Fire Emblem Engage is the seventeenth installment of the Fire Emblem franchise. It was released on the Nintendo Switch on January 20, 2023.
Development[]
Fire Emblem Engage was first announced on September 13, 2022 during a Nintendo Direct with an estimated release of January 20, 2023. It is the first Fire Emblem developed internally by Intelligent Systems for an HD console, and was created in the Unity game engine. The character designs were created by freelance artist Mika Pikazo, whose input and influence provided the basis for the game's aesthetic. The game entered development at the same time that Fire Emblem: Three Houses was still in development, and was intentionally designed to be a different experience from Three Houses, telling a simpler story with a tone more akin to Fire Emblem Awakening.
Engage features characters and other content pulled from across past entries in the series. While previous titles such as Fire Emblem Awakening feature characters pulled from titles set outside their specific world and canon as DLC or other bonus content, Engage is the first mainline series entry to directly feature characters from all preceding core titles in the central narrative since the second game, Fire Emblem Gaiden. The game's premise was originally conceived as a means to celebrate the franchise's thirtieth anniversary, but development delays caused by the COVID pandemic and other factors diminished the idea of a direct anniversary connection.
Story[]
Engage[]
One thousand years ago, the land of Elyos was besieged by the Fell Dragon Sombron. Thanks to a group of powerful warriors utilizing the powers of heroes of other worlds, Sombron was sealed away. Elyos enjoyed a millennium of peace, but the seal holding back the Fell Dragon has begun to weaken.
Alear, a Divine Dragon, awakens from a thousand-year slumber and becomes a central figure in combating the looming threat of forces attempting to free Sombron. In order to accomplish this goal, Alear must seek out the twelve Emblem Rings, some of which are held by forces loyal to the Fell Dragon.
Fell Xenologue[]
In an alternative Elyos, the blessings of the Divine Dragons are gone from the world after the death of the last Divine Dragon. Though the Fell Dragon Sombron of that world perished against the Divine Dragon Alear, an unknown force seeks to finish his plan to bring ruin to Elyos. With the four nations on the brink of war, the Fell Dragon twins Nel and Nil summon an Alear from another world to stop their aggression and stop the forces loyal to Sombron.
Completing these side stories rewards the player with five new playable characters in the main storyline: Nel, Rafal, Zelestia, Gregory, and Madeline.
Setting[]
The continent of Elyos is comprised of two separate landmasses. The larger, ring-shaped landmass is divided into four realms, with Firene in the southwest quadrant, Brodia in the northwest, Elusia in the northeast, and Solm in the southeast. In the center of this ring is an island home to a fifth realm called Lythos.
Elyos has a connection to the worlds of previous Fire Emblem titles through special rings representing the spirits of previous Fire Emblem Lords called Emblems.
Returning Features[]
Avatar Unit[]
- Engage features a playable Avatar character, Alear. Like their immediate predecessor Byleth, Alear is customizable only for their name, birthday, and represented gender, though they do have clothing options available in game. They are also the main character of the story.
Non-Combat Gameplay[]
- A free roaming hub area with shops and activities called the Somniel.
- Players can customize their playable characters with a variety of costumes and outfits for cosmetic purposes.
- The game features a World Map.
- Support for amiibo figures. Scanning an amiibo gives the player items, and Fire Emblem amiibo unlock legacy music tracks and costumes for Alear based on the Emblem characters. Like Three Houses, amiibos are used at a facility called the amiibo Gazebo.
- A fishing minigame.
- A skinship mechanic, first introduced in the Japanese release of Fire Emblem Fates, returns in the form of polishing Emblem Rings.
- A gacha mechanic similar to Fire Emblem Heroes exists for drawing and merging Bond Rings.
- Meals can be prepared and shared with other units to boost support and impart stat bonuses for the following battle. The stat bonuses now apply to the entire force and not just the characters participating in the meal.
- Achievements for completing specific milestones.
- With the 1.2.0 version update, the Somniel's orchard, stable, and pool can be used to pair characters for social activities and raise Support points.
Combat Gameplay[]
Weapon Triangle[]
The Weapon Triangle returns in Engage with the traditional relationship of swords over axes, axes over lances, and lances over swords. However, this relationship is augmented by the presence of arts, which have advantage over magic, bows, and daggers.
Weapon Durability[]
Similar to Fates, only staves have limited usage, while other weapon types have unlimited durability and will never break.
