Nintendo Switch owners anticipating the September 17 release of Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave have a number of tactical role-playing games to explore while they wait. The upcoming entry is expected to return to the style of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, a title known for its blend of social simulation and challenging turn-based combat. The Fire Emblem series, established 36 years ago, is recognized for its permadeath mechanic, the weapon triangle system, and its focus on character relationships.
For those who appreciate the life-sim elements, strategic battles, or the rock-paper-scissors mechanics of recent Fire Emblem titles, several games offer diverse takes on the tactical RPG genre.
Unicorn Overlord, released in 2024, presents a vast overworld and real-time strategy elements reminiscent of Fire Emblem. Players command small unit teams and utilize a detailed Tactics system to program unit priorities and actions for battles. The game's narrative follows an exiled prince raising an army to reclaim his homeland from an oppressive empire.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn, a 2022 remaster of a 1995 classic, brings the political drama of Valeria to modern platforms. This isometric, grid-based combat game features branching story paths—Law, Chaos, and Neutral—that influence the protagonist Denam's moral choices. Unlike some Fire Emblem games, success in Reborn hinges on terrain and unit positioning due to enemy unit levels often matching the party's maximum level cap.
Horizon's Gate offers an open-world tactical RPG experience where players can assume roles of an explorer, trader, or privateer. The game allows for both individual character and naval fleet combat on land and sea, featuring turn-based grid combat, character recruitment, and a branching class system, set apart by its sandbox exploration focus.
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, a unique collaboration, merges turn-based combat with puzzle-solving and strategic movement. Dashes and team jumps are integral offensive tools, allowing for dynamic positioning and attacks that impressed XCOM creative director Jake Solomon.
In contrast, The Banner Saga, inspired by Norse mythology, presents a darker narrative where players guide a caravan through a world where the gods are dead. This story-driven tactical RPG features permadeath, but character fates are often determined by story and dialogue choices rather than battle outcomes. The game's autosave system discourages retrying poor decisions, and choices carry over into its sequels.
Marvel's Midnight Suns, directed by Jake Solomon, combines superhero action with tactical deck-building and social simulation. Similar to the social hub in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, players return to a base called the Abbey to deepen relationships with recruited heroes, unlocking combat cards and passive bonuses. This feature appeals to players who enjoyed the relationship-building aspects of Three Houses and Fire Emblem Engage.
Triangle Strategy, developed by Square Enix and Artdink, shares Fire Emblem's grid-based maps and high fantasy setting. It differentiates itself with an individual turn order system based on unit speed and a strong emphasis on elevation and facing direction during combat. The game also features story branches influenced by an invisible conviction system, impacting the protagonist's ability to persuade allies and recruit characters.