StarTopic Strategy Games |ST| Romance of the Unicorn Tactica

[Bonejack]

Finally managed to finish FE Engage. When I say "finish", I mean the story. There's 11 Paralogues, 5 Divine Paralogues, and all 6 Xenologues I haven't done. But I'm done with the game for now. I might return to clean up in the lead-up to the next FE.

Engage has me torn. As far as gameplay goes, I mostly liked what I saw. The last few chapters dragged on forever, though, with endless reinforcements that only served to drag it out longer, and I just wanted to be done with it, which is never a good sign. Mostly just rushed for the objective and preyed I'd have enough units left to finish it off.

Don't get me started on whatever that story is supposed to be, because I feel it doesn't even work all that well as an anniversary throwaway Avengers-style affair.

God, the fucking reinforcements coming from 360° ... man.

It's like IS asked themselves "How could we add challenge?!" and instead of "better mission design" they took inspiraton from the most "difficult" FEH maps and said "ENDLESS REINFORCEMENTS!".
And the insult on this injury is that they're not giving any notable EXP or other reward, like the skillpoints you need for skill inheritence from the Rings.
They simply exist to piss you off.

Personally, i'm also not too hot on Engages missions/chapters. The maps are promising, with some annoying stuff that should never return ... at least not in the amount like in Engage.

That's why i hope the next new mainline FE game is done with KT together again.
Having three (actually 4) routes ended up hurting the game in terms of maps and mission design, but i feel like KT brought in better ideas than what Engage had.

For example, i like the Battalion system more than the Engage Rings. They never felt like they made units broken and were limited in use, but they definitely helped edging out a victory for fights that your unit would've lost without them.

 

[SammyJ9]

My biggest hope for a new Fire Emblem is that they go back to Three Houses-style unit upgrading trees and leveling. I really, really don’t like the “level 20 is cap, promote once into an advanced unit” system. It just made me super anxious wondering if I was upgrading at the right time, if I would screw myself over later if I promoted too early or too late, and so on. Just leveling up normally with no level caps or resets fixed this issue completely in Three Houses. I also greatly prefer having 3-4 promotions per unit over the course of the game, it really helps with a sense of progression and “power up” feel.

 

[MissingNo.]

My biggest hope for a new Fire Emblem is that they go back to Three Houses-style unit upgrading trees and leveling. I really, really don’t like the “level 20 is cap, promote once into an advanced unit” system. It just made me super anxious wondering if I was upgrading at the right time, if I would screw myself over later if I promoted too early or too late, and so on. Just leveling up normally with no level caps or resets fixed this issue completely in Three Houses. I also greatly prefer having 3-4 promotions per unit over the course of the game, it really helps with a sense of progression and “power up” feel.

See, I couldn't tell you if it's related to how leveling works in Engage vs Three Houses, but in the latter I loved experimenting with different classes, and in the former I just kind of went with whatever was the apparent clear-cut promotion for every given unit. I didn't even experiment a whole lot with the Rings, or really bothered with inheriting Emblem skills or anything either.

The more I think about it, the less I have managed to connect with whatever it is Engage was trying to peddle on a game system level. So I hope the next one will be closer to Three Houses again. It doesn't need to have umpteen different routes, but progression felt more meaningful there than it ever did in Engage.

 

[Metroid]

My biggest hope for a new Fire Emblem is that they go back to Three Houses-style unit upgrading trees and leveling. I really, really don’t like the “level 20 is cap, promote once into an advanced unit” system. It just made me super anxious wondering if I was upgrading at the right time, if I would screw myself over later if I promoted too early or too late, and so on. Just leveling up normally with no level caps or resets fixed this issue completely in Three Houses. I also greatly prefer having 3-4 promotions per unit over the course of the game, it really helps with a sense of progression and “power up” feel.

Now I gotta mostly disagree with this since this is unique to Three Houses and I want it to mostly stay unique... but as for the bolded, you're gonna enjoy parts of Radiant Dawn if it ever gets ported.

 

[SammyJ9]

Now I gotta mostly disagree with this since this is unique to Three Houses and I want it to mostly stay unique... but as for the bolded, you're gonna enjoy parts of Radiant Dawn if it ever gets ported.

I don't necessarily think that the teaching/skill teaching/total character customization elements of Three Houses need to return (although I would love it if they did!) - I just dislike the levels capping at 20 and resetting to 1 when you promote. I think I'd mind it a lot less if the game just gave you an "overall" level number, and made it much more clear when you should promote or when it's most efficient to do so, or something. Like, if you're a level 5 Assassin, but your overall character level is 23, for example. Which could just be me! It's something that has bugged me about every non-Three Houses FE game, for whatever reason. Just a pet peeve.

