Fire Emblem Engage Preview – Consider Me Engaged

I had always observed the Fire Emblem series from a distance, worried its strategy gameplay wouldn’t be for me or stressed determining where best to start and how to play through the franchise’s various entries. Fire Emblem Three Houses was the first I gave a good try and 80-plus hours later, it’s one of my favorite games on Switch and turned me into a Fire Emblem fan. Since its reveal, I’ve looked at Fire Emblem Engage as a test bed: am I actually a Fire Emblem fan, or did I just really like Three Houses and its engaging Hogwarts-like school mechanics? If the 10 hours I’ve put into Engage so far are any indication, I’m happy to say it’s the former. 

Engage isn’t doing anything I haven’t seen before in the fantasy storytelling realm. There’s a hero who saved the world, then they were in a slumber for a long time, and now they’ve awakened to find the once peaceful realm they saved in potential disarray once more. They also can’t remember a thing, with memories of their past slowly mushing their way into the hero’s brain. In my example, the Divine Dragon is that hero. He is also the protagonist of Engage. The Emblem Ring he holds allows him to draw on the combat intelligence and strength of Marth (a former Fire Emblem hero). However, Marth isn’t just a tool to use on the battlefield, though, as I talk with him and strengthen the bond between us, just as I do for the various allies I’ve already recruited into my Divine Dragon team-up. 

Since those opening introductory moments, I’ve met new allies wearing Emblem Rings and have seen how those past Fire Emblem heroes come into play, both as a battlefield tactic and as a personality to engage with outside of combat. Engage’s strategy gameplay isn’t reinventing the wheel – it’s Fire Emblem through and through – but the game’s namesake, Engage, is the mechanic that allows an ally or the Divine Dragon to summon their Emblem Ring hero, be it Marth for me or Celica for another. An Engage form is a character that has a ring. Each one can move more places on the battlefield map and it’s more powerful. In some cases, it also supports full-team healing. The Engage mechanic is a great way to change the course of battle. In small skirmishes I can quickly wipe out enemies by activating three Engage character simultaneously. 

However, the difficulty section of Engage does not meet that goal. This Engage mechanic makes me feel very secure. Enemies may be closing in on me, so I engage and move quickly to help them. I can do the same thing if enemies start to surround me. That said, I’m still enjoying every battle, be it story-related or more minor skirmishes. I’ve lost an ally here or there – I’ve opted to go the Casual playstyle where allies defeated in battle return after I’ve won because I want to learn more about the various characters I’ve met – but I haven’t yet lost a mission’s primary objective. I’m hoping the difficulty begins to ramp up here soon and based on where the story’s headed, I imagine it will. 

When I’m not engaged in battle, I explore the game’s central hub, Somniel. It’s the Divine Dragon’s castle, and it’s where you can purchase new outfits, armor and weapons, general items, and more. It’s also where you can hang with the dogs, cats, sheep, and birds you’ve adopted out in the world of Elyos, and you can interact with everyone on your team to raise bonds, listen to support conversations, and train. When I’m not selecting my next mission on the Elyos world map, I’m at Somniel. Somniel is a sort of check-in point, much like the Three Houses monastery. Once I’ve completed a chapter, it is time to head over and go through the list of regular visits that I have made to various shops, restaurants, training areas, and other facilities. I could see Somniel becoming monotonous for some, but it’s scratching that checklist itch that empowers me to view my Divine Dragon as the one in charge. 

Fire Emblem Engage hasn’t captivated my every waking thought, but everything I’ve encountered ranges from great to excellent thus far. The story has been exciting enough, but having not experienced any of the twists, turns, or true drama I know the Fire Emblem series is known for, it’s nothing remarkable at the moment. I fear (for my team) that those things are coming, and I can’t wait. But even if Engage’s story remains as by the books as it seems right now, it’s shaping up to be a fun Fire Emblem game, and that’s something I’m excited about for my Switch.