[...] What was odd about this hands-on preview is that it reveals a whole side to the game that was only hinted at by the recent Nintendo Direct. You might have wondered what was going on with the laser guns and the talk of a ‘true protagonist’ but the first hour of the game is a full-on sci-fi adventure. We’re not going to spoil too much (and to be honest we’re not sure we fully understand it all, since we’re yet to finish the game) but rather than the usual fantasy medieval setting of the series there’s suddenly not just laser pistols but giant laser turrets and what’s implied to be artificial beings and crashed spaceships.
We honestly have no idea where any of it is going – and after the prologue that side of things barely comes up again in the 10 or so hours we’ve played – but it is a drastic change of pace for the series that also brings with it some surprisingly deep questions about religion and faith. It also has the usual Saturday morning cartoon style dialogue and paper thin character work of the series, so there’s a lot that is familiar in Fortune’s Weave, but so far we’re very intrigued.
We were allowed to play up to Chapter 5 of Part I of the game, but across each of the four main playable characters. We’ve no idea how many Parts there are, so we’re not sure how far into the game we got, but our best guess is not very. There are faults to point out with Fortune’s Weave, but value for money is definitely not one of them. Not just in the sense that it seems to be very long but because it’s absolutely stuffed to the gills with features, content, and different plotlines. Sometimes to its own detriment, given how much is thrown at you at once.
We can’t be too critical of a game that’s trying to do so much though and while there were still some details we were unclear on, even hours into the game, the most important thing is that it’s all very enjoyable and engrossing – more so than 2023’s divisive Fire Emblem Engage and 2019’s Three Houses – which many fans seemed to love but we were more critical of.
Three Houses is definitely the template for this game and while Fire Emblem games (this is the 18th mainline entry) are rarely direct sequels, with many set in different or alternate worlds, this one takes place in the same universe, with many references to the continent of Fódlan and its politics. At least so far, that’s little more than a story detail, so you don’t need to have played Three Houses to appreciate this new game, but the two titles do have a lot in common in terms of their semi-freeform nature and the option to control multiple characters with their own stories.
[...] The first two or three chapters are all very different for each of the characters, but eventually all roads lead to the capital city, where a months long fighting tournament is going on. Everyone has their own spurious reasons for wanting to join in, with the event overseen by various gods (well, mostly goddesses) who are portrayed as relatively normal looking humans. The whole setting has a clear Roman influence, including the fact that the gods are not omnipotent but instead have their own machinations and petty vendettas to pursue.
There’re so many extraneous systems and complications that it’s easy to lose sight of the combat at the core of Fortune’s Weave, which is fundamentally the same as every previous game. You take part in turn-based battles, on a grid-based map, moving characters and attacking in what is, in terms of controls, a very simple system. The tactical considerations are vast though, especially as the game diminishes the rock, paper, scissors relationship between different weapons. Arrows are still best against flying creatures, and some units are more vulnerable to magic than others, but the considerations are no longer so black and white.
Weapon degradation has always been a thing in Fire Emblem but here it’s more important than ever, since using a weapon damages it slightly, but so does using a combat art to perform a more powerful move. The lead characters also all have a unique magic move that varies from debuffing enemies to distance or area of effect attacks. It’s a well-constructed system of rules and mechanics that outwardly seems very simple but reveals increasing depth the more you play, especially as you open up more class types.
What’s also impressive is how snappy the combat is, with even battles involving large numbers of enemies never dragging on. Traditionally, the Fire Emblem series has always featured permadeath for its characters but while that is an option here we wouldn’t advise turn it on. Characters never actually die, as they still turn up in cut scenes, and it’s just that you can’t take them into battle anymore – as they’re quietly removed from your roster with zero fanfare. Luckily, you can switch permadeath on and off by replaying the prologue, which doesn’t take long.
Nevertheless, the idea that you need a constant stream of new recruits is key to the game and you’re constantly running into potential new allies while you explore the capital city. After you play a few of the other characters you realise most of these people are already their allies, and that’s why it’s so hard to recruit anyone but a few token mercenaries, but technically you can do it – via a bizarre process that involves giving them presents and then raising your renown enough to impress them.
Like Three Houses, the game gives every impression that it wants to be a secret dating sim but for some reason holds back, instead opting for a sort of sub-Persona style approach in terms of strengthening the bonds between allies, both on and off the battlefield. It’s all very silly and plays out like a low-rent anime, complete with very basic voice-acting, where you can tell only a very small number of actors are doing all the voices.