This is it, folks. This is the one I've been waiting for. Forget the next 3D Mario platformer or even Pokémon Winds and Waves; since its big reveal last September, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave has been right at the top of my list of hotly anticipated games. Well, fortunately for me, I'm Pocket Tactics' resident tactical fan, our very own war monger, which meant that when Nintendo offered us a chance to get our hands on the game ahead of its launch, I was enlisted and sent into battle. Spoiler: I'm having a wonderful time.
First, though, a little housekeeping. Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is the 18th game in the series, following Fire Emblem Engage back in 2023. It feels, though, more like a sequel to Fire Emblem: Three Houses, seen by many as one of the best games from the franchise to date. I should be clear right from the beginning that I am part of that many, and for me, Three Houses is right in the upper echelons of the best Switch games. Now, that's your context, so let's dig right in.
If you've seen the Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Nintendo Direct presentation, you'll already know that this game features five main characters. There's Leda, Theodora, Cai, and Dietrich, four contestants in the Heroic Games, and Eshmel, the true protagonist through whom you experience the narratives of the other four. Does that sound confusing? Maybe a touch convoluted? Well, it is, but not in a bad way - more in a sort of slowly unraveling way, almost like a mystery box series such as Lost or Severance.
The best way to explain how the bulk of Fortune's Weave works is by comparing the experience to that of Three Houses. In that game, you play as the protagonist and pick a house early on to stick with for the rest of that playthrough. In Fortune's Weave, it's a lot more fluid. You can play a few hours of Cai's storyline, then jump into Dietrich, or vice versa, which keeps things nice and fresh throughout what I've played.
At the core of any Fire Emblem game is the turn-based tactical gameplay, and the same goes for Fortune's Weave. If you've played any of the previous entries, it should come pretty naturally to you. There's a bit of refinement compared to what was on offer in Three Houses and Engage, with a few differences in the class system and individual class mechanics, plus the Blaze Arts mechanic, which gives the four playable heroes each their own special attack - for instance, Cai can shoot magic projectiles to hit a certain area across the grid.
There are different kinds of battles, though. While adventuring in the open world, you'll encounter bandits, thieves, insects, or wild animals, prompting a skirmish. A skirmish is a six-on-six battle on a relatively condensed map, which you can usually deal with in a few turns provided you're not underleveled. They're great for grinding, which is useful, especially when you start recruiting units who are at a lower level than the current average of your entourage.
The battles that form your Heroic Games experience offer more of an epic scale and are more difficult than a skirmish. I've only experienced a couple of qualifying rounds, but there's a real sense of scale, aided by some nifty writing that lends historical context from the region of Dagda to each bout by way of the announcer. At this point, I already feel like I know more about Dagdan history than I do my own country, and I'm not at all mad about it. Give me that sweet, sweet lore.
One new mechanic for Fortune's Weave is the blessing system. Blessings are single-turn power-ups that cover your whole team in battle, and you unlock new ones by praying at temples. For example, I'm quite keen on loading up with magic-users, so I found a blessing that boosts magic attack power, and it's already come in clutch to help me out of a jam - never send your mage on a solo mission. Leveling up your blessings requires a bit more out-of-battle grinding, but it's worth it.
Then, there are clashes, which are also brand new for this game. Clashes are, effectively, old-school RPG-style turn-based battles. Instead of a grid-based duel, it's like a squad battle against a group of enemies, and you pick which of your characters attacks each turn, or you can use link points to launch a dual attack. Clashes are predominantly confined to dungeons, and the challenge comes in finding the right time to use link attacks, as you don't want to be trapped mid-dungeon with no link points left and a bunch of enemies still hiding around every corner.
Outside of battling, be it tactical or clashes, there's no shortage of activities to occupy your time, including some that are limited to each of the four heroes of the Heroic Games. You can fish, you can forage, or, as I just alluded to, you can come across dungeons and loot them for booty, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. You've even got some character-specific activities, with Dietrich capable of drawing out hidden enemies on the world map, while Cai can farm to multiply specific resources. There's just so much to do in this game, but thanks to a generous Persona-style ticking clock mechanic between main story missions, it never gets overwhelming.
In terms of the story, I'm slightly at a loss for what to say, as I don't want to spoil anything. What I will say is that, narratively, the scope of this game is ridiculous, and I mean that in the best way possible. It's also not at all what I was anticipating, at least not at first. You've likely seen the nun-with-a-gun clip from the Nintendo Direct trailer, and, well, yeah, that's a thing. It seems pretty wild at first, but the writing contextualizes it pretty well.
I've spent the bulk of my time with Cai, and the plotting and pacing have been gripping. There are moments where it dips into the cliché, but as someone who's tried writing an original story in the year 2026, I can appreciate that it's pretty unavoidable at this point. If you've got any interest in narrative design, I can already tell that the characters in this game are incredible examples of the want vs. need character theory, and that almost always makes for engaging storytelling.
Fortune's Weave's primary location, Dagsion, functions much in the same way as Fire Emblem: Three Houses' central hub, Garreg Mach Monastery. Here's where you share meals with your entourage and recruit candidates, do your temple worshipping, and train to boost your combat skills. It's got a distinctly Mediterranean vibe, and while it doesn't quite lend itself to exploration, it suits the game's wider aesthetics and looks better than the monochrome streets of Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
As for the rest of the visuals, it feels like an evolution of the more grounded, while still elaborate, designs of Three Houses rather than a continuation of the more comic book-style aesthetic of Engage. Don't get me wrong, it's not quite Breath of the Wild, but it does have its moments, and the cinematic cutscenes look as if they've been ripped right from an anime.
The character designs are all flamboyant, so no two Heroic Games contestants look too alike, and I'm particularly keen on the almost Castlevania-style gothic goodness of Dietrich and Fabio, who's part of the swordsmith's entourage. There's a bit of chemistry between this gothic pairing that has me hooked, and I'm eager to see if anything comes of it.
So far, this preview has been largely positive, but I do have a couple of concerns. Some of the walking animations are a little rigid, which isn't a dealbreaker, but it does detract a bit from immersion when Cai stomps through the market like an automaton. I could also see how the sheer number of tutorial pop-ups in the first couple of hours of gameplay could put off those new to the series. Yes, there's a lot of ground to cover, but it can get just a touch annoying.
Speaking of ground to cover - my god, this game is admin-heavy. If you want to recruit as many characters as possible, get ready to spend a lot of time giving gifts while taking potential recruits out for dinner as often as possible, and that's before the quests, quizzes, and whatever else is required to finally get them on your side. I'm particularly worried about this aspect in the late game, as I feel like doing all this team-building could detract from the narrative momentum, but I'll have to wait and see.
To close, all I can say is that, based on my experience with the narrative, gameplay, visuals, and mechanics so far, I think this could be the most ambitious Fire Emblem game to date. Better still, it almost all fits. There's a bit of whiplash while getting used to the new mechanics, especially if, like me, you've spent over 200 hours in the world of Three Houses. Once you adjust, though, it just adds to the already incredible tactical gameplay at the heart of Fortune's Weave.
What I'm trying to say is, if you're excited to play this game, you should be. If you're not, I'm formally suggesting that you reconsider. This could well be Game of the Year material we're talking about here, and I can't wait to really sink my teeth in.
There you have it: our Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave preview ahead of the game's upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 launch on September 17. If you're looking for something to play while you wait, check out our Splatoon Raiders review or our Rhythm Heaven Groove review.