Is Fire Emblem Engage really that bad? | A Review / Retrospective

[@WesDoesGames]

Hey you! Click this magical mystical link for a wonderful surprise: kzbin.info

[@lagspike7763]

I really don’t think calling fates a half-assed successor is fair at all. The game implemented so many new mechanics unique to the game that change how it works drastically and refined Awakening’s systems so hard that they’re very different games that just feel similar at times.

[@WesDoesGames]

I personally didn't see that much of an upgrade, but I did like that the characters finally got feet

[@DevilsAdvocate669]

Fates was bad.

[@lagspike7763]

@@DevilsAdvocate669 bait used to be believable

[@DevilsAdvocate669]

@lagspike7763 Not bait, just an opinion. Fates has a very poor story, and only conquest had decent gameplay.

[@LanceRedCock]

New mechanics doesn't mean anything. Fates was clearly trying to be the next Awakening

[@yanami1241]

It really was that bad. I hope they go back to Tellius artstyle and a more serious and grounded story.

[@kassidyryzer2909]

Okay, but an Anna multiverse game where everyone is Anna would be unnecessarily glorious.

[@jinxtheunluckypony]

Crisis on Infinite Bank Accounts.

[@funninoriginal6054]

​@@jinxtheunluckypony The final boss would be a dark dragon Anna who's master plan would be to sell the fire emblem to the highest bidder

[@lillith7257]

and just the type of thing Nintendo loves to do sooooooooooooooo

[@DylanMatthewTurner]

Fire Emblem: Anna-hilation

[@FalseGamer3]

Honestly all I want is a good linear story with good map design. Not even the great, just a reasonable good game.

[@rator1st]

And can we have a break from having My Units being the lords for a while, the novelty of it has worn out at this point and to follow an actual lord for a change and not a special snowflake everyone kisses up to again.

[@mikethepokemaster2012]

​@@rator1stI mean all the lords get praise for nothing wouldn't change much

[@johnsonli3370]

@@mikethepokemaster2012 PoR wasn't like that. You even lose some of the Greil mercenaries because they didn't respect you as their new leader. You have to earn their trust. There's a reason why Ike is everyone's favorite lord.

[@thelaughingdragon32]

I hope they don't use this art style ever again.

[@Estfireemblem]

​@@johnsonli3370ike more like dike 5 strength

[@thynErro]

I am a Three Houses enjoyer. Engage just didn't hook me, and the Engage cast was just way weaker and stereotypical when compared to 3H.

[@WesDoesGames]

Three Houses definitely had the most fleshed out characters in a FE game for some time

[@MaliceJinnai]

"You can either be her (Lucina's) husband or her Dad..." I think you meant Mom

[@WesDoesGames]

Thanks

[@Vatiaure]

Did he stutter?

[@neog8029]

The Chrobin bromance is strong enough for it to happen lol.

[@Fimbulvetr]

This is less of a review and more of a plot summary, but it was a good way to kill 2 hours. Actually, the critiques were a such a small part of the video itself in the end that I hesitate to even call this a review since there's so little actual reviewing being done lol. Either way, it's a nice timekiller.

[@TwilightWolf032]

Yeah, many of the praises he gives to Engage, I disagree with. The game really does nail the anime art style, but it's just too bright for Fire Emblem! And the ability to explore the maps after clearing them adds nothing but extra time between the battle and plot progression. Sure, it's a nice touch to be able to do so at first, but in 3 chapter you realize the character will never say or do anything of importance during that exploration time, all the items you collect could have been given to you automatically upon completing the map, and the animal adoption thing is just fine up till the point you manage to get 5 dogs, after which you have no reason to get anything else! The hub place too is quite crappy. All you do is run collecting the items on the floor after every map you cleared, which is just a chore. Making use of the facilities is a waste of time, I would much rather get character support levels increased via battle, where the fun part is, and having to walk between shops and the Arena to get what you want is not interesting. The Arena also takes too much time, be it for the EXP grinding or to increase bond level with the rings to inherit skills. Why can I only skip the fight AFTER the characters have introduced themselves, and what does it matter that they fight against the emblems if winning or losing incurs the exact same result? It's just padding! It baffles me that Engage spends so much time taking out of the battles, which is the best (and only good) part of the game! The only thing I like about the hub is that I can get to make the girls wear their swimsuits, but even that is short lived because whatever costumes you choose for the characters does not translate to their appearances in the maps or cutscenes! Hell, it doesn't even matter what class the characters are assigned to, they all use their horrible default costumes instead! Engage is largely interested in wasting your time, which is why QoL mods that reduce the time wasted are necessary for multiple playthroughs!

[@YoshiAteTooManyYoshiCookies]

​@@TwilightWolf032switch FE games trying not to waste your time in-between battles challenge: (impossible)

[@TwilightWolf032]

@@YoshiAteTooManyYoshiCookies A Tellius games remaster without any of the modern bullshit would be the best. Seriously, My Castle, the monastery and the hub in Engage are nuisances but they can't be ignored if you want to be effective in battle.

[@YoshiAteTooManyYoshiCookies]

@@TwilightWolf032 well, at least Echoes, which is a remake AND was released after Fates didn't have any of that, right? (Don't quote me on this,. I've never played Echoes)

[@TwilightWolf032]

@@YoshiAteTooManyYoshiCookies I haven't played Echoes yet either.

[@Amaror2]

Kinda disagree with the garreg mach, somniel comparison. For me garreg mach felt like it had a purpose, you had one place to do your own secondary gameplay mechanic of time management in. The somniel is basically pointless. It's just a 3d dress up of what could be much better achieved in a menu. And unlike a menu, it's tedious and takes way too much time to do anything. At least garreg mach was one place. Somniel is not only tedious to run through but it has loading screens before any of the actual usefull facilities. I got kindof annoyed at garreg mach in the later missions, but it never bothered me too much. I despised the somniel after just a handfull of missions.

