Fire Emblem Engage does a great job at giving players a look at the series' past through not only its Emblems, but their associated Bond Rings and paralogue missions as well. Every Emblem has a paralogue - or optional side chapter - for players to unlock throughout the game. The paralogues for each Emblem are the perfect way to familiarize newcomers with a given character, and a fun way for longtime fans to revisit important locales across the series.
Despite their optional nature, these paralogues are worth completing as they unlock the max Bond Levels for their associated Emblem. Beyond this gameplay benefit for Fire Emblem Engage's main feature, they each also depict an important mission from the game their Emblem originally appears in, some in 3D for the first time. This highlights the ways in which level design has changed over the course of the series' 33 years leading upto this most recent entry.
Every Mission Referenced in Fire Emblem Engage's Base Game
The first Emblem paralogues that players unlock are for Lucina and Lyn, titled "The Exalt" and "The Lady of the Plains," respectively. The Exalt takes place at the Arena of the Gods, which is a reference to Arena Ferox from Fire Emblem: Awakening where Lucina battles her father Chrom in Chapter 4. The Lady of the Plains doesn't derive its map directly from Lyn's home game, but rather its predecessor Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade. Canonically set 20 years after Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, Binding Blade retains some of the same general locales, as seen in Chapter 20Bx introducing a new iteration of Lyn's homeland, the Sacae Plains.
The next three paralogues that players unlock are for Ike, Byleth, and Corrin. Ike's paralogue, "The Radiant Hero," takes place at the Fort of Hope - in reference to Chapter 8 of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, during which Ike takes command of the Greil Mercenaries for the first time. Byleth's paralogue, "The Instructor," is set within the Sacred Tomb referencing Chapter 11 of Fire Emblem: Three Houses where Byleth must stop the Flame Emperor from stealing Crest Stones. The Instructor inverts this idea by having Byleth's army try to break static targets throughout the tomb. Meanwhile, Corrin's paralogue "The Crux of Fate" takes place at the Crossroads of Fate, which references the branching mission where she must join a side in Chapter 6 of Fire Emblem Fates.
Later in the game, players will unlock paralogues for Eirika, Sigurd, and Leif, which reflect the level design of some of the older entries in the series. Eirika's paralogue, "The Azure Twin," is set within the Dark Ruins setting from the final chapter of Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, where Eirika and her brother Ephraim must seal away the Demon King Fomortiis. Sigurd's paralgoue, "The Holy Knight," takes place at the River of Light and Dark in reference to Chapter 10 of Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War. Leif's paralogue, "The Sage Lord," references his army's crossing of the River Thracia in Chapter 22 of Fire Emblem: Thracia 776.
Following these paralogue, the next set that players will unlock are for Micaiah, Roy, and Celica. Micaiah's paralogue, "The Dawn Maiden," is set within the Frozen Fortress where Micaiah and her army must defend Nox Castle from Ike and Greil Mercenaries in Part 3, Chapter 13 of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. Roy's paralogue, "The Young Lion," references Chapter 21 of Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, during which Roy receives the game's titular weapon. Celica's paralogue, "The Caring Princess," references the Seabound Shrine from Act 2 of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia where her army must fight a Necrodragon.
The last two Emblem paralogues in the main game are for Marth, as well as one for the Fire Emblem. Marth's paralogue, "The Hero-King," is set inside the Broken Castle from Chapter 17 of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light, where Marth and his forces must retake Altea Castle from the manakete Morzas. Finally, "The Connector" takes place at the Garden of Memories, which bears a resemblance to the Lythos Castle Gardens found during Engage's second chapter.
Fire Emblem Engage is available now for Nintendo Switch.
