Game Finished In 2024 #7:
I am something of a fairwearther Fire Emblem Fan. Were I to rank gaming franchises by how attached I am to them, Fire Emblem would be a comfortable B. I have played every game since Awakening, and a couple before then, but I largely don't get motivated enough to finish them. So why is it then, that I decided to play through and Engage, an anniversary title? Isn't it kinda weird? It is, but for the most part, it did work for me.
Having a passive familiarity with most FE games is all one needs, really. Despite how important you might think prior FE knowledge would be to an anniversary game like this, you would be kind of wrong. There are passing references, but there is rarely much depth to them. I did pick up on some of them from the games I've played, but they were largely unimportant to the enjoyment of the game.
Speaking of, this game is primarily enjoyed for the gameplay. I make it a point to give a game's story A Shot. I don't like skipping cutscenes, so I try to see what a story has to offer. Engage's story has nothing to offer. About the nicest thing I can say about it is "I am glad they stuck to one route this time". The character writing, showcased in the supports, does have some good stuff, but the actual Plot is basically auxiliary to the gameplay.
Luckily, for most of the runtime, Engage is one of the best FE games to actually play. The game plays with a lot of established FE standards, and manages to be as compelling, or even moreso at times, than Three Houses's gameplay, the previous contender for my favorite FE game in gameplay. Things like removing weapon durability go a long way towards making the game stand out. Of course, the titular mechanic of Engaging is the most unique feature the game has, and it is one I'm going to be sad to see go. In simple terms, you get a character from a previous FE game, and can pair them up with any one of your units to give them special abilities. Furthermore, you can Engage with an emblem to gain further abilities, including a limit break-esque special move, and additional weapons to use. This push and pull of when to Engage to turn the tide of battle results in a lot of interesting encounters.
This is also a great game, presentation-wise. While I didn't remember much of the music, the vibrant graphical style and bold character designs were a marked step up from Three Houses, which was genuinely difficult to look at after realizing how good Engage looks. The animations, especially for critical hits, were also polished. Some may criticize the designs, but they're very Fun in a way that fits the game overall.
Unfortunately, Engage does have some flaws. The Somniel, on paper a version of the Academy from Three Houses without the time limit, ends up undermining itself by utterly inundating the player with mechanics. Going back to the Somniel after every chapter genuinely felt like doing dailies in a particularly unpleasant gacha game. The mechanical bloat also made it incredibly difficult to discern what mechanics were worth bothering with or not. The game's reliance on materials and currencies to facilitate a lot of mechanics did not help in the slightest, as I always felt short on them due to my attempts to stay away from the skirmish encounters. You get "war funds" from time to time, which struck me as a way to smooth this process, but they did not provide any materials to go along with, resulting in me largely neglecting the blacksmith. Trying to discern what I would actually benefit from doing in between chapters made it arguably more stressful than the chapters themselves at times. That is, at least until the three chapters before the final boss, where even the thin plot stretches to it's breaking point for a plotline that is essentially padding, coupled with downright unpleasant chapters. Perhaps I missed a mechanic to make these three chapters bearable, but there was simply so much in the game it was impossible to tell what I could have done to make those less annoying. Doubly confusing, in that the final boss himself was completely fine and went down with no trouble.
I sincerely hope Engage informs FE games in the future. I'd like to see better plots, of course, but the gameplay is so good it would be a shame to see it completely abandoned. A game that could theoretically combine 3H's quality of writing and Engage's gameplay would likely be handily the greatest FE game ever made. As long as they stick to one route. Please?
I am something of a fairwearther Fire Emblem Fan. Were I to rank gaming franchises by how attached I am to them, Fire Emblem would be a comfortable B. I have played every game since Awakening, and a couple before then, but I largely don't get motivated enough to finish them. So why is it then, that I decided to play through and Engage, an anniversary title? Isn't it kinda weird? It is, but for the most part, it did work for me.
Having a passive familiarity with most FE games is all one needs, really. Despite how important you might think prior FE knowledge would be to an anniversary game like this, you would be kind of wrong. There are passing references, but there is rarely much depth to them. I did pick up on some of them from the games I've played, but they were largely unimportant to the enjoyment of the game.
Speaking of, this game is primarily enjoyed for the gameplay. I make it a point to give a game's story A Shot. I don't like skipping cutscenes, so I try to see what a story has to offer. Engage's story has nothing to offer. About the nicest thing I can say about it is "I am glad they stuck to one route this time". The character writing, showcased in the supports, does have some good stuff, but the actual Plot is basically auxiliary to the gameplay.
Luckily, for most of the runtime, Engage is one of the best FE games to actually play. The game plays with a lot of established FE standards, and manages to be as compelling, or even moreso at times, than Three Houses's gameplay, the previous contender for my favorite FE game in gameplay. Things like removing weapon durability go a long way towards making the game stand out. Of course, the titular mechanic of Engaging is the most unique feature the game has, and it is one I'm going to be sad to see go. In simple terms, you get a character from a previous FE game, and can pair them up with any one of your units to give them special abilities. Furthermore, you can Engage with an emblem to gain further abilities, including a limit break-esque special move, and additional weapons to use. This push and pull of when to Engage to turn the tide of battle results in a lot of interesting encounters.
This is also a great game, presentation-wise. While I didn't remember much of the music, the vibrant graphical style and bold character designs were a marked step up from Three Houses, which was genuinely difficult to look at after realizing how good Engage looks. The animations, especially for critical hits, were also polished. Some may criticize the designs, but they're very Fun in a way that fits the game overall.
Unfortunately, Engage does have some flaws. The Somniel, on paper a version of the Academy from Three Houses without the time limit, ends up undermining itself by utterly inundating the player with mechanics. Going back to the Somniel after every chapter genuinely felt like doing dailies in a particularly unpleasant gacha game. The mechanical bloat also made it incredibly difficult to discern what mechanics were worth bothering with or not. The game's reliance on materials and currencies to facilitate a lot of mechanics did not help in the slightest, as I always felt short on them due to my attempts to stay away from the skirmish encounters. You get "war funds" from time to time, which struck me as a way to smooth this process, but they did not provide any materials to go along with, resulting in me largely neglecting the blacksmith. Trying to discern what I would actually benefit from doing in between chapters made it arguably more stressful than the chapters themselves at times. That is, at least until the three chapters before the final boss, where even the thin plot stretches to it's breaking point for a plotline that is essentially padding, coupled with downright unpleasant chapters. Perhaps I missed a mechanic to make these three chapters bearable, but there was simply so much in the game it was impossible to tell what I could have done to make those less annoying. Doubly confusing, in that the final boss himself was completely fine and went down with no trouble.
I sincerely hope Engage informs FE games in the future. I'd like to see better plots, of course, but the gameplay is so good it would be a shame to see it completely abandoned. A game that could theoretically combine 3H's quality of writing and Engage's gameplay would likely be handily the greatest FE game ever made. As long as they stick to one route. Please?
2 Comments
@Nottutum Great to hear!
Nottutum
2 months ago