Get an in-depth look at Fire Emblem with our comprehensive Fire Emblem launch review. After 2019’s Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ success, Fire Emblem Engage makes the maybe unexpected choice to take a deliberate step away from that focus on time management and teaching after putting in some significant study time and passing its tests. While there are still plenty of base activities and team-building opportunities, Engage makes the wise decision to return to the series’ origins by prioritizing exciting tactical combat. These legendary characters, such as Marth, Ike, Celica, Byleth, and many others, will give you advice, spar with you, and join you in battle as you attempt to gather all 12 rings and thwart the evil Fell Dragon who seeks to pervert them for evil purposes.
Did You Become a Little Shaky When Playing Fire Emblem? Yes, in a Big Way
When used in battle, these Emblem Rings exhibit their real abilities. Depending on the rings you utilize, your team can inherit skills ranging from more common stat increases to beneficial abilities like attacking twice as fast as the enemy can react, moving teammates, or changing the impact of the environment to command the battlefield. These combined characters are absolute standouts on the battlefield thanks to their vivid neon blue wings and other wacky effects that seem right out of The Legend of Zelda: BoWs Sheikah tech.
Engaging also enables the temporary equipping of exceptionally potent or rare weapons, frequently granting units access to attacks they would never otherwise be able to utilize.
It completely changed how we approached each job when combined with unique “Engage Skills” available only during this short time. By interacting with the Emblem Lyn, my lance-wielding Pegasus knight could suddenly transform into the winged embodiment of Death. He could fly in close and slice and dice with Lyn’s signature katana and create illusory doubles to confuse enemies and distract them from counterattacking.
Combining Teammates with Various Emblem Rings is only One of Many Options
Because of this, no two Emblem Rings’ ultimate abilities feel alike: While some focus on single targets or areas of effect, others play support roles, such as giving up health to restore the squad. We absolutely loved experimenting with the additional levels of strategy and customization that the Emblem Ring adds. Many of these abilities also have modest but intriguing adjustments based on which unit type is wearing the ring. Because of this, there were many options for teaming up with friends with various Emblem Rings.
Fist, Rock, Paper
Along with the more significant modifications introduced by emblems, Fire Emblem Engage also makes numerous incremental improvements to its turn-based combat. Each mission now has improved visuals that make it more appealing to look at, an improved user interface that makes it simpler to follow the action, and subtly updated fighting mechanics. The traditional weapon triangle has triumphantly reappeared in Fire Emblem: Three Houses after being absent. However, this time, using the proper weapon, such as a lance against swords, won’t just improve accuracy and damage; instead, the new “break” mechanic can also disarm that opponent for the remainder of the turn.
The weapon triangle is now even more terrifying because your foes can do the same to you. A new heavy weapon type in Engage can push defenders backward even when specific defensive zones allow units to become “unbreakable.” Of course, the clever trade-off for this powerful impact is that heavy weapons hit right at the end, regardless of how fast the other opponent is.
The Healer Class Has Undergone a Significant Makeover on the Battlefield
The most significant new feature on the battlefield is undoubtedly the class redesign for healers. They have combined with martial artists to become “Qi Adepts” as a result. The weakest link in Fire Emblem has always been the healer, who frequently needs the most babysitting or is pushed to the back of the army. They may not always be able to defeat a knight or an axe-wielding berserker, but they can use punches and kicks to disarm thieves, wizards, and archers’ weapons. As long as the healer has total health, they can protect another unit from the initial incoming damage.
Ringbearers
Fire Emblem Engage fine-tunes things a bit, for better and worse, compared to Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which threw you into a dramatic struggle between competing nations and ultimately made you fight your comrades. The plot revolves around the classic themes of forgotten heroes, resurrected evils, and international cooperation for good. It’s difficult to follow the three-pronged plot of the last Fire Emblem, but having a lead character that does more than just look at people in cutscenes and chats helped a lot. It supports several of Engage’s story aspects, like the strengthening relationships between Alear and their companions and various cunning schemes carried out by the Fell Dragon and his accomplices.
Together We Ride
The battle tower in The Somniel, which offers a range of challenging objectives, maybe the most unexpected inclusion. Two of these missions offer interesting asynchronous multiplayer options. This could be the well-developed multiplayer Fire Emblem that can have, although it’s not without some issues, given how long individuals might take to move their soldiers in a single turn. One option lets you design one half of a map entirely so that your AI team can either take on another player’s computer-controlled team on that player’s side of the map or defend your base against other opponents. You can set up anything, including ballistas, breakable walls, healing tiles, and instructions for your forces.
Summary
It’s no small achievement that Fire Emblem Engage can present a straightforward yet enjoyable tale that honors the long legacy of its franchise without necessitating prior series knowledge. With many quality-of-life enhancements that right away seem essential, Fire Emblem Engage demonstrates its ability to stand beside the tradition to which it so admirably pays homage.