 

[MissingNo.]

So I wanted to play something else after finishing Engage, but I'm now incredibly tempted to play Front Mission 1st. So I think I'm gonna do just that.

This is going to be my first time playing Front Mission, so I'm quite excited. I know it's completely unrelated, but after having enjoyed Armored Core VI a lot earlier this year, I really dig the idea of playing a mecha strategy game that kind of has a similar vibe from what I've seen.

 

[PixelKnight]

So I wanted to play something else after finishing Engage, but I'm now incredibly tempted to play Front Mission 1st. So I think I'm gonna do just that.

This is going to be my first time playing Front Mission, so I'm quite excited. I know it's completely unrelated, but after having enjoyed Armored Core VI a lot earlier this year, I really dig the idea of playing a mecha strategy game that kind of has a similar vibe from what I've seen.

It’s a great series. I think FM3 is more accessible to new players than 1/2 but the combat system is both unique and pretty easy to grasp- you’re just balancing hp loss across the parts of each unit, while trying to knock out the core of the enemy. But its strategy is in knowing when you’ve incapacitated the enemy enough to focus elsewhere, so if a melee mech is coming in and you’ve been lucky enough to disable its main melee weapon arm, it’s now way less of a threat than one with a long range rifle that’s had its legs reduced to movement 1, something that obviously doesn’t impact it to anywhere near the same degree. Capitalising on those opportunities when they come up is the creative side of it- sometimes you don’t know what you can exploit until a ton of random damage leaves a few enemy mechs with parts barely hanging on

 

[Hailinel]

Finally managed to finish FE Engage. When I say "finish", I mean the story. There's 11 Paralogues, 5 Divine Paralogues, and all 6 Xenologues I haven't done. But I'm done with the game for now. I might return to clean up in the lead-up to the next FE.

Engage has me torn. As far as gameplay goes, I mostly liked what I saw. The last few chapters dragged on forever, though, with endless reinforcements that only served to drag it out longer, and I just wanted to be done with it, which is never a good sign. Mostly just rushed for the objective and prayed I'd have enough units left to finish it off.

Don't get me started on whatever that story is supposed to be, because I feel it doesn't even work all that well as an anniversary throwaway Avengers-style affair.

I agree that the gameplay in Engage is fantastic, but the story is a nothing afterthought. I don't mind that it strove for a lighter tone comparatively as an anniversary celebration title, but the story is almost non-existent and the few plot beats that do hit hard are done in by having to hold up something barely worth holding.

 

[PixelKnight]

I agree that the gameplay in Engage is fantastic, but the story is a nothing afterthought. I don't mind that it strove for a lighter tone comparatively as an anniversary celebration title, but the story is almost non-existent and the few plot beats that do hit hard are done in by having to hold up something barely worth holding.

Absolutely. It’s possible to have a story that’s relatively lighthearted, straightforward or both in tone, but is still engaging. Which FE Engage, somewhat ironically, doesn’t manage very well.

 

[MissingNo.]

I agree that the gameplay in Engage is fantastic, but the story is a nothing afterthought. I don't mind that it strove for a lighter tone comparatively as an anniversary celebration title, but the story is almost non-existent and the few plot beats that do hit hard are done in by having to hold up something barely worth holding.

Yeah. I don’t care that much for story in video games, but this one was just so forgettable that it stood out to me.

I fully agree with @PixelKnight here. Stories, regardless of whether they are light-hearted or darker in tone, can be kind of mid but still have you somewhat invested, be it through character dynamics or otherwise, but Engage did nothing to that effect, either.

 

[Hailinel]

Absolutely. It’s possible to have a story that’s relatively lighthearted, straightforward or both in tone, but is still engaging. Which FE Engage, somewhat ironically, doesn’t manage very well.

It really didn't help that (as a list of things I found bothersome):

Spoiler: General spoilers.

1. The first two times Alear confronts Sombron, it's just a quick moment where the rings are taken away.
2. The Four Hounds are the only significant secondary villains and keep showing up everywhere like Team Rocket.
3. The motivations and connections between the Four Hounds feel extremely contrived. Zephia comes to her final revelations years too late.
4. The Emblems keep challenging Alear to battles to the death.
5. The fate of the continent is decided by like twenty people constantly fighting each other.
6. Some of the CG cutscene framing is just awful. Expansive environments where only Alear, the four royal heirs, and the relevant baddies are present.
7. Some of the characters are the literal embodiment of what people have complained about for years. (i.e. Framme and Clanne's worshiping the avatar as a central character trait.)

