Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave opens up its world and possibilities with a strong influence from Persona

We've just watched Nintendo's broadcast on Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, the next major instalment in the strategy series, which this time will be released exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2. If you missed the live stream, don't worry - we've put together a comprehensive round-up of everything the game has to offer. And you'll need it, because this is a much more comprehensive and in-depth game than initially thought...

To begin with, and as is often the case with every instalment of Fire Emblem (though this hasn't always been the norm), Fortune's Weave is a standalone adventure within the series, set in the Dagdano Empire - a prosperous continent under the protection of the gods, from whose capital, Dagsion, the sovereign Solel reigns. He organises the Heroic Games, to which contenders come from all corners of the world in search of a special prize, as it is said that Solel will grant the winner a wish.

Thus the paths of the four protagonist heroes unfold. On Cai's Path (from Ribeira), this young man seeks to free his father from prison, where he is being held due to a mistake. Following Dietrich's Path is a foreigner seeking to make a name for himself in battle. Theodora (from the kingdom of Saramis) seeks to restore the honour of her kingdom and its goddess of death, whilst Leda, a disgraced noblewoman now working as a dancer, seeks revenge for her father's murder.

As is the hallmark of the series, before each battle you select your characters and position them on the battlefield, in the series' classic turn-based combat, with victory conditions in place. Each character has a unique combat style based on a classic 'rock-paper-scissors' system, where certain weapons are more effective against some unit types than others, whilst their user is vulnerable to other types. Position is key to combat. You can also use magic and the terrain to your advantage, or be prepared when the situation gets tricky. As a unique strategic element, there will be special combat actions, known as 'Blaze Arts', which consume soul in exchange for power. These include powerful offensive spells, buffs, teleportation and monster summons.

The mechanic allowing you to rewind combat to a previous turn to try and turn the battle around from that point returns. There are also different subclasses for the same character. Classes are divided into starter (5), intermediate (10) and advanced (7) classes.

Exploring Dagsion between battles is essential to prepare for the upcoming confrontation. In the town square, you can train with weapons and classes, and learn better combat moves. You can also buy equipment and upgrade your weapons and armour. You can earn blessings from the gods by serving as an assistant in one of their temples. There are side quests with generous rewards, and you can recruit new warriors to add to your team for the Heroic Games. It even appears there's a Social Links system to strengthen bonds with your companions. This mechanic is heavily inspired by the interludes in the Persona series.

Although it might seem as though you can only choose one of the four heroes to see Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave through to the end, each has a distinct story line and you can switch between any of the four stories at any time. Progress is saved separately for each story. But on top of this four-way plot... There's an apocalyptic event threatening to destroy the world by opening the gates to the Underworld, featuring a new protagonist, and you can choose to face this great threat alone, or return to the era of the four heroes and alter their fate so they can help you in the final great battle.

With so much content, it might seem overwhelming, but Fire Emblem could be just the big title the Nintendo Switch 2 needs to hook a new generation on its strategy gameplay, now combined with team management, social bonds, and different timelines.

On a final note, and to get players excited, Nintendo Music has today added music from the game to the app, and Nintendo Today! is now offering mobile wallpapers, with more to come in the next few days.

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch 2 on 17 September. Will you be picking it up?