Fire Emblem Engage

 Switch
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 703 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 396 out of 703
  2. Mixed: 112 out of 703
  3. Negative: 195 out of 703
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  1. NagisaNeko
    Jan 24, 2023
    7
    I admit that this work is better than the previous work, both in terms of gameplay and map design, but the character creation, character modeling and plot design of this work make me very disappointed. I mean, if you just enjoy srpg game, you will probably like ENGAGE very much, but if you also value the shaping of plot and character relationship, then you may be a little disappointed.
  2. Belonski
    Jan 25, 2023
    6
    One of the best Fire Emblems in technical aspects like gameplay, animations and sound coupled with probably the worst in story and characters. What a waste.

    Pity for the technical team aswell to have their good work ruined by such a big failure of the writing team.
  3. ZXSth
    Jan 27, 2023
    7
    A graphically excellent, mechanically sound and relatively enjoyable game with an insultingly simplistic story. Characters mostly have the depth of a kiddie pool, and most look like rejected Genshin Impact designs.

    Fans of Three Houses will be utterly baffled and disappointed by Engage's astounding lack of narrative depth - its story is pure schlock, and its characters range from    A graphically excellent, mechanically sound and relatively enjoyable game with an insultingly simplistic story. Characters mostly have the depth of a kiddie pool, and most look like rejected Genshin Impact designs.

    Fans of Three Houses will be utterly baffled and disappointed by Engage's astounding lack of narrative depth - its story is pure schlock, and its characters range from marginally charming to repulsively one-note. However, the good elements may manage to carry you through the eye roll-inducing cutscenes (which can be skipped, thankfully).

    Overall: A narratively disappointing game with lots to enjoy on a mechanical level.    … Expand
  4. Faetori
    Jan 25, 2023
    5
    The gameplay itself and the technical portion of the game is pretty good. The return of the weapon triangle works really well and the general feel and flow of the combat is a genuine step up from previous entries.
    Graphics have been improved quite a bit as well; the general quality of the models and maps is very high, however, the design direction sometimes feel a bit too clean and    The gameplay itself and the technical portion of the game is pretty good. The return of the weapon triangle works really well and the general feel and flow of the combat is a genuine step up from previous entries.
    Graphics have been improved quite a bit as well; the general quality of the models and maps is very high, however, the design direction sometimes feel a bit too clean and sanitized, making the world feel too plastic and artificial at times.
    The real problem and why this game utterly fails is the story. The plot feels like it was generated by AI with the most predictable twists and most soulless characters. Even though the gameplay was fun, the poor quality of the story keeps stopping me from actually wanting to play it. And that really sucks.

    Fire Emblem has always been about the perfect ratio of a good story and good combat, in Engage it feels like half of it is missing.    … Expand
  5. SomethingSom
    Jan 26, 2023
    5
    Gameplay is fun. The story and characters are soulless. Feels like a mobile game but it’s a full priced Nintendo game.. yikes
  6. jmd6174
    Jan 24, 2023
    5
    The Good: -Visually, the game is crisp and colorful, and the battle animations are smooth and dynamic.
    -Gameplay is as solid as it’s ever been; happy to see the return of the weapon triangle. From a purely tactical perspective, the engage mechanic adds a nice layer of strategy to the battles.
    The Bad: -The characters are *incredibly* bland, generic, and flat out forgettable. Support    The Good: -Visually, the game is crisp and colorful, and the battle animations are smooth and dynamic.
    -Gameplay is as solid as it’s ever been; happy to see the return of the weapon triangle. From a purely tactical perspective, the engage mechanic adds a nice layer of strategy to the battles.