 

[PixelKnight]

It really didn't help that (as a list of things I found bothersome):

Spoiler: General spoilers.

1. The first two times Alear confronts Sombron, it's just a quick moment where the rings are taken away.
2. The Four Hounds are the only significant secondary villains and keep showing up everywhere like Team Rocket.
3. The motivations and connections between the Four Hounds feel extremely contrived. Zephia comes to her final revelations years too late.
4. The Emblems keep challenging Alear to battles to the death.
5. The fate of the continent is decided by like twenty people constantly fighting each other.
6. Some of the CG cutscene framing is just awful. Expansive environments where only Alear, the four royal heirs, and the relevant baddies are present.
7. Some of the characters are the literal embodiment of what people have complained about for years. (i.e. Framme and Clanne's worshiping the avatar as a central character trait.)

Yeah, all of those. For me it was the cut scenes where they consistently are confronting the villains, but the force, a whole army of multiple nations, is reduced to half a dozen of its leaders standing in a line, routinely shocked by what’s going on or just going ‘Nooo’ in despair. As if they aren’t in the right place in the right time to act, with a whole force of the best knights and archers and mages on the continent, led by their dragon god and accompanied by the emblems of their greatest mythic heroes. For me all it would have taken is them even at just one point to be mildly genre savvy and interrupt the villain monologues by just charging in and wrecking face. But no, they all just stand there and watch the plot unfold as if they aren’t allowed to do anything at all.

 

[Hailinel]

Yeah, all of those. For me it was the cut scenes where they consistently are confronting the villains, but the force, a whole army of multiple nations, is reduced to half a dozen of its leaders standing in a line, routinely shocked by what’s going on or just going ‘Nooo’ in despair. As if they aren’t in the right place in the right time to act, with a whole force of the best knights and archers and mages on the continent, led by their dragon god and accompanied by the emblems of their greatest mythic heroes. For me all it would have taken is them even at just one point to be mildly genre savvy and interrupt the villain monologues by just charging in and wrecking face. But no, they all just stand there and watch the plot unfold as if they aren’t allowed to do anything at all.

It's a shame, because Engage does have some fun and interesting characters, but they're all held back by the plot, and the support building is an insane grind by FE standards, so it takes forever to see everyone's conversations.

 

[rickyson33]

Forgot to give an update on my Engage playthrough. I've done Chapters 21 and 22 over the weekend, and yeah... It's safe to say I'm purely playing this for the gameplay.

To weigh in on the FE difficulty talk, personally I can't really be bothered to go classic/hard anymore. Battles take long enough as is, and I'd hate to have to restart an hour long map because I messed up and lost a unit halfway through. If encounters were shorter overall, I'd probably still go for it.

The older I get and the less free time I have, the more I gravitate towards easier difficulties. So normal/casual it is for me.

I feel the opposite personally

I usually gravitate towards normal modes on games but between the rewind features modern games in the series have and just being more familiar with the series in general after playing a bunch of them I never go below hard at this point

 

[rickyson33]

I don't necessarily think that the teaching/skill teaching/total character customization elements of Three Houses need to return (although I would love it if they did!) - I just dislike the levels capping at 20 and resetting to 1 when you promote. I think I'd mind it a lot less if the game just gave you an "overall" level number, and made it much more clear when you should promote or when it's most efficient to do so, or something. Like, if you're a level 5 Assassin, but your overall character level is 23, for example. Which could just be me! It's something that has bugged me about every non-Three Houses FE game, for whatever reason. Just a pet peeve.

an overall number would probably be pretty easy to add too since the game already internally tracks that for experience gain purposes

not having that visible is more of a stylistic choice than anything else at this point, perhaps there could even be a toggle for it in the options if enough people don't want another number on the interface that would ultimately be pretty meaningless in actual function, this series already has a long history of having options for what information is visible on the interface as it is after all

 

[MissingNo.]

I feel the opposite personally

I usually gravitate towards normal modes on games but between the rewind features modern games in the series have and just being more familiar with the series in general after playing a bunch of them I never go below hard at this point

Rewind is great for accessibility, but in my experience it has more value as a quick "re-do last move/turn" kind of affair, where you realize only after you finish your turn that you should have positioned this one unit differently, or for when you accidentally hit A on "wait" instead of "attack". When a battle goes sideways, I usually find myself restarting the entire battle to reassess my approach.

