Fire Emblem Engage

 Switch
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 822 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 451 out of 822
  2. Mixed: 154 out of 822
  3. Negative: 217 out of 822
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  1. weskergamer
    Mar 2, 2023
    7
    As a Big Fire Emblem fan, Engage left me with a weird taste in my mouth. I loved it buy i also hated a lot of stuff and decision made by Intelligent System. Apparently, this game is meant to celebrate the Fire Emblem franchise, and it succeeds gameplay wise, but in other things it was very disappointed. The gameplay and everything related to gameplay in this game is the only reason why I'mAs a Big Fire Emblem fan, Engage left me with a weird taste in my mouth. I loved it buy i also hated a lot of stuff and decision made by Intelligent System. Apparently, this game is meant to celebrate the Fire Emblem franchise, and it succeeds gameplay wise, but in other things it was very disappointed. The gameplay and everything related to gameplay in this game is the only reason why I'm giving it a 7. It's so damn good. It's the best the series has ever been. But as a AAA game meant to celebrate a 25 yo franchise with a great story and beloved characters, it doesn't have a great story nor beloved characters. Even the characterization, graphics and moments of the heroes from past games it's so bad, giving importance basically only to Marth and characters like Ike, Sigurd and Roy looking so horrible with this game art style. I only hope that if they make a Genealogy or Tellius series remake they use more realistic art style. The story and characters of this game are so boring and cliche, reusing plots from previous game like Awakening and Fates. Outside of the story and characters the music is great, and it's good that we got a place where you can listen to it. The maps are really fun, i really enjoy the last 5 maps and the paralogues, even though i don't understand why my units can die in paralogues when it's basically a training section against the emblems. Even though I complain about the story, fire emblem has always been known for simple stories, but at least the characters were memorable, not the case in this game. I think I will only remember Diamant, Alcryst and Lapis tbh. The Villans were really, really bad in this game. The last thing I really hated about this game, was that, by the time of this review, there is no New Game+. This may be a small issue but still it hurted me a lot to finish the game and wasn't able to restart the game with support and skills already done like in 3H, something that I actually like because it made replayability more fun. Anyway, this game made a lot of bad decision, it doesn't make any sense that a game that follow one of the greatest games of the switch and of this generation of consoles, fells so underwhelmed and a step back in the franchise. They could' work in the bases of 3H and just improve the gameplay and maybe the graphics and we could have had the greatest game in the franchise, since without a doubt Engage has the best and more fun gameplay in the series, not even close. At the end of the day, in a couple of years we'll play a new FE with the same gameplay at this one but improving in the story, characters and art style, and it will be like this game never existed.… Expand
  2. iMustang
    Apr 12, 2023
    7
    Fire Emblem Engage was a return to formula for the franchise, backpedalling on new ideas in favor of the traditional storytelling the series is known for. Fell Dragon bad guy, dragon child hero, and parents who proudly wear their death flags with pride as their kids join your party. As I worked my way through the 26 chapter narrative I was hopeful I would find some hook, some great plotFire Emblem Engage was a return to formula for the franchise, backpedalling on new ideas in favor of the traditional storytelling the series is known for. Fell Dragon bad guy, dragon child hero, and parents who proudly wear their death flags with pride as their kids join your party. As I worked my way through the 26 chapter narrative I was hopeful I would find some hook, some great plot twist to make this experience stand out from it's predecessors. And after logging in nearly 70 hours I can confidently say... There's nothing here we haven't seen before. The story was predictable to a fault with very little in the way of plot twists or surprises, and overstayed it's welcome by being unnecessarily long to tell a tale that was fairly straightforward. I know I've not played many Fire Emblem games as I started with the 3DS era, but I would go so far as to say this story was the weakest of any Fire Emblem game I've played.

    The characters have interesting designs and fun personalities, but with a cast of nearly 40 characters you get so little time with any of them. Support conversations return and are a delight, but unless you’re willing to dedicate an insane amount of time to grinding you won’t be seeing even half of them the game has to offer. The main story eventually condenses the cast down to about 6 core characters and shelves most of the others along the way, which is a shame because many of them looked interesting and I would have liked to spend time with them. As is also the case with quantity over quality, many of the characters I did spend time with lacked depth and leave me with few I’ll remember.