    The Bad:
    -The characters are *incredibly* bland, generic, and flat out forgettable. Support conversations are either so short or so shallow that even those don’t help flesh the characters out.
    -The voice acting, while not necessarily bad, is noticeably lower quality compared to Three Houses and Echoes.
    -The cutesy, ultra-anime style is just not my thing. Hard to take the characters and the world seriously when all the females look like 12 year-old vtubers. You can especially notice it with the emblem characters. Their faces look so child-like compared to their original designs.
    -The plot is basic to the nth degree. Honestly don’t think they could have come up with a more dull, hackneyed, and uninspired story if they tried.
    -The music is okay, but not up to the Fire Emblem standard.    … Expand
  7. Chadx26
    Jan 24, 2023
    7
    The gameplay is truly great!

    This story and the characters, on the other hand, not so much. I won’t dwell on this. It is what it is… I did not like it.

    Personal skills are basic and some just don’t fit what the character does best. Decent map designs.

    It is FUN to play. If you already like FE you’ll find something to like here if you can get past the writing .
  8. Kenmei
    Jan 23, 2023
    5
    Fire Emblem: Three Houses is one of my favorite games on the Switch and probably my favorite FE game. I even really enjoyed the Dynasty Warriors spin off game that came from it while not really being a big DW fan. So, coming into this, I had some pretty high expectations. And, while the gameplay has taken some pretty good steps forward, the story and characters absolutely kill any interestFire Emblem: Three Houses is one of my favorite games on the Switch and probably my favorite FE game. I even really enjoyed the Dynasty Warriors spin off game that came from it while not really being a big DW fan. So, coming into this, I had some pretty high expectations. And, while the gameplay has taken some pretty good steps forward, the story and characters absolutely kill any interest I have in continue playing it.
    Starting with the gameplay, the biggest addition are the Emblem Rings. Major upgrades for characters that have the "soul" of most of the previous FE games protagonists in them, even from games that have never seen a western release. They offer a ton of options for characters to upgrade their abilities and become a huge powerhouse on battlefield, even if it's not till right before the end of the game do you have the full compliment of rings at your disposal. There's also a new break mechanic that lets you, or your opponent, smash the current weapon they're holding so they can't retaliate for a little bit. And healers can now be used as offensive units as they're now all martial artists, allowing them to smash the bow, tome, and dagger weapons instead of just standing back and healing all the time. There's definitely enough here to definitively say that the gameplay has taken a step forward and, because all characters now move much more fluidly on the battlefield, things are much smoother then they ever have been before and that's very nice.
    However it's the story and characters where the game is truly let down. The story is an extremely generic "kill the evil dragon" fantasy type story, which is a huge downgrade from the political and religious intrigue from the previous game. Each character is either good just because or evil just because and it became extremely boring when I had to sit through an almost endless amount chapters that never went anywhere except to introduce yet another trope-filled character that had zero personality other then what it's trope said it had to be. There are way too many characters here, so many that it will be virtually impossible to level more then your standard 8-10 characters on a playthrough. But the biggest let down in the main character, Alaer. Even though they are a literal God in this universe, and are treated as such by each character who interacts with them, even the bad guys, they are about as boring and pathetic as possible. Giving them a voice might have backfired cause they were just so annoying the entire game. I played as the male character so it might be different with the female character, but I absolutely despise them.
    I was let down by this game. While I really like the gameplay, and that's the only reason I'm giving this game the score I am, the story and characters attached to it are just so bad it's beyond saving. There's no reason to replay this game after completing the main story and, even with an expansion pass, I can't see myself ever coming back to this game. This is such a setback for the Fire Emblem franchise. While I don't see it being the last one, this one left such a bad taste in my mouth that I don't know if I'll be coming back to it.    … Expand
  9. Delsinx4
    Jan 21, 2023
    6
    A step forward for the series in the technical aspect, but in the story and the sense of it they are 2 steps back, the cinematics many times do not make sense in relation to the gameplay, they feel very random at times and sometimes with zero coherence, in general, it cost me much more to play it than the last games like three houses or echoes.
  10. LongTimeFEFan1
    Jan 24, 2023
    5
    Fire Emblem Engage is an embarrassment to the franchise.
    It's not a 0/10 but it's definitely no higher than a 7 purely based on what it represents for the series. In the pre-Awakening games FE settings and stories took themselves seriously and were played straight. Starting with Awakening this changed to childish tongue-in-cheek self-parodying. Fates and Awakening were games for young    Fire Emblem Engage is an embarrassment to the franchise.
    It's not a 0/10 but it's definitely no higher than a 7 purely based on what it represents for the series. In the pre-Awakening games FE settings and stories took themselves seriously and were played straight. Starting with Awakening this changed to childish tongue-in-cheek self-parodying. Fates and Awakening were games for young children, with embarrassing, cringeworthy writing and dialogue and half assed generic plots. This likely stems from the fact that they no longer have the writing talent they once had. You're not going to squeeze a Genealogy of Radiant Dawn out of the current writers.
    However, Three Houses, the previous entry, attempted to recapture the magic of the older games by telling a serious, complex story that took itself seriously tonally and didn't cowardly retreat into self-satire to deflect from its deficiencies. Three Houses was not a perfect game, but it was a step in the right direction to restore some amount of dignity to the franchise.

