In our first look at Fire Emblem Engage, which we had the chance to play, we take a closer look at one of the most ambitious games to be released for Switch this year.
Fire Emblem Engage is our new JRPG game that draws attention with its star-studded cast as well as the appearance of the main character. Nintendo Switch consolesis being a guest.
As the game’s release date approaches, we had the opportunity to access and play the game early. We have compiled information about the game’s story and gameplay in this article without giving away spoilers and without breaking the embargo rules.
Fire Emblem Engage first look / We played it!
After 1000 Years of Sleep
Fire Emblem Engage takes us to a world called Elyos. This is a land where 4 different nations rule and peace has prevailed for 1000 years. The threat called Fell Dragon in ancient times is stopped by the Divine Dragon with the help of rings with special powers called “Emblems”. If you ask who this Divine Dragon is, let’s meet Alear, our main character. Alear can be a woman or a man according to your preference.
Alear, who has been asleep for 1000 years due to the injuries he received in the great struggle, finally wakes up. According to what we learned from the queen, who is also our mother, the Fell Dragon is about to be released again and in order to stop him, we need to collect the “Emblem” rings and reveal the power of the heroes. Alear, who sets out with his acolytes who have sworn to serve him, goes after the rings that have been distributed throughout the land for protection, but the Fell Dragon’s supporters are also after these rings.
The story is summarized like this, actually a lot more things happen from the second chapter onwards but I don’t want to go into that much detail in the preview article. I’ve completed 9 Chapters so far and I can say that the story is quite enjoyable.
It’s too early for me to comment on the characters in the game. I need to progress a little further and develop my relationship with the many members who join our team. Each chapter brings many different characters to the team, and while walking around the castle, it can make me think for a while, “Who was this?”
I Think We Met While Playing Smash Bros.
Fire Emblem Engage is a great mix of turn-based tactical strategy and JRPG. If you’ve played the Fire Emblem games before, especially the recent Three Houses, you’ll have a pretty good idea of how the game plays. There are new elements added to the gameplay, but you won’t feel out of place.
We spend a lot of time in our castle in daily life. We walk around our castle, which I can call a common area, interact with other characters, perform various activities and strengthen our relationships. Moreover, the characters we interact with here are not only our teammates, but also Emblem heroes. In Somniel (the name of our castle), we usually see heroes who can roam freely with the team member they are affiliated with or wandering on their own.
There are various facilities in Somniel that provide different features, there are different places such as shops, farm, training area and cafe. It is necessary to visit these places before the war and improve ourselves. In addition, the donations we make to various kingdoms on the map cause the loot we will obtain in that region to increase. I can explain this in more detail during the review. I will not dwell on it too much in the preliminary review.
For those who have never played Fire Emblem before, I can summarize the combat system as “like XCOM”. You direct your units on a map divided into squares and try to clear the opponents. Each unit has weak and strong areas, you can use these to gain an advantage over the opponent, or you can suddenly lose the fight you won.
The most striking detail about Fire Emblem Engage is probably the heroes inside the rings. Starting from the first Fire Emblem game, all the characters from the “Three Houses” that came as DLC content are faces we know from the old games. Considering how rich the Smash Bros. series is in terms of Fire Emblem characters, it is possible that you have encountered some of the heroes while playing Smash. For example, Marth, who has been with us since the very beginning.
Now you may be saying, “Heroes are from old games, but what are they for?” Let’s talk about them very briefly. These heroes fight together with the team member you have attached the ring to, and can switch to a special form by using Engage mode at appropriate times. Engage mode is a kind of fusion, where two characters merge and become a new person. In addition to some of the advantages provided by the hero, it also changes the character’s weapon type, allowing you to get out of a disadvantaged situation in an instant. Of course, a “time rewind” system has been added for this.
For example, Framme, my team’s healer (and melee fighter), fights alongside Sigurd from the original Fire Emblem game. In Sigurd’s Engage mode, the character can move in a large number of squares. He can cover long distances in a short time and come to a character in need of help. There is also Celica from the “Emblem of Echoes” game, which has fast movement and a powerful attack. I will probably find better tactics as I progress through the game.
It is possible to find different game strategies by combining the abilities of the heroes in the Emblem rings with the team members we have. Considering the large number of playable characters, I think there will not be many players who use similar strategies.
The Engage form is temporary, but the fact that it doesn’t have a very long cooldown also allows you to be more flexible about when to use it during a fight. Even though the difficulty level is high (there is also a permadeath option, but I’ll save that for later), the battles are enjoyable and fluid.
Conclusion
Fire Emblem Engage will be released for Nintendo Switch on January 20, 2023. Speaking of the first 8 Chapters I played, I can easily say that the game was very enjoyable. The game, which takes up about 13 GB of space, is also very good in terms of visuals. Moreover, I am very pleased with its performance both in handheld mode and on the dock.
The game, which has gained a more fluid form in terms of combat, seems to be successful in attracting new players to the series. Based on my experiences so far, I can say that another good Fire Emblem game awaits Nintendo Switch owners. I hope we will see them all on January 20.