character has their own set of skills and strengths, and the player must carefully plan their moves on the battlefield to maximize their effectiveness. In addition, the game offers a wide variety of customization options, allowing the player to fuse characters and choose specific skills to create a powerful and balanced team.

Pros:

• Satisfying and challenging gameplay.
• Great variety of customization options
• Exciting and well-written story
• Interesting and well-developed characters
• Excellent visual design and animations

cons:

• Some elements of the game can be confusing for players new to the series.
• Gameplay can feel a bit repetitive at some points
• Difficulty curve can be steep at times, which can frustrate some players

Nintendo's beloved tactical RPG is back with Fire Emblem Engage, a game that celebrates the series' fabled history with the inclusion of characters from almost every other title in the franchise. More than just a "best of" affair, Engage provides players with a new scenario set in the world of the series where time is no longer a barrier.

Offering a new and engaging story, Fire Emblem Engage continues the series' tradition of bringing an experience unlike anything else in the genre. At the same time, old and new fans alike can use Engage as an encyclopedia of some of the best moments in the franchise.

Emblem of Heroes

Veterans of Fire Emblem Three Houses will more or less know what to expect from Fire Emblem Engage. Most of the basic gameplay mechanics remain unchanged from the previous entry in the mainline series, with the exception of the new Emblem Rings, which are effectively the game's new gimmick.

These rings allow the player to summon heroes from all over Fire Emblem's history. From Marth to Byleth, almost every Lord character from the previous games can be recruited as a summon for each map, which is something that long-time fans of the series should be really excited about.

Cyclical Stories

As much as I want to love Fire Emblem for its plot, the truth is that the games are in dire need of a fresh take on its formula. Once again, the story follows an evil dragon that must be vanquished by a ragtag team of heroes – this time, from the land of Elyos.

It's a story we've seen countless times before in the Fire Emblem series, and I can't help but feel like Three Houses did it better, even though it also had its fair share of evil dragons in its plot. Still, when Fire Emblem The Sacred Stones, a game released for the Game Boy Advance, has a better plot than a modern title, you should take a harsh look at the state of your franchise.

Winning Strategies

Again, even if the plot doesn't feel all that fresh, the gameplay of the series remains as solid as it ever was. The Fire Emblem formula is something that many games have tried to replicate over the years, but only the folks over at Intelligent Systems have managed to pull it off time and time again with each new entry.

Things like the permadeath and class balance are back in this entry, even if the series has made it clear that it focuses more on the stuff going on in between battles now. Fans of the monastery sections of Fire Emblem Three Houses will be pleased to hear that this sort of central hub area is back in Fire Emblem Engage, letting players know their units better before each battle.

Pros

• Tons of characters from across Fire Emblem's history
• Solid gameplay that's as entertaining as ever
• Lots of additional stuff to do and collect in between battles

Cons

• Uninteresting plot
• The art style might be a bit divisive for long-time fans