Emblem, Engage!

Seventeen Games in and Still Kicking

Of all of Nintendo’s first party franchises, Fire Emblem is amongst the most interesting to see how it has developed over the years. From first being introduced to an America audience via a pair of Super Smash Bros Melee fighters to releasing its 17th mainline game, Fire Emblem Engage, last month, the series has come a long way in becoming a beloved series.

One of the most interesting things you’ll find out about fans of the Fire Emblem series is that what matters most to them when playing a new entry is tied directly to when they started the franchise. Do people love Fire Emblem because of the characters, the story, or the strategy gameplay? The answer depends entirely on their first exposure! So, when Fire Emblem Engage arrived, the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not they will enjoy this latest entry.

Fire Emblem Engage tells the story of Divine Dragon Alear (affectionately called “toothpaste-chan” by the internet due to their ridiculous hair) as they embark on a quest to defeat the big bad known as the Fell Dragon. The hero’s quest requires them to collect 12 “Emblem Rings,” each housing a legendary hero from another world and use their power to defeat evil. The rings, representing heroes from every Fire Emblem mainline game, is the main attraction here, and it helps to make Engage an anniversary game for the Fire Emblem series.

Now, I finally had the pleasure of beating the game this past weekend. And being the first game I beat this year, I felt obligated to present my thoughts on this entry in the series.

Embracing the Power of the Rings

I am almost always filled with skepticism whenever I embark on a new Fire Emblem game lately. I come in worried that I’ll be bogged down by a lot of fluff and extra mechanics that get in the way of the core gameplay. And I was frankly worried about what direction Engage would take. I’m a big fan of the GBA era of Fire Emblem games, because they were lean and fun in their design, and most modern games afterward have been anything but lean.

Mechanically, Engage is fun as heck. This has some of the best gameplay for the series in years, and I haven’t had this much enjoyment from a Fire Emblem game since Blazing Blade came out in 2003. This new entry’s gameplay has the perfect mix of core mechanics, player strategy, and map design that make each engagement fresh and exciting!

The game was designed from the ground up around the “Emblem Rings”. Representing heroes from other titles, they pair up and empower your team with a slew of abilities and flashy transformation. From a character building perspective, they allow you to double down on traits your unit excels at or help cover areas they suffer in. For example, Marth, the titular character from the first game, is an Emblem that makes your units agile and hard to hit, while Ike, the famous mercenary from Path of Radiance, bolsters your unit like an offensive tank. Mixing and matching emblems with characters and “engaging” them to use their full array of abilities for a few rounds make the game dynamic and exciting in a way that was not possible before.

On top of this, the game is beautifully animated, and the actions are so dynamic and satisfying to watch. Since the transition from 2D pixel art to 3D models, I’ve constantly felt underwhelmed by the dynamics of units fighting. They never looked or created a sense of excitement that the fine pixel art of the GBA era games provided. But with Engage, I finally see a game that made the 3D transition worth it. The in-battle excitement is at an all-time high here as characters have so many unique animations that are wonderfully presented. The director even stated that the way a character unit fights changes throughout the game as they learn new skills and tactics, making each battle a sight to behold.

In terms of player strategy, we do see a return of the famous weapon triangle, but with a delightful twist. When taking advantage of an opponent’s weakness, you now inflict a break status on them, making them unable to counteract for the round. This enhancement adds a whole new dimension to decision making and pushes you as the player to be more aggressive in controlling the field. Marching forward and inflicting break during your turn is one of the core tactics in Engage, making it feel drastically different from other titles. In older games, you were often encouraged to play defensively and bait opponents out to get mauled by your god-like unit. But with this new triangle, a bad placement could get your unit killed quickly if the opponent can inflict break on you. The flow of battle shifts to the player to play offensively, and as a result, it helps encourage “engaging” with your Emblems to keep the momentum going.

Of course, all these mechanics mean nothing if the maps don’t encourage you to utilize them. Engage has some of the most exciting maps and objectives I’ve seen out of the series, period. From dealing with periodic weather effects, strategic enemy placements, and terrain effects that could mean life or death, the game makes you think thrice before you commit a move. As a result, you enter in a satisfying zone of wanting to play smart and feeling rewarded for it.

I could keep talking for days on how great the gameplay of Engage is, but there is another side of Fire Emblem games that fans love and that is the story and characters.

Story? You Won’t Find It Here!

Sadly, especially for those who are coming from the lore-heavy Three Houses, you will not be finding anything interesting in the plot department. Engage truly is an anniversary game, even in story, as it harkens and emulates the ol’ generic tales from older entries. As stated earlier, we truly have a standard, run-of-the-mill hero’s journey. Nothing more and nothing less. You won’t find political intrigue or Game of Thrones treachery here.

But the one thing that I’ll give Engage is that it feels extremely self-aware of its literary shortcomings. The story is goofy, silly, and absurd, and it is not trying to hide that the plot is entirely in service of setting up awesome battles and set pieces. An earlier entry, Fates, is often criticized for its story, because it attempted to tell a serious story but undermined it along the way with goofy antics. Engage ultimately tells a goofy story, with occasional serious moments, and as a result, it ends up being fairly serviceable.

In this story, you do have an extremely large and diverse cast of well…wacky characters. Many have differing opinions on the character art style, but I will say the cast is vibrant in design and wears their personality on their sleeve as a result. Unlike other popular entries, Engage is not a “shipping simulator.” You’re not finding repressed romance out here in this gritty battlefield. Nevertheless, the characters are fun and charming in their own right. My personal favorites units in this game ended up being the country bumpkin, Lapis, the bulky but prone to tears warrior, Boucheron, and the prince in need of vast therapy for his confidence issues, Alcryst. Similar to the plot, Engage emulates the more goofy nature of support conversations that older entries had, which were all in the service of having a good time.

Ultimately, I know for many, story is a big reason they engage with Fire Emblem (pun not intended). Engage will likely disappoint in this area, but I do hope that those that take a chance on this game can find something enjoyable amongst the cast as I did.

Closing Thoughts

I thorough enjoyed my time with Engage. Fire Emblem is a series known for trying different things and experimenting with each new entry, and I am personally grateful for what they tried out in Engage. Is it perfect? Absolutely not, but I had a damn good time with it and I think anyone who enjoys this series or is new to the franchise should give it a shot. It’s a great game to start in 2023 for what looks like a stacked gaming year for Nintendo!

And for those who do take a chance and embark on a journey with this game, I do want to leave one vital game tip for you:

Don’t be a douche, deploy the Bouche!