Fire Emblem Engage is the newest entry in Nintendo's fantasy strategy RPG series, and it's easily the most nostalgic of the bunch. Bringing in lords from previous Fire Emblem games, Engage switches things up a bit from its most recent predecessors. This has a big impact on the game's content, though how long said content takes to beat can vary depending on how much the player wants out of the game.
Like any JRPG, gamers should expect to put a lot of hours into Fire Emblem Engage just to beat the story mode. Even this will hinge on which difficulty settings are selected and how much players focus on leveling up their battles units. Even with some of the scaled-back features, the result is a strategy that reaches back decades to give players plenty of exciting things to do during their playthroughs.
How Long to Beat Fire Emblem Engage
The storyline of Fire Emblem Engage has 26 chapters, all of which contain about two battles or so. Early on, these fights don't last too long, but they can become increasingly long and grueling the further into the game players get. That can especially be the case depending on the difficulty level, with the higher levels resembling the challenge of older Fire Emblem titles. That includes permadeath, with the irreversible loss of some units being a huge factor in turning the tide of some battles. Weapon durability has been done away with, balancing things out if players should go the classic difficulty route.
It is worth noting that there's only one story path in the game, with the scope of this plot being set across four different regions. This is different from predecessor Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which was driven by player choice and social interaction more than any other entry in the series. Those features have been dialed back, making the story far more streamlined. With this in mind, the main campaign will take most players about 50 hours or so to finish.
How Long to Complete Fire Emblem Engage
As with any RPG, beating and completing Fire Emblem Engage are two completely different things. There are numerous unlockable Emblems, which are the Lords from previous games in the franchise. These characters all have "Paralogue" stories of their own. Another feature of the game is the Tower of Trials, which offers different playstyles and can be used to level up units. Likewise, new skirmish battles are constantly added to the map, keeping the game alive in an organic way. Taking advantage of these features adds several hours to the game, of course, and conquering all of this content will generally take about 100 hours or so.
Thankfully for those worried about time but who can't resist completing a game, the end credits mark the conclusion of the game's developing content. There isn't any sort of post-game or New Game Plus content, so players who've beaten the story can either feel accomplished or go back and complete whatever they missed the first time around. If that includes maxing out each playable unit, it will be a truly arduous and longwinded task, with the 100 hours needed to complete the game likely being a vast understatement. There could be a lot more in the way of new content and Emblems added through DLC, however, so those who seek a sense of accomplishment should hurry to complete Fire Emblem Engage as soon as it's out.