[@WesDoesGames]

I appreciate your perspective! For me, aesthetically, I preferred Somniel, but gameplay-wise Garegg Mach had more purpose for sure

[@vicentesanchezjr.3877]

Garreg Mach got so old so fast. It was an actual chore and one of the biggest reasons it's so hard for me to play 3H again

[@sonicthehedge]

The problem with engage is that it's too simple and uninspired. Like the game is just awakening again but with nothing that made it great. The gameplay in engage is great but thats because the core gameplay of fire emblem is that good. Also it's not like Awakening/fates or three houses with the replayability. Three houses are 4 routes and many options for classes for units and units to take along in the journey. Awakening/fates had the S rank and child mechanic in which made every playthrough unique.

[@clkwr]

I was surprised you thought somniel was better than garreg mach. To me somniel took the bad bits of garreg mach, and added more junk on top of it. The one good thing is at least you only have a single meal.

[@WesDoesGames]

Well, better might be a strong word. More like, I prefer the vibe

[@EXchoco]

Garreg Mach also has the benefit of having plot importance both in terms of many plot points and battles surrounding it, world building, and providing lots of unique, well written and voiced dialogue for the characters every chapter. I think it also has more of a place in 3H because of the motivation and teaching system with some improvements to be made upon it in another game like 3H, where Engage would’ve been nothing but better without the Somniel imo

[@WesDoesGames]

@@EXchoco I totally hear what you're saying and those are all great points. I simply prefer the aesthetics of the Somniel better.

[@EXchoco]

@@WesDoesGames I feel that! I personally liked the medieval vibe of 3H and the realistic architecture of the monastery really did that for me. I couldn’t think of anything but Genshin Impact when I looked at the Somniel and that’s definitely personal association haha

[@clkwr]

@@WesDoesGames I can see that, for me though, I honestly wish somniel was a menu. I got nothing of value from running around or interacting with anything, it just felt like every map had 10m of padding after it if I did the somniel "things". One of my big complaints with 3h in was I felt obligated to do a bunch of meals to make sure im getting good use of my teaching, but it didnt feel too bad until ng+. I had that chore feeling very quickly in somniel in my first playthrough.

[@AMCityFan]

I am glad someone else is also disappointed on losing the ability of shipping your party members. 😂

[@WesDoesGames]

It was the best part 😭

[@marimecham]

It wasn't even a thing that requires gameplay justification a la strategic baby making. Blazing Blade, Sacred Stones, and Path of Radiance just let you do that for the fun of it with only mild benefits of boosted stats. I just wanted to make characters go smoochy smooch.

[@pippastrelle]

Incredible video! Long and listenable with not a wasted or dull moment. It's a balanced opinion with a wide perspective from other FE games and the surrounding game context. As a story/character-first fan, FE Engage has struggled to appeal to me but it's always interesting to hear what we and the developers can learn from it.

[@WesDoesGames]

Thanks for your kind words, friend!

[@brightht2324]

Something about suppports (and bonds) that makes them take longer is that you can't build them on enemy phase. So if you have a good enemy phase thing going, you're paying for it with missing aupport and bond.

[@BaselardFE]

Jokes were definitely a bit hit or miss, but I enjoyed the video overall! I think Engage was the most fun I've had with Fire Emblem since Fates or Radiant Dawn. A Fire Emblem game with Engage presentation + gameplay, and Three Houses/Genealogy/Path of Radiance level world building + story would be the dream.

[@deredere-sama5995]

It’s always a pleasure to see you around. I’m a long time fan!

[@SnthwaveSunset]

Engage just felt like heroes 2.0 imo, i feel FE could benefit from adding a consistent linear story like 3 houses allows for more exploration like in echoes, loveable characters like awakening, ect

[@WesDoesGames]

Agree wholeheartedly

[@Hemestal]

I remember watching the "engage" cutscene for the first time and I literally closed my eyes, gobsmacked with second hand embarrassment and I also remember questioning if I should keep playing based on that cinematic alone as I was not prepered to withstand a second tsunami of cringe of that magnitude.

[@WesDoesGames]

LOL I know how you feel

[@Yoshixandir]

Jesus the characters in this game got on my nerves lol either being annoying or unmemorable. Engage is probably the best example of a horrible first impression in games. The game is excellent in gameplay but without an interesting characters and story it’s a chore for me to play/ care

[@MrPSaun]

The issue with Engage is that it is not Fire Emblem. It is instead a showcase of how far the series has strayed from its roots since Awakening. While I tolerate Fates for its music, that game forever changed the direction of the series into something vulgar. This was very clear to me after playing Echoes, which was brilliant. Fire Emblem is at its best when the narrative leans into the fact that you are playing a war game. I don't want a shallow waifu simulator, I want a tactical SRPG where complex politics rule the scenario and death is always right around the corner.

[@GabeNwagbala]

37:47 now that you mentioned that this is the first game since binding blade to remove that feature of paired endings.

[@nessdbest8708]

28:25 i think you meant: MOM

[@givecamichips]

16:22 Pokemon D/P/P had badge polishing and it was awesome

[@sermartinlaw]

Overall a well measured video, well done. Only major gripe I have is when you said Radiant Dawn is a step down from Path of Radiance. That game has some top tier gameplay and maps!!

[@WesDoesGames]

I'd love to give it another try, one of these days when I get my Wii out of storage lol

[@yogirajmore63]

Fire Emblem engage has very pretty graphics and animation. Gameplay is too focused on rings. But the story and character..... Oh boy. This us not my fire emblem story

[@vicentesanchezjr.3877]

You can have a ringless run tho so it's possible to beat without rings

[@ethanwebster3764]

What’s different to engage’s story compared to other fe games other than the emblems

[@LoneGamerNerd]

@@ethanwebster3764 Generally, while it is a subjective take, Engage's story just feels lackluster compared to previous ones. Personally, I can't help thinking Engage was aimed more at children than mature audiences, with its artistic design, which is similar to Genshin Impact, and writing. Don't get me wrong -- I actually don't mind the art direction. But many would agree the writing is subpar, at best. Some things in the story don't make sense, relying on having the characters act like idiots in order to work, like when Veyle somehow steals the rings-- and the time crystal -- despite at least 10 pairs of eyes in the room, only for Zelkov to be able to steal the crystal back from _her_ pocket, ten minutes later. It was just....bad.

