If you saw my previous "reviews" (I don't really like calling them that since they're really just a shitpost showing disdain for the game and a overly melodramatic rant about how I thought this was the worst thing ever) then you'd rightfully assume that I simply thought Engage was terrible - irrideemable even. And yeah, I did, honestly. Kinda did for about a quarter of my recent playthrough, too. Don't get me wrong, I haven't made a total 180 on the game - there's still a few issues I have like the whole "loss of unit identity in favour of reclassing" thing and the map design falling off of the face of the Earth after chapter 12 and the story being, well, beating a dead horse here; sorta kinda not very well written. But during the endgame, something about Engage finally clicked with me.
Engage's endgame might be one of my favourites in the franchise. If you know me, I love Thracia because it's a game that really wants you to make the most of the tools at your disposaI. Engage's endgame on maddening leans into this philosophy more than any other game in the series because christ on a bike it throws so much shit at you and the only real way to deal with it to use. those. goddamn. emblems. and man it's so, so good for that. Staffs aren't infinite range but you're given micaiah back just before things start getting real and you will not believe how valuable warping up to 5 people which can include your warper, two dancers, a corrin user and your bosskiller is until you experience it for yourself. Infinite reinforcements, map gimmicks that give the enemy area denial and prevent your advance, turn limits, the works, are all employed and they're actually not frustrating because you're expected to break them in half. I'm trying to keep this mostly positive but regarding the "map design getting bad after chapter 12 thing", I totally still believe it does, at least until chapter 18. Tldr: removing the things you've been working with the whole game up to that point and limiting what you can do with reclassing, skill inherits, etc kinda sucks and the maps do not feel like they were designed around the enforced limitations. Taking 5 chapters just to get some of them back is bad enough, but giving them to enemy units is just miserable. Chapter 17 is easily a contender for one of my least favourite maps in the series but everything before and after chapters 12-17 is fantastic, honestly. One of the best earlygames in the series coupled with my personal favourite endgame.
Regarding the writing: I definitely saw glimmers of what could've been a good story through a lot of the concepts and themes at play. The big, obvious one with engage is about family and bonds. I liked fe7, 12 and 13 for this, but it doesn't feel as sincere nor is it anywhere near as poignant in Engage. Talking about why engage's narrative isn't the best though is, again, beating a dead horse. It's hard to properly articulate this, but I came up with some potential plot revisions while talking to a friend. Mainly because I just wish the story was better and that there is potential for a campier, more initially laid back fe narrative like this. Obvious spoilers: here
And uh. That's all I have to say honestly. It's not the worst thing ever like I previously thought, there's good aspects, and there's others that just could've been so much better.
Engage's endgame might be one of my favourites in the franchise. If you know me, I love Thracia because it's a game that really wants you to make the most of the tools at your disposaI. Engage's endgame on maddening leans into this philosophy more than any other game in the series because christ on a bike it throws so much shit at you and the only real way to deal with it to use. those. goddamn. emblems. and man it's so, so good for that. Staffs aren't infinite range but you're given micaiah back just before things start getting real and you will not believe how valuable warping up to 5 people which can include your warper, two dancers, a corrin user and your bosskiller is until you experience it for yourself. Infinite reinforcements, map gimmicks that give the enemy area denial and prevent your advance, turn limits, the works, are all employed and they're actually not frustrating because you're expected to break them in half. I'm trying to keep this mostly positive but regarding the "map design getting bad after chapter 12 thing", I totally still believe it does, at least until chapter 18. Tldr: removing the things you've been working with the whole game up to that point and limiting what you can do with reclassing, skill inherits, etc kinda sucks and the maps do not feel like they were designed around the enforced limitations. Taking 5 chapters just to get some of them back is bad enough, but giving them to enemy units is just miserable. Chapter 17 is easily a contender for one of my least favourite maps in the series but everything before and after chapters 12-17 is fantastic, honestly. One of the best earlygames in the series coupled with my personal favourite endgame.
Regarding the writing: I definitely saw glimmers of what could've been a good story through a lot of the concepts and themes at play. The big, obvious one with engage is about family and bonds. I liked fe7, 12 and 13 for this, but it doesn't feel as sincere nor is it anywhere near as poignant in Engage. Talking about why engage's narrative isn't the best though is, again, beating a dead horse. It's hard to properly articulate this, but I came up with some potential plot revisions while talking to a friend. Mainly because I just wish the story was better and that there is potential for a campier, more initially laid back fe narrative like this. Obvious spoilers: here
And uh. That's all I have to say honestly. It's not the worst thing ever like I previously thought, there's good aspects, and there's others that just could've been so much better.