When a Nintendo Direct livestream event was announced for May 18, 2025, fans were expecting news of a new game in the tactical role-playing game seriesFire Emblem.A full three years after 2019’sFire Emblem: Three Houses,a new main series game seemed like a safe bet. That announcement did come, butFire Emblem Engage,came as a surprise to fans. While it features classic tactical gameplay and returning classes and weapons,Fire Emblem Engageseems less similar to most mainlineFire Emblemgames than it does to spinoff titleTokyo Mirage Sessions #FE.
Fire Emblem Engage, which was the first title announced in a Nintendo Direct that also included the long-awaited title reveal forThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,will follow the standardFire Emblemformula of an army of recruitable units in a fantasy-inspired world facing down the threat of a villainous dragon. However, rather than telling a completely new story,Fire Emblem Engagewill bring in characters from previous games as “Emblems” summoned by the player.Engageis the first main series title to include this summoning mechanic,and it may have taken inspiration fromTokyo Mirage Sessions #FE’stitular Mirage system.
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Both Involve Summoning Classic Fire Emblem Characters
Released in 2015 in Japan and in 2016 worldwide,Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FEwas the result of a collaboration between Nintendo andPersonadeveloper Atlus. Often described as “a fusion betweenPersonaandFire Emblem,“the game centered around a group of teenagers who could each summon a character from aFire Emblemgame as their “Mirage” in battle. The characters themselves did not have strong combat capabilities, with most fighting done by the Mirages.Fire Emblemcharacters appearing in the game as Mirages included Chrom, Tharja, and Virion fromFire Emblem Awakening,and Caeda, Cain, Draug, and Navarre fromFire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light.
InFire Emblem Engage,characters can use the Engage system to summon Emblems by putting on rings associated with pastFire Emblemcharacters. Because the rings are wearable items, it is possible that characters will be able tosummon multiple differentFire Emblemheroes, rather than being limited to a single Mirage as inTokyo Mirage Sessions #FE.Additionally,Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FEonly featured characters fromAwakeningandShadow Dragon and the Blade of Light,while the Emblems inEngageare confirmed to cover lots ofFire Emblemtitles. The official reveal trailer forFire Emblem Engageshowed off the summoning of Marth from the aforementionedShadow Dragon,Celica fromFire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia,and Sigurd fromFire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War.
Engage Seems to Share Tokyo Mirage Sessions' Colorful Aesthetic
Unlike the fantasy-basedFire Emblem,Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FEtakes place in modern-day Tokyo. The playable characters are all involved in the entertainment industry and include idol singers, actors, and the host of a microwave-themed cooking show. Because of the focus on music and performance, both the human characters and their Mirages wear bright, colorful costumes. Most playable characters have multiple outfits that can be unlocked and worn both in battle and while exploring dungeons. In addition, theFire EmblemMirages received redesigns turning them from relatively normal-looking humans into elaborate figures resembling Personas.
While the Emblems inFire Emblem Engageseem to retain their standard appearance, fans noted that the game had a brighter and more colorful appearance compared topreviousFire Emblemtitles. Protagonist Alear, a Divine Dragon, has red-and-blue hair split down the middle and heterochromatic eyes. Additionally, Alear and other characters can take on new, more elaborate appearances when borrowing power from their summoned heroes. ThisMirage Sessions-reminiscent aesthetic is courtesy of illustrator Mika Pikazo, who previously designed the avatars for multiple prominent VTubers.
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Fire Emblem Engage May Feature Returning Antagonists
The heroes ofTokyo Mirage Sessionsteamed up with their Mirages to fight a series of antagonists connected to their pasts. Ultimately, they discovered a looming, overarching threat that posed a danger to all of Tokyo. These antagonists mostly consisted of human characters teamed up with antagonistic Mirages - villainous characters fromFire Emblem: AwakeningandFire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light.These included the wicked king Gangrel, the dark priest Gharnef, and, ultimately, Medeus, the Dark Dragon who the Hero-King Marth defeated at the end of the very firstFire Emblemtitle.
While it has not yet been confirmed if antagonists from previousFire Emblemtitles will be returning inFire Emblem Engage,it definitely seems likely. The first trailer for the game mentions the threat of the “Fell Dragon” as the primary evil Alear and their companions must face. While the character is not named in the trailer, “Fell Dragon” is an epithet frequently used to refer to Grima, the primary antagonist ofFire Emblem Awakening.If Grima is indeed the threat menacing the land of Elyos, some of its human followers may also appear, such as Validar.
Engage Also Resembles Other Fire Emblem Properties
While the similarities betweenFire Emblem EngageandTokyo Mirage Sessions #FEare definitely clear,Mirage Sessionsis not the onlyFire Emblemspinoff that may have influenced the latest main series title. The concept of summoning characters from previousFire Emblemtitles to aid new characters in protecting a new land also appeared inFire Emblem Warriors,a spinoff developed in collaboration between Nintendo and Koei Tecmo. LikeEngage, Warriorsincluded characters from multipleFire Emblemtitles, althoughShadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, Awakening,andFatesreceived the most representation.
Fans have also noted similarities betweenFire Emblem Engageand the mobile appFire Emblem Heroes. InHeroes,players take on the role of the Summoner, who can summon characters from all previousFire Emblemtitles - includingMirage Sessions -to help protect the realm of Askr.Fire Emblem Heroeslaunched in 2017 and is still going strong. Recently, characters from another musou-style spinoff,Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes,were added to the game. Alear and the otherEngageprotagonists are expected to appear inHeroesat some point during the next few months.
It is likely that fans will not know the true level of similarity betweenTokyo Mirage Sessions #FEandFire Emblem Engageuntil more information is revealed about the latter game. WithEngagereleasing in January 2023, most fans predict that several more trailers will be shown before the game launches. During the wait for new information, fans are eagerly speculating aboutwhichFire Emblemcharacters might appear as summonable alliesinFire Emblem Engage.Given the similarities between the two games, it is even possible that the modern-day heroes ofTokyo Mirage Sessions #FEcould put in an appearance.
Fire Emblem Engagewill release on July 13, 2025 for the Nintendo Switch.
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