    Now to give credit where it's due, mechanically speaking this easily was an achievement in the franchise. The Emblem system greatly impacted every battle with a unique ultimate move of sorts characters could use to influence the tides of battles. They were as pleasing to watch the characters use as they were to actually put them into practice, with each one being dynamically different. This was only made more incredible by the fact that there are so many emblems each with a unique move and skill set that you always wonder what the next thing is you can do. Given that Engage is even in the name, I will say it delivered on that core feature.

    Ultimately playing Fire Emblem Engage felt like playing Fire Emblem Fates Revelations, but without playing two journeys to lead up to the big adventure and just starting there instead. A cast too big to enjoy, a thin story that overstays it’s welcome, and an experience that’s overall forgettable. I’ll remember a few characters I liked, or some of the villains that had surprisingly more depth than most the heroes. I’ll remember how fun the game was to play, or how fantastic the soundtrack was. Overall I will remember that I enjoyed this game… but only just enough to say, “it was alright.”    … Expand
  3. ZXSth
    Jan 27, 2023
    7
    A graphically excellent, mechanically sound and relatively enjoyable game with an insultingly simplistic story. Characters mostly have the depth of a kiddie pool, and most look like rejected Genshin Impact designs.

    Fans of Three Houses will be utterly baffled and disappointed by Engage's astounding lack of narrative depth - its story is pure schlock, and its characters range from    A graphically excellent, mechanically sound and relatively enjoyable game with an insultingly simplistic story. Characters mostly have the depth of a kiddie pool, and most look like rejected Genshin Impact designs.

    Fans of Three Houses will be utterly baffled and disappointed by Engage's astounding lack of narrative depth - its story is pure schlock, and its characters range from marginally charming to repulsively one-note. However, the good elements may manage to carry you through the eye roll-inducing cutscenes (which can be skipped, thankfully).

    Overall: A narratively disappointing game with lots to enjoy on a mechanical level.    … Expand
  4. giannis2001
    Sep 11, 2023
    7
    Very good gameplay but forgettable characters and story. I really liked the combat in this game, it has a great variety in characters, classes, weapons, abilities, and combinations with the emblems. The maps are very good as well. However, the story and the characters are just boring and uninterested. I didn't care that much for the story or the characters throughout the game.
  5. Maradum
    Jul 31, 2023
    7
    FE Engage has the difficult task to come out after Three Houses, which was the first very succesful FE game in the west. Many people that liked 3H might not enjoy Engage as much – while FE veterans are more than happy about the amazing tactic gameplay it offers

    The story and writing is the weakest point here, with the main story being super tropy, nothing special and just a very basic    FE Engage has the difficult task to come out after Three Houses, which was the first very succesful FE game in the west. Many people that liked 3H might not enjoy Engage as much – while FE veterans are more than happy about the amazing tactic gameplay it offers

    The story and writing is the weakest point here, with the main story being super tropy, nothing special and just a very basic narrative. Good writing comes through in the funny and interesting support conversations that bring a lot of color to the characters.

    The art style is extremely colorful, might be a bit to comicy for some. The game itself looks amazing though.

    The shining star is definitely the gameplay, which is absolute peak turn based strategy combat. There is a vast variety of unit types so that each playthrough is unique. The Emblem Rings offer eve more tactic options as each Emblem offers special abilities.

    The Somniel as a hub fulfills its purpose, but there are many activities that just feel annoying, with little rewards, like „polishing your Emblem Rings“ or wyvern riding. Those boring side activities could be removed to put more focus on other aspects as they offer little to none to the game itself.    … Expand
  6. Blueking640
    Sep 8, 2023
    7
    Best gameplay in the series yet, with fun characters, but the story and world bulding is not as good as in Three Houses. This was an anniversary game, before it was delayed, and its clear that game does not take itself too seriously. Still a fun game, and the emblems add great gameplay variety.
  7. Stjepan3203
    Apr 30, 2023
    7
    Fire Emblem Engage did improve upon is predecessors in terms of gameplay but sadly took 2 steps back in terms of story. The games story it's very very predictable and anime cliché like. I don't think the story it's necessarily bad but compared to the previous game Three Houses, Engage definitely felt lackluster.

    If you don't mind more predictable stories and you wanted Fire Emblem to    Fire Emblem Engage did improve upon is predecessors in terms of gameplay but sadly took 2 steps back in terms of story. The games story it's very very predictable and anime cliché like. I don't think the story it's necessarily bad but compared to the previous game Three Houses, Engage definitely felt lackluster.

