Many challenges in this game are a matter of tactics and training. It's about battles, the right weapons and the perfectly coordinated fighting force. What's really difficult, however, is the fight for the perfect bird time: as a little bird, you have to chirp or spread your wings in the right place to make a queen feel good.
Playing a chirping bird while trying to prevent the end of the world from happening in the framework of the story - that's not at all unusual for Japanese role-playing games. In Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, it’s worth spending time on both. Because if you like twisty fantasy novels and tactical board games, it's one of the best video games of the year.
Four fists for the sequel
Fire Emblem is one of the lesser-known series that Nintendo uses on its own consoles and handhelds. The game idea: Fantasy ensemble story meets tactical battles. The battles take place as a kind of board game against the computer, game pieces are moved on a grid in order to defeat monsters and villains turn by turn. In between, the heroines and heroes chat with each other or occupy themselves with other things, such as the chirping of birds. This was well received by a rather small group of fans for decades, before the Switch game Fire Emblem: Three Houses broke sales records in 2019 and proved that the game idea with a more lively presentation was suitable for an audience of millions. Anyone who likes manga and board games is also part of the target group for Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave.
The sequel is now out for the Nintendo Switch 2 and looks to improve on the winning formula. Instead of three major storylines like in Three Houses, Fortune's Weave has four different versions of the first act, all of which can be played through in a row for optimal results. And then two more acts follow. The amount of cutscenes, subplots, recruitable characters, and stacked game systems is extensive and can sometimes be overwhelming. For genre fans, however, the whole thing feels like a booking confirmation. The next few weeks are essentially planned.
The surprising second board game
The heart of Fire Emblem has always been combat. Each character is an independent character with friendships, a combat class, equipment and attribute values. At the beginning you direct small groups across the battlefield, but as the game progresses the scale increases. You take turns drawing figures with your opponent, paying attention to their placement. The terrain influences the chances of hitting, certain weapon types suit certain opponents, social connections between characters and different types of special attacks should also be kept in mind. There are also many playing fields with gimmicks such as destructible barriers, switchable wind machines, and spike traps lying around.
When playing, the fights are sometimes reminiscent of abstract weighing up of opportunities like in Risk, sometimes reminiscent of trashy dungeon board games like Hero Quest. It remains moody and varied. However, it takes several hours for the game to even introduce the essential elements. If you read carefully, none of this is difficult to understand. But practically the entire first act feels like a kind of tutorial for the challenges ahead.
As important as the battles are, they only take up about half of the playing time, depending on your play style. New to Fortune’s Weave is a second expansive board game. Here the camera zooms out, it's not about small battles, but about big hikes. What exactly is done on the map depends on the four selectable main characters; But you always have to complete missions and earn resources to strengthen your team. This mode feels like a diversion before you have to pay attention again in the next big battle. And for many hours you can just sit and listen. Some players may become impatient with the extensive cutscenes and lush narrative sections with talking portraits in front of text panels.
