Over ten hours into Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, one player has identified Dietrich, not the customizable avatar or any other Flame Lord, as the game's true main character. This perspective challenges the apparent intent of the developers, who may aim to present all four Flame Lords as equally central to the narrative.
A Future-Forward Setting
Fortune's Weave deviates significantly from the typical fantasy settings of the Fire Emblem series. The game opens with the player embodying Eshmel, a disembodied spirit within a futuristic medical tank. This high-tech beginning, featuring glowing displays and advanced wiring, is soon juxtaposed with a journey back in time. The anachronistic elements of this future setting are not revisited until the player engages with Dietrich's storyline.
Dietrich's Narrative Pull
While other Flame Lords like Theodora, Leda, and Cai have their own motivations, Dietrich's narrative is driven by a quest to "fight monsters, be pretty, eat hot chip, and lie." Despite a potential lack of personal investment in Dietrich as a character, his path is seen as the most effective at unraveling the game's complex and mysterious setting. His route also appears to intersect earliest with Anatolia, a character wielding a gun, suggesting further plot developments are tied to her presence.
The inclusion of firearms in the game adds another layer to its unconventional approach, potentially making Anatolia's storyline particularly significant. The author notes that while liking Leda and Theodora motivates further engagement with their stories, it is Dietrich's current narrative trajectory that sparks the most curiosity about the overarching plot and the game's unusual world.