    If you don't mind more predictable stories and you wanted Fire Emblem to improve upon it's already amazing gameplay, then Engage will definitely do the trick.    … Expand
  8. Zski
    Jan 27, 2023
    7
    I have mixed feelings about this game. Part of me was very satisfied with the return to classic Fire Emblem form. It got rid of the awful school setting, the overwhelming amount of character relationships, and painful social management system. It’s back to the tried and true classic gameplay tied in with a story that’s relatively straight forward. This game introduces a few new ideas, butI have mixed feelings about this game. Part of me was very satisfied with the return to classic Fire Emblem form. It got rid of the awful school setting, the overwhelming amount of character relationships, and painful social management system. It’s back to the tried and true classic gameplay tied in with a story that’s relatively straight forward. This game introduces a few new ideas, but none of them are really game changers. The exploration post game adds some unique flavor to this game, but truthfully these types of changes don’t make any difference to me. Regardless, it was miles better than the last game.

    Unfortunately the Fire Emblem formula is really starting to feel a bit dated. This gameplay was very fun throughout the 3DS years, but it has not really grown much since then. Each Fire Emblem release is beginning to feel like the same game with a new gimmick and new story. It no longer has the allure that it used to have. I enjoyed this game for about 10 hours, but then I hit a wall where I realized that the series needs something because it’s no longer pulling me in like it did before. Great game, but you have seen it all before.    … Expand
  9. FlexosuarousRex
    Apr 19, 2023
    7
    I started playing fire emblem during the gba era and I have to say, engage is a bit disappointing. It has plenty going for it, but as a whole misses the mark. The gameplay is really good, the return of the weapon triangle is very much welcome, and the rings do a lot to diversify gameplay. The visuals are much smoother and the maps in this game I feel are superior to that of three houses inI started playing fire emblem during the gba era and I have to say, engage is a bit disappointing. It has plenty going for it, but as a whole misses the mark. The gameplay is really good, the return of the weapon triangle is very much welcome, and the rings do a lot to diversify gameplay. The visuals are much smoother and the maps in this game I feel are superior to that of three houses in terms of design both artistically and technically. I also really enjoyed the mini arena where the player could could set up duels amongst the cast of the main party for exp - I honestly hope that returns in future titles.

    The social aspect has been toned down very much so from three houses, so anybody who wasn't a fan of the social aspect in that game may find themselves more at home with this title - this may be a good thing to some but also leads to my first complaint.

    The character interactions outside of battle are so bland and abbreviated that their inclusion doesn't feel justified; on top of that, characters are completely forgettable anime arche types so I found myself caring about them far less than in previous titles. When the rest of the story is forgettable at best and downright boring at worst the player will have very little reason to delve any deeper into the story and character lore than what is necessary to progress and, sadly, that is how I felt when playing.

    Other than the combat in Engage, the rest of the game is extremely mediocre. I honestly couldn't bring myself to finish it because it felt, as a whole, to be a stilted experience. It definitely has the DNA of a great game but frankly it fails in too many areas to be considered as such. I think this game would have been much better received if it dropped before three houses but, coming afterward, this game feels like a complete downgrade to the previous title.

    Also, a personal note, i think the main hero design is pretty atrocious as well. Byleth's design was far superior, giving us a classic looking king type from the series with very unique and cool clothing. The new hero just looks like a mess - i do understand that this is a subjective take but I had to mention it.

