14 DAY TRIAL // 
The new installment in the Fire Emblem series is a little bit different than what fans of the series have been used to. Unlike the previous entry, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Engage lacks most of the social aspects that made the franchise so popular among weebs. Instead, the game is taking more of a combat-focused approach, so if you’re one of the fans who couldn’t stand bonding with your teammates, it’s safe to say that you’re going to love Fire Emblem Engage.
Apart from the social aspects, Engage is the same Fire Emblem that fans know and love. You’ll still be visiting your base of operations in between battles, if not to socialize, at least to upgrade your equipment, train with your teammates and support the allied regions of the continent with resources. The occasional banter between characters is still present as one of the ways to raise the bond between them, something can also be done by fighting close to each other. However, it’s nowhere near the level present in Three Houses.
In Fire Emblem Engage, you take on the role of Divine Dragon Alear, as he tries to prevent the Fell Dragon from conquering the world of Elyos. Split between four kingdoms – Firene, Brodia, Solm, and Elusia, Elyos has known peace for a thousand years.
The holy land at the center of the continent, Lythos, is ruled by the Divine Dragon Queen, Lumera, who is also Alear’s mother. Revered by all nations except Elusia, the Divine Dragon is the protector of Elyos and the last line of defense against the Fell Dragon and his minions.
After being asleep for 1,000 years, Alear awakens without any memory of his previous life. Although the awakening of the Dragon Child should be reason for celebration, the event coincided with the release of the Fell Dragon from his prison.
This isn’t the first time that a JRPG series plays the card of amnesia, but that’s not really why Fire Emblem Engage’s story isn’t as engaging as the previous games. The lack of deep social aspects and the writing makes it feel like a pretty generic story.
On the bright side, Engage brings quite a few new gameplay mechanics to the series. The most important one is the use of Emblems, iconic heroes from past Fire Emblem games that are now fighting alongside some of your teammates. Once you find the ring and summon its Emblem, you can attach it to one of your heroes.
The use of an Emblem can be done by using the Engage command, which will provide your heroes with powerful new abilities. The catch is that you can only remain in this state for three turns, after which the Emblem will disappear. Filling up the Engage meter by killing enemies or standing in certain spots on the map will let you use your Emblem again.
Each Emblem has its unique powers that often complement the abilities of certain characters in your party. There are deep strategic layers here where you can experiment with different Emblem / character combinations for the best results. Not to mention that throughout the campaign, you’ll find powerful weapons that can wreak havoc among specific types of enemies.
The weapons that your characters use while in the Engage state can also be upgraded and refined for different effects. It’s crazy how many things you must take into consideration when building a character. Unfortunately, the level-up system remains the same, so every time one of your characters gets a new level, they also gain some stats. Just like in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, these stats are random, so your mage could gain 1 point of strength and 1 point of dexterity, which is clearly something that you don’t want.
Most of the experience will come from the main story battles, but if you want to dive deeper into the lore (what lore?), then you should definitely take on some of the side quests. You’re not going to get some extra resources and gain more experience, but you might also recruit new characters to your army. Skirmishes are another way to boost your characters’ levels, something that comes in handy because the heroes you don’t use in battles won’t gain experience at all.
You’re only allowed to train in the Arena for limited times between battles, and the experience gained doesn’t really match the amount gained in a battle. That forced me to take some drastic measures like benching some heroes forever simply because they were behind others level-wise.
There are a total of 12 Emblems in the game, but additional ones are available for those who bought the Expansion Pass. I have to mention that the Emblem Edelgard feels like one of the most powerful in the game. This one can be obtained at launch, but others will be added later this year.
The Good
- Deep tactical combat system
- Some innovative gameplay features
- Great replayability value
- Lots of content to enjoy
The Bad
- Dumbed down social sim aspect
- Long loading times
- Generic story, disappointing writing
Conclusion
Even if it’s not on the same level as Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the story is serviceable enough to keep you engaged till the end. If only the writing had been better, this could have been another masterpiece. The lack of characterization is another aspect that fans of the series will most likely notice, but that’s a direct result of the removal of the social part of the game.
Newcomers to the series will find Fire Emblem Engage a great game, but they won’t truly know what a Fire Emblem game means until they play a previous title. Despite the few negatives, Fire Emblem Engage is a must for fans of the series, as well as newcomers who love turn-based strategy games.
Review code was provided by CD Media.
