Fire Emblem: Three Houses was a huge success for Nintendo, both critically and commercially. While it didn’t revolutionize the combat system, its multi-campaign structure was ambitious and well-received. Therefore, it was only natural that Nintendo and developer Intelligent Systems would build on the success of Three Houses with a new game. However, Fire Emblem Engage, while it builds on the deep and rewarding tactical combat, the predictable story and repetitive side activities feel like a step backward for the series.

Fire Emblem Engage follows a more traditional structure than Three Houses’ calendar-based progression. Players spend their time between the tactical turn-based combat that the series is known for and a hub-like area where you can interact with other characters and outfit your units with weapons and equipment. While there are multiple missions available at any given time, the story follows a linear structure as you progress through the map. There are no major story decisions, and apart from a couple of characters found in optional paralogue chapters, everyone will recruit the same characters at the same time.

This traditional structure isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Some of the best games in the series follow this narrative style, and Engage’s presentation and narrative are more polished thanks to its focused design. However, this approach also puts the story in the spotlight and unfortunately, the extra polish doesn’t hide the predictable and meandering plot, which overall falls flat.

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