    TLDR; the game has good combat and combat mechanics but not much more. It misses more than it hits.    … Expand
  10. Mene0
    Mar 5, 2023
    7
    Fire Emblem Engage has the best gameplay the series has had so far. This is complemented by the excelent map design, also some of the best this series has ever had.
    However, this game has a few shortcomings, mostly it's story and characters. The story is generic at best and really, really bad at its worst points(ch 20-22), the characters that the story focuses the most are kind of    Fire Emblem Engage has the best gameplay the series has had so far. This is complemented by the excelent map design, also some of the best this series has ever had.
    However, this game has a few shortcomings, mostly it's story and characters. The story is generic at best and really, really bad at its worst points(ch 20-22), the characters that the story focuses the most are kind of uninteresting, with the rest of the roster being a lot cooler. Also, some of the character designs are really, really weird, not fitting at all in a medieval fantasy setting. I much prefer the simpler design of some characters over the really exagerated ones.
    The soundtrack is also good, but it's great how it dinamically shifts between a more action focused version of the song it's playing when you go into combat.
    The UI of the game is also somewhat bad and clunky, you will spend a lot of time in menus when you are not in battle.
    In the end this is a very worthwhile game if you are a fan of the franchise, but bad story and characters really do hurt the overall enjoyment of and RPG, for obvious reasons.    … Expand
  11. Yvask
    Jan 21, 2023
    7
    My first proper FE game was Three Houses and I loved that game, but the relationship mechanics seemed to take a lot of my time. Engage addresses this issue while maintaining the mechanic and focusing on the story to provide depth. The interactions unlocked through increasing your relationship with allies seem kinda like filler, at least up until rank B with some characters being moreMy first proper FE game was Three Houses and I loved that game, but the relationship mechanics seemed to take a lot of my time. Engage addresses this issue while maintaining the mechanic and focusing on the story to provide depth. The interactions unlocked through increasing your relationship with allies seem kinda like filler, at least up until rank B with some characters being more interesting, imo Yunaka mainly. The combat takes the center stage and rightfully so since this is a tactical game, now with optimal RPG elements for my taste at the least. Normal difficulty can be pretty tame, with some battles amping up the difficulty, and Hard just annihilated me, but I preferred playing on Hard for the strategic aspects. Definitely suggest this game if you're a tactical RPG fan and especially if you loved Three Houses but thought you were spending too much time in the HUB.… Expand
  12. ZYMROD
    Jan 23, 2023
    7
    El juego en si es una gran evolución en lo que respecta a la saga, pero peca de ciertas falencias. Después de llegar al capitulo 12 mi experiencia la puedo resumir:

    LO BUENO - La música del juego es increíble. - La guarida que se va ampliando de forma orgánica tras cada capitulo o extra. - El diseño grafico que le saca la potencia a la consola. - El sistema de Engage o anillos que    El juego en si es una gran evolución en lo que respecta a la saga, pero peca de ciertas falencias. Después de llegar al capitulo 12 mi experiencia la puedo resumir:

    LO BUENO
    - La música del juego es increíble.
    - La guarida que se va ampliando de forma orgánica tras cada capitulo o extra.
    - El diseño grafico que le saca la potencia a la consola.
    - El sistema de Engage o anillos que aporta versatilidad.
    - La traducción en español no presenta modismos.
    - Las animaciones de batalla y los diversos escenarios de combate.
    - El sistema de combate que mejora el movimiento y se siente mas dinámico.
    - No presenta tantos problemas técnicos.
    - Si tienes los amiibos es la oportunidad de darles un uso y su recompensa vale la pena.
    - Logra un equilibrio justo entre novela visual "simplificada" y juego estrategia.
    - Misiones extras y con buena dificultad.
    - El tablón de donaciones y sus recompensas.
    - La torre de los retos que es un modo seudo online bien decente.

    LO MALO
    - Su historia es bastante Meh! y si lo comparamos con sus entregas clásicas queda debiendo.
    - Se simplifico de sobremanera el sistema de relaciones.
    - El sistema de romances poco trabajado. Si lo comparamos con Awakening o incluso Fates que aportaban al desarrollo de la trama.
    - El protagonista a veces entra en su modo emo y cuesta tomarle algo de seriedad a lo historia.
    - Somniel esta desaprovechada, con personajes NPC estáticos y con 4 poses básicas: Mirada muerta, nadando, sentado y ejercicio. El único que se mueve es Somnie que aporta algo de vida a la base.
    - Personajes poco carismáticos, si lo comparamos con Three Houses que es su entrega mas cercana.
    - El diseño del protagonista que parece sacado de algún juego fandom de juego móvil.
    - Que el primer DLC de pago este disponible día 1. No costaba, dar la opción de importar partida guardada de Three House para desbloquear a Claude y otros.
    - Algunas escenas de relaciones que dan cringe. Del estilo poder de la amistad o pasado trágico no tan trágico XD.
    - Es bastante fácil crear un personaje roto que rompa el juego. ( Trata de variar el uso de anillos a máximo relacion 5 sino el juego es un paseo hasta en difícil.)
    - La granja esta desaprovechada y no justifica su existencia.
    - Si vienes de la saga clásica, los modelados de los personajes te decepcionaran un poco. Parecen sacados del Genshin o de una biblioteca de Vtuber.
    - Uno que otro mini juego que no aporta mucho y le quita la inmersión.

    En conclusión, el juego cumple pese a dar la sensación de parecer una entrega menor de la franquicia. Muy a pesar de lo soso de su historia, personajes planos y momentos de vergüenza ajena. El juego se compensa bien por su apartado jugable, animaciones y un rendimiento notable en la consola.