Skills[]
Unlike previous titles, learnable skills are not associated with the character's class. Instead, Skills are available in two forms: Personal Skills that are exclusive to each character and Emblem Skills that can be learned by bonding with Emblems.
Supports[]
The Support bonus function exist in the game with the player able to improve combat bonuses between allies. All allies can form up to A-Rank Supports with compatible allies. Only Alear has an additional Support rank that they can form with a single ally.
Draconic Time Crystal[]
The Draconic Time Crystal allows player access to the Turn Rewinding mechanic like Mila's Turnwheel or Divine Pulse in previous titles.
Monster Units[]
As in past entries, monsters appear as enemy units. As in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, these monsters can take up multiple tiles of space on the map.
Fog of War[]
Certain maps will begin hidden by a fog of war effect, which can be dispersed with torches, certain magic, or by lighting beacons placed around the battlefield.
Voice Acting[]
Engage features full voice acting for the third title in a row for a vast majority of the content of the game, including all game cutscenes, main storylines, and both Support and Bond conversations.
New Features[]
Non-Combat Gameplay[]
Strength Training[]
Hosted by Alfred, Alear can participate in strength training exercises taking the form of minigames. Alear can gain a temporary boost to their strength, dexterity, or hit points in the following battle depending on the exercise and how well the player performs. The minigames are push-ups, sit-ups, and squats, and while only the first session will determine the following battle's stat bonus, the player may play them as often as desired for a high score. Four difficulties are unlocked over the course of the game, with the most challenging, "Iron Muscle" specifically for high score challenges, as it does not provide any stat bonus.
Wyvern Ride[]
Hosted by Ivy, Wyvern Ride is a rail-shooter minigame in which Alear rides atop a Wyvern and shoots targets out of the sky by targeting them with a cursor and firing. Three difficulties unlock over the course of the game, and Alear can earn Bond Fragments and consumable items by completing a course.
Sommie[]
Sommie, the guardian spirit of the Somniel, can be befriended by visiting the grotto where it lives and giving it food and petting. After Alear's friendship with Sommie has grown, it will follow Alear around the Somniel, and can optionally assist in the fishing, strength training, and wyvern ride minigames.
Post-Battle Exploration[]
After the completion of a battle, Alear may wander the battlefield, talk to allies and NPCs, and collect items in the same manner that the Somniel may be explored. Units that participated in battle may give Alear Bond Fragments depending on their contribution in the fight. Units that have not been deployed in battle recently may also give Alear a small amount of Bond Fragments while asking to consider deploying them in the future.
Animal Adoption[]
While exploring battlefields post-battle, Alear may find stray animals. If Alear has raised their donation level with the nation the battlefield is located in, they may adopt animals they find to house on the Somniel. Animals adopted can be allowed into the farmyard, and during subsequent visits to the Somniel, item drops can be acquired at the farmyard depending on the species of animals present. (ex: Cats will give fish, dogs will give metal ore.)
Combat Gameplay[]
Emblem Rings[]
Emblem Rings are a type of accessory that can be equipped to grant assistance and power of a spirit version of a past Fire Emblem hero. When a character has a ring equipped, they gain special stat bonuses and skills. As battle progresses, a special gauge will fill, and when full, the unit can take on an enhanced form by Engaging, or merging with the Emblem, which grants access to powerful combat arts. The Engaged state lasts for three turns at a time.
Emblem Rings in enemy unit possession function differently, as they are awakened as Dark Emblems. Units cannot engage with Dark Emblems, but an enemy equipped with one can still make use of Engage Attacks.
Emblem Rings are not unit-locked, and so any unit on the player's force can equip any ring in their possession. Similar to Emblem Rings, downloadable content for Engage also includes Emblem Bracelets that function in the same way.
Bond Rings are a secondary ring type, with each representing additional characters from throughout the series. These rings provide modest stat boosts when equipped to a unit in place of an Emblem Ring. Bond Rings are collected through a gacha-style draw mechanic, and duplicate Bond Rings can be merged to create stronger rings.
Unit Type Traits[]
Unit Types now feature newly defined traits. Some of these traits pre-existed (for example, Flying Units are unimpeded by terrain, as in previous titles), while other unit types feature traits such as an immunity to the Break status or more effective terrain bonuses.
Break[]
The Break status is a new effect of the Weapon Triangle. When a unit with weapon advantage attacks a unit with disadvantage, they may inflict Break on the defender, which nullifies the defender's ability to counterattack until the end of their next combat. Units with the 'Armored' Battle Style are immune to Break.
