TheFire Emblemseries has historically appealed to hardcore strategy-RPG enthusiasts due to its punishing permadeath mechanic - units killed in battle are gone for good. However, as the series has grown more mainstream, recent entries have toned down this mechanic, making it so losing units permanently is an optional feature depending on the mode players choose to play on. Now, theFell Xenologue DLCforFire Emblem Engageseems to be further pushing away hardcore fans with new restrictions on the classic system.
Fire Emblem Engageis already among the easier entries in this long-running series, but it seems the Fell Xenologue DLC could be even easier than the main campaign. According to the official website, this DLC will not feature permadeath in any way, and units defeated in battle will return to the player’s party at the end of the chapter regardless of whether they are playing on Classic or Casual mode. While this could point to some deeper part of the game’s lore, it adds further to the decline of one of the franchises most notable mechanics by railroading all players into an impermanent death mode.
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The Fire Emblem Series Has Been Moving Away from its Permadeath Roots
This is not the first instance of aFire Emblemgame catering to more casual audiences, as most modern entries feature some option to remove permadeath. Casual Mode was first introduced in the Japan-exclusiveFire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem, but made its first appearance outside of Japan inFire Emblem Awakening. As opposed to Classic Mode, Casual Mode does not include permanent unit loss, so anyone who falls in battle will only be unavailable until the end of the chapter.
The following entry in the franchise,Fire Emblem Fates, doubled down on the accessibility for casual players by adding another new mode. Phoenix Mode was even easier than Casual, with units who fall in battle being revived the very next turn rather than at the end of the chapter. While this mode was an optional way to help newcomers get their bearings, it pointed toward a worrying trend for hardcore fans and series veterans.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentiaadded another tool to dampen the threat of permadeath: Mila’s Turnwheel, a device that allowed players to rewind time and undo certain actions that would result in a unit’s unwanted demise. This feature returns in bothFire Emblem: Three HousesandFire Emblem Engageunder different names, with different in-universe explanations for their existence. Despite continuing to be optional, these features continue the series' march in a more casual direction, and the removal of permanent death entirely from the Fell Xenologue may be the realization of hardcore fans' worst fears.
However, it is possible this will be a one-off situation that ties directly into the story of the DLC rather than the series standard going forward. Given the number of characters who die and return as Corrupted in the base game ofFire Emblem Engage, it’s possible the reason behind a lack of permadeath in this DLC is because units who fall in battle will return as Corrupted themselves, serving to build the in-universe lore as players fight on the other team rather than simply existing to make the game easier. Although the trend ofFire Emblemgamesgetting easier has given veteran players reason to be skeptical (despite its value for accessibility), there’s no reason to believe permadeath won’t return as an optional feature in the future.
Fire Emblem Engageis available now for Nintendo Switch.
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