Current Events > Game Xplain plays Fire Emblem Engage for 12+ in a preview event.

(+) Yeah! (+)

No waifu? No buyfu

As of now, Engage has me hooked. Its social elements are lacking, and I imagine that a lot of people who came to the series with Three Houses will be disappointed and/or overwhelmed with this new outing. In fact, looking back, Three Houses now feels less like a blueprint for the series going forward, and more like an aberration from its previous trajectory.

But as someone who appreciates tactics games that let me find my own stories among a multifarious band of fighters, I'm enjoying the hell out of it so far. It's always rushing to get to the next battle, where one of my weaker archers can deliver the killing blow to a problematic enemy, rank up, earn a new class, and become one of my most prized snipers. Fire Emblem Engage, at least in its first eight chapters, is all about the nuances of turn-based battles. Everything in between is just preparation.

Maps in the first eight chapters are varied, with rivers, castle ramparts, siege equipment, and fog of war creating compelling obstacles for you to solve and exploit

Fire Emblem Engage hasnt captivated my every waking thought, but everything Ive encountered ranges from great to excellent thus far. The story has been exciting enough, but having not experienced any of the twists, turns, or true drama I know the Fire Emblem series is known for, its nothing remarkable at the moment. I fear (for my team) that those things are coming, and I cant wait. But even if Engages story remains as by the books as it seems right now, its shaping up to be a fun Fire Emblem game, and thats something Im excited about for my Switch.

https://www.gameinformer.com/preview/2023/01/05/consider-me-engaged?amp

Overall though, its hard to fault Engages direction. Combat feels clearer and more satisfying than ever, while an intriguing plot and colourful visual touch-up make Engage a great stepping-in point for Switch owners who have never touched a Fire Emblem game. Last year was an overwhelming success for strategy games, and Engage looks set to continue that trend if Marvels Midnight Suns or Persona 5s re-release left you pining for more tactical trysts, Engage is well worth keeping on your radar as it prepares to launch.

https://www.nme.com/features/gaming-features/fire-emblem-engage-preview-3374358

Even though Engage at this early stage doesnt feel as cohesively compelling as Three Houses did, I suspect that the events of the game will become more tumultuous in the dozens and dozens of hours past Chapter 8. Theres a long way to go, but as it stands from the games opening chapters, Fire Emblem Engage seems to definitely have its sights sets on honing the turn-based tactical component of the game first and foremost, and making sure youre always quickly on the way to a big new battle where every decision you make is an agonizing life or death decision thats the good stuff.

https://www.gameshub.com/news/features/fire-emblem-engage-gameplay-preview-37582/

After the Three Houses defined most of Fire Emblems time on the Switch, and it only being months since Fire Emblem Warriors: 3 Hopes, I look forward to seeing how the rest of Engage plays out. The cast of this game is engaging and entertaining. But the story still has me guessing what happened in the past and the direction the game is going.

It wont be long until the 20th of January, and everyone will be able to awaken the divine dragon with Fire Emblem Engage. If the early hours of the game indicate anything, it will be that Fire Emblem fans will have a great start to 2023.

https://www.vooks.net/hands-on-with-fire-emblem-engage-preview/amp/

Theres so much more I wish I could say about Engage, but theres also so much Im not able to talk about in a limited preview. From the very beginning of the game I was utterly taken in by how much I was enjoying it, and that energy has not let up. It remains to be seen if I still feel as good about it when it comes time for my final review, but for right now Im more excited about Fire Emblem than I have been in a long time.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/preview/62526/fire-emblem-engage-hands-on-preview

No waifu shit may be the best news I've heard about Engage.

So they got rid of waifu but made the MC a donut design meant for waifu wars

they removed romance

Now that some have brought it up, is romance actually gone, or is it going to be Three Houses, which was 100% fine.

Nobody knows for sure, except that S supports aren't a thing. Supports only went up to A in the leaked pics, and that's still present in the final game from what previews are saying.

There could very well still be paired endings though.

But wait, am I misremembering, or what? I thought that's how 3 Houses was, and that you couldn't actually S-Rank until you decided to marry someone (and you might have been able to buy it with points iirc with NG+). Everyone was stuck on A-rank until you chose someone to S-Rank (aka, your partner).

Being able to marry at the end Of three houses was great though. They took that out too?

That was the case, but S supports were still represented on the support screen. Engage doesn't have them on that screen at all, and they only go up to A.

But with that said, the older support system (IE, in the GBA games) only went up to A, and those still featured paired endings, so it's still entirely possible that they exist.

Imagine thinking you care about your waifu only to then pair them to the piece of shit husk of a character that is Byleth.

No romance or waifu shit with more emphasis on combat and tactics? Shit, they should've marketed that way and I would have pre-ordered it.

There appears to be something called a "growth mode". Is fixed growth mode returning?
https://www.reddit.com/r/fireemblem/comments/104hdz7/growth_method_option_shown_on_engages_japanese/

If they don't have romance, they should at least have story paths. Either like three houses or let you make choices in certain points of the plot that change what happens

I don't even know how these things are related.

And please no more split routes. It just splits up resources too much and you get multiple meh chapters instead of one good one.

And please no more split routes. It just splits up resources too much and you get multiple meh chapters instead of one good one

Yeah it's potentially a fixed growth rate system where you get guaranteed level ups rather than RNG. Ngl, that's gonna be huge for a lot of people

Aww man, I like the RNG, lol.