[@brightlight8852]

Yeah there's actually no excuse for Engage to be the way it was. 3 Houses was developed by KT not IS, IS developed and even finished Engage before the pandemic.

[@kiurrrr]

This video was a great listen. For me the biggest dealbreaker is just engage not looking like a fire emblem game. I can acknowledge the gameplay being great but without a good story or likeable characters I just can't enjoy a game. The art and designs in engage are so out of place and just feel wrong. The characters make me feel absolutely nothing meanwhile when I first saw the simple portraits for 3H i got really excited. In general the really bright aesthetics in engage feel weird to me. More muted colours in fe make sense to me considering every game has a huge focus on war. I might not be the best at putting my thoughts into words but yeah what I wish for the most is probably another SoV type remake of an older game. Hope they can take what they've learned from engage's combat and map design and combine that wity the storytelling and art design of 3H and older games. Feels like getting a nice balanced game is rare these days.

[@WesDoesGames]

I totally agree. I have high hopes for the next one though, hopefully they listen to the fans about the story

[@Yoshixandir]

@@WesDoesGamestrue I just hope they don’t learn the wrong lessons.

[@TwilightWolf032]

Engage's art style is a point of gripe I have too. Apparently the artist behind the character models was not told what he/she was working for, so he/she did their best at interpreting the instructions given. Since it's a Vtuber artist, that's likely what they thought the models would be used for, hence why every character looks so over the top and goofy. And also why the characters largely do not look like they belong to the same nation (you wouldn't think a girl wearing balloons in her outfit is a royal or a fighter, she looks more like a dancer than the actual dancer class)!

[@ethanwebster3764]

Really? I personally find 3h art style to be bland, but you do yoy

[@butthemeatwasbad]

The only thing I want is NO MORE HUB WORLDS. I found the Somniel worse than Garreg Mach because everyone felt so detached from the world and story and everything was a time-waste. Between loading screens, awful mini games, and no beneficial reason to explore (like lost items in 3H), I desperately wanted to skip it each time, but also knew I'd be making my life harder by not capitalizing on the arena, skills, and polishing rings. I appreciate it being smaller, yet I feel like I spend more time doing stuff there. If you insist on a HUB world, make it no bigger than the main plaza. Let me get to everything in seconds. No load barriers. And for the love of god, not everything needs to be a mini game.

[@aegrajag]

or at least give us a menu like the Tellius games as an alternative if you want to walk and talk to units, you can visit the hub and if you just want to forge a weapon it takes 3 seconds from the menu, no animations, no load screen

[@TheAurgelmir]

Engage is one of those games where if they just spent a little bit more time on the story the game could have been a masterpiece. The story isn't "simple" but, as someone else put it "contrived." It's all over the place, with very little focus. There's no good theme, and the characters aren't really grounded in the story in a meaningful way. Take something like Three Houses. Several of the side characters are in some way linked to the current situation in the game. Sylvain for instance get's a whole main story chapter dedicated to his story. The paralogues as well are a way to build up all the characters. Engage has less characters than three houses I believe(?), but they are given a heck of a lot less presence in the story. I do think some of this is linked to the Emblems, whom are given most of the paralogues, but really don't have a character either. If they linked the emblems closer to characters in the game, maybe the paralogues could be a way to explore similarities between characters and emblems? Sadly Engage feels like the first D&D campaign anyone of us ever DMed: We have some ideas for a plot, but no idea how to combine it into something engaging. In the end it's just a bunch of setpieces and fights that don't really mesh well together.

[@TheAurgelmir]

​@@Flopdoodle I don't agree with it not being salvageable. What the game suffers from is being a bland fetch quest in a world with no world building to speak of. The world seems to not have functioned before Alaer wakes up, beyond "the rock kingdom and snow kingdom was always at war, the others are cool" Then you have the whole "your mother dies" thing. Which either needs to happen way later in the story, and have your mother be a Lady Rhea type quest giver in the Somniel. OR she should have died before you wake up. That's an EASY fix. Then you need to have the whole war seem like more than just a fight for the rings, and for Sombron to be a known entity this early on. It's contrived that you have a kingdom that's all "oh yeah we totally worship satan." But it could be cool if the court SECRETLY worshiped Sombron instead of the divine dragon. (Again, would have made sense for your mother to be dead, so that Alaer is viewed as more of a savior figure) Reshape the world a bit. Give Elusia another motivation for why they are fighting. Hold the Corrupted back until the Sombron reveal. Focus more on the characters than the emblems, and you are nearly there. Then you add a theme, which the game acutally has - it just failed at delivering it: The value of family, and the constraints of ones birth. Tons of the characters in the game struggle with their place of origin. When the world has character you can use that to shape the supporting characters better too. They have potential, but it's very one dimensional because they don't actually exist within a world, they are just ideas with a 3D model.

[@thelegacyofgaming2928]

Every character looking like a magical anime character throws it off massively

[@TheAurgelmir]

@@thelegacyofgaming2928 I don't mind the designs - if they were vtubers... (Which funnily enough the artist who designed the characters used to be a vtube designer.) But, overall the game's aesthetics is a little bit "too much"?

