7 Games To Play While You Wait For Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave

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We are just a fortnight away from the launch of Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, the eagerly awaited next chapter in the iconic franchise, arriving on the Nintendo Switch 2 on Sept. 17. Early glimpses indicate that Fortune’s Weave will revisit the universe of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the series’ most commercially successful installment. Spanning a 36-year legacy, Fire Emblem has become legendary for its signature permadeath mechanic, the classic weapon triangle, and, in its more recent iterations, a profound focus on interpersonal bonds and social simulation mechanics.

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Whether you adore the series for the cozy life-sim elements of its modern chapters, the unforgiving difficulty of its classic modes, or its sophisticated evolution of rock-paper-scissors combat, here are seven stellar titles that capture the spirit of tactical role-playing games.

1

Unicorn Overlord

Where to play: PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X

Released in 2024, Unicorn Overlord stands alongside Fire Emblem: Engage and Three Houses as a magnificent tactical fantasy epic available on Nintendo hardware, featuring an expansive overworld and a heavier focus on real-time strategy. The narrative feels remarkably familiar to franchise veterans: an exiled prince raises a rebel army to liberate his homeland from a tyrannical empire. Players traverse the continent of Fevrith, deploying nimble squads into real-time skirmishes. Rather than micromanaging every single action on the fly, you design intricate chains of commands and contingencies. Utilizing the game’s robust tactics system, you program distinct priorities—directing a unit to target the most vulnerable foe or automatically triggering a heal when health drops beneath a certain threshold. At its most sophisticated, Unicorn Overlord invites you to construct complex, conditional workflows based on stats, gear, and synergy before a single sword is drawn. If your favorite part of gaming is tinkering with loadouts, class compositions, and troop formations, this masterpiece deserves your attention.

2

Tactics Ogre: Reborn

Where to play: PS4, PS5, Switch, Windows PC

Debuting in 1995 as Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, this pioneering entry reshaped the tactical genre through branching narratives, multiple endings, and gripping political intrigue. Following a beloved PSP remake in 2010, the title was brilliantly reimagined in 2022 as Tactics Ogre: Reborn, bringing the fractured factions of Valeria up to modern hardware standards. Much like Three Houses, Reborn splits into distinct ideological paths—Law, Chaos, and Neutral—pushing the protagonist, Denam, toward morally grey and occasionally ruthless decisions. Gameplay unfolds via isometric, grid-based encounters. However, unlike certain Fire Emblem titles where a single overpowered, over-leveled unit can easily plow through adversity, Reborn enforces a strict “Union Level” cap that limits your maximum growth. Because enemies continually match or slightly exceed your current ceiling, success relies entirely on terrain mastery and intelligent positioning.

3

Horizon’s Gate

Where to play: Windows PC

If your favorite memories of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia involved navigating the high seas, you will find plenty to love in Horizon’s Gate, an open-world tactical RPG crafted by indie developer Rad Codex. You set sail across the vast expanse of Eral as a daring explorer, merchant, or privateer, retaining total freedom over your alliances, trade routes, and enemies. A multi-faceted renown tracking system allows you to build a legacy as a master navigator, wealthy trader, or legendary corsair. Battles take place across both land and open water, enabling you to direct individual heroes alongside entire naval fleets. Much like Fire Emblem, Horizon’s Gate utilizes turn-based, grid-driven combat alongside deep character recruitment and flexible class progression, though its minimalist narrative and open-ended sandbox structure give it a distinct flavor compared to linear adventures.

4

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

Where to play: Switch

Years ago, the concept of a Ubisoft-developed Mario strategy RPG featuring chaotic Rabbids sounded thoroughly bizarre. Even today, following a fantastic sequel, it still sounds wildly unconventional—yet it is an absolute triumph. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle seamlessly merges turn-based combat with environmental puzzle-solving and exceptionally dynamic movement mechanics. While movement statistics in standard Fire Emblem games merely shuffle units from point A to point B, dashing and “Team Jumps” transform mobility into an aggressive offensive art form. Imagine Yoshi vaulting off a teammate to cross an entire arena before unleashing a devastating ground slam on surrounding foes—a feat Marth could only dream of. If you need further proof of its design pedigree, consider that it served as a creative muse for XCOM director Jake Solomon when rethinking the entire genre.

Where to play: Android, iOS, PS4, Windows PC, Xbox One

Few games could stand further apart in atmosphere from Mario + Rabbids than Stoic’s The Banner Saga, a grim masterwork where the gods have perished and the sun stands frozen in the sky. Heavily inspired by Norse mythology, the trilogy tracks a desperate caravan of mortals and giants fleeing the Dredge, an ancient, ruthless faction bent on human extinction. Similar to Fire Emblem, it offers a deeply narrative-driven tactical experience complete with permanent consequences. However, characters do not perish simply from failing a tactical skirmish; rather, poor narrative or conversational choices can seal a beloved companion’s doom. The game fiercely resists the urge to let you undo mistakes. While a Fire Emblem player might reload a save file or utilize time-rewinding mechanics upon a loss, The Banner Saga relies on an unyielding autosave structure that forces you to live with your decisions—consequences that directly carry over into its sequels.

6

Marvel’s Midnight Suns

Where to play: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Windows PC

Spearheaded by XCOM mastermind (and dedicated strategy aficionado) Jake Solomon, Marvel’s Midnight Suns brilliantly fuses comic book storytelling, tactical card drafting, and robust social simulation. Between missions, your custom protagonist—known as The Hunter—retires to the Abbey, a mystical sanctuary that bears a striking resemblance to Garreg Mach Monastery from Three Houses. Here, you can exchange gifts, schedule leisure activities, and deepen friendships with iconic heroes like Wolverine, Spider-Man, and the Scarlet Witch. Cultivating these personal bonds yields exclusive combat cards and powerful passive upgrades. If you fell in love with the academy life and relationship-building loops of recent Fire Emblem titles, stepping into the dramatic personal lives of Marvel’s greatest heroes will feel wonderfully right at home.

7

Triangle Strategy

Where to play: PS5, Switch, Windows PC, Xbox Series X

Released in 2022, Square Enix and Artdink’s Triangle Strategy shares Fire Emblem’s penchant for grid-based maps and sweeping high-fantasy conflicts, though it swaps traditional alternating player-enemy phases for a fluid, speed-based individual turn order. Elevation and positioning are paramount here; the direction your units face at the end of a turn can easily spell the difference between victory and defeat (though fallen allies safely return after battles conclude, mirroring Fire Emblem’s casual mode). Triangle Strategy features profound moral crossroads that splinter the narrative into divergent paths before ultimately converging across four distinct endings. An invisible conviction metric, shaped entirely by your dialogue selections and strategic approach, steers protagonist Serenoa across pillars of Morality, Liberty, and Utility. These internal traits directly influence your capacity to sway comrades and recruit specialized personnel. Boasting breathtaking HD-2D visuals reminiscent of Octopath Traveler, Triangle Strategy delivers a gripping political epic punctuated by challenging battles and cinematic storytelling. If you crave the heavy war-room drama and political machinations of the Fire Emblem series, this is an essential journey.

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave takes players to a familiar location

Dagda serves as the historic homeland for several prominent characters from Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Source: Polygon