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    Fire Emblem Engage

    Verdict

    Fire Emblem Engage looks like a love letter to loyal followers of the sequence, offering pangs of nostalgia with recognisable characters, in addition to a good deeper fight system that builds upon already stable foundations. Engage isn’t the most effective entry level into the sequence, and is relatively shallow by way of story and character improvement, however the fight is fulfilling sufficient alone to maintain gamers engrossed till the top.

    Pros

    Emblem Rings provides new tactical layer to combatGreat fan service by way of traditional Fire Emblem heroesCuts straight to the motion, with much less paddingOptional Permadeath setting affords good accessibility

    Cons

    Could be initmidating for sequence newcomersLittle concentrate on charactersSimple story

    Availability

    UKRRP: £49.99
    USARRP: $59.99

    Platforms:Nintendo Switch

    Release date:20th January 2023

    Genre:Turn-based tactical RPG

    Introduction

    Recent entries to the Fire Emblem sequence have seemingly been designed with newcomers in thoughts, with a delicate issue curb and extra emphasis on the story relatively than additional complicating the strategy-based fight system. 

    Fire Emblem Engage takes a distinct method. It retains the identical grid-based RPG gameplay as earlier than, but additionally raises the issue stage by including an additional tactical aspect on prime within the type of the Emblem Rings. 

    Engage additionally sees the return of a number of fan-favourite characters from the franchise, from Marth who made his debut in 1990’s authentic, to Byleth who starred in 2019’s Three Houses. Such characters might not have a huge effect on the story itself, however it’s nonetheless nice to see one of many greatest Fire Emblem ensembles within the sequence’ historical past. 

    As a consequence, Engage looks like an ode to long-term Fire Emblem loyalists with spades of fan service. It’s nonetheless a rewarding recreation for sequence newbies too, though earlier instalments equivalent to Warriors and Three Houses provide much less intimidating onboarding. 

    Story

    Simple story in comparison with earlier entriesLots of nostalgia with traditional Fire Emblem heroesOnly a couple of characters get a lot display time in cutscenes

    Fire Emblem Engage has a easy story. Main protagonist, Alear, wakes from a thousand-year slumber and is straight away ushered into struggle to avoid wasting the continent of Elyos.

    It quickly turns into clear that amassing all 12 Emblem Rings is crucial for victory, and so ensues a tug of struggle between Alear and new villain Sombron. 

    Both characters are in a position to make use of the rings to summon the non secular types of traditional Fire Emblem heroes, together with the likes of Marth, Byleth, Roy, Ike and lots extra. Not solely do these present a welcome jolt of nostalgia, but additionally present the ring’s wearer with immense energy. 

    Aside from a few shock character revelations alongside the way in which, there actually isn’t rather more depth to the story. That’s to not say there aren’t numerous cutscenes to take a seat by way of, however they’re often made up of hefty exposition and generic dialogue – you gained’t miss a lot by hitting the skip button. 

    You’ll encounter numerous characters alongside the way in which to broaden your military, however the overwhelming majority of them are sadly restricted to a few cutscenes earlier than being shunted to the background. 

    As a consequence, I might rely the variety of characters I felt a connection to with one hand, which is a good disgrace in comparison with the wonderful character improvement and various forged of Three Houses. 

    Fire Emblem Engage prefers to dive headfirst into fight, which could be excellent news to those that felt that the earlier Fire Emblem instalment had an excessive amount of padding. But in order for you a JRPG with an engrossing story and compelling forged of characters, Engage most likely isn’t for you. 

    Combat 

    Tactic fight nonetheless simply as enjoyable as everEmblem Rings makes fight really feel even deeperLots of issue settings to mess around with

    Fire Emblem Engage doesn’t stray too removed from the sequence’ iconic fight system, taking part in out like an elaborate recreation of chess with a grid-based area and an amazing number of unit and sophistication sorts. 

    There’s a charming rock-paper-scissors system at play right here, with spear models weak to axes, axes susceptible to swords, and swords ineffective in opposition to spears. There are quite a few different unit sorts too, together with mages, dragon riders, archers, heavy armour and extra. 

    A profitable technique requires you to recollect every unit’s strengths and weaknesses, and to pit them in opposition to the right enemy models with the intention to achieve a bonus. I discovered this out the exhausting manner after seeing my extremely levelled dragon rider felled by a single arrow. 

    This fight blueprint continues to be so participating and rewarding that it will probably nonetheless be an fulfilling expertise if left untouched. And but, Fire Emblem Engage has deepened the ways even additional by introducing the Emblem Rings. 