    With Engage, we now have all of that getting thrown into the trash in favour of a retreat into the shallowness and obnoxious tone of the Fateswakening era of games. The lead scenario writer, Nami Komuro, was even the main scenario writer for Fates and Awakening! Why did they bring back a writer who was universally panned? Who knows. Again, perhaps it was because they simply lack the talent that they used to have?
    I'm not surprised that Engage has received an immense amount of backlash for its tone and style. When people say "return to form", they really mean "return to Fateswakening", but the fanbase has moved on since then. People who once assumed FE was always childish and camp realised they were wrong when 3H attempted to tell a serious story. Expectations have been raised, people don't want a Saturday morning cartoon format anymore, they want real stories to get them invested in real characters.
    If this game came out in 2014, I'm sure people would have been fine with it. But it's not 2014 anymore, and people expect more from their FE games outside of their gameplay. The shallow cope perpetuated by people who had only played Fates and Awakening that "FE stories were always bad" has been thoroughly debunked and nobody is falling for it anymore. They can be good, it's just that the modern developers are lazy.

    The gameplay mechanics are alright. Not good enough to make up for how the game fails in every other area. It could have the best gameplay in the franchise and it would still feel like a slog due to how childish and boring every other aspect is. It's also ironic that this is a series defined by perma death and making you feel an attachment to the units, when the average player wants to see every character from Fates, Awakening and Engage killed off for being a constant irritating presence.

    It's honestly quite sickening to see these shallow and obnoxious characters dragging around the ghosts of old FE characters, attempting to beat nostalgia into the audience. All they do is serve as a reminder of how good Fire Emblem once was, and how good it could still be, if anybody currently working at Intelligent Systems cared as much about the history of the franchise as the random people they hired from Koei Tecmo for Three Houses. Sad.    … Expand
  11. Scrimblo79
    Jan 21, 2023
    6
    When viewed in the context of the entire franchise, Engage is a disappointment that represents a regression rather than a progression in quality.

    Whilst containing an admittedly interesting new battle system, it fails to reach the heights of games like Thracia and Conquest and will seem utterly unremarkable to long-time fans. Furthermore, whatever pleasure is granted by the battle    When viewed in the context of the entire franchise, Engage is a disappointment that represents a regression rather than a progression in quality.