[@yerba_morte]

This video rocks! I appreciate the effort you put into it. As for what Id like to see in a future Fire Emblem game: I think a strength that the older FE games had that's been lost across newer entries is portraying war as something that is terrible, ugly, and not fun for everybody involved. Three Houses went into that quite a bit, but fell flat in some other ways. Older games cover subjects like racism, xenophobia, and various issues of morality that war often brings to the surface alongside relatively complex geopolitical situations. I think Engage really dropped the ball in that regard and imo ends up treating the conflicts in the game like petty schoolyard squabbles if that makes sense. Also, I hope the character design in future games is toned down a bit. It was off-putting how every character seemed like they stepped out of a carnival and had just absolutely buck-wild designs but then had pretty shallow personalities. All that being said - I think the gameplay is the best the series has seen and I hope that carries over to future titles. Im overall hopeful that any future games will able to strike a solid balance between good characters, narrative, and gameplay.

[@WesDoesGames]

I fully agree with your assessment. I think a deeper story about the impacts of war would be well suited for the next game. Fates and Three Houses kinda showed casualties of war a little bit, but never really went deep. Give us a good story, Fire Emblem!

[@thelegacyofgaming2928]

Sacred Stones was actually better than the other GBA entries (referring to your examples in the beginning)

[@roman260590]

Sacred Stones is amazing, and not as easy as they usually tell

[@Tanner31904]

>is a lucina man You earned a subscriber, I respect those who know who best girl is

[@WesDoesGames]

Lucina men 4 life

[@jeezi3620]

Just watched this whole video and had to sub afterward. Criminally underrated channel. Wishing you the best in the future.

[@WesDoesGames]

That's very kind!

[@mauricesteel4995]

Alear: Marth, No! Emblem Marth: Sorry kid, i got a new master now.

[@WesDoesGames]

Top tier reference

[@jesuslomeligarza9329]

I don't think Panette is a possessed doll like Anabelle hahaha I think she's inspired by Día de los Muertos, which is a Mexican tradition.

[@WesDoesGames]

That kinda makes sense

[@sinisterdesign]

Fun video! I have exactly two things to add: (a) you could have roasted this game's plot *wayyyyy* more; (b) at 27:02...uh, the word you want is "prostrates," with a second 'r.' (I am so deeply, *deeply* glad that Alcryst doesn't "prostate" himself in front of the player 😬)

[@sinisterdesign]

Oh, and as for what I'd want to see in a future Fire Emblem game: deeper mechanics less reliant on RNG; more interesting relationship-building; more replayability; better writing. I guess what I'm saying is, what I want is Together in Battle with a higher budget.

[@WesDoesGames]

I think that'd be great

[@WesDoesGames]

Lol thank you very much for the prostrates correction 😂

[@JillyMaysHere]

*laughs uncontrollably for like 5 minutes at the idea of Mickey Mouse being a murderous drunk driver*

[@roman260590]

Let's be serious, we all know how superior 3 houses is. That doesn't mean Engage is bad, just way too lower tier in FE history

[@JaceyMitchell]

Most of the criticism I've seen roughly comes down to "it'a not a bad game at all, it just doesn't feel like a fire emblem game, and that isn't even really game place related, but more due to the fact that Engage lacks much in the way of story/setting/character development". After Three Houses being so wildly successful, the series had massive shoes to fill. I just hope Engage hasn't turned off too many of the people who got their first taste of the series playing Three Houses.

[@WesDoesGames]

I think Engage was a step down from Three Houses but it did make me more excited for an upcoming game that blends the best of engage (graphics, gameplay) with three houses (story, characters)

[@fluffystagbeetle4526]

Honestly, I think anything that wouldve been more traditional in terms of FE wouldve turned off a lot of TH only fans. Regardless of your opinion on the game, it did change up a lot of design elements that are drastically different from other FEs. Like imagine TH releasing then we get an FE6 remake or something? I can imagine that wouldnt go well for a lot of people.

[@BlueClouds23]

I like long video formats like this. They're entertaining to both watch and listen to. To answer you final question, I would like a return to 2d portraits. Mika Pikazo's(the artist for the designs in Engage) style looks so good, and would have been nice to see alongside the 3d models like 3Hs. I like seeing the different flashes of facial expressions and whatnot, I feel like IS missed out for not using 2d art renders.

[@abicrystalwing1543]

Yeah, when the first trailers for this game came out, I immediately thought how balls the models looked. I think this is the first game to use entirely 3d models for the characters portraits. And Mika Pikazo's art looks fuking amazing. At least 3H had 2d art for the conversations. I 100% prefer 2d art portraits, but I suppose it wouldn't mind that much if they did 3d models as well like in 3H.

[@orangeslash1667]

@@abicrystalwing1543 I question Fire Emblem being in 3d at all??? In Dragon Quest being in 3d it kinda makes sense because it likes avoid random encounters. Fire Emblem doesn't have random encounters, so what does Fire Emblem gain from 3d??? When you have games like Triangle Strategy, and Last Spell, modern games that look good because their 2d. Makes me think the only reason Fire Emblem is in 3d is because 3d is a trend.

[@abicrystalwing1543]

@@orangeslash1667 i have no idea what you're talking about, because i'm talking about 3d models.

[@orangeslash1667]

@@abicrystalwing1543 But you just said you prefer 2d art portraits. So why not just go all out with 2d??? With Fire Emblem Fates It makes sense to use 2d portraits with 3d models on the 3ds, since handhelds are kinda limited. However for Switch, I think it should go one or the other???

[@abicrystalwing1543]

@@orangeslash1667 I said I prefer 2d portraits, but I also said I wouldn't mind *that much* if they *also* used 3d models. I could tolerate it if it doesn't look like ass.

[@GabeNwagbala]

Did you notice that Alear is similar to Link from The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild both wake up from sleep after a centennial and millennium and are amnesiac?

[@WesDoesGames]

Yes it's definitely a trope 😅

[@Dracas42]

1:17:41 Okay but imagine if they did, though. Like, oops Alear's gone and now you play as Veyle instead. I'm not sure if the game and story would be better or worse for it, to be honest, but it's at least an interesting idea to me. Probably a bad idea, since you spend so long getting attached to the protagonist, though...

