History VideoGame / FireEmblemEngage

** Moiron showcases that while RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething is indeed admirable, that "something" being a proud warrior king is still ''quite'' risky... but also isn't exactly a good way to be ''leading a country''. He also deconstructs this even further in that his behaviour would, in any other game, be an antagonist - but the stupidity of these makes the player facepalm because he's on ''their'' side technically.

** Moiron showcases that while RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething is indeed admirable, that "something" being a proud warrior king is still ''quite'' risky. Especially if you're out engaging a nation who you regularly invade and has genuine reasons to despise you.

** Some weapons come in weaker forms when used by enemy bosses, most notably the Mani Katti in Chapter 10 and [[spoiler: Nil's Revanche]] in Fell Xenologue 5 both have their [[CriticalHitClass normally high critical rates]] cut to 0, making fighting these bosses less of a LuckBasedMission.

* CallBack: Should you have Framme, or Clanne attack [[spoiler: Corrupted Queen Lumera, she will tell them the same thing she did if she fought them earlier on]].

** Marni showcases just how someone who desparately seeks approval, especially familial approval, can be easily taken advantage of by bad guys and turned to evil. It also gives a pretty jarring reminder that [[spoiler: not everyone who can make a HeelFaceTurn will get to survive...]]

* IronicEcho: Early on, Clanne and Framme will have special dialogue if they fight [[spoiler: Queen Lumera in the mock battle]]. Much ''much'' later, if you have them fight [[spoiler: Corrupted Queen Lumera]], it's repeated verbatim, causing them to hesitate.

** ChildSoldiers are common in Fire Emblem games - but ''Engage'' is one of the few games to showcase that children who haven't finished growing yet are still ''not'' the best combatants due to how easy it is for them to be defeated. Many of the visibly younger characters have a low Build base & growth stats, meaning that using bigger and heavier weapons actively ''slows them down''. Even though some of them can become quite good (Jean and Anna), they need to be [[MagikarpPower babied quite a bit]] before they will be able to survive more than a few attacks.

** The Fell Xenologue actually deconstructs a plot point from the main game itself - MindControl. [[spoiler:Veyle]] was placed under MindControl but was told that what happened wasn't ''truly'' them. In the Fell Xenologue, the idea of this is suggested... only to be shot down because [[spoiler:Rafal]] admits right there they knew ''damn well'' what they were doing and [[MoreThanMindControl still actively made the choices they did]]. They only receive atonement as a result of the conscious choice they made - and even then, supports with other Fell Xenologue characters shows that they may not fully be forgiven.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: [[spoiler:When Veyle confronts Corrupted Lumera]], she locks the doors of the cathedral so that the others won't be able to enter. What do they do? They break down the door.

** Most Fire Emblem games feature some ModestRoyalty figures (sometimes even [[BunnyEarsLawyer very quirky]]) who're trusting and eager to help. The Queendom of Solm ''very'' much fits this archetype - but Alear&Co still have to rescue them since their trusting nature allows a ''fourteen year old girl'' to literally walk ''right on in'' and hold the Queen hostage because she said she was with them.
** The "Quirky Royal" is also deconstructed further in the Fell Xenologue - namely with [[spoiler: Fogado]]. In the main timeline, they're a rather GuileHero who has HiddenDepths - but in the alternate Elyos, you see just how ''creepy'' this would be if the same traits were turned ''against'' you.
** ChildSoldiers are common in Fire Emblem games - but ''Engage'' is one of the few games to showcase that children who haven't finished growing yet are still ''not'' the best combatants due to how easy it is for them to be defeated. Many of the visibly younger characters have a low Build base&growth, meaning that using bigger and heavier weapons actively ''slows them down''. Even though some of them can become quite good (Jean and Anna), they need to be [[MagikarpPower babied quite a bit]] before they will be able to survive more than a few attacks.

** The Fell Xenologue actually deconstructs a plot point from the main game itself - MindControl. [[spoiler: Veyle]] was placed under MindControl but was told that what happened wasn't ''truly'' them. In the Fell Xenologue, the idea of this is suggested... only to be shot down because [[spoiler: Rafal]] admits right there they knew ''damn well'' what they were doing and [[MoreThanMindControl still actively made the choices they did]]. They only receive atonement as a result of the conscious choice they made - and even then, supports with other Fell Xenologue characters shows that they may not fully be forgiven.

* DeconstructorFleet: Despite its rather by the books story, this game ''does'' manage to fit in some deconstruction of [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetypes Fire Emblem Tropes]]. To name a few:

* MenAreTheExpendableGender: Played straight for major story characters: [[spoiler:Both Kings of Elyos, Morion and Hyacinth, [[TooDumbToLive end up dying from their own stupidity]]- Morion for falling into an obvious trap, Hyacith for serving the Fell Dragon. The two queens of Elyos, Ève and Seforia, end up surviving until the end of the game.]] Averted for {{Mooks}}, as ''Engage'' features far more female {{Mooks}} than any other entry in the series.

* MenAreTheExpendableGender: Played straight for major story characters: [[spoiler:Both Kings of Elyos, Morion and Hyacinth, [[TooDumbToLive end up dying from their own stupidity]]- Morion for falling into an obvious trap, Hyacith for serving the Fell Dragon. The two queens of Elyos, Ève and Seforia, end up surviving until the end of the game.]] Averted for {{Mooks}}, as Engage features far more female {{Mooks}} than any other entry in the series.