    En fin, debes darle una oportunidad si te gustan los Rpg Tácticos y si quieres que valga la pena juégalo en difícil.    … Expand
  13. NagisaNeko
    Jan 24, 2023
    7
    I admit that this work is better than the previous work, both in terms of gameplay and map design, but the character creation, character modeling and plot design of this work make me very disappointed. I mean, if you just enjoy srpg game, you will probably like ENGAGE very much, but if you also value the shaping of plot and character relationship, then you may be a little disappointed.
  14. Chadx26
    Jan 24, 2023
    7
    The gameplay is truly great!

    This story and the characters, on the other hand, not so much. I won’t dwell on this. It is what it is… I did not like it.

    Personal skills are basic and some just don’t fit what the character does best. Decent map designs.

    It is FUN to play. If you already like FE you’ll find something to like here if you can get past the writing .
  15. Syne_00
    Jan 30, 2023
    7
    The game is more fun than I expected, the modeling of the characters at first did not convince me but when you see the engage fusions you can understand why they did so, plus the level and character design is far superior to the previous release in my opinion.
  16. Snoopy64
    Jan 31, 2023
    7
    The gameplay alone deserves a 10, but the other things like day 1 dlc, gacha mechanics in a full priced game, and weak story hurt engage substantially.
  17. Phrancium
    Feb 3, 2023
    7
    Fire emblem engage brings interesting new mechanics and fun new ways to play the game, but falls far short in terms of storytelling and characterization which is especially disappointing after previous entries have demonstrated that they are capable of telling a strong story with interesting characters.

    Gameplay: 8/10 Starting with the best part first, the gameplay of engage is a    Fire emblem engage brings interesting new mechanics and fun new ways to play the game, but falls far short in terms of storytelling and characterization which is especially disappointing after previous entries have demonstrated that they are capable of telling a strong story with interesting characters.

    Gameplay: 8/10
    Starting with the best part first, the gameplay of engage is a refreshing return to the roots of fire emblem after being what I believe was the weakest part of the previous entry, three houses. Engage introduces a lot of interesting new mechanics like breaking, smashing, and secondary classes that change the way the game can be played and allows for the player to form interesting strategies and approach each situation in many different and creative ways. The new emblem system, despite being disappointing from a narrative standpoint, also allows give players even more avenues to approach the game and experimenting with different pairings of units and emblems was wholeheartedly enjoyable. What's keeping Engage from getting a full 10/10 in this category from me is that I'm not a huge fan of the new primary class system locking units to only one weapon type in their base class, and although emblems can make up for that fact it was very confusing trying to figure out exactly how proficiency and the weapon system works. Additionally, gameplay balance is somewhat lopsided making some classes are miles better than other and some units completely overshadowed by others that are introduced just one chapter later.

    Story: 4/10
    To put it nicely, the story is uninspired. To put it a little less nicely, the story is a mess of poor writing, undeserved character moments, clichés, and dialogue that somehow manages to drag on for too long while providing no content. The overall story plays out almost exactly as you would expect it to from minute one; you can tell as soon as you meet them which characters will die and how it will advance the plot. On top of all that, instead of starting the story as an amnesiac tactician, a boy from Ram village, or other similarly mundane roles, you start of the game playing as the divine dragon, worshipped by everyone across the continent. This makes it so that most character interactions take a similar course and our character sees very little development throughout the game. After all, how much higher can you take a character who starts of the the literal god of the land?
    Lastly, the worldbuilding was poorly done and the world itself feels very small, despite spanning an entire continent with four theoretically interesting countries. We spend very little time exploring the potentially interesting landscape, hopping from town to town or various locations of interest like in many previous titles. Instead we traverse through countries in one or two steps, going from castle to border to castle again, rushing to meet the next bland, predictable, story beat.

    Characterization: 5/10
    The characterization of this game was what I was most disappointed in, as Three Houses has shown us how good it could potentially be. Instead it feels like the characters in this game are flatter and more one dimensional than fates or even the GBA games. Most support conversations in this game are all very samey and do very little for actually fleshing out the characters, often consisting of nothing more than both characters tossing compliments back and forth.
    The characters in this game lack a lot of the spice and quirkiness that made more memorable characters from other games so endearing, like Ingrid laying into Sylvain for his horniness, Seteth's overprotection of Flayn, or even Annette's singing. There are some characters that do toe the line of being interesting, but even in those cases they seem to always take the safe route and make them just another affable agreeable clone who tries their best to help everyone.    … Expand
  18. Tend0
    Feb 6, 2023
    7
    I was really looking forward to this game. Even if the wedding features weren't expanded, I played it. I was really disappointed by the fact that Griss couldn't get the necessary A support with ring. disappointed
  19. ggol1998
    Feb 26, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a die-hard fan ever since shadow dragon. This entry to the series feels like a huge step back.