    Whilst containing an admittedly interesting new battle system, it fails to reach the heights of games like Thracia and Conquest and will seem utterly unremarkable to long-time fans. Furthermore, whatever pleasure is granted by the battle mechanics fails to compensate for the lacklustre nature of the game in all other areas. Alear wanders through a generic world of forgettable characters trying to obtain macguffins whilst nothing interesting or of note occurs. It is a plot and world so generic and formulaic that one wonders if they fed the previous scripts into an AI and generated it mechanically. Plot beats range from mind-numbingly bland to hilariously overdramatic and forced: Engage is a game that seems to want emotional pay-off whilst giving you no reason to care for the characters it establishes.
    Characters are regression to the shallow tropes of Fates which feel poorly thought out and like there was no underlying intention to them other than to pad out the roster. Beyond some exceptions such as Diamant, they range from non-entities to Jar Jar Binks level irritating presences that have one personality trait and will repeat it for hundreds of lines of dialogue. The music is serviceable but the most generic of the post-Awakening Fire Emblem games. Character design is awful; it is ironic that despite being so flashy and outrageous, none of these characters will stick in the player's mind once they go off-screen.

    It would be interesting to see the break and emblem mechanics in a game that knew what its identity was.
    There is no artistic vision or cohesive idea underlying Engage: it is a bundle of elements of poor quality slapped together on top of a gameplay system that whilst may be impressive to players whose only prior experience was Three Houses, fails to come even remotely close to being the best of what the franchise has to offer, or to make it worthwhile suffering through the other aspects of the game.
    Engage, by all metrics, is at best an average Fire Emblem entry, and at worst a cynical, soulless product with an identity crisis.    … Expand
  12. Dernn
    Jan 22, 2023
    5
    Massive step backwards from Three House's. Very mediocre predictable plot with extremely cringe dialogue and boring supports.
  13. Ozmozz
    Jan 22, 2023
    5
    I try really hard to like it, with is all colorful but empty cast, and it's bland story without any taste. Yes the gameplay is really good, but the lack of love that was given to the story, the lack of emotion and depth is very overwelming for me. Heck, even Fates manage to give us three better stories than this title. A huge step back, for better gameplay... To bad.
  14. Merro
    Jan 23, 2023
    6
    Worst then 3 houses. Better graphics but that's it.
    Buy it online with heavy discount.
  15. theBiggreen
    Jan 22, 2023
    6
    Seems to be a big step back for the series. The people praising it for being more like the older games seem to forget that it was a failing series before the more modern changes. A fun spin-off or side game but if this is future of series I would be very worried.
  16. Yvask
    Jan 21, 2023
    7
    My first proper FE game was Three Houses and I loved that game, but the relationship mechanics seemed to take a lot of my time. Engage addresses this issue while maintaining the mechanic and focusing on the story to provide depth. The interactions unlocked through increasing your relationship with allies seem kinda like filler, at least up until rank B with some characters being moreMy first proper FE game was Three Houses and I loved that game, but the relationship mechanics seemed to take a lot of my time. Engage addresses this issue while maintaining the mechanic and focusing on the story to provide depth. The interactions unlocked through increasing your relationship with allies seem kinda like filler, at least up until rank B with some characters being more interesting, imo Yunaka mainly. The combat takes the center stage and rightfully so since this is a tactical game, now with optimal RPG elements for my taste at the least. Normal difficulty can be pretty tame, with some battles amping up the difficulty, and Hard just annihilated me, but I preferred playing on Hard for the strategic aspects. Definitely suggest this game if you're a tactical RPG fan and especially if you loved Three Houses but thought you were spending too much time in the HUB.… Expand
  17. Yunalesca
    Jan 27, 2023
    5
    Graphics are so much better, cel shaded sort of Style is nice, but good lord the design, story and characterization have run straight off a cliff. I'm confused as to why the characters are walking one dimensional tropes, and why they look the way they do. I'm aware Awakening and Fates get some flack for the same issues, but honestly I'd still take their writing any day over this. As it isGraphics are so much better, cel shaded sort of Style is nice, but good lord the design, story and characterization have run straight off a cliff. I'm confused as to why the characters are walking one dimensional tropes, and why they look the way they do. I'm aware Awakening and Fates get some flack for the same issues, but honestly I'd still take their writing any day over this. As it is now- my desire to play more is entirely none-existent despite the gameplay being just as fine as it always is.… Expand
  18. Lifestranding
    Feb 23, 2023
    5
    Basically an SRPG game, but you only get the ‘S’
    ………………………………………………………………..
  19. CelticRune212
    Jan 28, 2023
    6
    Fire Emblem Engage has amazing combat and could possibly be one of the best in the series IF the story was better. This game also taught me that yes, there can be too many mechanics in video games. I've gotten to chapter 16, and I just find it so hard to pick up the game due to the story being so bland, and all the mechanics just clogging up the screen. If you are looking to get into FireFire Emblem Engage has amazing combat and could possibly be one of the best in the series IF the story was better. This game also taught me that yes, there can be too many mechanics in video games. I've gotten to chapter 16, and I just find it so hard to pick up the game due to the story being so bland, and all the mechanics just clogging up the screen. If you are looking to get into Fire Emblem, I wouldn't recommend this game. I'd recommend Three Houses instead.… Expand
  20. Phrancium
    Feb 3, 2023
    7
    Fire emblem engage brings interesting new mechanics and fun new ways to play the game, but falls far short in terms of storytelling and characterization which is especially disappointing after previous entries have demonstrated that they are capable of telling a strong story with interesting characters.