It's great that a lot of modern strategy games have a variety of accessibility tools and offer different ways to fine-tune the experience to a degree you feel comfortable with.

 

[big lantern ghost]

I have AoE IV locked and loaded but haven't found the right time to get into it! I have Game Pass another month so I'm sure I'll squeeze it in.

I actually came in with an AoE II-related question I hoped someone could field. What's the building that has the sound effect of someone like trilling/rolling an "R" in a musical way when you click on it? Like b-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-a-a-a-p!

 

[MissingNo.]

I have AoE IV locked and loaded but haven't found the right time to get into it! I have Game Pass another month so I'm sure I'll squeeze it in.

I actually came in with an AoE II-related question I hoped someone could field. What's the building that has the sound effect of someone like trilling/rolling an "R" in a musical way when you click on it? Like b-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-a-a-a-p!

I forget what it's called, but isn't it the one where you can build archery units?

Edit: It's called Archery Range, duh.

 

[Hailinel]

Engage's approach to rewinding is a little odd, compared to the other games that used it. On Normal, you can rewind as much as you want once you have it, and Hard gives you ten, which should be more than enough for most battles assuming you're prepared. You don't have to upgrade the number of uses or anything like that.

Spoiler

Except that one chapter that takes it away from you.

 

[PixelKnight]

It's a shame, because Engage does have some fun and interesting characters, but they're all held back by the plot, and the support building is an insane grind by FE standards, so it takes forever to see everyone's conversations.

Yeah, that’s true, I remember saying at the time that there’s some sparkling writing in the support conversations that are way better than the main plot, which is just really odd when the main story cut scenes are just so dull.

 

[Hailinel]

Yeah, that’s true, I remember saying at the time that there’s some sparkling writing in the support conversations that are way better than the main plot, which is just really odd when the main story cut scenes are just so dull.

I know that the expectation is that with Engage as the new game, it will clean up in CYL in January, and the cast will probably get a lot of higher placements. I just can't envision a clean sweep like the Three Houses cast pulled the CYL after its release. I could actually see Three Houses still get multiple winners.

Not because the Engage cast is bad, but Engage's story doesn't let anyone really shine and the best moments for them all are in supports.

 

[SammyJ9]

Rewind is great for accessibility, but in my experience it has more value as a quick "re-do last move/turn" kind of affair, where you realize only after you finish your turn that you should have positioned this one unit differently, or for when you accidentally hit A on "wait" instead of "attack". When a battle goes sideways, I usually find myself restarting the entire battle to reassess my approach.

It's great that a lot of modern strategy games have a variety of accessibility tools and offer different ways to fine-tune the experience to a degree you feel comfortable with.

For me, I usually like to play on whatever the difficulty between Normal and the highest difficulty is, so usually Hard. Applies to most every game, really, although it will vary some. For Three Houses, Classic Hard felt really good - maybe veering toward a bit easy at times but overall I really like it. Whereas for Engage, Classic Hard often felt close to being too difficult (this is for a deathless run, mind). Particularly for some of the second-half fights with the absurd reinforcements

 

[MissingNo.]

I've been playing some FM1st last night, and right off the bat, I really like the Wanzer customization. It feels very basic for now, but I'm only four missions in, so it's probably gonna open up to some degree. Still, I feel like I'll be spending a lot of time upgrading those Wanzers mission after mission. Not sure how I want to set them all up, but since it seems to be very flexible, I guess I'll experiment for a while until I find something that sticks. Experimenting with different builds was a big part of why I enjoyed Armored Core VI as much as I did, so this seems right up my alley.

Coming from Engage, I just love the simplicity of a SNES era SRPG. No long cutscenes to sit through, everything between missions is handled in menus. No faffing about in this one. The missions have been on the shorter side so far, which I also enjoy. And the soundtrack is rather nice so far as well.

Am I correct in assuming that the Arena is pretty much the only way to level up characters outside of missions? If so, I can see how that might become a bit tedious, but I'm not averse to grinding those for a while whenever I feel like I have to. Which I already did to be able to afford some much needed upgrades for the entire squad.

 

[shoptroll]

Am I correct in assuming that the Arena is pretty much the only way to level up characters outside of missions? If so, I can see how that might become a bit tedious, but I'm not averse to grinding those for a while whenever I feel like I have to. Which I already did to be able to afford some much needed upgrades for the entire squad.

Yeah, there’s no other way to really grind. That said, IIRC it’s a fairly slow way to level so I would just get the cash you need and then move on.