    Lets start with the positive first.

    Gameplay
    The gameplay is still top-tier and in my opinion the combat is probably one of the best in the entry. I like how fast the character's animation move compare to 3 house the combat was very slow and stiff. It brings back the old classic fire emblem from the 3DS entries. Both the characters and environments are very colourful and well design. I like how they removed the weapon durability because in 3 house that was annoying. The ring pair mechanic is also not bad in this game. They do add some parts of the duo features from awakening/fates but in a more balance way.

    Now to the Negative. As a Huge fan, I have to be honest because I love this franchise and wish the next entry can succeed.

    Story and characters
    Now if you take a step back and look at fates. The game setting copies it. For example at the start, the Queen dies. The MC is a dragon, and each kingdom has a sibling in it. The story is quite bad for the first half of engage, but as you progress on it does get better. However, this is probably the least engaging fire emblem story I have witnessed. They also didn't bother voicing the leveling part where the characters has unique dialogue like only one stat up. This may be a little detail, but little details counts. The most disappointing part is. You can't transform into a dragon. In every Fire emblem game. If you have a dragon character (Manakete). You can transform into a dragon with unique abilities. In engage you have none of that, but a sword. I can see many potentials in the story however the characters and story is clearly rushed, which ruins the game's pacing.

    World Map
    If you look at the World map. Both engage and echoes have map travelling which I really like. Back in Awakening when you travel around the world. Theres area where you can purchase special weapons. In Echoes they improved the formula with dungeon traveling and you are also allow to travel to villages and gain characters and weapons. In Engage there is none of that. In past fire emblem series. As you progress through the story you unlock side maps/quest and characters at the same time. You get that feeling of exploration and the game reward you with a character. Its true you still unlock characters in engage, but all the characters are unlocked in the main story and the side story is replaced with bond expansion. It feels linear and unrewarding.

    Classes
    This time the classes system are just weird. In Engage they segregated the weapon category of the same class into multiple class that are the same. In all the Fire Emblem series. The advance class can wield more than 1 weapon. For example the great knight in battle can wield both sword, lance and axes at the same time, but this time in engage a great knight can only wield 1 weapon in battle, however if you want to switch the weapon you need to switch the class each time before a battle which is called great knight axe, great knight lance or great knight sword. This is egregious. How can they mess this up so badly?

    Skill
    This happens in 3 houses as well. They need to animate all the skills that is ability based. Back in awakening, there is animation for Ignis, Astra, Luna and sol, this makes the game feel engaging, but none of that in the current switch generations.

    Conclusion
    Most of the characters and story is rushed. They tried to implement fates story to engage however it is not as good as fates. The world map is cool and beautiful, but the story is misplaced and the class system needs a revamp. The only part they did right is the gameplay. It is still excellent, but they need to start animating some skills into it.

    With all that said. This game still packs a lot of content and play hours. We are lucky to still get a game like this. I rather play this than play an abomination like Star wars Battlefront 2 (EA) at launch.    … Expand
  20. Epiktasis1
    Feb 8, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think the problem with Engage is that so much of the character dialogue early doors focuses on the topic of staring or being stared at, it's very strange. On top of that there is the waking up interaction which leans into it, fanboy characters that can't help but stare, being stared at while you sleep. It's such an awkward mess. The game is a good time but it's story and characters leave a lot to be desired. I found myself skipping dialogue after a while. It does pick up right toward the end by by then you've played over 95% of the game already.… Expand
  21. Jammy223
    Mar 22, 2023
    7
    It's not awful, not at all. But I think the game overall falls flat of what the previous game (Three Houses) was trying to do. It felt like while this game had polished combat as well as animations in said combat, it lacked in the characters feeling, it felt as if these characters as you're recruiting them and are supposedly your friends you don't feel like you can get close and while youIt's not awful, not at all. But I think the game overall falls flat of what the previous game (Three Houses) was trying to do. It felt like while this game had polished combat as well as animations in said combat, it lacked in the characters feeling, it felt as if these characters as you're recruiting them and are supposedly your friends you don't feel like you can get close and while you can give all of them your "pact" ring, this does not equal in marriage like Three Houses.

