Fire Emblem Engage Review – A great ensemble

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In our Fire Emblem Engage review, we’ll talk about how developer Intelligent Systems has produced another solid entry in the long-running franchise. The new title features some of the most popular characters from previous titles, and overall has a very fun combat system that has more depth than its predecessors while still having a simple narrative.

If you’re a returning player to the franchise and want to know if the game is worth it, then look no further. Our article will help you decide if the title is worth your time and money.

Story and setting

Fire Emblem Engage Review
Story.

Engage features one of the more interesting settings we’ve seen in a Fire Emblem game. The story is set on the continent of Eleusis where players step into the shoes of Elior, the child of a divine dragon. And in classic fashion, it’s your destiny to fight and save the world against the evil Fell Dragon.

The story follows a classic JRPG template that sees the main character travel around the world and visit different locations while fighting against evil forces. Compared to the previous entry in the franchise, Three Houses, where different factions are fighting each other, Engage’s story isn’t anything that new or innovative.

Rather, the game chooses to go with a more textbook approach. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing, but just that when one thinks of some of the previous entries in the series, it’s a bit weak and unconvincing. What makes the setting really interesting is that you are able to play as the main character from previous games through the use of a ring system.

These characters include beloved protagonists such as Marth, Byleth, and Sigurd, while also including some lesser-known protagonists from titles that were never released outside of Japan. We’ll talk more about this system and its impact on gameplay in the next part of our Fire Emblem Engage review.

With that being said, the main story is fairly straightforward with a lack of player choice. As you travel around Eleusis, you’ll encounter a plethora of characters that are introduced primarily through cutscenes. And since there’s such a large cast of fighters, only the main characters get real character development in the main story, while the others are relegated to optional cutscenes.

Gameplay

Fire Emblem Engage Review
Gameplay

The gameplay in Fire Emblem Aged follows exactly the same tactical combat system we know and love, except it’s some of the best we’ve seen from the franchise. The series has always had a triangle of weapons that dictates advantages and disadvantages in combat, but this time there’s an added element. When you get the upper hand on an enemy while attacking them, they will lose their ability to counterattack that turn. This is designed as a ‘break’ effect.

It follows that having the right kind of weapons in war is extremely important, and it goes from proposition to necessity. Keep in mind that this also applies to you and your units, which makes the game much more tactically oriented. The break effect allows for a diverse array of strategies, and the right setup can lead to you winning without touching.

As mentioned earlier, the Engage system lets you play as the main character from previous titles. By using and equipping emblem rings, players are able to transform certain units into different heroes for three turns, depending on the emblem ring they equip. This gives them new abilities, as well as access to a very powerful attack that they can only use once. These abilities range from changing the layout of the map to eliminating enemies with powerful blows.

There are a total of 12 emblem rings in the game, and each of them is associated with a hero. Different units on your team benefit from different emblem rings depending on their stats, and the game encourages you to try different combinations to see which strategy works best for you. The ability to engage can turn the tide of battle, and knowing when and who to engage will certainly be the key to victory in most battles.

Fire Emblem Engage Review
Make your move.

In order to fully utilize the colors, players need to develop certain bond levels with the heroes to gain access to all of their skills. This can be done by talking to the Emblem Heroes who are in Somnel. Once you’ve completed bond interactions, you can equip the various skills you’ve acquired and put them to the test in battle. You can also speed up the process of leveling bonds with bond pieces.

The overall combat in the game is very well balanced and players have the option of what they want to go with. If you want a more streamlined experience with a bit of a challenge, then normal is the way to go. But if you’re someone who wants to fully experience the game’s tactical combat system, then there are challenging and confusing options that require you to think carefully about every choice you make. need of A single move can be the difference between life and death in these modes, because they are so unforgiving.

The rewind mechanic helps ease the difficulty a bit by giving you the ability to reverse time during combat. If you choose the normal option, you will have access to unlimited rewinds, but in the other two hard options, you will be limited to only 10 rewinds, making the game much more challenging.

The systems and mechanics can be overwhelming for newcomers to handle, and this is because the game is centered around the Engage mechanic which can be a bit difficult to fully understand. You’ll need to spend a lot of time experimenting with different colors to see which team is the best for your preferred playstyles and strategies. This may take some time and may not be ideal for players who are brand new to the franchise.

But once you understand what everything does, combat flows like butter and it’s one of the most enjoyable turn-based games I’ve ever played. The game rewards you for understanding its mechanics and when you have a full team that uses all 12 emblem rings, battles become a lot more fun.

The game also features some co-op and PvP modes, which can be accessed in Somnel at the Tower of Trials. Relay Trials is an interesting way to use cooperation in a turn-based game because after a set number of turns, control of the game will pass to the other player, and players must cooperate and come up with a collective strategy. . To win against the AI. After successfully completing the relay trial, all participants will be awarded prizes.

Outrealm Trials allows players to compete against each other. Players can also create their own maps, giving them complete freedom to place obstacles and mounted weapons. Other players can also access the maps for competition. It sounds good in theory but there is still no balance and you or your opponent can be overleveled for the other, but the game doesn’t seem to care. Hopefully, this is fixed in a future patch, where some sort of match mechanic is introduced.

Overall, the gameplay is a step up from previous titles, and the title integrates its premise into a great Engage mechanic. It rewards strategic plays and rewards those who understand how to make full use of its mechanics.

Visuals and performance

Fire Emblem Engage Review
Visuals and performance.

When it comes to visuals, Fire Emblem Awakening is a clear improvement over its predecessors. The character models are much better and feel more detailed, and on top of that, the battlefields are also crafted to perfection with lots of details that bring them to life.

It’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into the design of the game. Each character model has little details that make them feel more believable, and things like trinkets and accessories help make them even faster. The animations are nothing to scoff at either, as this game really shows that the Switch still has a lot of life left in it.

This section is incomplete without mentioning the game’s fantastic soundtrack. The battle soundtracks complement the combat and help immerse you in the game world, and there are also some eerie tracks that play during the emotional parts of the narrative which are a nice contrast to the heavy orchestral battle score. presenting.

When it comes to performance, the game runs smoothly on the Nintendo Switch. There were no bugs during my playthrough of the game.

Decision

Decision

Fire Emblem Engage is an offensive and solid strategy game. While it doesn’t reinvent the genre, it does introduce a gameplay loop that is highly addictive and rewarding once you’ve mastered it. While the narrative is not at the level of Three Houses, where the focus was on character development, it serves its purpose and helps keep you engaged.

With that being said, the gameplay is definitely the saving grace of this title. This is a must-have game for fans of the franchise as it features all the beloved characters from the series. For new players, it can be a bit confusing with so many characters thrown into the mix, but once you get to that point, Fire Emblem Engage will keep you engaged until the end.

This has been our Fire Emblem Engage review. While you’re here, consider checking out some of our other articles.

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