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Fire Emblem Engage just received a new trailer courtesy of publisher Nintendo. The upcoming entry is the most polished that the acclaimed tactical RPG series has ever seen. To compliment this, the latest footage sheds new light on what players can expect from the title.
From third-person exploration and inventory management, to activties with your battle partners and even brand new minigames, there seems to be a lot to do for players. Here's an overview of everything that was unveiled.
The hub area of Somniel will be where players spend time outside of battles in Fire Emblem Engage
Somniel is the name given to the flying fortress where the Divine Dragon resides - the protagonist of Fire Emblem Engage. This sprawling castle, surrounded by various amenities and areas, forms a crucial base of operations where players can take a breather before heading into combat.
The entire place is divided into several sections. Here's a look at what some of them feature:
- Plaza: Located centrally in Somniel, this includes wares that players can access. These include an armory (to get new weapons) and item shop (to buy consumables). Like previous entries, all playable characters fall under specifc classes and as such, they resonate with specific weapons. Being updated with the best gear and ample healing supplies is important to survive the harsh battles to come.
- Ring Chamber: This is where the player's Emblem Rings will be located. In short, they are equippables that allow summoning key characters from other games in the series. This includes Lyn from the 2005 entry Fire Emblem for the Game Boy Advance (also known as Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade in Japan). These summons will help players in battle by boosting their attacks and fighting alongside them. This place is also where new Bond Rings can be created (seemingly in a gacha-like system) and new skills can be inherited. Speaking of the latter, new ones will be unlocked as the player's bond with the Emblems deepens.
- Arena: Don't feel confident about your combat skills? Enter the Arena to initiate practice battles.
- Tower of Trials: Participate in challenge maps and trials to earn rewards by testing your skills in the challenging grid-driven, turn-based combat. Players can even create their own battle maps and share them with others online.
Develop relatonships with your teammates
Throughout their adventures, players will encounter a variety of NPCs, and some may even end up under their wing. As such, gamers can get to know them better, as has been the series' tradition. This can be done by:
- Talking with them: Get to know them on a personal level.
- Visit the cafe: One of the many areas in Somniel includes a calf where players can consume meals with their friends. They can assign meals by providing ingredients and each meal boosts different stats and can appeal (or not) to different characters. This is a good opportunity to gain the upper hand in the upcomng battle.
- Gifting: Various items found via exploration or on adventures that can be gifted to your teammates. As with food, each person has their own likes and dislikes towards the gift, and this can open up new ways to learn more about them.
Miscellaneous activities
That's not all, there is a lot more to do and see in Somniel. This includes:
- Taking care of rescued animals at the Farmyard. There is also an odd mysterious pet at the location that will reward the player if cared for well.
- Going shopping at the Boutique. Purchase accesories and cosmetics to personalize your main character and allies.
- Engage in minigames at the training yard to temporarily boost stats by working out.
- Rest in your private room's bed to restore strength and pass time.
Fishing allows catching a variety of aquatic goodness while fortune telling is another distraction to engage in. There also seems to be a real-time dragon-flight minigame where players can engage in on-rails segments to score points.
As is the norm with many Nintendo games, Fire Emblem Engage will feature Amiibo support. These are NPC-driven collectibles and using them on the Nintendo Switch's NFC reader while at a specific location will reward players with in-game items.
Using the Amiibo related to the Emblem in the game will unlock their costumes for use and music to listen to of the Fire Emblem game they originate from.
Fire Emblem Engage will be released on January 20, 2023, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