    Gameplay: 8/10 Starting with the best part first, the gameplay of engage is a    Fire emblem engage brings interesting new mechanics and fun new ways to play the game, but falls far short in terms of storytelling and characterization which is especially disappointing after previous entries have demonstrated that they are capable of telling a strong story with interesting characters.

    Gameplay: 8/10
    Starting with the best part first, the gameplay of engage is a refreshing return to the roots of fire emblem after being what I believe was the weakest part of the previous entry, three houses. Engage introduces a lot of interesting new mechanics like breaking, smashing, and secondary classes that change the way the game can be played and allows for the player to form interesting strategies and approach each situation in many different and creative ways. The new emblem system, despite being disappointing from a narrative standpoint, also allows give players even more avenues to approach the game and experimenting with different pairings of units and emblems was wholeheartedly enjoyable. What's keeping Engage from getting a full 10/10 in this category from me is that I'm not a huge fan of the new primary class system locking units to only one weapon type in their base class, and although emblems can make up for that fact it was very confusing trying to figure out exactly how proficiency and the weapon system works. Additionally, gameplay balance is somewhat lopsided making some classes are miles better than other and some units completely overshadowed by others that are introduced just one chapter later.

    Story: 4/10
    To put it nicely, the story is uninspired. To put it a little less nicely, the story is a mess of poor writing, undeserved character moments, clichés, and dialogue that somehow manages to drag on for too long while providing no content. The overall story plays out almost exactly as you would expect it to from minute one; you can tell as soon as you meet them which characters will die and how it will advance the plot. On top of all that, instead of starting the story as an amnesiac tactician, a boy from Ram village, or other similarly mundane roles, you start of the game playing as the divine dragon, worshipped by everyone across the continent. This makes it so that most character interactions take a similar course and our character sees very little development throughout the game. After all, how much higher can you take a character who starts of the the literal god of the land?
    Lastly, the worldbuilding was poorly done and the world itself feels very small, despite spanning an entire continent with four theoretically interesting countries. We spend very little time exploring the potentially interesting landscape, hopping from town to town or various locations of interest like in many previous titles. Instead we traverse through countries in one or two steps, going from castle to border to castle again, rushing to meet the next bland, predictable, story beat.

