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 the guest of Nintendo Switch consoles as our new JRPG game, which attracts attention with its star-crossed cast as well as the image of the main character.
As the game’s release date approaches, we have the opportunity to access and play the game early. We have briefly gathered the information we have gathered about the story and gameplay of the game in this article, without giving spoilers and breaking the embargo rules.
Fire Emblem Engage first look / Played!
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”. Who is this Divine Dragon, let’s meet Alear, that is our main character. Alear can be male or female according to your preference.
Alear, who has been asleep for 1000 years due to the wounds he received in the great struggle, finally awakens. We learned from the queen, who is also our mother, that the Fell Dragon is about to be released again and to stop it, we need to collect the “Emblem” rings and unleash the power of the heroes. Setting out with his assistants who have sworn to serve him, Alear pursues the rings that have been scattered across the realm for protection, but so are the supporters of the Fell Dragon.
In summary, the story is like this, actually a lot more happens from the second episode, but I don’t want to go into that much detail in the preview article. I have 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 go a little further and develop my relationship with the many members who have joined our team. A lot of different characters join the team in each chapter, “Who was this?” while walking around the castle. It might make me think for a while.
Smash Bros. I Think We Met While Playing
Fire Emblem Engage offers a great mix of turn-based tactical strategy and JRPG genres. If you’ve played the Fire Emblem games before, especially the recently released Three Houses, you have more or less an idea of the gameplay. There are new items added to the gameplay, but you will not feel like a stranger.
We spend a lot of time in our castle in daily life. We visit our castle, which I can call a common area, interact with other characters, carry out various activities and strengthen our relations. Moreover, the characters we interact with here can be not only our teammates, but also Emblem heroes. In Somniel (the name of our castle), we often see free-roaming protagonists wandering around with their team member or on their own.
In Somniel, there are various facilities that provide different features, there are different places such as shops, farm, training ground and cafe. Before the war, it is necessary to visit these places and improve ourselves. In addition, donations we will make to various kingdoms on the map will also increase the loot we will obtain in that region. I can explain this in more detail during the review. I don’t dwell on it too much in the preliminary review.
For those who haven’t played Fire Emblem before, I can summarize the combat system as “like XCOM”. You direct your units on the map divided into squares and try to clear the opponents. Each unit has weak and strong areas, you can use them to gain an advantage over the opponent, or it is possible to lose the fight you have won.
The most striking detail about Fire Emblem Engage must be the heroes in the rings. Starting from the first Fire Emblem game to the “Three Houses” characters that come as DLC content, each hero is the faces we know from old games. Smash Bros. Considering how rich the 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 was with us from the very beginning.
Now “Heroes come from old games or something, but what use are they?” You can say, let’s talk very briefly. These heroes can fight with the team member you have connected the ring to, and can switch to a special form by using the Engage mode at appropriate times. Engage mode is a kind of fusion, two characters merge and become a new person. In addition to some of the advantages provided by the hero, it also allows you to get out of a disadvantage as it changes the character’s weapon type. Of course, a “time back” system has also been added for this.
For example, Framme, the healer (and melee) of my team, fights alongside Sigurd from the original Fire Emblem game. In Sigurd’s Engage mode, the number of frames the character can move around is quite large. He can close long distances in a short time and come to the character who needs help. An alternative is Celica, which comes from the game “Emblem of Echoes”, with fast transport and a powerful attack that follows. I’ll 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 guess there won’t be many players using similar strategies.
The Engage form is temporary, but the cooldown isn’t too long, allowing you to be more flexible about the time you use during a fight. Even if the difficulty level is high (there is a permanent death option, but I’ll save it for later), the battles are pleasant and fluent.
Conclusion
Fire Emblem Engage will be released for Nintendo Switch on January 20, 2023. If I talk about the first 8 Chapters I played, I can easily say that the game is quite enjoyable. The game, which occupies an area of about 13 GB, is also very good in terms of visuals. Moreover, I am quite satisfied with its performance both in hand 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 experience so far, I can say that a good Fire Emblem game is waiting for Nintendo Switch owners. I hope to see them all on January 20.