Fire Emblem Engage Reviews
With streamlined social elements, Fire Emblem Engage is a back to basics sequel that does everything it can to get you back to fighting in epic battles as fast as it can.
With Engage, the series continues to be the ultimate jewel in the Japanese SRPG crown.
Fire Emblem Engage is a great Fire Emblem title that focuses on its core roots, the tactical RPG elements; more so its combat.
Fire Emblem Engage is a treat for retro fans. It retains the best of the GBA title, with excellent level design and a rich combat system. But the story is very dumb, making it the game's biggest weakness. Fortunately, Fire Emblem Engage itself is still fun enough for anyone with a passion for SRPGs to have a good time.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
And from here your journey begins.
Fire Emblem Engage is a great celebration of a more than 30 years old franchise, and also one of the best looking Switch games of the last months. We dare to say it's not one of the best episodes in the franchise, but it is, nonetheless, a great SRPG if you have at least fifty hours to invest in it.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Fire Emblem Engage is enjoyable but leaves little impression. If the narrative was more compelling, if the character relationships were deeper and more interesting or if combat was more varied, there's every chance that Engage would have felt more robust and impactful. In the absence of those things, Engage just feels…fine.
It's time to engage.
While Fire Emblem Engage might miss the mark in terms of compelling storytelling, it stands as a series high for its gameplay. There's a lot to like about Engage, and it's a game I can recommend without hesitation to any fan of the series.
Fire Emblem Engage offers the most rewarding, fleshed out and beautifully balanced strategic combat of the series so far, and performs beautifully on the Switch. Its story, characters and social sim element, however, are not up to the standard expected of this beloved franchise. While the combat has matured beautifully, the overall tone has taken a step back. If you're only interested in the trademark Fire Emblem combat, then you'll likely have more fun than you ever have with the series. For players who want a little more from Engage's characters and story, though… you may be disappointed.
I should say thanks to Fire Emblem Engage for gifting us with the Four Hounds though – they are easily my favourite part of the game.
Still, this isn’t a bad game. The cast isn’t quite as good as previous entries but is still solid. The combat mechanics are stellar and will keep you excited throughout the 30 or so hours it takes to complete the main plot. Everything outside the combat, however, feels like it was added simply because they couldn’t possibly ship a JRPG without a host of mini-games to pad out the runtime. I went into Fire Emblem Engage expecting “great”, so “good” feels like a disappointment.
Fire Emblem Engage features familiar excellent gameplay with copious ways to customize your team. However, the story is rather dull, and the large roster is hurt by the limited character depth. There's plenty of tactical RPG gameplay to enjoy here, but it feels like a light step back for the series.
Fire Emblem Engage explores new formulas with a splash of nostalgia. While it's full of chliché moments, its agile battle system will test in you in battle to come up with a good strategy. Fire Emblem Engage takes a risk with a new proposal that highlights his legacy.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Some minor technical issues aside — like hair clipping through character models in a way that feels lazy and haphazard for a big release like this — there is more to like than dislike in Fire Emblem Engage thus far. My biggest worry, looking forward to the next several dozen hours of my life, is that some of the more interesting characters aren’t being introduced as early as I would like. But we shall see!
Fire Emblem Engage is a mix of steps forward and back. On a gameplay level, it's pretty much the absolute best the franchise has ever been, with excellent level design, great new gimmicks and features, and a customization system that offers a ton of depth. The storyline feels too much like standard Fire Emblem to stand out, and the side content that isn't focused on combat feels tacked-on. It's still a delightful game to play, and despite my nitpicks, I had a fantastic time. Fire Emblem fans will find a lot to enjoy, even if the story might not be to their tastes.
As much as I loved the chance to play an additional chapter, Tiki's paralogue doesn't live up to the standard set by base game maps, and the Emblem Bracelets themselves don't add much to a completed save file-though it was nice to see Tiki and the house leaders get a chance to talk to Marth and Byleth since the Emblem characters never actually talk to each other in the base game. The expansion pass is a better value if you purchase it early in your playthrough, but you'll likely be stuck in the same position I am now for the remaining five Emblem characters to be added throughout 2023. Ironically the DLC is likely to be more enticing for players who pick up Engage late after all of the additional content has been added, since it's tough to say you'll get your money's worth now unless you're confident you'll still be playing Fire Emblem Engage at the end of this year.
The timing after Three Houses is challenging and expectations are high, but FE Engage serves as the best of series in 30 years. Solid, although uneven plot, still interesting social interactions and non-combat parts are merged with excellent tactical strategy gameplay. Mixing new Engage tricks with established weapon-triangle and great maps layout will please fans for tens of hours.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
I have never played a game quite so ravenously, sinking over ninety hours into my first playthrough in just two weeks (though don't get too intimidated by that number, it counts all of my resets from playing on Hard difficulty, and I also played all fifteen optional chapters). At the end of it all I didn't feel exhausted or burnt out, but rather like I somehow wished that I could play for even longer. Fire Emblem Engage may not check every box that fans were hoping for, but it is easily the strongest showing for the series in the last decade.
Fire Emblem Engage is everything I love about Fire Emblem, bundled up in a way that does justice to both the classics that got me into the series, and the production values of modern gaming. Brilliant.