[@LordlyWeeb]

Yes it is, it's in my top 5 games of 2023.

[@adammarkovic3316]

You have trash taste then my friend or played 5 games this year lmao

[@LordlyWeeb]

@@adammarkovic3316 I played most of the big releases of 2023 and more. It's a good game.

[@yunuss58]

55:35 except Shez. Shez is great. And I must disagree with RPG protags are boring by nature. It all just depends on if the writers give a damn and try. See Luke fon Fabre from Tales of the Abyss.

[@WesDoesGames]

*silent* RPG protags are boring by nature, at least I think. I agree a lot of Tales protags are top tier

[@yunuss58]

@@WesDoesGames my bad. I somehow failed to hear the word silent. Which is ironic I gues

[@WesDoesGames]

@@yunuss58 lol

[@lurkingdrake4193]

Gotta give it to whoever runs the music for Fire Emblem. They always cook.

[@Bean-px4fo]

I was not that impressed by engages' gaudy color palette, I don't think it fits the atmosphere fire emblem is known for, but I think it does fit the vibe engage wanted to achieve, being a lighthearted anniversary game. I liked the gritty style of three houses but I do agree the graphics themselves were not great. It would be nice to have engages' clarity and beauty of graphics and 3 houses' color palette. Although I feel like a lot of the engage characters faces and eyes look very similar, they kinda have the same eyes with the same shine and shape of eyes and eyelashes. I do hope to see more variety of character looks in whatever the next game is!

[@WesDoesGames]

I agree with you about the character designs, very hit and miss. Hopefully the next roster will be better

[@Linkario]

So far its been a great video but some of the script writing seems off in terms of introducing things. Wasn't Yunaka's map the first introduction of the hidden tiles in this game? Beyond some inconsistencies or oversights like that it's been at least entertaining. I feel like the critiques were on point and some of the transitions between points were good. Thanks for sharing with this video!

[@WesDoesGames]

Thanks for your feedback!

[@iceneko9170]

hmm. it would make sense for the emblem rings to be able to summon the emblems after the events of the game. considering sombron's emblem. oh well. I just wish the writing was a little better. good game overall.

[@pamelahermano9298]

Engage wasn’t bad at all. I just felt like it wasn’t made with the love or attention to story detail that Three Houses had. I could only play Engage once, but I played Three Houses for all the routes plus the DLC story.

[@TRGDragon]

I’d like a more modern style fire emblem game like themed after the industrial revolution maybe with trains and maybe a character who’s a mage trying to create a new bow that can fire metal pieces using fire magic

[@WesDoesGames]

That's a cool idea

[@DylanMatthewTurner]

It seems to me that it's the best of some parts of Fire Emblem but the worst of some of the other parts. Control of your team and strategy? Peak. Cringe? Also Peak. It's the most Fire Emblem, good and bad

[@jay1603]

I ALSO THOUGHT OF IT FOLLOWS WHEN I REALISED SOMMIE WAS TAILING ME

[@WesDoesGames]

Reminding me of this legitimately sent a shiver down my spine

[@elise6894]

5:32 I would not say that awakening and fates did child units better than fe 4

[@takoburrito5876]

The story may be very anime and plot holey but it's very cute also i finished my maddening run and man, I had a lot of fun with it. Good map design :)

[@WesDoesGames]

I did really like the maps too. Much better than Three Houses where every map is an empty field

[@bornanime3255]

I just need more fun maps, bring back the customisable hub area from Fates, the child and marriage system and some more creative story structures like in Three Houses. Hopefully with explorable areas like in Awakening, but I'm not holding my hopes up for that. Personally I really liked the animations in Awakening. Their my favourites, but Engage went above and beyond so props to them on that

[@WesDoesGames]

I feel the same!

[@lancercool1992]

bro the game boy animation and character designs were so so good, 3d don’t have that anymore

[@WesDoesGames]

That was definitely a nice touch

[@Shadowclanwarrior246]

Great video. Found many of your jokes funny, it made me laugh. To me I would love to have the next fire emblem game have the fun gameplay of Engage but have the great story on the complexity of Genealogy. To me that would be the perfect game, great story with great gameplay!

[@WesDoesGames]

I'd love that too!

[@Shadowdusk42]

Honestly i would love for fire emblem fates to be ported or remastered onto switch because i cant easily get a new 3ds since they stopped making them pus fates was my second game and i have good memories of it

[@WesDoesGames]

I'd like that too but can't see a way without the 3d. That feature was actually done well on the 3ds and it just doesn't hit the same visual notes without it

[@DrewRoshambo]

3 Changes I'd Make to Fix Engage: 1) An Emblem's personality reflects its owner's. 2) The nations are misusing them for war, propaganda, and vanity. 3) Alear can awaken Emblems to their true, virtuous self.

[@ethanwebster3764]

Why the second one?

[@LunarBoo]

Doesn't Scarlet survive in Birthright though?

[@WesDoesGames]

She dies in both :(

[@LunarBoo]

I just checked, Scarlet IS recruitable in Birthright AND survives

[@WesDoesGames]

@@LunarBoo Excuse me while I rush off so fast to play Birthright that I leave a cartoonish dust cloud in my wake

[@Laurmachi]

I don't really agree with your views on the past lords of the series. Yeah sure, Byleth is a silent protag that barely says anything, but that's not a long running issue of the series itself. That's literally just Byleth, with the rest of them having important speaking roles in the main story and interesting characters you get from that and the supports. Marth barely having a speaking role? He's like the main center point in BOTH of his games, including their remakes which give him more characterization to the point where he takes up most of the dialogue. Ike doesn't blend in with the others because of his upbringing, and that perspective and his journey makes him a lot more than "meathead that fights for his friends." And then there's Lyn who didn't even know she was a lord until the end of her story, Celica who's story completely contrasts the rest of the series by her avoiding war, Eirika who goes from naive princess to a great ruler after some hefty development, and Micaiah who is more of a commander in an army than lord, and goes about in a "ends justify the means" in war and is a sarcastic riot. The problem is just how Engage writes it's characters in general, daring to not delve into anything that made these lords interesting in the first place, and in worst case scenario, actively going against what they're like.