 

[MissingNo.]

Yeah, there’s no other way to really grind. That said, IIRC it’s a fairly slow way to level so I would just get the cash you need and then move on.

Double checked today because I didn't really pay attention to EXP gain while I was grinding for money, and... Yeah, EXP gain is not really high enough to warrant the trouble. It is nice for the moolah, though.

Got mission 8 coming up next, and I'm really enjoying myself so far. Forgot to check back into the city after the last battle, though – or rather, I was baited into the next city, and... You know. Hope I didn't miss any crucial upgrades.

 

[MissingNo.]

Can't stop playing FM1st. I completed mission 11, and it's starting to come together pretty nicely. Skills have started to come into play a bit by now, and they can be quite the game changer.

My team is rather well balanced at the moment, being split between a couple of short, long, and melee specialised ones, with Royd being more of a jack of all trades, and I think I like it this way. The maps are really enjoyable as well so far, and I like that they have legitimate choke points you can hold down with a single unit if you play it smart.

Putting my sick leave to good use.

 

[daiquiri]

Just reached CH8 in Engage. Playing on hard/classic. Quite conflicted

Things that really work for me:
Battle gameplay - Engage system, chain attacks, limited turn rewind etc.
Combat cutaways (well realised enough in 3D to evoke the GBA animations)
Maps - autumnal bridge scenes, crisp village townscapes
Thoughtful & sparing use of pixel art
(Some of) the Somniel e.g. arena, ring making
Bright colours that work with the (broadly) light-hearted tone

Things that really don't:
Outfit choices. Big fan of boobs & pecs in the right context but the cast need a new stylist. It's a lot
Wake up scenes that want to be sex scenes but aren't
Support conversations that revolve around people watching each other. Why?
The rest of the Somniel e.g. exercise QTEs

All of the above means it feels really uneven, but I've enjoyed every battle so far (including paralogues) so will definitely continue

 

[MissingNo.]

I don't know if I'm doing Wanzer building wrong, but at this point they pretty much all have the same body parts and just different weapons attached to them. I don't really feel like there's a lot of value to decking them out in different body parts when you can just find a setup that works for every build without any obvious drawbacks, while adjusting CPUs to amplify their respective strengths. Unless I'm missing something, which I won't rule out. Either way, being able to copy & paste loadouts across different Wanzers would have been a nice QOL addition.

Gotta tackle mission 15 next, and it looks like it's gonna be a big one after all those nice and breezy maps.

 

[Hailinel]

Just reached CH8 in Engage. Playing on hard/classic. Quite conflicted

Things that really work for me:
Battle gameplay - Engage system, chain attacks, limited turn rewind etc.
Combat cutaways (well realised enough in 3D to evoke the GBA animations)
Maps - autumnal bridge scenes, crisp village townscapes
Thoughtful & sparing use of pixel art
(Some of) the Somniel e.g. arena, ring making
Bright colours that work with the (broadly) light-hearted tone

Things that really don't:
Outfit choices. Big fan of boobs & pecs in the right context but the cast need a new stylist. It's a lot
Wake up scenes that want to be sex scenes but aren't
Support conversations that revolve around people watching each other. Why?
The rest of the Somniel e.g. exercise QTEs

All of the above means it feels really uneven, but I've enjoyed every battle so far (including paralogues) so will definitely continue

Louis is a weird guy. Everyone hypes him up because with the right Emblem, he is an early-game god, but his people-watching habit had me eager to drop him as soon as I recruited Jade.

 

[daiquiri]

Louis is a weird guy. Everyone hypes him up because with the right Emblem, he is an early-game god, but his people-watching habit had me eager to drop him as soon as I recruited Jade.

Louis is certainly the main offender

Feel like the wrong connotations could have been avoided with his supports being themed around him just hanging out in the terrace instead, watching the world pass by

Like he's at Somniel Starbucks or something

But even his passive leans into him being creepy

He's useful on a bridge though, that's for sure

 

[Bonejack]

In a game where it's apparently a hobby to watch your "dragon god" while sleeping, which also apparently everyone does, no one has the right to complain if they're being watched by another person.

Good grief ... outside of a few good ones, Engage has prolly the worst cast of characters ever.

 

[daiquiri]

Good grief ... outside of a few good ones, Engage has prolly the worst cast of characters ever.

Have to agree and can't see it improving

 

[Chalphy]

I think Engage has a pretty good cast in the grand scheme of things. It's been years since a Fire Emblem game has had so many characters that are designed outside of the teen-to twenty something range. Just having an older woman in the cast like Saphir is so rare just in general.

