Fire Emblem Engage

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Who’d have thought that in 2023 we’d still be playing spicy new games on the Nintendo Switch? It’s a console that seemed to be obsolete the second it was released, technologically speaking; today, your phone’s probably got more horsepower than this thing. I guess nobody bothered to tell Nintendo as new games are still dropping, they’re still fantastic and we’re still playing them.

Case in point: Fire Emblem Engage, the latest in the long-running Fire Emblem series of strategy-RPGs that exploded on the platform. Did you finish Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes and thirst for more? Engage will definitely get your new year off on the right foot.

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After napping for 1000 years, Divine Dragon Alear awakens to a united planet full of peace and love. That lasts for about ten minutes, of course, before war shows up on their doorstep. The Fell Dragon Sombron is about to awaken as well, and the only way for lizard annihilation to be averted is to collect the twelve Emblem Rings. These contain the spirits of heroes from ages past, and by using them, warriors can combine their strength with those heroes to reach new heights of power. They’ll need it to bring the warring factions of the world together and keep everyone safe from Sombron.

If you’ve played any of the modern Fire Emblem games – say, Awakening and anything after that – then you’ve got a pretty good feel for how Engage plays on a basic level. You’ll take the essentials of turn-based strategy and refine them to a nice, shiny gleam, then add on some character development and maybe some cute gameplay gimmicks on top. Combat amounts to standard move-and-fight strategy-RPG fare on a basic level, with a focus on matching the right character to the right foe.

As is typical for the series, there’s a weapon-based rock-paper-scissors system where certain fighters gain an advantage against others. Likewise, you’re encouraged to have your units support one another, as they’ll provide buffs in combat and also gain relationship points that lead to cute skits back at base.

As for gimmicks, today we’ve got the Engage mechanic, which allows characters to fuse with Emblem warriors – heroes from the previous Fire Emblem games – to change into mighty merged forms. They’re also able to learn and retain new skills from their Emblem pals. You’d think this would provide stat buffs and special attacks, and you’re absolutely right, but a little creativity can turn Engaging into a…well, engaging kind of trick to spice battles up.

Want a tank that can use healing staves? Sure! How about making that same slow tank capable of warping all the way across the battlefield? Yup, we’ve got you covered. You can turn mages into warriors, warriors into mages, thieves into tanks and more, assuming you’d rather not just enhance people’s strengths and make them even more powerful than before. It’s a fantastic mechanic that adds a fresh, dynamic flavor to the series’ traditional gameplay.

There’s a lot to be said for Fire Emblem Engage’s presentation as well. It’s a fantastic-looking game that pushes the Switch to its graphical limits without struggling as we’ve seen in recent titles like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Combat animations are smooth and stylish while characters practically pop out of the screen thanks to Engage’s cel-shaded style. Likewise, there’s plenty of great music and voice acting (in both English and Japanese) to enjoy. It’s a tour de force on par with anything else released on the platform.

Combine all this with solid map design, plenty of side content and loads of bonus maps to check out and Fire Emblem Engage is easily one of the more impressive strategy-RPGs to show up in recent times. Messing with Engage pairing, ensuring characters team up the way you’d like and learning more about the colorful cast of characters all combine to make this one a must-play for Switch owners. Newcomers shouldn’t be dissuaded by the “greatest hits” nature, with classic heroes from previous games showing up to lend a hand as Emblems; this is the sort of game that’s bound to get you into the series if you weren’t already there.