Round Up: The Previews Are In For Fire Emblem Engage

January might not be the biggest month in the gaming calendar for 2023 but there are still some exciting releases coming out. One of these happens to be Fire Emblem Engage.

Yesterday, previews went live, and now to add this, we’ve gathered a selection of impressions from a number of other gaming websites about the latest entry in the long-running tactical role-playing series.

Oh, and if you haven’t already checked out our own Nintendo Life hands-on, be sure to take a look:

Right, with that out of the way, here’s what some other critics have had to say about their own experience with the new Fire Emblem game:

Polygon mentioned how it was a “drastic departure” from the existing Switch release Fire Emblem: Three Houses – with a bigger focus on the battles:

“If Fire Emblem: Three Houses was a zig, Fire Emblem Engage is the resulting zag. Whereas the 2019 epic dove headfirst into relationship simulation between turn-based battles, the upcoming Engage is almost entirely focused on the militaristic side of things.”

God is a Geek thinks it is shaping up to potentially be the best Fire Emblem entry to date:

“There are few games that channel that tactical feeling of playing Chess without, you know, actually playing Chess, but Fire Emblem is one such experience, and there’s no doubt in my mind that if Fire Emblem Engage can stick the landing and continue in this vein, it’ll likely be the best the series has to offer yet.”

GameSpot said Engage was already looking really promising and was excited to see how the rest of the adventure unfolds:

“We’ve played the first eight chapters of Fire Emblem Engage, and already found that it makes some significant changes from the precedent set by Three Houses, and to the series as a whole…combat feels balanced and satisfying. No one unit is overpowered, and every character serves a specific role. So far, almost every battle apart from the first few have required a lot of forethought and careful planning.”

Vooks.net rather enjoyed the early hours of the game:

“Fire Emblem Engage in the early hours feels like a warm welcome back as the story unfolds and your roster fills out with familiar classes and characters you want to know more about. The game also looks nice, and the visuals and the character designs aren’t unusual for a Fire Emblem game. The Engage mode versions of the characters are an excellent combination of the more traditional mixed in with the futuristic.”

And The Gamer had a slightly different take – mentioning how it wasn’t quite as impressed with the characters, but thought the gameplay component was solid as ever:

“Fire Emblem Engage has some big shoes to fill. The series has always had a cult following, but 2019’s Fire Emblem: Three Houses rocketed the game into another stratosphere. Engage is clearly aware of the new position it finds itself in, mining its own history as a core gameplay mechanic, and building on the life sim elements of Three Houses. But for all the steps it takes forwards, there are also some tactical retreats backwards.”

Will you be checking out Fire Emblem Engage when it launches on Switch later this month? Tell us below.