Long-time fans of strategy and role-playing games consider the Fire Emblem series to be one of the leaders in the genre. What started as a series of games that did not leave Japan, fearing that the games would be too complicated for the western audience, has become one that issues some of the best-selling and most popular games for the Switch platform.
Three and a half years after the previous game in the series, Fire emblem three houses, which was a huge hit, comes Fire emblem engage – at a time when the console is loaded with different role-playing games, most of them great, and there is much more competition.
At first glance, the game looks very similar to its predecessor, and even almost the same. But within a few hours you can notice changes in almost every aspect, most of them for the better.
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Screenshot of the game
(Nintendo )
The plot, as in the other games of the series, is completely new and disconnected from the other games, so you can only play this game without feeling like you missed something. The basis is always the same, a world in conflict, three sides fighting, and we, the players, fight as one of those sides. This time the game takes place on a continent called Elios, where the dragon that threatened the world was defeated about a thousand years ago. Today, the prince who defeated him, a hidden dragon himself, awakens from a thousand-year sleep, since the victory, to defeat him again after being freed.
The road to victory, as in the other games of the series, mainly involves tactical battles of 5 to 10 of our soldiers, usually, against the enemy’s armies, with the player controlling each character in turn. In each turn the characters can go to a certain square on the map, then attack or perform another action, if the enemy is within their weapon range.
It may sound very mechanical and complicated, but as soon as you start playing, you grasp everything quickly and everything feels natural and flowing. The system is based on a relatively simple rule, reminiscent of the game rock-paper-scissors. Swords beat axes, axes beat spears, and spears beat back swords. If a character with a sword is folded into a character with an axe, it cancels the ability to return a blow, and essentially cancels its turn, which can greatly affect the course of the battle.
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Fire emblem engage
(Nintendo )
This basic strategy is joined by other elements, such as long-range weapons or magic, but so far, very similar to the previous games in the series. The big difference in battles is the one that also gave the game its name. Rings are scattered around the world and in them live heroes from the previous games in the series. When a character in the game wears such a ring, the character inside it helps them fight, strengthens them, and they can also perform an Engage move where they sort of connect to one strong character, with powers different from those of the original character. There is not much sense in this combination of nostalgic characters from past games, but old fans of the series will be delighted by the characters they have not met for a long time, and those who are new to it, will not feel too much of a difference, much less experience a huge collection of characters that are all new.
Between battles the prince and the rest of our army arrive at their base mainly to rest, and this is also where the big difference between the current game and the previous one in the series is expressed. In the previous game, the base is actually a world almost complete in itself, with lots of options for activities, studies, warehouses, battles and much more. This part took up a relatively large part of the game, and was not just a landing between battles. This time, the size and amount of activities has been relatively reduced, and the base is mainly a place to buy new equipment, practice a little, and nothing more. There are several other activities here, such as raising pets, for example, but the amount of things is much smaller, and you can manage more easily.
The graphics have also been significantly improved from the previous game. It’s similar in terms of design, but no more flickering pixels everywhere and flat textures. The game looks much more beautiful, uniform and meticulous, and that’s a good thing.
These mixed-strategy role-playing games were once a real niche of hardcore gaming, but today they are very popular, and also more accessible. If you are into games of this genre, the game represents the very top. Its graphics are pleasant and beautiful, the music is great, the plot is intriguing and develops more and more, and the game mechanics just work as they should. Another resounding success of this series of games.