    Characterization: 5/10
    The characterization of this game was what I was most disappointed in, as Three Houses has shown us how good it could potentially be. Instead it feels like the characters in this game are flatter and more one dimensional than fates or even the GBA games. Most support conversations in this game are all very samey and do very little for actually fleshing out the characters, often consisting of nothing more than both characters tossing compliments back and forth.
    The characters in this game lack a lot of the spice and quirkiness that made more memorable characters from other games so endearing, like Ingrid laying into Sylvain for his horniness, Seteth's overprotection of Flayn, or even Annette's singing. There are some characters that do toe the line of being interesting, but even in those cases they seem to always take the safe route and make them just another affable agreeable clone who tries their best to help everyone.    … Expand
  21. dimilix
    Feb 7, 2023
    5
    Incredibly bland story and protagonist. Good game mechanics. They balance each other out (I guess?)
  22. Solarus10
    Feb 2, 2023
    6
    Fire emblem engage seems like a step back compared to most fire emblem games from the last decade. The writing is atrocious and the characters are shallow. I have heard some people compare it to older games, but that is only true with the game play. Emotional moments in the story miss their mark because they feel unearned and occur before the player becomes invested. The stakes justFire emblem engage seems like a step back compared to most fire emblem games from the last decade. The writing is atrocious and the characters are shallow. I have heard some people compare it to older games, but that is only true with the game play. Emotional moments in the story miss their mark because they feel unearned and occur before the player becomes invested. The stakes just aren't there in this game because the writing is aweful. I used to pre-order every fire emblem game, I think I will wait for the user feedback in the future. I'm surprised by how inflated the critic score is.… Expand
  23. Nene27
    Feb 4, 2023
    5
    I will start off by saying that I have only every played Fire Emblem Three Houses. I loved that game, I replayed it multiple times. I didn't really like this game and I am not going to be replaying it. Due to the story being so linear, there is no reason too.

    The gameplay is definitely a step up. I liked weapon triangle and how the characters moved. I liked the different maps for each    I will start off by saying that I have only every played Fire Emblem Three Houses. I loved that game, I replayed it multiple times. I didn't really like this game and I am not going to be replaying it. Due to the story being so linear, there is no reason too.

    The gameplay is definitely a step up. I liked weapon triangle and how the characters moved. I liked the different maps for each NEW part of the story. However, I didn't like revisiting the same maps again and again to farm resources. The story is okay, nothing new or exciting just meh. It's a linear game with no meaningful choices. Lots and lots of plot holes and things that just don't make sense.

    The outlandish character design wasn't that big of a deal for me. What did bother me the most was the absent storytelling. The support/bond conversations really don't mean anything. Moments that should be sad weren't. The characters are either boring or annoying. I really didn't care to learn anything more about them after getting the supports past a C. Not that their supports told us anything much more about them anyway. I got everyone to A and it was a waste of time.

