When Fire Emblem Engage was first announced in a Nintendo Direct back in September 2022, it immediately earned attention with its showcase of iconic returning characters from the franchise in the form of Emblem Heroes. The game looked like it would deliver fanservice in spades while emphasizing the series’ more nuanced tactical elements. Fire Emblem games tend to review fairly well, especially the more recent entries, so the bar for Fire Emblem Engage is already quite high.

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Fire Emblem Series Metacritic Review Scores

The current reigning champion of the Fire Emblem series is Fire Emblem Awakening, sitting at score of 92. As the game that arguably saved the series and ushered in the modern era of Fire Emblem games, it’s no surprise to see Fire Emblem Awakening sitting at the top. The predecessor to Fire Emblem Engage, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, holds second place with a score of 89, with most other entries in the series situated somewhere around the 80s. The following average scores are pulled from Metacritic; releases exclusive to Japan such as Fire Emblem Gaiden and Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem are not included here.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light (1990) – Metacritic: 63 Fire Emblem (2003) – Metacritic: 88 Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (2005) – Metacritic: 85 Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (2005) – Metacritic: 85 Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (2007) – Metacritic: 78 Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (2009) –Metacritic: 81 Fire Emblem Awakening (2013) – Metacritic: 92 Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright (2016) – Metacritic: 86 Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest (2016) – Metacritic: 87 Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation (2016) – Metacritic: 88 Fire Emblem Fates: Special Edition (2016) – Metacritic: 88 Fire Emblem Heroes (2017) – Metacritic: 72 Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (2017) – Metacritic: 81 Fire Emblem Warriors (2017) – Metacritic: 74 Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019) – Metacritic: 89 Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (2022) – Metacritic: 81

Excluding the re-release of the original Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragons & the Blade of Light, most games are solidly in the 80s range. The spin-off Fire Emblem Warriors games tend to be a bit lower, as is the mobile title Fire Emblem Heroes. However, the core titles rarely drop below 80, with only a few rare exceptions.

Fire Emblem Engage Reviews

Although generally positive, reviews for Fire Emblem Engage have it currently sitting at a Metacritic score of 82 out of several dozen critic reviews, putting this latest entry in the franchise just above remakes like Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. This score makes sense given many critics have likened it to older entries in the franchise with its stripped down social elements and emphasis on hardcore tactical gameplay. While this may be disappointing for some, it’s still a good score overall and a positive sign for fans of the classic titles.

Fire Emblem Engage continues the trend of mainline entries scoring in the 80s, despite being on the lower end of that range. Whether future entries continue down this path still remains to be seen. However, this release bodes well for the Nintendo Switch in 2023, as it’s a solid showing from the console’s first major game of the year.

Fire Emblem Engage is available now for Nintendo Switch.

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Source: Metacritic