    These rings might be geared up by any character, permitting you to summon highly effective allies that ought to be recognisable in the event you’re a longtime fan of the sequence. By doing so, you’ll unlock new talents and weapons, turning the tables on an enemy which will have in any other case boasted the upperhand. 

    There’s a unbelievable number of Emblem Ring talents on provide, equivalent to with the ability to shoot an arrow at an enemy on the opposite aspect of the map, or to cost by way of a line of grunt whereas on horseback. The Emblem Rings present an enormous benefit, making early enemy confrontations a cakewalk. But when you begin encountering greater stage grunts, in addition to foes who additionally wield an Emblem Ring, utilizing these high-powered weapons turns into a necessity relatively than a luxurious. 

    With 12 Emblem Rings to gather, it may be very intimidating making an attempt to recollect all the totally different talents on provide – I had bother even 20 hours into the journey. With Fire Emblem already asking you to recollect an excessive amount of data for fight, this can be a step too far for newcomers, though I can see technique consultants relishing the chance to tackle a contemporary problem. 

    Fortunately, Fire Emblem Engage gives an enormous stage of accessibility by way of its issue tiers. Keeping to a straightforward or regular issue stage will give you the flexibility to reverse time a limiteless variety of instances throughout battle – make a deadly mistake, and you may simply undo a few turns relatively than restarting your complete battle. 

    You’re additionally capable of resolve whether or not you need to have Permadeath (aka Permanent Death) activated or not. Enabling it is going to see you lose a personality out of your roster in the event that they’re ever killed in battle. It’s extraordinarily punishing and might be irritating when seeing on a regular basis spent levelling up a personality goes down the drain. But I nonetheless advocate a minimum of making an attempt out Permadeath, because it gives penalties to your actions, including extra pressure to each battle, even in the event you’re on the verge of victory. 

    Upgrades and bonding

    Explorable 3D maps really feel needlessLots of weapons and gadgets to unlockCan swap character lessons if wanted

    After every fight encounter in Fire Emblem Engage, you’ll enter a 3D recreation of the map. Here you’ll be capable of converse to your squadmates and hunt for gadgets, and even undertake animals in your house base. 

    I personally really feel like these zones are unnecessary, including little or no enjoyment to my playthrough and slowing down the momentum of fight. You are capable of rapidly skip these areas and head straight into the following battle, however it will see you miss out on useful sources which are required to improve weapons. 

    Fortunately, your private home bases – of which you will have the choice to enter anytime between missions – affords much more interactive parts. Here, you’re capable of replenish on health-replenishing gadgets and buy new weapons, be it a magic sword or skull-crushing hammer. 

    You may also enhance your bond with different characters that may give you stat-boosting buffs in battle. Increasing a assist stage with a personality will deal with you to a quick cutscene, though the shortage of interactions in the primary story make these conversations really feel compelled. This mechanic labored extraordinarily effectively in Three Houses, however it misses its mark in Engage. 

    Every character has their very own preassigned class, though I actually admire having the choice to swap to a different class every time I fancy. This allowed me to tweak the steadiness of models in my squad, particularly when quite a few models in the identical class met an premature finish.

    Latest offers

    Should you purchase it?

    You’re already a giant Fire Emblem fan:

    With plenty of fan service and an amazing concentrate on fight, Engage clearly caters to gamers who’ve been followers of the sequence for a number of years.

    You’re a newcomer to the sequence:

    I’d advocate taking part in Three Houses or Awakening first as a substitute in the event you’ve by no means performed Fire Emblem earlier than, as they’ve a gentler issue curve and are simpler to know.

    Final Thoughts

    Fire Emblem Engage is a good entry within the technique sequence, with a particular concentrate on pleasing long-term sequence loyalists because of the traditional Fire Emblem heroes, in addition to a extra nuanced fight system. 

    Newcomers to the sequence could be intimidated by the added fight mechanics, whereas the story and forged of characters lacks the identical stage of depth as seen in Three Houses. But because of the wonderful number of issue ranges and options, that is nonetheless a unbelievable choice for these craving a turn-based RPG.

    How we take a look at

    We play each recreation we assessment by way of to the top, exterior of sure exceptions the place getting 100% completion, like Skyrim, is near unimaginable to do. When we don’t absolutely end a recreation earlier than reviewing it we’ll all the time alert the reader.

    Tested on Nintendo Switch OLED

    FAQs

    What sort of recreation is Fire Emblem Engage? Fire Emblem Engage is a turn-based tactical RPG.

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