Between various novelties and improvements, the combat system of Fire Emblem Engage is perfectly smooth and exciting. Not all the campaign is full of twists and the shadow of socialization at all costs could make the most surly digital generals nervous, but overall Fire Emblem Engage is a recommended chapter.
Fire Emblem Engage has had the strongest gameplay of the series in years. While I was never keen on losing weapon durability as a mechanic in this franchise, Engage more than makes up for that management with it being a constant need to arrange and maximize good loadouts on characters and just having a lot more tactical options for each one. Another big detriment to recent Fire Emblem games is the amount of padding in between each mission, and glad to see they've pulled it back after Three Houses. Engage still has a hub area you run around in between mission, but there's only a couple of things that you really need to do for gameplay purposes and the rest is just to do for fun at your own leisure. The map design, while often homaging previous games, for that reason and on its own merits is just stellar here, with fantastic and varied missions. The class system is in the vein of Awakening but luckily with a lot of options and the campaign not allowing for so much grinding that classes don't still feel like a committed part of a characters' identity, but if you put in the effort you can experiment as well. Online people were pretty cruel to Mika Pikazo's artstyle and it certainly threw me for a loop but I think the game looks great and the characters' vibrancy matches the world and the tone of the story. And that's probably Engage's biggest new feature to the franchise: it has a story laden with comedy and camp. This has been contentious, people want Fire Emblem to have sober political narratives, but I think after 30 years the series deserves to lampoon itself a bit. I had a lot of fun with the characters and there was a lot of great memorable scenes. It's a black and white conflict, but Fire Emblem has those all the time and takes them stone-cold serious. I think adding in some comedy and campy almost-Super Sentai esque confrontations is the color that kind of Fire Emblem story needed to stay fresh.
This is my favorite Fire Emblem game since Path of Radiance, and I hope Intelligent Systems moves forward with this style of gameplay loop and campaign.
Fire Emblem Engage is a mix of steps forward and back. On a gameplay level, it's pretty much the absolute best the franchise has ever been, with excellent level design, great new gimmicks and features, and a customization system that offers a ton of depth. The storyline feels too much like standard Fire Emblem to stand out, and the side content that isn't focused on combat feels tacked-on. It's still a delightful game to play, and despite my nitpicks, I had a fantastic time. Fire Emblem fans will find a lot to enjoy, even if the story might not be to their tastes.
Fire Emblem Engage is a more single-minded entry in the series than we’ve seen in a while. A lot of the things people may have loved about Three Houses don’t return here, and the battles are left to carry the load. The more focused design is by choice and I respect that, but it didn’t mean the characters and story had to be as diminished as they are. It’s fortunate that the battle mechanics ratchet things up this time, with the new Emblem system and the returning weapon triangle adding compelling strategic layers. Fans of the tactical aspect at the core of Fire Emblem will find a lot to like, but it’s a shame that the overall package isn’t as strong.
Without ever completely abandoning the franchise's defining elements, Fire Emblem Engage leaves behind Three Houses' web of friendships and relationships to focus on the battlefield. The result is a somewhat uninspired story and an absolutely brilliant, fluid and extremely engaging combat system capable of being both accessible for beginners and profound for fans of 'min-maxing.'
Engage plays confidently and is a highly enjoyable game when you're thrust into battle, the small innovations pushing the strategy and combat into new territory for the series. But it's held back by bland storytelling that fails to provoke much emotion or convey a sense of drive as you canter towards the next destination on the world map. It's a solid Fire Emblem, but lacks the lasting impact to rank as a classic.
Fire Emblem Engage resurrects the weapon triangle to great effect, making the turn-based combat feel like a game of death and dares, while an unmemorable cast of characters and an unexplored world sadly drag behind it.
One Step Forward and Two Steps Back encapsulates my overall feelings about this game as a new entry in the series. There is a great improvement in general gameplay and graphics but some regression in terms of overall character writing and storytelling. As a tactics/strategy game, it has a good level of challenge at higher difficulties; however, the lack of a compelling story and cast somewhat dampened the experience a tad.
So much disappointing after Three Houses, and Three Hopes. Please, make a Fire Emblem game with good story, lore, and characters, just like the prev one, and I will definitely love this franchise!
this game is a **** poopy game and the characters act like f*cking youtubers that make videos for **** infants with ere*tile dysfunton. 4 out of ten poopy game dissapointment
SummaryIn a war against the Fell Dragon, four kingdoms worked together with heroes from other worlds to seal away this great evil. One-thousand years later, this seal has weakened and the Fell Dragon is about to reawaken. As a Divine Dragon, use rich strategies and robust customization to meet your destiny—to collect Emblem Rings and bring peac...