Fire Emblem Engage Preview: Fire Emblem Returns to a Classic Formula

Fire Emblem Engage brings the always entertaining tactical Fire Emblem franchise back to its roots, with a more classic play style that hearkens back to previous installments while bringing in both popular characters and side features from past games. While the 2019 smash hit Fire Emblem: Three Houses back in 2019 heavily deviated from many traditional Fire Emblem mechanics, Fire Emblem Engage brings the franchise back to its roots, although it does not totally ignore the improvements that made Three Houses so popular. While Three House's game time was almost evenly split between tactical combat and a time management system that focused on raising attributes to recruit additional characters, Fire Emblem Engage is more combat focused. In addition to greatly expanding the character interactions, Fire Emblem: Three Houses also did away with classic systems like the Weapon Triangle and introduced other elements like Combat Arts and weapon degradation. In Fire Emblem Engage, the Weapon Triangle returns with some new twists.

Fire Emblem Engage is a return to a more classic version of the Fire Emblem franchise, with a few tweaks and additions. ComicBook.com was able to preview the first eight chapters of Fire Emblem Engage, which largely sets the stage for another epic Fire Emblem conflict involving five countries on the continent of Elyos, a clash of dragon religions, and ghostly echoes of past Fire Emblem heroes who grant additional powers when paired with human characters.

In the opening chapter of Fire Emblem Engage, players are introduced to Alear, a divine dragon who has been asleep for 1,000 years since the end of his conflict with the Fell Dragon Sombron. When Sombron begins to stir in the country of Elusia, Alear awakens and is tasked with collecting a dozen Emblem rings that hold the spirits of various heroes from past worlds, all of whom were protagonists in past Fire Emblem games.

Similar to past Fire Emblem games, combat is turn-based and defined by the Weapon Triangle which grants certain advantages when a unit attacks an opponent using a weapon type that is strong against whatever weapon that opponent is wielding. While the type advantages mostly remain intact from past games (i.e., a bow user is almost always guaranteed to shoot down a flying unit), two new wrinkles are introduced in Fire Emblem Engage. The Weapon Triangle now dictates when a Unit can "Break" another unit in combat, preventing them from making a counterattack for the rest of the round. Using Breaks strategically means that you can gang up on a tough opponent without fear of reprisal, although you can still be put in a rough spot if you don't manage to take out that unit before their turn. The other addition to the Weapon Triangle is that unarmed units cause breaks to bows, magic, and knife users, giving them more use on the battlefield. 

The other major new addition to Fire Emblem Engage are the Emblem Rings, magical rings that house the spirit of a hero from a past Fire Emblem game. Each Emblem Ring grants a unit extra passive abilities and also can grant powerful attacks when a unit Engages with their ring. An Emblem Ring becomes more powerful when it bonds with a unit, and units can even inherit skills that can be equipped even when the ring isn't being worn. Part of the strategy to using the Emblem Rings is choosing whether to spread out a ring's use between many characters so that they can all inherit a useful skill or aim for a deeper bond with a single unit to unlock even deeper bond. 

Through the first six chapters, the story and characters are basically what you'd expect for a Fire Emblem game. The franchise has always excelled in introducing new characters with a unique aesthetic and a quirky personality for players to bond with and want to protect, which in turn forces them to make hard choices when those units can be permanently killed during battles. Similar to the monastery in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, players can learn more about these characters at the Somniel, a floating citadel that serves as the base for the player's army. Players can dine with their companions, get a hardy workout in, and even....get woken up by characters as they fawn over you while they sleep. Most of these come with mechanical benefits as well, although there isn't any story-based quests that fill your time in the Somniel as there was in Three Houses, at least not initially. The story has an appropriately epic scope, especially as players control a living god as their main character. 

Graphically, Fire Emblem Engage is the smoothest looking Fire Emblem game yet. The skirmishes are remarkably clean and smooth with no weird graphical lags or frame rate issues whatsoever. Honestly, this game is just a treat to look at, especially during the fight scenes. 

Fans of the Fire Emblem franchise can breathe a sigh of relief, as Fire Emblem Engage looks to be another classic in the making. While our full review of the game will be up later this month, fans can look forward to another tactical treat filled with lots of battles, an intriguing storyline and what we hope will be countless hours of battling with unique characters. 

Fire Emblem Engage will be released for the Nintendo Switch on January 20th.