[@WesDoesGames]

I appreciate your insight here! Maybe I downplayed the past protagonists a bit, but to me, they always felt a little vanilla, with Ike as my main exception. I thought Byleth in particular was a real wet blanket, personality wise

[@Laurmachi]

@@WesDoesGames Byleth I 100% agree with, and I won't say that all of the protags from the previous games were like god's gift on earth. And I do think they are less out there with their personality traits or character traits, like you would see a lot more people recognizing someone like Sain's gigelo like personality as opposed to Lyn's struggles to accept her position in life.

[@WesDoesGames]

@@Laurmachi and I think that's fine for the most part. Alot of times the protagonist needs to be a little mundane so the player can put themselves in their shoes, and not draw too much away from the goofy / over the top characters

[@RaidenKaiser]

Engage would of actually earned the good gameplay reputation if the good enemy ai wasn't locked behind maddening where unit balance is attrociously bad. You wanna enjoy fun enemies but you get railroaded into benching fun characters for the generic ones it's kinda awful. Like if they had a hard or normal+ where enemy ai functions like maddening but without the inflated stats then engage would of been a good game.

[@magusi9029]

3houses unlocked camera in battles and battle mechanics were more interesting then the Emblem Rings. Engage using the map locations with characters positions was great and playing more like fates combat is not a bad thing. Still feel 3houses battle design was better though.

[@massaosaito4084]

Gods, Engange art-style is even cringer than the lyrics of that openning, 90% of the units look ridiculous. Yes, I know Camilla exists, but she is tame compare to many chars in Engage

[@Yoshixandir]

Fates had tropes but engage they really dialed up where it becomes annoying and cringe. Camilla is also ridiculous however at least she was important in her game majority of engage cast are unmemorable and they really don’t grow as much

[@ryxan6968]

If I could choose one thing for the Fire Emblem series (or all Nintendo Games), than for the love of Mila rerelease the older Games on modern consols, I want to buy them legally and not to download ROMs on my PC just to play them and not just behaid a mothly paid service and the originaly Japan only games should be translated to at least English and be rerelased world wide. (Maby I am still griving about my 3DS just broke and 3 months befor that my copy of Echoes broke to😭)

[@WesDoesGames]

Exactly! I would love a legal way to play PoR and RD without needing to bust out the wii

[@ryxan6968]

@@WesDoesGames fuck Nintendo I want to give them money for there games, they don't want to sell them and law wise we are on the losing side, because to experience there art, we have do use illegal work arounds🤬

[@kekidakid]

I dislike how the Somniel tried to be Garrec Mach and the Homebase from Fates: while yes, the game was originally made as an anniversary game and that would be why they try to combine both into an amalgamation that ultimately doesn't work. I feel like they should have strayed away from that entirely.

[@WesDoesGames]

What would you have done?

[@kekidakid]

@@WesDoesGamesIn my opinion, do what the GBA games did and make the entire game's levels back to back, with paralogues being Gaiden levels from the GBA games with an option to do so. Also in my opinion the Paralogues have the issue of feeling a bit random on why you fight the Emblem, even though it would make sense more to have fought the dark emblems (the emblems based off FE villains) and also to introduce them so they don't feel out of place in the endgame.

[@Laurmachi]

Something that I feel is incredibly off putting for me personally is how the game handles LGBT representation. We have characters that are very obviously into other characters, or have supports that lead up to that, but if you aren't with Alear you just straight up don't have an ending with anyone. And paired endings have been in a majority of Fire Emblem games, even ones like Three Houses and Sacred Stones which have nothing to do with offspring.

[@WesDoesGames]

I miss paired endings too, but that ties into the whole marriage mechanic that was totally downgraded for Three Houses / Engage. Half the fun of Awakening / Fates was the dating Sim mechanic afterall

[@RLCguy]

What does that have to do with LGBT representation, though? That issue affects everyone. No S-supports or paired endings sucks the fun out of Engage

[@Yoshixandir]

@@RLCguytrue whether your straight or gay your support ending unless your with alear is boring

[@dustthewolf7841]

I like how well our FE: crushes line up LOL

[@WesDoesGames]

Fellow man of taste

[@manicanime7070]

Ok the 311 joke was top tier

[@WesDoesGames]

Finally a person of culture

[@LunaPPK]

Ok FE games have been "something" when it comes to voice acting but what the actual fuck is the acting in this one did everyone do this over phone?

[@WesDoesGames]

LOL

[@LunaPPK]

@@WesDoesGames I mean its a honest question how did we go from 3houses to whatever that was

[@wolfranger5526]

Yeah this entire game feels like a 4 kids dub.

[@TheAurgelmir]

The characters in Engage are so shallow some of them even share a personality. Alfred and Etie comes to mind. Clanne and Framme too. This is what happens when you create characters that are just there to be playing pieces. Most of them have no story outside of the main story. No motivations that truly drives them in the story. Three Houses manages to have deep interconnected backstories between characters, that made gaining supports feel fun. And, did anyone in Three Houses share a personality? Even similar ones had different reasons for being who they were. Bernadetta and Marianna for instance were both reclusive, but in different ways for different reasons.