    It's unfortunate because it could've been a good game, but it stuck mostly to giving it a feeling of bringing people into the series which was already done by Three Houses and way better.    … Expand
  22. Maya_weiner
    Apr 17, 2023
    7
    Mechanically, the game is great! I like the triangle mechanic returning, the maps & missions themselves are fun. However, I'd finished 3h not long before I got this one. The transition from them is grating, honestly. Engage is much more light-hearted, and it shows with the characters depth (or lack thereof), art style, story, etc. This by itself is fine, if you want an experience differentMechanically, the game is great! I like the triangle mechanic returning, the maps & missions themselves are fun. However, I'd finished 3h not long before I got this one. The transition from them is grating, honestly. Engage is much more light-hearted, and it shows with the characters depth (or lack thereof), art style, story, etc. This by itself is fine, if you want an experience different from 3 Houses.
    Big events don't feel meaningful. When you learn about your character, it doesn't feel like it's earned. When important moments happen, they don't captivate me, because I hardly knew the characters to begin with. I don't think I regret buying this, but to me, it's a downgrade from Three Houses. I'd recommend someone to play that instead.    … Expand
  23. Demostenez
    Apr 27, 2023
    7
    Pros: Combat was fun, and I liked the Engage mechanic. Having the weapon triangle back was nice. I liked the design of the characters. Voice acting was good.

    Cons: it came out after Three Houses. The story and the characters felt less developed after the excellent work done in 3H. Some characters felt unnecessary and just there to pad the roster. I played all four 3H routes, but after    Pros: Combat was fun, and I liked the Engage mechanic. Having the weapon triangle back was nice. I liked the design of the characters. Voice acting was good.

    Cons: it came out after Three Houses. The story and the characters felt less developed after the excellent work done in 3H. Some characters felt unnecessary and just there to pad the roster. I played all four 3H routes, but after finishing the last DLC, I don't know that I'll ever pick up Engage again.    … Expand
  24. Jcdusss
    Apr 30, 2023
    7
    Great maps and combat mechanics, so it’s not a bad Fire Emblem.
    But the story is really dull and manichean (much more than Tree Houses and Fates). And I don’t like the design of the characters too, I think that a certain amount of them are really problematic.
  25. hackerfrenzy
    May 10, 2023
    7
    really good tactical gameplay, really terrible writing and characters.
    I spent a lot of time in the game due to the fun battles, but I was rolling my eyes so hard at the dialogues and the plot that I started to just ignore it. If you expect Fire Emblem: Three Houses level of story, this is not it. If you don't care about the story and just like this type of combat then this game does a great job.
  26. drseven
    Jun 27, 2023
    7
    Comparisons hurt, and compared to its FE 3H predecessor, it feels like an inferior product. Visually it improves and the battles continue to have the essence of the Fire Emblem. everything else, history, progress, level of customization, charisma of the characters is mediocre. The ring system doesn't work and is poorly implemented, it seems more like an excuse to bring back characters fromComparisons hurt, and compared to its FE 3H predecessor, it feels like an inferior product. Visually it improves and the battles continue to have the essence of the Fire Emblem. everything else, history, progress, level of customization, charisma of the characters is mediocre. The ring system doesn't work and is poorly implemented, it seems more like an excuse to bring back characters from the past.

    Conclusion: a fun game that preserves the bases of the fire Emblem but fails in everything around it.    … Expand
  27. Solarus10
    Feb 2, 2023
    6
    Fire emblem engage seems like a step back compared to most fire emblem games from the last decade. The writing is atrocious and the characters are shallow. I have heard some people compare it to older games, but that is only true with the game play. Emotional moments in the story miss their mark because they feel unearned and occur before the player becomes invested. The stakes justFire emblem engage seems like a step back compared to most fire emblem games from the last decade. The writing is atrocious and the characters are shallow. I have heard some people compare it to older games, but that is only true with the game play. Emotional moments in the story miss their mark because they feel unearned and occur before the player becomes invested. The stakes just aren't there in this game because the writing is aweful. I used to pre-order every fire emblem game, I think I will wait for the user feedback in the future. I'm surprised by how inflated the critic score is.… Expand
  28. hinst
    Feb 13, 2023
    6
    Here is my honest spoiler-free review for this game. I give it 6 out of 10.