    If you like a game that has great gameplay mechanics and a meh story is fine. Then pick this game up. If you are like me and the story is very important to you too. Don't waste your money or wait till it goes on sale.    … Expand
  24. Daveplaysgames
    Feb 9, 2023
    5
    This is my first fire emblem game, and sadly it will probably be my last too. I will start with the positives, the gameplay is actually top notch I had a lot of fun while I was in battle, unfortunately, all that joy quickly dissipated when I had to sit through some of the most generic, cliche riddled, drivel I have ever witnessed in a video game, delivered by what I can only describe asThis is my first fire emblem game, and sadly it will probably be my last too. I will start with the positives, the gameplay is actually top notch I had a lot of fun while I was in battle, unfortunately, all that joy quickly dissipated when I had to sit through some of the most generic, cliche riddled, drivel I have ever witnessed in a video game, delivered by what I can only describe as the most annoying set of overly enthusiastic characters I have ever encountered. Now, don’t get me wrong I am not the kind of gamer who insists on an Oscar winning script in a game, if I want deep and meaningful I will read a book or watch a movie, but I would like at least some slightly convincing characters set in a slightly convincing story, but engage fails so utterly and miserably in this respect it’s very hard to recommend. If you want to play a really great strategy RPG I would give Triangle strategy a go first. My overwhelming feelings attached to Engage is not the fun in the battles I had, but more to do with the hole left in my wallet, disappointing.… Expand
  25. DCLarson
    Feb 6, 2023
    5
    Fire Emblem Three Houses was my first FE game. I loved it. I played every route on all three difficulties. I did the same with Three Hopes. I'm almost at the final battle of Engage and I cannot wait to be done with game. I doubt I will ever play Engage again, and I'm seriously regretting purchasing the DLC bundle. The story just does not work for me. I do not care about any if the character.
  26. Ahoythere
    Mar 5, 2023
    6
    After beating the game, I'm putting a solid 6 due to a personal like of the art style and combat. However, the story was incredibly stupid, and return trips to the Sominel were always tedious, it truly could have just been a menu on the world map and I would have been so much more satisfied. Another reason that I am lowering it, is due to the inability to change the difficulty to higherAfter beating the game, I'm putting a solid 6 due to a personal like of the art style and combat. However, the story was incredibly stupid, and return trips to the Sominel were always tedious, it truly could have just been a menu on the world map and I would have been so much more satisfied. Another reason that I am lowering it, is due to the inability to change the difficulty to higher settings. I feel bad for anyone who started on normal, got invested, then was stuck at it. It was simply too easy of a difficulty, so much so that it should have been called easy mode.… Expand
  27. weskergamer
    Mar 2, 2023
    7
    As a Big Fire Emblem fan, Engage left me with a weird taste in my mouth. I loved it buy i also hated a lot of stuff and decision made by Intelligent System. Apparently, this game is meant to celebrate the Fire Emblem franchise, and it succeeds gameplay wise, but in other things it was very disappointed. The gameplay and everything related to gameplay in this game is the only reason why I'mAs a Big Fire Emblem fan, Engage left me with a weird taste in my mouth. I loved it buy i also hated a lot of stuff and decision made by Intelligent System. Apparently, this game is meant to celebrate the Fire Emblem franchise, and it succeeds gameplay wise, but in other things it was very disappointed. The gameplay and everything related to gameplay in this game is the only reason why I'm giving it a 7. It's so damn good. It's the best the series has ever been. But as a AAA game meant to celebrate a 25 yo franchise with a great story and beloved characters, it doesn't have a great story nor beloved characters. Even the characterization, graphics and moments of the heroes from past games it's so bad, giving importance basically only to Marth and characters like Ike, Sigurd and Roy looking so horrible with this game art style. I only hope that if they make a Genealogy or Tellius series remake they use more realistic art style. The story and characters of this game are so boring and cliche, reusing plots from previous game like Awakening and Fates. Outside of the story and characters the music is great, and it's good that we got a place where you can listen to it. The maps are really fun, i really enjoy the last 5 maps and the paralogues, even though i don't understand why my units can die in paralogues when it's basically a training section against the emblems. Even though I complain about the story, fire emblem has always been known for simple stories, but at least the characters were memorable, not the case in this game. I think I will only remember Diamant, Alcryst and Lapis tbh. The Villans were really, really bad in this game. The last thing I really hated about this game, was that, by the time of this review, there is no New Game+. This may be a small issue but still it hurted me a lot to finish the game and wasn't able to restart the game with support and skills already done like in 3H, something that I actually like because it made replayability more fun. Anyway, this game made a lot of bad decision, it doesn't make any sense that a game that follow one of the greatest games of the switch and of this generation of consoles, fells so underwhelmed and a step back in the franchise. They could' work in the bases of 3H and just improve the gameplay and maybe the graphics and we could have had the greatest game in the franchise, since without a doubt Engage has the best and more fun gameplay in the series, not even close. At the end of the day, in a couple of years we'll play a new FE with the same gameplay at this one but improving in the story, characters and art style, and it will be like this game never existed.… Expand
  28. Lair0
    Feb 12, 2023
    6
    The gameplay in this entry is a improvement in te series but the story, characters and characters design are a jugar downgrade all the more coming from a Game like three houses
  29. Maestr
    Feb 12, 2023
    5
    Unfortunately, this game was not so much interesting as I wanted. Most main battles are boring and did not push me to try different tactics. Base is awful, story is stupid. I do not want to hear listen again and again about Divine Dragon. Craft is useless as much as level up mechanics. Only during additional battles I'm stressed.
    If only I could do refund. And I'm definitely sure that    Unfortunately, this game was not so much interesting as I wanted. Most main battles are boring and did not push me to try different tactics. Base is awful, story is stupid. I do not want to hear listen again and again about Divine Dragon. Craft is useless as much as level up mechanics. Only during additional battles I'm stressed.
    If only I could do refund. And I'm definitely sure that only big fans could try this game.    … Expand
  30. TeachCooker
    Mar 20, 2023
    5
    I'll get the low hanging fruit out of the way first. The characters and story are really boring. Not much to say other than the plot is uninspired and the characters are just walking tropes.
    The gameplay itself is where I have mixed feelings. For every positive there is a negative holding it back.
    For starters, bringing back the weapon triangle was a good move. The lack of it in the last    I'll get the low hanging fruit out of the way first. The characters and story are really boring. Not much to say other than the plot is uninspired and the characters are just walking tropes.
    The gameplay itself is where I have mixed feelings. For every positive there is a negative holding it back.
    For starters, bringing back the weapon triangle was a good move. The lack of it in the last few entries removed a basic level of depth many players expect.The emblem/ring system is an amazing addition that explodes the level of customization for your units to near absurd levels. Engage is maybe the best FE game when it comes to the ability to make sure your favorite units can clear the game.
    Yet at the same time there isn't very much strategy to be found in this turn-based strategy game. Mainly due to the fact that every enemy on the map attacks with zero regard for planning or tactics, in favor of just swarming your army asap. Some maps suffer greatly from this while others lose any challenge they might have presented otherwise.
    I won't hold the following criticism against the game too much, but with each new FE I hope they choose to make an effort to reduce RNG's influence on the gameplay. FE is always labeled a strategy game, yet ultimately what wins or loses battles are dice rolls. It is a problem that taking an optimal approach to any map can be rendered meaningless by RNG, just as making bad choices can be rewarded by lucky dice rolls. I will give the game credit for adding inheritable abilities that can help minimize RNG for the unit in question, but it is a small band-aid when a system wide solution is needed.