[@Scitch-et4vk]

Good video ! I love long videos like this ❤ . Subscribed dude

[@WesDoesGames]

Thanks friend

[@pandabanaan9208]

uhm actually yunaka has like 25 magic growth wich becomes 40 in a flier class other then wyvern and can go up to 50 or 55 in actual magic classes so she doesn't have bad magic🤓

[@manicanime7070]

Arnt Anna and jean just the best magic classes in the game

[@pandabanaan9208]

@@manicanime7070 this wasn't really about wether or not yunaka has the best magic just that her magic is a lot better then you would assume

[@manicanime7070]

Did you for get to mention that Louis like "watching people"

[@WesDoesGames]

I can easily spend another two hours talking about all the other sketchy characters lol

[@abicrystalwing1543]

What's funny about the wishing well thing and wyvern minigame is that they weren't there on launch, they came out with the dlc. I had already finished my first playthrough of the game before any of the dlc updates came out. So when I started my second playthrough I felt like a fucking idiot because I'd I never noticed the well and wyvern game before and they suddenly appeared. And then I quickly realized it was a dlc thing.

[@WesDoesGames]

I'm waiting for any possible new dlc before doing a replay for that reason 😅

[@stevee.oneder891]

This game is a cringey cheesefest and it doesn’t exist to me

[@WesDoesGames]

Sadness. Hopefully the next FE will retain the mechanics but have a better story

[@Yoshixandir]

⁠@@WesDoesGamessame. It’s ironic how un engaging engage is. The story is bland. Fates story is bad but I can at least mention it but engage it’s so boring. I like your interpretation of its more entertaining lol. It’s kinda of sad that if the next fire emblem game has engage gameplay with a better story and characters there’s no reason to go back to this game

[@GabeNwagbala]

Great video but did you mention the NOA Treehouse translate?

[@WesDoesGames]

No, what's that?

[@GabeNwagbala]

@@WesDoesGames Nintendo of America treehouse and censorship?

[@WesDoesGames]

No, I'm unfamiliar with that...?

[@GabeNwagbala]

@@WesDoesGames The game was censored any dialogue with underage characters have BFF Dialogue and platonic relationship

[@WesDoesGames]

@@GabeNwagbala ohhh yes I kinda remember this now because of Anna. That might be a good topic for a new video

[@dimitripatronas2409]

28:10 what about Birthright? She lives there.

[@TheCayDawg]

I'm confident that Engage isn't meant to be indicitive of what's to come and I went into it with that in mind which helped me really just sit back and enjoy, though I know not everyone can do that or feels the same way. I think as an anniversary game it does its job nicely and I can recognize this was a sidestep for the series, not necessarily a major step forward.

[@WesDoesGames]

I think that's a positive way to look at it, and I really hope you're right. I went back and played Fates recently and even that one looks like Shakespeare next to Engage's story

[@svenseike4496]

most of the battles are ok-ish. The whole Socialice falls a little flat but thats because you have to much followers to talk to. Just start with easy, figure your favorite fighters out and then go for higher difficulty...

[@lilylove8267]

Nice retrospective! Subscribed

[@WesDoesGames]

Thanks friend!

[@bernard12324]

Bro this game story is so ASS but you made it bearable. Def gained a sub you are top quality

[@WesDoesGames]

That makes my day!

[@Gligar1]

I hate the intro to this video because it implies recycling assets and iterating on game design is a bad thing. It's a bad thing if it's in lieu of making an actual new game i.e. any sports game released by EA in the past idk how long. These are all fully fledged games with unique stories (some of them good some of them bad), varied map designs, new characters and often new concepts or bringing back old concepts that hadn't been revisited. Sacred Stones for instance has way less to do with FE7 than FE7 has to do with FE6. Is FE7 the half-assed successor? FE8 brings back an overworld, a postgame, monster enemies, introduces branching promotions and tells a much darker story than FE7/6 did. Other than FE9/10 and FE11/FE12, which are sequels, none of these are very similar games. They really just have a similar engine/art style. Even then FE10 is a fairly ambitious game in a lot of ways. It fails at some points and succeeds at others. For example, how your army is split in RD is a very unique experience and generally isn't similar to anything before it in fire emblem. Allies come and go frequently and your entire party changes at times even in the middle of parts. My point here mostly is a lot of the games that you put on half-assed side of the spectrum aren't half-assed. Overall this is just a lazy and half-assed fabricated observation that doesn't exist.

[@danielpatrick77]

Hearing you say blasphemy about Radiant Dawn discredits this video for me my guy

[@Aronia55]

How they managed to make pretty boy Marth, arguably the face of the whole franchise, look so butt-ugly is beyond me.

[@elijahsanders7362]

Supports give big stat bonuses for standing next to supported units

[@TheBrimfire]

why do i just wish for Awakening oder Sacred Stones

[@boredclips7263]

How can you pronounce the names wrong when they're said in the game 😆

[@WesDoesGames]

Life uh uh uh uh.... finds a way

[@samflood5631]

Here are my ideas for better new Fire Emblem Games 1. Fire Emblem Crusade (based off of the Third Crusade). Avatar: Sam (male and female) a knight from a secret organization known as the Star Knights meant to slay anyone who would dare invade the Holy Isle Continent. World: Paradisa, a world split into three continents. the Holy Isle (Jewish) in the south. The continent of Fourath in the West, home to the four kingdoms of Britannia (British), Orleania (French), Burgas (German) and Inquisitoria (Spainish) The Eastern Continent of Arcadia, home to the Allahian Caliphate (Arabic). Story: the Allahian Caliphate has taken the holy city of the Holy Isle and the Four Kingdoms put aside their differences and formed a crusade to reclaim the Holy Isle. 2. Fire Emblem Revolution (based off of the French Revolution). Avatar: Julie (male and female), a former soldier of the Versallian Empire who was framed for the murder of a noble and now joined the Revolution against the aristocracy system that supports the empire. World: Industria, a western continent divided into 4 countries. The Versallian Empire (French) in the center, the island Kingdom of Victoria (English) in the west, the grand duchy of Riveria (Austrian) the east and the Prince ruled city states of Merchantina (German) in the south. Story: the people of the empire has suffered enough from the taxation, cruelty and neglect of Emperor Maximilian and his Court of Aristocrats. They decided to form a revolution and swore to take down the corrupt monarchy. 3. Fire Emblem Horde (based off of the Mongolian Invasion). Avatar: Makoto (male and female), the foster child and nephew of the Shogun of Yamato. World: Isekai, an eastern continent split into various nations, the Khan Horde (Mongolian), the Kingdom of Shiva (Indian), the Kingdom of Tae (Korean) the Principalities of Vladimir, Moscow, Kiev and Novograd (Russian) the Zodiac Empire (Chinese) and the Shogunate of Yamato (Japanese). Story: the Khan Horde has launched a military campaign to conquer the continent if Isekai, only Yamato is the last line of defense against the horde. 4. Fire Emblem New World (Based off of the colonial era of the 1600s). Avatar: Eli (male and female), child of Lord Ezio, ruler of one of the city states of Merchantia. World: Exploria, a world split into two continents. West is Savagi, home to the various native tribes that inhabit those lands. East is Columbia, a land split into various nations, the City States of Merchantia (Italian), the Cortezian Empire (Spain), the kingdom of Elizabeth (British) and the Kingdom of Emilia (French). Story, the four nations have set out on a competition to see how can conquer Savagi first, with little realizing that they’ve set foot in something much more dangerous, something that’s been imprisoned for years.

