There’s a lot there, especially when it comes to character customization
Fire Emblem Engage is out on January 20, and I can’t wait until everyone rushes in and the impressions start flying out. Fire Emblem games have waltzed with relationship aspects for some time now, and although some folks have gotten used to them, others have rebuked the mechanic. Since Engage is heavily going to cater to the latter category, it’s bound to get a wide variety of reactions.
For now, there’s this gigantic eight minute trailer from Nintendo that might help you decide whether or not this entry is for you. Given that this trailer is all gameplay pretty much, it’s a great thing to watch before you decide to drop $60 on it.
Here’s everything that the Fire Emblem Engage overview trailer runs through:
- A reminder that there’s “over 30 characters” to play as (who have backstories that can be viewed in-game)
- An emphasis on how you can swap classes freely, with the example of an early-game mage-like character swapping into a monk, and dealing big damage to an elite enemy
- A good overview of the battle system, from team composition to the intricacies of the turn-based combat system (including counters to each combat type, which might be helpful to jot down before you play)
- The trailer highlights some useful battle info, including the fact that before actually triggering an attack, you can see who will go first in the bottom middle of the screen: also, a suggestion to let lower-level characters deliver the final blow to enemies when leveling
- Footage of the Time Crystal in action, which lets you rewind turns
- A brief overview of the world map system, and the Somniel hub
- An explanation on how to grow bonds to trigger support conversations (fight close together, or heal each other)
Unlike a lot of other overview videos which are mostly filled with fluff, this one has a few good pointers! In that sense, it’s great for complete newcomers as well as returning Fire Emblem veterans.