 

[Hailinel]

Have to agree and can't see it improving

I wouldn't say that.

People doomed and gloomed for years after Fates despite it being followed by Shadows of Valentia (which reinvented the entire cast visually and greatly expanded on the writing in ways that gave the cast a wide range of personality) and Three Houses (which arguably has the best overall cast in the series).

Engage suffers from a general desire to make an anniversary game with a simplistic plot and cast in service of focusing on franchise nostalgia.

 

[daiquiri]

I wouldn't say that.

I was referring to Engage itself (as I play more of it/story develops), rather than the future of the series as a whole

I agree that there's no reason a new game couldn't bring a more nuanced & interesting set of heroes

Intending to get Three Houses soon

older woman in the cast like Saphir is so rare just in general.

Representation certainly seems better but I don't have a lot to compare it to as I haven't played the series for a long while

 

[MissingNo.]

So Persona 5 Tactica releases next week. Anyone here planning to get it? I will wait for impressions and might check it out on Game Pass before I decide whether I want to get the Switch version on sale. Got enough on my plate for the time being as is.

The next (dated) strategy game release I am personally looking forward to is Unicorn Overlord, but it's still a fair bit off.

 

[SammyJ9]

So Persona 5 Tactica releases next week. Anyone here planning to get it? I will wait for impressions and might check it out on Game Pass before I decide whether I want to get the Switch version on sale. Got enough on my plate for the time being as is.

The next (dated) strategy game release I am personally looking forward to is Unicorn Overlord, but it's still a fair bit off.

I am! It looks pretty cool, even if I’m a little iffy on the artstyle. And it’s more time with the P5 crew, so it should be a fun time even if it isn’t amazing.

 

[MissingNo.]

Some news on the strategy game front, especially for RTS fans: Dune: Spice Wars, which has been available on Steam since September, releases on Xbox Series and Game Pass later this month.

Dune: Spice Wars coming to Xbox Series on November 28

Publisher Funcom and developer Shiro Games will release real-time strategy game Dune: Spice Wars for Xbox Series on November 28, the companies announced. It will also be available via Xbox Game Pas…

www.gematsu.com

 

[meatbag]

especially for RTS fans: Dune: Spice Wars

This game is interesting because it feels like a 4X mashed with an RTS. Thought that was interesting.

 

[Seven]

So Persona 5 Tactica releases next week. Anyone here planning to get it? I will wait for impressions and might check it out on Game Pass before I decide whether I want to get the Switch version on sale. Got enough on my plate for the time being as is.

The next (dated) strategy game release I am personally looking forward to is Unicorn Overlord, but it's still a fair bit off.

I'm getting it, the gameplay looks fun and I love the vibrant artstyle.

 

[PixelKnight]

Normally I’m up for an SRPG but I’ve still got several I want to play, and Persona isn’t exactly a franchise I’m particularly keen on. I’ll likely play Tactics Ogre or Front Mission instead.

 

[MissingNo.]

Today has been really good in terms of strategy game announcements!

Turn-based Tactical Folktale "Howl" announced, out NOW!

Howl is a turn-based tactical folktale set in mediaeval times. A sinister ‘howling plague’ has ravaged the land, turning all who hear it into feral beasts. You play a deaf hero plunging into danger in search of a cure. Use your weapons and your wits to survive, planning up to six steps in...

famiboards.com

 

[blackjack-15]

Howl looks super cool, not gonna lie. I'm always here for more faerie tale/folktale influences in my games.

It's mega-super-stress time for one of my jobs (I work in admissions for pre-college/Gap Year programs), so back to FE3H for my billionth run for some light challenge + stress relief. I'd play FE7 instead, but I played it 4 times back-to-back when it dropped on NSO so I'm trying to stay away for a bit until I have better ideas for a challenge run.

I'm planning on buying Engage as soon as they announce the next FE -- I can't bring myself to do it until then so that in my head I'm rewarding IS for the new game rather than for Engage itself -- but any opinions on if it's actually worth it? I've finished every FE other than 3, 10, and 12, but the character design is just so off-putting, not to mention the 'story' (I spoiled myself and read it up)...but I need more FE . Is there an FE game it reminds you of? Should I bother or just wait for FE4R/FE18?

 

[Bonejack]

Howl looks super cool, not gonna lie. I'm always here for more faerie tale/folktale influences in my games.