Smash Weapon[]
Certain weapons are considered Smash Weapons, which allow units to move foes one space backwards if their attack connects. These weapons force the user to always attack last and cannot perform Follow-Up Attacks. If a character with a Smash Weapon initiates an attack with weapon advantage, they can inflict Break on an enemy as well as knock them back.
Revival Stones[]
Certain enemy units will have Revival Stones, instantly healing them back to full health upon being defeated but consuming the stone. Playable units may also acquire Revival Stones under certain conditions/skills.
Characters[]
See main article: List of characters in Fire Emblem Engage
Classes[]
See main article: List of Classes in Fire Emblem Engage
Chapters[]
See main article: Chapters (Fire Emblem Engage)
Fire Emblem Engage features maps with layouts pulled from past entries. These maps serve as the settings of Paralogue battles featuring one of the game's Emblems, and the background music for these maps are remixes of themes from the Emblems' respective home games, with the exception of Lyn's Paralogue being set in a map from the Sacae route of The Binding Blade.
- Shadow Dragon: Chapter 17
- Echoes: Shadows of Valentia: Seabound Shrine
- New Mystery of the Emblem: Chapter 14
- Genealogy of the Holy War: Chapter 10
- Thracia 776: Chapter 22
- The Binding Blade: Chapter 20Bx and Chapter 21
- The Blazing Blade: Chapter 30 of Hector's Story
- The Sacred Stones: Endgame
- Path of Radiance: Chapter 8
- Radiant Dawn: Chapter 3-13 and Chapter 3-8
- Awakening: Chapter 4 and Chapter 23
- Fates: Chapter 6 and Birthright Chapter 23
- Three Houses: Chapter 11
Downloadable Content[]
Expansion Pass[]
An Expansion Pass featuring four waves of downloadable content was announced December 8, 2022. The contents include additional Emblems, maps, support items, and accessories.
Wave 1[]
Released January 20, 2023
- Emblem character: Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude
- Emblem character: Tiki (Young)
- In-game support items
- In-game accessories
- Silver Card
Wave 2[]
Released February 8, 2023
- Emblem Character: Hector
- Emblem Character: Soren
- Emblem Character: Camilla
- New support items and accessories
Wave 3[]
Released on March 7, 2023
Wave 4[]
Released on April 5, 2023
- Side DLC Story: The Fell Xenologue
- New Playable Characters: Nel, Rafal, Zelestia, Gregory, Madeline
- New classes: Enchanter and Mage Cannoneer
Order of Heroes Item Set[]
The Engage half of the Fire Emblem Heroes crossover became free downloadable content after the original promotional period passed, containing unique weapons and Bond Rings.
- Weapons: Fólkvangr, Fensalir, and Nóatún
- Alfonse S-Rank Bond Ring
- Sharena S-Rank Bond Ring
- Anna S-Rank Bond Ring
Promotional Crossovers[]
Fire Emblem Heroes[]
With the launch of Fire Emblem Engage, Nintendo added a limited time My Nintendo Reward for Fire Emblem Heroes players in the form of three unlockable weapons and three Bond Rings in Engage, as well as 5 orbs in Fire Emblem Heroes.
The Engage portion of this crossover later became free downloadable content after the promotional period passed.
Tetris 99[]
From March 24 through March 27, 2023, the Switch game Tetris 99 featured the 32nd Maximus Cup event. Participants could unlock a special Fire Emblem Engage-themed UI and soundtrack by participating.
Trivia[]
- Engage is the first Fire Emblem game to feature Corrin and Byleth, who are avatar units in their home games, fixed to specific gender appearances: female Corrin, and male Byleth.
- It is also the third Fire Emblem game to feature Robin being fixed only to his male appearance, but the first to not require the use of his Amiibo to include him.
- Engage is the first Fire Emblem main series game and the second Fire Emblem game, alongside Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, to not be released in Russia due to the Russo-Ukrainian War.
- Engage is the first Fire Emblem game to feature an alternate "Bad Ending" cutscene as a Game Over event. It is triggered if Alear dies in the final story chapter and the player is either out of Draconic Time Crystal charges or opts not to use it.
- Engage is the third game (or fifth if you count the Warriors Games) to use full voice acting and the 7th game to be recorded by Cup Of Tea Productions.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
