The romance mechanic has a strange history in Fire Emblem games. For some titles, it can determine what happens to your characters at the end of the game. Others have it deeply baked into the gameplay, while some games don’t have it at all. You might be wondering which camp Fire Emblem Engage falls into. So, will there be relationships and marriage in Engage?
Related: All units and characters confirmed for Fire Emblem Engage
Can you romance NPCs in Fire Emblem Engage?
Yes, Fire Emblem Engage will have romance it in, but it won’t affect gameplay as much as other games in the series. Based on pre-release news and previews, we know characters will be able to romance one another once they reach an S-rank in their support conversations. The main character Alear will also be able to romance, but it seems there will be limited options for doing so. There is no information yet if gender will determine who Alear can romance or if there will be same-sex relationships in Fire Emblem Engage.
What’s also interesting is that some characters will be able to reach S-rank support, but not be a romantic option. It will simply be them reinforcing their ties to an even stronger bond.
It’s important to note that characters will not have romance options with the Emblem Ring characters from past Fire Emblem titles, as they’re not physical beings. Most of the Emblem Ring characters end up married to someone else from their respective games anyway.
The consensus is that Fire Emblem Engage focuses much more on strategic gameplay than social mechanics. While the last game in the series, Fire Emblem Three Houses, had a lot of social aspects, romance wasn’t a big part of the game’s social aspect. Fire Emblem Engage seems to follow suit.
