The story of Fire Emblem Engage revolves around the continent of Elyos and an effort by central Lythos to unite the four outer kingdoms of Firene, Solm, Brodia, and Elusia. Brodia is uniquely valuable as an ally, but equally dangerous. It’s a military-powerful kingdom that’s often in conflict with its counterparts. King Morion rules Brodia, with two sons as heirs. There’s Diamant, the elder brother and next in line for the throne, and Alcryst, the younger brother that struggles in his brother’s shadow.

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New Fire Emblem Engage character Lapis is a knight of the kingdom of Brodia. She wields a sword and fittingly starts the game with the Sword Fighter class. She’s also exceptionally strong despite her meek appearance and kind demeanor. She serves as a vassal of Prince Alcryst, though to what capacity isn’t clear.

Interestingly, Lapis isn’t the only announced retainer to Prince Alcryst. Another royal knight named Citrinne has also been announced as a vassal to the prince. She’s said to be a cousin to the two princes, and is said to spread her wealth around to those close to her. Rather than wielding martial weapons like Lapis, though, Citrinne is a mage. With both Lapis and Citrinne at his side, Alcryst is clearly well-protected.

A brief gameplay clip of Lapis in action was also shared by Nintendo. The clip is in Japanese, so it’s unclear what her ability names are, but she attacks two units using her sword attack. The first is against a winged unit wielding an axe. Since swords are strong against axes in Fire Emblem’s weapon triangle, Lapis is able to land a critical hit and defeat her enemy in single hit. The second attack, again against a winged axe-wielder, doesn’t crit but still does a substantial amount of damage.

As with every Fire Emblem character, there’s certainly much more to Lapis than can be conveyed in a brief introduction. Fire Emblem Engage will have players interacting with Lapis across many different missions. Her personality, relationships with other characters, and relationship with the player will only become apparent the further players progress. And Lapis is just one of many Fire Emblem Engage characters to get to know.

Fire Emblem Engage releases January 20, 2023 on Switch.

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