Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is charting an ambitious course, weaving together the series' strategic roots with ambitious new narrative and gameplay elements. The upcoming title for Switch 2 looks to the past for inspiration, reintroducing dungeon crawling mechanics reminiscent of Fire Emblem Gaiden, while simultaneously pushing forward with a science-fiction future where magic and advanced weaponry intersect. This bold fusion, while not yet fully cohesive, has quickly captured attention with its intriguing early chapters.
Players begin by creating a customizable hero, but this initial avatar is quickly superseded by a narrative that blends medieval aesthetics with futuristic technology, including magic-infused firearms. The story centers around an Obelisk Chamber and a goddess named Fortuna, who acts as a conduit for Sothis, a figure from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Sothis tasks the player with journeying into the past to rewrite the histories of legendary heroes, an endeavor aimed at securing aid for a present-day apocalyptic threat. The preview suggests that the initial hours serve as a strategic setup, introducing the game's core pieces.
Four distinct obelisks are available, each tied to a fallen hero from the past who has since become an antagonist. Selecting an obelisk propels the player into a narrative leading to Dagsion, the capital of the Dagdan Empire. It is within this city that the "Heroic Games," a gladiatorial tournament inspired by ancient Roman contests, take place. While the specific roles of each obelisk hero remain to be fully revealed, the journey of characters like Leda, a magical bard seeking vengeance, provides an early glimpse into the game's narrative design.
Leda's story, a tale of revenge and performance, illustrates how character arcs may tie into combat. Her mystical vihuela allows her to buff allies on the battlefield, a power manifested through her "Blaze Art" ability. This character-specific move can turn the tide of battle but consumes HP, making its strategic deployment crucial. Similarly, "Combat Arts" enhance weapons at the cost of their durability, adding layers of tactical consideration to the series' signature grid-based, turn-based strategy gameplay. These systems introduce fresh tension to the familiar rock-paper-scissors combat loop.
The deliberate tactical advances and flanking maneuvers that define Fire Emblem's combat remain satisfying, enhanced by what are described as the series' best battle animations to date. The overall visual presentation of Fortune's Weave benefits from Intelligent Systems' artistic direction and the power of the Switch 2 hardware. However, the return of dungeon crawling combat, which is not grid-based, has been noted as underwhelming in the preview build. The inclusion of options to fast-forward or entirely skip these segments suggests a potential lack of confidence in their design.
An alternative path explored in the preview involved choosing a different obelisk, leading to the story of Cai, a young hero seeking a better future alongside his friends. Cai embodies a more optimistic, Shonen-inspired character arc. While his journey through the Heroic Games is expected to become more challenging, the excursions outside Dagsion to build renown through quests and resource gathering offer rewarding gameplay. These activities contribute to Cai's potential rise as a formidable figure.
Despite the extensive content yet to be experienced, the early hours of Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave have established a strong foundation. The game's unique blend of past and future elements, coupled with familiar strategic combat, has generated significant anticipation for how these diverse threads will ultimately intertwine.