* ArmorPiercingAttack:
** Dragonstones and Breath weapons have this property. While Dragonstones just reduce 50% of a foe's defense/resistance, Dragonbreaths ignore defensive stats entirely and deal raw damage based on the user's attack stat.
** The Soulblade skill, available only to Zephia and Zelestia's Melusine class, averages out the target's Defense and Resistance when using swords.
** The Luna skill, exclusive to Alcryst's Tireur d'élite class, reduces the foe's defense and resistance by 50% when it triggers.
** Finally, Chain Attacks will always deal damage to enemies based on 10% of their maximum HP, thus bypassing defensive stats entirely.

''Fire Emblem Engage'' is the seventeenth game of the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series of {{Strategy RPG}}s, developed by Creator/IntelligentSystems and published by Creator/{{Nintendo}} for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. It was released on January 20, 2023.

** A majority of recruitments are automatic and immediately joins as a player-controlled unit compared to the previous titles, and while there are still several units who are not automatically recruited, Alear can talk to all initially non-controllable units that can be recruited to recruit them, similar to the case in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', and only one of them starts as an enemy unit instead of as a green allied unit.

* BribingYourWayToVictory:
** The ''Expansion Pass'' paid DLC gives the player some extra resources and, more importantly, allows them to acquire several extra Emblem Bracelets via Paralogue missions. While some of the DLC Emblems are pretty powerful to begin with, at first it may seem they only provide some extra variety for the player to choose from. But later in the game [[spoiler:the bad guys steal all the Emblem Rings the player had gathered thus far, forcing them to slowly acquire new Emblems and try to regain the stolen ones. They do not steal any of the Bracelets though]], which makes the DLC Emblems invaluable at this point.

* EveryoneIsBi: Of the "player-sexual" variety. [[spoiler:In a notable departure from past entries in the series, any character who can romance Alear via an S-Support (i.e. most characters who aren't a minor, a relative of Alear, or physically much older than Alear) can do so regardless of Alear's sex. Reportedly, the Japanese version has age be less of an issue and makes romance in some of the conversations more obvious. Downplayed beyond this, as romantic implications between other characters are rare regardless of sex and don't go beyond implications as none of them have paired endings with anyone except Alear. Alear's sex likewise doesn't really get mentioned as a factor in their attraction to Alear (who is often noted to simply be an inspiring and attractive presence), so its unclear if all romance-able characters consider themselves bisexual, they simply have the orientation the player wants them to have (player-sexual), or if for a number of them it is IfItsYouItsOkay.]]

** Played with in the DLC; which adds two [[spoiler:([[InHarmsWay three in the short term]])]] minor Dragon gods and seven extra Emblems [[spoiler:[[WhatHappenedToTheMouse whose fates are unconfirmed]]]], [[spoiler: but has them be survivors of a far-more-cataclysmic feud that [[ApocalypseHow left them almost-completely alone]]]].

** Sigurd's Paralogue has a hidden Goddess Icon that can be obtained by moving a unit onto one specific tile, corresponding to where Seliph [[spoiler: met Sigurd and Deirdre's ghosts and]] received the Life Ring in Genealogy's Chapter 10. Nothing in the game hints at this, and the tile is at the far end of the north peninsula, beyond the boss and near no enemies, so it's somewhere you're unlikely to send a unit to by accident.

** The end of Fell Xenologue 5 leads you to believe the Four Winds all died. But if you use the Rankings option before the next Xenologue (which, while connected to the internet, shows the most common characters other players deployed), you'll see Zelestia, Gregory and Madeline in the list... And accessing the Rankings at ''any'' time in the Fell Xenlogue will reveal an even bigger spoiler, as [[spoiler: it lists Nil by his real name, Rafal]].

* SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear: While ''initially'' largely avoided, [[spoiler: the release of Wave 4 of the Expansion Pass gave everyone 20 of each Engage Weapon Crystal, allowing everyone to upgrade the weapons of Emblems who leave after Chapter 10 ''before'' they skedaddle. You can technically acquire Crystals from as early as Chapter 6, but that requires a [[PlayEveryDay daily grind]] in the [[CoOpMultiplayer Relay Trials]].]]

** The end of Fell Xenologue 5 leads you to believe the Four Winds all died. But if you use the Rankings option before the next Xenologue (which, while connected to the internet, shows the most common characters other players deployed), you'll see Zelestia, Gregory and Madeline in the list...

* MenAreTheExpendableGender: [[spoiler:Both Kings of Elyos, Morion and Hyacinth, [[TooDumbToLive end up dying from their own stupidity]]- Morion for falling into an obvious trap, Hyacith for serving the Fell Dragon. The two queens of Elyos, Ève and Seforia, end up surviving until the end of the game.]]

* MenAreTheExpendableGender: [[spoiler:Both Kings of Elyos, Morion and Hyacinth, [[TooDumbToLive end up dying from their own stupidity]]. The two queens of Elyos, Ève and Seforia, end up surviving until the end of the game.]]

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: [[spoiler:When Veyle confronts Corrupted Lumera, she locks the doors of the cathedral so that the others won't be able to enter. What do they do? They break down the door]].

** In Fell Xenologue 4, Nel, after making an emotional confession of how important her universe's Alear was to her, runs away, with the Four Winds following her to ensure she is safe. Nil then shares some things he knows about his sister, before dropping the following line.

*** Excluding remakes, thieves once again revert back to not having any class change options, even though in ''Three Houses'', it is possible for anyone with this class can class change into similar thief-like classes. The game compensates this by making them function as a special class, giving them a maximum level of 40 to prevent them from [[CantCatchUp falling behind]].