    Ultimately, a game that has many excellent concepts and mechanics gets bogged down by too many flaws to deliver a very middle of the road experience.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Best Switch Game of 2023
1
#1 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 124 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 97 out of 124
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 124
  3. Negative: 0 out of 124
  1. Starbit
    Mar 25, 2023
    70
    This new chapter features the best combat ever seen in the Fire Emblem series, as well as a new mechanic that sets up a link between characters of different games and their abilities, which is extraordinary. At the same time, Engage features the least interesting plot in the series, as well as many unnecessary dialogues that feel like a chore to go through. With an exquisite visual background, Engage's positive aspects should be more than enough to appeal to those who want to focus on the combat and interactions and who are willing to put the plot in the backseat of the experience.
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  2. KeenGamer
    Mar 10, 2023
    93
    Fire Emblem Engage is a entertaining fun entry in the long running FE series. It will keep you hooked with its silly atmosphere and addicting gameplay. If you have ever wanted to play the video game version of an Saturday morning anime cartoon then pick it up right away! It is one of the most "Engaging" Strategy RPGs out there with a beautiful style. A great celebration of the series and a love letter to fans of any FE era.
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  3. NPR
    Mar 6, 2023
    78
    Engage never surprised me the way the preceding Three Houses did. With few exceptions, its characters never revealed the depths I had come to expect from the series. But I still looked forward to every support conversation and every jaw-dropping cinematic, right up until the end. It may be dressed up in anime fluff, but the core mechanics are solid enough to keep you coming back.
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