It's mega-super-stress time for one of my jobs (I work in admissions for pre-college/Gap Year programs), so back to FE3H for my billionth run for some light challenge + stress relief. I'd play FE7 instead, but I played it 4 times back-to-back when it dropped on NSO so I'm trying to stay away for a bit until I have better ideas for a challenge run.

I'm planning on buying Engage as soon as they announce the next FE -- I can't bring myself to do it until then so that in my head I'm rewarding IS for the new game rather than for Engage itself -- but any opinions on if it's actually worth it? I've finished every FE other than 3, 10, and 12, but the character design is just so off-putting, not to mention the 'story' (I spoiled myself and read it up)...but I need more FE . Is there an FE game it reminds you of? Should I bother or just wait for FE4R/FE18?

Next new mainline FE game, you might wait some good 2-3 years. That will definitely not release on Switch but for Switch 2.

I think i don't exaggerate when i say that the Genealogy remake is bound to be the better game, at least in terms of story (though there are fucked up parts in the OG story) and characters.

If the gameplay ends up your thing or not ... can't judge that. Genealogy featured the biggest maps ever in a FE game, like ... huge maps. Don't really know if the games after that ever matched the size. And outside of QoL additions, IS likely won't change too much from the OG core gameplay, see Echoes.

About Engage, being on Team "Even the gameplay wasn't as good as everyone says", dunno. If you like FE games in general, and if you're able to get it for cheap somewhere you might as well go for it.
If you just want another TRPG or SRPG, and it doesn't have to be exactly the common FE gameplay, you're better off with the many alternatives. Tactics Ogre, Triangle Strategy, Front Mission Remakes and so on. Or the upcoming Unicorn Overlord, which looks fantastic.

Pretty sure IS knows that they really dropped it with Engage. You can see that in FE Heroes ... almost every Engage character added to the game so far is broken beyond fun, and most come with really good skills. They know they have to make them "attractive" because most players won't pull for them on the character alone.

 

[rickyson33]

Howl looks super cool, not gonna lie. I'm always here for more faerie tale/folktale influences in my games.

It's mega-super-stress time for one of my jobs (I work in admissions for pre-college/Gap Year programs), so back to FE3H for my billionth run for some light challenge + stress relief. I'd play FE7 instead, but I played it 4 times back-to-back when it dropped on NSO so I'm trying to stay away for a bit until I have better ideas for a challenge run.

I'm planning on buying Engage as soon as they announce the next FE -- I can't bring myself to do it until then so that in my head I'm rewarding IS for the new game rather than for Engage itself -- but any opinions on if it's actually worth it? I've finished every FE other than 3, 10, and 12, but the character design is just so off-putting, not to mention the 'story' (I spoiled myself and read it up)...but I need more FE . Is there an FE game it reminds you of? Should I bother or just wait for FE4R/FE18?

i've played a decent number of Fire Emblem games over the years myself and personally speaking I enjoyed Engage way more than I enjoyed Three Houses

 

[Metroid]

Howl looks super cool, not gonna lie. I'm always here for more faerie tale/folktale influences in my games.

It's mega-super-stress time for one of my jobs (I work in admissions for pre-college/Gap Year programs), so back to FE3H for my billionth run for some light challenge + stress relief. I'd play FE7 instead, but I played it 4 times back-to-back when it dropped on NSO so I'm trying to stay away for a bit until I have better ideas for a challenge run.

I'm planning on buying Engage as soon as they announce the next FE -- I can't bring myself to do it until then so that in my head I'm rewarding IS for the new game rather than for Engage itself -- but any opinions on if it's actually worth it? I've finished every FE other than 3, 10, and 12, but the character design is just so off-putting, not to mention the 'story' (I spoiled myself and read it up)...but I need more FE . Is there an FE game it reminds you of? Should I bother or just wait for FE4R/FE18?

Throwing my own opinion in, I'd definitely say Engage is worth it if you're the type to try to play challenge runs. It's super rewarding to play. Every map is perfectly tuned and every character has a perfect niche to fill in, whether or not you need that niche. The story is definitely a complete afterthought, but if you tune into it like a cartoon explicitly for children, you may at least have some fun with it. If you're still unsure, at the very least, you should still be able to find it for less than full price at this point. I would bank on the next Fire Emblem game, remake or no, coming in 2 years most likely.