    Fine: + Graphics + Animations + Battles + Support conversations + Characters + Battle preparations, equipment I put all 4 aspects above under the title of Fine; I mean that they're just good enough to be OK but nothing outstanding. Characters and support conversations range from decent to literally    Here is my honest spoiler-free review for this game. I give it 6 out of 10.

    Fine:
    + Graphics
    + Animations
    + Battles
    + Support conversations
    + Characters
    + Battle preparations, equipment

    I put all 4 aspects above under the title of Fine; I mean that they're just good enough to be OK but nothing outstanding. Characters and support conversations range from decent to literally clown and cringe. If you do not like the weird design of some characters you always have the choice of picking the other characters. There appears to be enough different characters for everyone

    Poor:
    - Paid DLCs
    - Nostalgia characters
    - Infinite grind
    - Locked on non-open gaming platform Switch
    - Poor plot

    I wish Nintendo just released Fire Emblem on PC so we could play in 4k 120 FPS. Some animations are too quick for 30 FPS so they wall apart.

    The predecessor game Fire Emblem 3 Houses casts a big shadow onto Fire Emblem Engage and this is the curse of this game. Fire Emblem 3 Houses is superior in many ways and people (myself included) judge Engage because of it.

    Overall I think this is an OKAY game, it gets well deserved 6/10 from me.    … Expand
  29. mgao22
    Feb 26, 2023
    6
    The content of Engage is about paying respect to the whole series, which is wierd in first place, because they already did that in fire emblem warriors. Paying respect twice in one generation? What's so respectable about this franchise?

    Fine, I am okay with it. However, while the characters are taken from decades back, the painting style is completely modern, it looks like a cheap    The content of Engage is about paying respect to the whole series, which is wierd in first place, because they already did that in fire emblem warriors. Paying respect twice in one generation? What's so respectable about this franchise?

    Fine, I am okay with it. However, while the characters are taken from decades back, the painting style is completely modern, it looks like a cheap mobile game! I'd played the Genealogy on SNES, in which Sigurd was illstrated with exquisite, handsome 80s darwing style, and now what Engage turn him into? A completely un-identifiable pedestrian. Same thing with Lindis from the Blazing Blade, and many other classic characters. Seriously, get your mind straight. Don't let Nostalgia become a cheap excuse for saving money.

    I'm too loyal to Fire Emblem to give it something lower than 6, but I gotta be honest, the more loyal you are, the more disappointed you will be with this new instalment.    … Expand
  30. Starfree
    Feb 2, 2023
    6
    This is my least favorite FE game. There isn’t anything bad about it, just a pretty standard story with obvious twists. The ending for lack of a better word is **** And a lot of small gameplay and mechanic changes that I don’t personally like. And after the massive deal that was 4 stories in 3 Houses I kinda feel cheated by getting just one story. In a positive note with only wave 1 dlcThis is my least favorite FE game. There isn’t anything bad about it, just a pretty standard story with obvious twists. The ending for lack of a better word is **** And a lot of small gameplay and mechanic changes that I don’t personally like. And after the massive deal that was 4 stories in 3 Houses I kinda feel cheated by getting just one story. In a positive note with only wave 1 dlc the dlc has already proven itself to be the best FE DLC to date. Already leagues better than 3 houses’ dlc imo. If you buy the game I recommend picking up the dlc as well. But if you are picking between this and 3 houses, 3 houses is the better game.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

51
#51 Best Switch Game of 2023
2
#2 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 129 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 102 out of 129
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 129
  3. Negative: 0 out of 129
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 24, 2024
    80
    Hogwarts Legacy is definitely a beautiful-looking game that doesn't have a groundbreaking story, but does have a beautiful world, a fun combat system, broomstick flying, and of course an incredible amount of side quests and missions. [Issue#325]
  2. Gamereactor Spain
    Oct 16, 2023
    80
    It’s a title where difficulty isn’t just about advancing mission after mission but doing so with as few casualties as possible. This makes Engage the perfect gateway to the series, as well as a handful of good memories for those already familiar with it. A game which perfectly balances periods of action with quiet, enjoyable interludes in which to chat with other characters, play minigames and try out new weapons.
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  3. Pocket-lint
    Jun 23, 2023
    90
    Fire Emblem Engage is a superb strategy game that has taken a major technical leap forward, graphically superior to its predecessor in every meaningful way.It tells a well-meaning story that still manages to pack in a few surprisng twists, and while its social features are a little extraneous this time, it's still super relaxing to fall into its world.Multiplayer expands things even further, leaving us confident that the future is very, very bright for this excellent series.
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