Fire Emblem Engage has earned many 9/10 scores or higher, but it’s also been hit with a 2.5/5, a 3/5, a 7/10, and other scores that have dragged down its average rating. When looking at the reviews, it seems as though there are two reasons for the lower scores. Critics that miss the focus on social elements found in Fire Emblem: Three Houses have been knocking Fire Emblem Engage points since the new game is more combat-focused and reportedly tones down the social elements. Others have criticized the story as being a letdown compared to other recent entries in the franchise, and others still dislike the Emblem Rings gimmick.
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According to review aggregate site OpenCritic, these scores combined have resulted in Fire Emblem Engage earning an 82 overall rating. This is not a bad rating by any means, but it is definitely lower than many fans expected when considering how highly-rated main series Fire Emblem games have been rated since Fire Emblem: Awakening’s impressive 92 rating. In fact, this makes Fire Emblem Engage the lowest-rated main series entry in over a decade. So even though the score is still pretty good, it’s safe to say that there are some fans who will be disappointed by this development.
The good news is that anyone who enjoys Fire Emblem games for their strategy and combat as opposed to social elements and story should come away thoroughly impressed by Fire Emblem Engage. Even the negative reviews seem to agree that the combat and strategy elements are sound, plus there have been various quality of life improvements to make this aspect of the game better. One of the biggest ones is the fact that Fire Emblem Engage does away with weapon durability.
While Fire Emblem Engage reviews are mostly positive, its 82 overall rating means that the game has not reached the same heights as its predecessors. Now, there is time for the Fire Emblem Engage review score to fluctuate as more opinions are counted, which could drag the score in one direction or another, but the most likely scenario is it will hover around the 82 mark. It will be interesting to see if this lower-than-expected reception to Fire Emblem Engage informs how Nintendo approaches the next game in the series or if it has any kind of negative impact on the game’s sales numbers.
Fire Emblem Engage launches January 20, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
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Source: OpenCritic
