When a Nintendo Direct livestream event was announced for September 13, 2022, fans were expecting news of a new game in the tactical role-playing game series Fire Emblem. A full three years after 2019's Fire Emblem: Three Houses, a new main series game seemed like a safe bet. That announcement did come, but Fire Emblem Engage, came as a surprise to fans. While it features classic tactical gameplay and returning classes and weapons, Fire Emblem Engage seems less similar to most mainline Fire Emblem games than it does to spinoff title Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE.
Fire Emblem Engage, which was the first title announced in a Nintendo Direct that also included the long-awaited title reveal for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, will follow the standard Fire Emblem formula of an army of recruitable units in a fantasy-inspired world facing down the threat of a villainous dragon. However, rather than telling a completely new story, Fire Emblem Engage will bring in characters from previous games as "Emblems" summoned by the player. Engage is the first main series title to include this summoning mechanic, and it may have taken inspiration from Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE's titular Mirage system.
Both Involve Summoning Classic Fire Emblem Characters
Released in 2015 in Japan and in 2016 worldwide, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE was the result of a collaboration between Nintendo and Persona developer Atlus. Often described as "a fusion between Persona and Fire Emblem," the game centered around a group of teenagers who could each summon a character from a Fire Emblem game as their "Mirage" in battle. The characters themselves did not have strong combat capabilities, with most fighting done by the Mirages. Fire Emblem characters appearing in the game as Mirages included Chrom, Tharja, and Virion from Fire Emblem Awakening, and Caeda, Cain, Draug, and Navarre from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light.
In Fire Emblem Engage, characters can use the Engage system to summon Emblems by putting on rings associated with past Fire Emblem characters. Because the rings are wearable items, it is possible that characters will be able to summon multiple different Fire Emblem heroes, rather than being limited to a single Mirage as in Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. Additionally, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE only featured characters from Awakening and Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, while the Emblems in Engage are confirmed to cover lots of Fire Emblem titles. The official reveal trailer for Fire Emblem Engage showed off the summoning of Marth from the aforementioned Shadow Dragon, Celica from Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, and Sigurd from Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War.
Engage Seems to Share Tokyo Mirage Sessions' Colorful Aesthetic
Unlike the fantasy-based Fire Emblem, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE takes place in modern-day Tokyo. The playable characters are all involved in the entertainment industry and include idol singers, actors, and the host of a microwave-themed cooking show. Because of the focus on music and performance, both the human characters and their Mirages wear bright, colorful costumes. Most playable characters have multiple outfits that can be unlocked and worn both in battle and while exploring dungeons. In addition, the Fire Emblem Mirages received redesigns turning them from relatively normal-looking humans into elaborate figures resembling Personas.
While the Emblems in Fire Emblem Engage seem to retain their standard appearance, fans noted that the game had a brighter and more colorful appearance compared to previous Fire Emblem titles. Protagonist Alear, a Divine Dragon, has red-and-blue hair split down the middle and heterochromatic eyes. Additionally, Alear and other characters can take on new, more elaborate appearances when borrowing power from their summoned heroes. This Mirage Sessions-reminiscent aesthetic is courtesy of illustrator Mika Pikazo, who previously designed the avatars for multiple prominent VTubers.
Fire Emblem Engage May Feature Returning Antagonists
The heroes of Tokyo Mirage Sessions teamed up with their Mirages to fight a series of antagonists connected to their pasts. Ultimately, they discovered a looming, overarching threat that posed a danger to all of Tokyo. These antagonists mostly consisted of human characters teamed up with antagonistic Mirages - villainous characters from Fire Emblem: Awakening and Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. These included the wicked king Gangrel, the dark priest Gharnef, and, ultimately, Medeus, the Dark Dragon who the Hero-King Marth defeated at the end of the very first Fire Emblem title.
While it has not yet been confirmed if antagonists from previous Fire Emblem titles will be returning in Fire Emblem Engage, it definitely seems likely. The first trailer for the game mentions the threat of the "Fell Dragon" as the primary evil Alear and their companions must face. While the character is not named in the trailer, "Fell Dragon" is an epithet frequently used to refer to Grima, the primary antagonist of Fire Emblem Awakening. If Grima is indeed the threat menacing the land of Elyos, some of its human followers may also appear, such as Validar.
Engage Also Resembles Other Fire Emblem Properties
While the similarities between Fire Emblem Engage and Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE are definitely clear, Mirage Sessions is not the only Fire Emblem spinoff that may have influenced the latest main series title. The concept of summoning characters from previous Fire Emblem titles to aid new characters in protecting a new land also appeared in Fire Emblem Warriors, a spinoff developed in collaboration between Nintendo and Koei Tecmo. Like Engage, Warriors included characters from multiple Fire Emblem titles, although Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, Awakening, and Fates received the most representation.
Fans have also noted similarities between Fire Emblem Engage and the mobile app Fire Emblem Heroes. In Heroes, players take on the role of the Summoner, who can summon characters from all previous Fire Emblem titles - including Mirage Sessions - to help protect the realm of Askr. Fire Emblem Heroes launched in 2017 and is still going strong. Recently, characters from another musou-style spinoff, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, were added to the game. Alear and the other Engage protagonists are expected to appear in Heroes at some point during the next few months.
It is likely that fans will not know the true level of similarity between Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE and Fire Emblem Engage until more information is revealed about the latter game. With Engage releasing in January 2023, most fans predict that several more trailers will be shown before the game launches. During the wait for new information, fans are eagerly speculating about which Fire Emblem characters might appear as summonable allies in Fire Emblem Engage. Given the similarities between the two games, it is even possible that the modern-day heroes of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE could put in an appearance.
Fire Emblem Engage will release on January 20, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch.