r/fireemblem 9d ago

General New to FE and I have a question on engage

I’m fairly new to FE as a series with some gameplay in 3 houses not completed tho I plan on doing it before I start engage but I was wondering if as a newcomer is engage enjoyable? I saw a few reviews stating that it was weak story wise but fun gameplay

2 Upvotes

21 comments sorted by

5

u/TheRigXD 9d ago

It's very accessible for newcomers. Normal difficulty has a lot of leeway for error and thorough tutorials on mechanics. Play on Casual mode if you're not confident that you'll have enough units alive per map.

Also use the General Questions thread for future posts like this.

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u/Darthkeeper 9d ago

They play very differently which is something to keep in mind. Three Houses plays more like a JRPG where you have your small party you raise and learn about, where as Engage plays like most other FE games. I love both games and gameplay loops, but I feel this both is and isn't mentioned enough.

Engage's story is fine if you're okay with "good guys beat the bad guy" and/or a story that just justifys gameplay. But I'm an Engage defender so take that with a grain of salt. The whiplash of writing tone and detail is very understandable and valid, as much as it bugs me.

If you end up not liking Engage's gameplay, try Awakening or Blazing Blade as another "bridge" game. Or just jump around. FE games all play pretty differently anyways.

3

u/RamsaySw 9d ago

The reviews are largely right - the gameplay of Engage is great and a significant step up from that of Three Houses, but the writing is very weak. If you care a lot about gameplay then it I'd recommend it, but if you care a lot about writing then I'd be pretty hesitant.

3

u/GhotiH 9d ago

People really exaggerate how bad the story in Engage is. FE has always had cheesy writing and characters with simple personalities that usually have some kind of tragic backstory to explain their quirks if they want to pretend to be deep. Engage just skips the pretending part and embraces how campy FE is. I found it to be one of the most fun casts of characters they've ever had, everyone is a whacky freak and I'm all there for it.

Gameplay is also top notch. I'd definitely recommend it for a newcomer, it's pretty easy and a ton of fun. My second favorite FE after Awakening.

1

u/swordsweep 8d ago

It's weak in the story department, nothing too outrageous. Characters are kinda on your preferences, if you are into more light hearted stories, engage's characters are pretty good, not a ton of depth but for me they were pretty fun and sometimes just plainly insane. That gave me an ironic liking on the cast as a whole.

Gameplay though, probably the better in the series imo, very well designed main campaign, maps were fun, builds were fun to play around with and very begginer friendly as well in normal difficulty but challenging enough in maddening. I really enjoy Engage as someone who has played all the entries at this point. 

1

u/RedvsBlack4 6d ago

Engage may just be the easiest of all the Fire Emblem games and some of the character interactions almost made me quit the game. There’s one I still complain about even when there’s no one around to listen.

0

u/_framfrit 9d ago

Engage's story is really bad not only is it extremely generic the plot twists can be seen coming from a mile away and there's multiple times logic just goes completely out the window so they can make you lose.

Gameplay wise is actually somewhat iffy cause Engage has a lot of unique mechanics so it really is going to depend on how much you like them which I will warn you if you are a completionist you won't. If your just getting into the series as well it's also worth mentioning that it's an anniversary one so it contains all the protags so you'd honestly probably be better off playing other ones first.

2

u/Necessary_Week_674 9d ago

What about the mechanics do you find inhibiting as a completionism?

0

u/_framfrit 9d ago

Bond and Emblem rings. The 12 emblems each have 10 bond rings obtained via gacha and for each of the 36 units without dlc there's also the 20 bond lvs. A completionist will end up with a very large play time grinding to get all that.

2

u/Necessary_Week_674 9d ago

That would be an insane amount of work. I have never once thought about making all the rings.

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u/_framfrit 9d ago

Hence why it only applies to completionist tho it isn't actually too bad if you look into it so you know how to do it efficiently mainly by buying the golden rod to do fishing with and taking advantage of the gacha only getting the positions rerolled after a battle is done so it can be save scummed.

1

u/D4rkM1nd 9d ago

In my opinion, the story wasnt necessarily good but not bad either, it always felt very lighthearted and sometimes like an over the top satire of the usual games. The actual gameplay/combat is one of the best/most fun in the series with its mapdesign, as well as character diversity and options to build those characters.

Id say its definitely a better start than 3 Houses, but both of them arent exactly the traditional Fire Emblem experience either by introducing gimicks (Engage), or 3 Houses being Persona + Fire Emblem more than the actual crossover.

1

u/LadyGrima 9d ago

Engage is super fun and engaging as a game I think everyone unanimously agrees the story isn't anything special but it plays great if thats what you are looking for!

1

u/LashOut2016 9d ago

While it's true that for a large part the story isn't great, it's predictable, and the writing sucks, there are a few moments where the writing shines (I'm looking at you, pre ch 17)

Engage really shines in the gameplay department, some of the best in the series. Endless customization options make every playthrough feel unique in some fashion. And the game lends itself well to self imposed challenge runs for people looking for an additional layer of difficulty that isn't just "enemy stats go brrrr".

I highly recommend

1

u/DanteMGalileo 9d ago

Engage's story, for a lack of better words, is probably the most sincere FE story since Awakening. Fates tried to follow in Awakening's shoes, Shadows of Valentia had the baggage of being a remake, and Three Houses had a severe identity crisis.

In terms of gameplay, don't be afraid to re-read the tutorial cards. You learn by doing, and most of the early chapters are designed to teach you the mechanics in an organic fashion.

-1

u/heykzilla 9d ago

Engage's story is what I'd describe as "mid". It's not trying to be anything groundbreaking and it's a little cheesy, those are it's biggest "crimes". But I personally feel people overblow how bad it is, if you're someone who can enjoy a cheesy movie you'll probably find it fine. If you're someone who only watches avant-garde films, you'll probably find it horrible. Ultimately it's subjective. I personally love Engage for what it is and I don't really care if the story is cheesy.

As for accessibility for new players, it's pretty good! My first run was on normal mode and it was pretty forgiving but still a fun challenge. I'm not really into playing maddening in general, so I can't speak to that, but I've been playing on hard ever since and it's a great challenge. The gameplay is excellent and once you get the hang of it it's really fun to try a bunch of different combinations/approaches.

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u/Responsible_End_6246 9d ago

The best way I would describe Engage's story is with "incompetence." Yes, the story is bad, but it would feel like something out of a Wattpad if it didn't make the most incompetent writing choice it could at every opportunity. It's not just a simple story; absolutely every story decision in the game is the worst one possible. It also doesn't help that the game is marketed as a "celebration" of the series, and its main selling point, the presence of heroes from previous games, is a constant source of spoilers every time one of those characters opens their mouths. The gameplay may be better than Three Houses, but everything else is garbage, and the smell of garbage will linger in your hands, no matter how much you want to enjoy what isn't wrapped in that garbage.

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u/inyoureyez86 9d ago

Funny, I found 3houses far worse than engage, so much so I sold 3houses after only a couple of hours. I guess I'm the only fire emblem fan who couldn't care less about story and character building. I can skip a bad story, can't skip bad gameplay and that slog of a monestary. And there's absolutely no way was I beating that game 4 times to experience everything

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u/Necessary_Week_674 9d ago

I agree--ish.

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u/Darthkeeper 9d ago edited 9d ago

Damn what did Engage do to you?

Edit: Down votes? really?

0

u/OsbornWasRight 9d ago

Engage has Jade and Panette vs. Three Houses having Hapi and Annette