As the next entry in Intelligent System's popular strategy RPG franchise, Fire Emblem Engage is rewriting the way players approach the game by shifting focus during combat. The classic rock-paper-scissors weapon triangle mechanic is returning after Three Houses, alongside new Emblem Rings that will allow players to summon legacy heroes to fight with their units. However, one cut feature that a good number of fans won't miss from Fire Emblem Engage is weapon durability, which limited how many times a weapon could be used before breaking.
Only three previous entries in the Fire Emblem series have not included weapon durability: Fire Emblem Gaiden and its 3DS remake Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, as well as Fire Emblem Fates. While weapons have unlimited uses in Fire Emblem Engage, similar to Fates, staves and items do not and will break after a certain number of uses. It will be interesting to see how the combination of new and returning mechanics interact to deliver the strategy-focused gameplay Nintendo is promising.
Weapon Durability Hinders Other Strategic Elements in Fire Emblem
In most series that include the mechanic, weapon and item durability is a controversial feature. Proponents of the mechanic claim that it helps players think strategically and choose their encounters carefully. This may work well for games like Fallout and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which feature open worlds and offer players a choice on whether to engage in combat or avoid it. However, the Fire Emblem series does not give players a choice, featuring chapters that require doing battle in order to progress the game.
In mainline Fire Emblem incarnations, weapon durability limited the number of attacks a weapon could perform before it would need to be repaired (or disappeared forever in older entries). This could become frustrating for players, especially if a powerful weapon breaks in the middle of combat or an attack that would normally hit twice only hits once because its durability was too low. Oftentimes, weapon durability could be the difference between victory and defeat, a crucial role for such an arbitrary mechanic to carry. As such, weapon durability in Fire Emblem feels more like a way to add artificial difficulty rather than a necessary component.
More important strategic factors like unit stats, placement on the map, and Fire Emblem's weapon triangle all suffer from the existence of weapon durability, since any strategy the player sets up has the potential to fall apart if they neglect to check their weapons before starting battle. The mechanic seems like a remnant of a more archaic period in game design where artificial difficulty was the norm as a way to extend length. However, Fire Emblem Gaiden hails from that time, and even it didn't include weapon durability; demonstrating how ahead of its time that entry in the franchise was.
Fire Emblem Engage's removal of this mechanic is a good sign for players hoping to build a more combat-oriented experience. While the game still retains fan-favorite elements like a home base, support conversations, and varying unit classes, it seems to be trimming the fat when it comes to unnecessary or tedious mechanics like weapon durability. New elements like Emblem Heroes and the ability to Engage units with them, along with the return of the weapon triangle, should make a robust strategic experience that isn't bogged down by artificial difficulty.
Fire Emblem Engage releases January 20 for Nintendo Switch.
