Fire Emblem Engage review: brilliantly meaty strategy RPG combat meets a less compelling world

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Fire Emblem turned 30 years old back in 2020, but one could be forgiven for thinking of its latest entry, Fire Emblem Engage, as a belated 30th anniversary celebration. It’s got that sort of wild celebratory energy about it; a Fire Emblem game with a little bit of everything, plus the kitchen sink, and then some. That development approach has positives and negatives in practically equal measure – but it’s nevertheless difficult to not be charmed by what Engage offers as a sprawling package.

As a series, Fire Emblem is structurally quite similar to things like Final Fantasy and Persona, in that each game is usually a relatively enclosed affair. There are crossovers, and very occasionally there are direct sequels, but for the most part each game stands on its own, connected primarily by strategy RPG mechanics that are tweaked and flavored in each game with unique gimmicks. Such is the case with Engage, but with the fanservice for the series’ past both bulked out and streamlined all at once. As contradictory as that seems.

For this title, the gimmick is called the Engage System, and this titular mechanic is also the primary conduit through which this title’s nostalgia flows. It’s specifically all about equipping ‘Emblem Rings’, special items that sort-of contain the essence and consciousness of past heroes from each of the past Fire Emblem adventures. Emblem characters can’t exist on the battlefield as discrete units, but any character can pop on a particular character’s ring and then gain abilities, weapons, skills, and a general upgrade as a result, both passively and when you ‘Engage’ with the ring, merging the equipper and the Emblem into a super-powered state.

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