[@dimitripatronas2409]

I see Golden Sun I express my love ❤

[@pandabanaan9208]

To be fair making a ton of generic minibosses was much easier early on, back then all they needed was one new portrait and a not that complex model in the case of the 3d games, now they require a new voice actor and usually a new model(unless it's three houses were they sometimes just give generic models to characters like myson and baron dominic), though I think they might have done this on purpose, like fighting a rival over and over might have been a cool idea, though similar to hubert adn the death knight they take it a little too far Also wow three hopes really just got ignored by a lot of people because there is a good chunk of stuff that game did that gets attributed to engage like how the protagonist talks and has a personality or that they made the hubworld a lot better from 3 houses, for this one specifically it was also were byleth spoke for the first time in a story, like I know warriors games aren't everyone's cup of tea but that game really just was forgotten about

[@WesDoesGames]

I know alot of people that like Three Hopes, I just don't like the Dynasty Warriors format personally

[@pandabanaan9208]

@@WesDoesGames yeah I can see why people wouldn't like them but I feel three hopes made a lot of good changes that it doesn't get credit for

[@emperortgp2424]

19:04 You definitely pronounced her name as something other than "Hoortensia" 😉

[@WesDoesGames]

😅

[@elise6894]

25:39 that’s wrong Anna doesn’t appear in fe 2 or its remake echoes

[@elise6894]

28:08 it’s called birthright

[@thenecromancer8805]

*Honestly, the nicest way I can put this is that Engage was an atrocity to writing.* 1. The Story Always Matters 2. The Characters Always Matter 3. The Gameplay Always Matters *None of these things can be ignored, else the others simply do not matter.* 1. Anime tropes are notorious for being low effort corporate garbage 2. Nintendo is notorious for being a low effort corporate company 3. IS is notorious for its low effort writing, with its best titles in the past ten years written by other devs given the lead for the game development. 4. Gotcha (gambling) mechanics have no place in gaming *So honestly I put no faith in any future titles led by IS or with strong oversight by Nintendo like Engage was.*

[@thenecromancer8805]

The "gameplay" praise is overrated. 1. The Break Mechanic makes the game so much more offensive focused due to the nonsense disarming. (This made counter-attacking and defense far less important, adding to the notorious movement meta of recent games. It should have been an assassin exclusive skill.) 2. The rings just create hybrid classes with super powers. (Cool something new, as FE does need to abandon the strict class system. Though far too anime, and the game had less weapons and classes than the past 8 FE games.) FE Engage took out far more than it added to the game, it comes off as very low effort because it was. The devs even admitted in the interviews the games whole purpose was to get people to go play FE:Heroes.

[@fluffystagbeetle4526]

@@thenecromancer8805 Lol they never said that. Heroes exists as a marketing and branding thing. The game makes a lot of money but even if it wasnt theyd keep it around cause it holds people over in between mainline releases. They said it was intended for a different audience than TH though if thats what you mean which is heavily out of context. Also Nintendo is low effort? They consistently have the highest bar of quality in AAA gaming adn its not even close, what an absurd take lol. BTW, Break mechanic is great. Offensive focused game is way better than an enemy phase focused game, thats why Thracia is so well liked.

[@d.d.vignali4419]

😂 I'm sorry, did you just say Alcryst prostates himself? I know you meant prostrate, but still funny.

[@WesDoesGames]

I had a hard time not accidentally saying "prostitute" 😅

[@FidensLibertas]

that part at the end where you suggest Yunaka shouldn't be a Pegasus Knight due to her poor magic is probably the stupidest thing you said in this whole video. the Pegasus Knight class doesn't even use magic so why would a character with a low magic stat be bad as a Pegasus Knight. if anything Yunaka's stats are actually good for a Pegasus Knight.

[@WesDoesGames]

Not true, I'm sure I said stupider things than that

[@tristennorris3725]

I really agree with you belief of fire emblem in future

[@tristennorris3725]

Yeah I really hope heck this game was in development over 7 years

[@RhoVabien]

ngl man, I find this review more like a recap of a terrible story ( I got so bored that I skipped to near the end of the video) I get the feeling that you actually like the story, that makes me question severely your taste, not because I disliked it but because it is bad and thats a fact you have a good voice and some good jokes, so good work there

[@darkionexar7538]

The only thing that I'm not ok with in this video is the you don't get that many likes as you deserved.

[@WesDoesGames]

Thanks friend

[@z.4642]

I really like FE Engage it was such a fresh new take. It made a game in where it specializes in and delivered it. Sure the characters are dysfunctional and incoherent but that is exactly the charm of the characters. I don't need all of my characters to be an edgy warlord doing warcrimes all the time, sometimes I iust want my characters to be on a fun journey no matter how stupid they might act.