 

[daiquiri]

Snip

Very much feel the same as you regarding narrative & character design, but I've enjoyed everything battle related so much that I'm still playing

The wide choice of characters, weapons, emblem pairings, class options etc. make for a really customisable roster

And the battle maps are well designed, in a way that promotes a good push/pull (or advance/retreat) flow of aggression and caution

I vote you give it a go (on sale)

 

[Bonejack]

The wide choice of characters, weapons, emblem pairings, class options etc. make for a really customisable roster

This here is specifically the problem i have with Engage.

On one hand it drowns you in units, on the other hand it's so goddamn stingy with the skill points that it actively discourages building a varied pool of many units and almost screams at you to focus on a few regular units who have the Emblem Rings on them permanently.

It's even impossible to do that on the highest/higher difficulties due to the limited amount of skirmish battles you can do.
But even on Normal/Easy, you would have to grind so much and end up only being able to obtain enough skillpoints for one skill, in form of the best versions of the skills. The lower versions of them are hardly reliably useful, and you get those skills best versions unlocked for use faster by leveling up the Bond Rank with the Emblem Ring that has the skill you would want.

Though even that Bond Rank levelling can become tedious, and the Arena on Somniel being limited to three tries per chapter/skirmish battle is useless too. Especially since the unit you'd want to Bond Rank level can lose the fight and end up with little to no improvements.
I get that they kinda tried to mimic the Arena from earlier games, high risk (your unit can die) but high reward (lots of EXP). But the difference is that the Arena wasn't limited in how often you can use it.

But you kinda also have to grind Bond Ranks, since the weapon proficiencies you need for class promotion are also tied to the Rings. Evenmoreso if you want to have a unit "break out" of the intended promotion path (for example making Timerra a Griffin Knight, as useless a that would be).

Unit building / playing around was much better in Three Houses.

It feels like they weren't sure what they want to do in the end, offer the variety of recent FE games, or be an "anniversary" game and have limited ways like the earlier games had.

And this "We're not sure what we want with this game" is a red line that goes straight through every aspect of Engage.

 

[daiquiri]

And this "We're not sure what we want with this game" is a red line that goes straight through every aspect of Engage.

I do actually agree the game is a very confused offering. Particularly for me in tone vs. mechanics (light-hearted Saturday AM fare vs. complex-ish unit management)

If I felt attached to the characters from a story perspective, I'd also have felt unhappy with the rate at which better units get given to you. Definitely makes it harder to justify holding onto some of your original party or vice versa - someone's snowballing/been invested in enough it's hard to drop them

Ultimately, I have a mix of units I've just been given and some stalwarts who've scaled well and I've invested in

I don't think I'm far enough through the game to have encountered the SP issue, as I'm still using lower ranks of stuff that looked powerful at first glance (e.g. Dual Assist), or stuff that doesn't have levels anyway (e.g. Alacrity, Canter)

That said I have got loads of SP scrolls from the well (between 100 - 1000 SP), which I think is a post launch mechanic (?)

In terms of extra missions, I've done a mix of paralogues (characters ones and Emblem ones like Ike's) and the training battles at friendly castles so far

I only really engage (haha..) with the Arena, meals, well, and petting/feeding Sommy activities at the Somniel. Do agree that some of Somniel stuff becomes tedious quickly

For reference, I'm on hard/classic not maddening (and haven't played Three Houses for comparison)

Even considering the above, I'm definitely enjoying the core of the game still

 

[Metroid]

On one hand it drowns you in units, on the other hand it's so goddamn stingy with the skill points that it actively discourages building a varied pool of many units and almost screams at you to focus on a few regular units who have the Emblem Rings on them permanently.

I get what you mean here, as the system is super skewed, but I don't see this as an inherent problem. It does discourage building a varied pool of units, but like in the games without grinding, this is a feature, not a bug. Engage is built to not be a grinding game for the most, the skirmishes that are there are only there to help increase your levels on lower difficulties. It does help (at least in my book), that the later units come preloaded with ridiculous amounts of SP allowing you to commit skills to them, which is nice since a good chunk of the later units are definitely worth investing into. That's what I mean by everyone having a niche, since you use the early units in the early game, fill out needs with the middle units, and phase out early units for later ones in the endgame. I can see why this isn't a good thing for everyone, but the game definitely still allows you to play favorites, especially with the free DLC they put out after release almost breaking the game in half.

I get that they kinda tried to mimic the Arena from earlier games, high risk (your unit can die) but high reward (lots of EXP). But the difference is that the Arena wasn't limited in how often you can use it.

This is not true? Even on Maddening, your units can't die in the Arena at all.

Unit building / playing around was much better in Three Houses.

I definitely agree here for the most part, but this was half the point of Three Houses. It's just a smaller feature in Engage.