Fire Emblem Engage (Switch)

Fire Emblem is a series with a very fluid identity - each game can be quite different from the last. Engage is a great example of this trend, highlighted by an unserious story, and a plethora of unique gameplay mechanics. To start, the story is not good. The characters have their moments, but otherwise it's a campy, cliche mess. The gameplay, however, makes up for the story in a big way. The introduction of Emblem Rings added some refreshing depth to the core strategy gameplay. The levels are designed quite well, and they provide a vast range of characters to experiment with making for some great replayability. On top of that, the soundtrack is great, and may even be my favorite in the series. The tunes on the sand levels in particular were stuck in my head. Throughout all of this are references and callbacks to all of the previous Fire Emblem titles - a gesture of fan-service that I quite enjoyed. Overall, Engage is a best in class tactics game, marred by a corny story - if you can get over that, it's a lot of fun and a great challenge.

Play it for the:

Vast strategic depth
Autonomy to ignore unwanted mechanics
Celebration of the Fire Emblem franchise

Reviewed on 2025-4-14