The Ending Of Fire Emblem Engage Explained
The newest release in the "Fire Emblem" series, "Fire Emblem Engage" quickly caught the attention of fans. Not only is it the follow-up to the huge success of "Fire Emblem Three Houses" without being connected to it, but it also features a protagonist with an eye-catching blue and red hair-do as well as the return of fan-favorite characters through a new mechanic.
The story of "Engage" follows Alear, whose gender is chosen by the player at the start of the game. They are the descendent of a powerful being known as the Divine Dragon, and are woken up after centuries of slumber. This happens because of the rise of an evil counterpart that just happens to be their father, known as the Fell Dragon. The Fell Dragon aims to conquer the entire known world, leaving Alear to gather an army of supporters to stop him.
While the core of the storyline in "Engage" is relatively straightforward, "Fire Emblem" games tend to be massive, with large casts of characters and plenty of decisions for players to make throughout their playthrough. This can make it difficult for players to see every character's ending in a single playthrough. So, in case you need a refresher on how it ends or want to see how Alear's most important relationships conclude, here is the ending of "Fire Emblem Engage" explained.
Facing the Fell Dragon
The story of "Fire Emblem Engage" culminates in Alear and their friends travelling to a unique dimension that the Fell Dragon, Sombron, was banished to thousands of years before. Alear and their allies bring their Emblems with them, which are rings connected to the spirits of previous heroes from throughout the series, such as Corrin, Marth, Roy, and more. The realm itself is an abyss filled with floating shards of rocks and is completely controlled by Sombron as a result of his growing power throughout the game.
When the player first arrives, Sombron uses this power to push Alear's Emblems back through the portal they came through. He then threatens to close the portal to Alear's world that they came through, which he claims will cause the Emblems to be lost in the space between worlds for eternity, as well as stranding Alear and their allies. However, the bonds that have been forged between the Emblems and Alear's allies prove to be too strong. This allows them to return to the fold and assist in the battle like they had been up to that point.
The bad ending
During the final battle against Sombron players can receive a bad ending if they fall in battle and don't have a time crystal available to revive Alear. While players can still restart the fight to find the true ending, showing the consequences of failure is an interesting way to flesh out the final battle of "Engage." The cutscene begins with Alear opening their eyes while laying on the ground in a strange building.
As their vision clears they see Sombron menacingly standing over them. Sombron then tells Alear that everyone that they care about has been killed due to Alear's failure. The cutscene then reveals that both Alear and their sister Veyle have somehow become enslaved by Sombron. This causes them to take on a darker appearance as well as having to carry out his will.
Interestingly, however, is that Alear shows shock and horror at the revelation while Veyle seems calm. This seems to indicate that despite being enslaved, at least in part, by Sombron, Alear still has their morals from before in tact. Whether this means that they would still have to carry out Sombron's will while feeling guilty about it or not is not shown, as the cutscene ends with Sombron laughing quickly after the reveal.
The canon ending
The final fight with Sombron culminates in his transformation to his true Fell Dragon form as well as summoning new forces in the form of Dark Emblems. Dark Emblems are spirits connected to antagonists from throughout the series that were pulled from the same worlds as the player's Emblems. This allows the player's Emblems to face off against the villains from throughout the series.
By matching their Emblems with their associated Dark Emblems the player can defeat them, and then Sombron himself. Upon defeating Sombron he is forced to return to his regular form. While in that form, he tells Alear that he has grown too weak to continue, and that he is giving up on trying to find his lost Emblem, the sole purpose of his attempted conquering of Alear's world.
Alear then questions Sombron's motives by asking why he didn't try to have a relationship with his child, rather than conquering the world to find an Emblem. Sombron responds that he needed his Emblem to see how far he had come during his centuries-long exile in the dimension all on his own. Out of pity, Alear and Veyle help Sombron summon his Emblem, which works. Sombron is delighted at seeing his Emblem again, and while talking to them, his energy is released and he is ultimately defeated.
The post-credits scene
Players that sit through the credits can also watch a final cutscene that helps wrap up the game's story and potentially set up a sequel. The final cutscene starts with Alear standing in the middle of the chamber where they keep the most important rings for their Emblems. Alear talks to the rings about being unsure about being coronated to lead the country on their own, as well as discussing how much they wish their Emblem friends could be right there with them.
At that point, some of Alear's allies enter the room behind them, excitedly saying that they were looking for Alear to help them get ready for the ceremony. Through talking with their allies, Alear realizes that they still have a group of dedicated friends that they can rely on to help them along with their newest challenge. After they leave the chamber, the player can hear voices from the rings as they say that they will always be there to help Alear when they need the Emblems' help.
Alear's Ending
Throughout "Fire Emblem Engage" Alear is faced with many challenges. When they first awaken from their slumber they suffer from general amnesia, have to learn how to stop their father, the Fell Dragon, from conquering the world, and need to come to terms with their responsibility as the nation's future leader. Throughout the game's story, Alear has to grapple with these issues through the help of forming bonds with their allies and friends.
The game's adventure also sees Alear trying to overcome their childhood trauma of being abandoned by their father and having to face him to save the world. The story's emphasis on forming relationships highlights how much Alear relies on their help to grow and overcome their challenges. Growing close with one particular ally and gifting them their Pact Ring to symbolize their bond also shows how Alear accepts that they can make a family of their own rather than relying on the father that abandoned them.
Vander's Ending
Vander is one of the first characters that players are introduced to after Alear awakens from their slumber. This is because he was assigned to protect Alear by the queen he was sworn to, Queen Lumera. When Alear wakes up he then pledges himself to their service as they strive out to recover their memories and discover why they woke up.
While Vander is very helpful and diligent in serving Alear, his final cutscene when the player maximizes their bond with him reveals that he wasn't as loyal as he initially seemed. During the scene, Vander reveals that he resented being assigned to following Alear because he had wanted to die in the service of Queen Lumera. However, he stuck with Alear out of begrudging obedience to Lumera, who died while he was absent.
During the final moments of the scene, however, Vander says that working with Alear made him see how inspiring they were. He says that this renewed his fervor in serving them, and he ultimately renews his vows to Alear to serve them until the end of his days. In the end, Alear gives him their Pact Ring, solidifying their special relationship.
Alfred's Ending
Alfred is a royal prince (with an interesting connection to a real world actor) that hails from the kingdom of Firene and is sent to help serve Alear in their fight against the Fell Dragon. Early on, while following Alear, he develops romantic feelings for them. When he admits these to Alear, however, he promises to subdue them so that they don't interfere with his abilities or decision-making while serving them. From then on, his feelings occasionally surface during interactions, but Alfred is always quick to push them down and clear his head.
When Alear's bond with Alfred reaches the maximum level, however, the two meet privately to discuss their feelings again. At the start of the scene, Alfred reveals to Alear that he has been unsuccessful in containing his feelings completely. Instead, he reveals that his feelings for Alear has only grown, to the degree that he is concerned he can no longer serve her well because it will get in the way of his decision-making.
While Alfred expects the conversation to effectively act as his resignation from Alear's service, Alear tells him that it isn't necessary. Instead, they tell Alfred that they have developed similar feelings and love them as well. Alear then offers Alfred their Pact Ring to enter a formal relationship with them, after which they both promise to go to the ends of the world for one another.
Chloe's Ending
Chloe is one of the most optimistic of Alear's allies. She always makes a point to see the brighter side of situations and makes frequent attempts to encourage others near her to do the same. Chloe also has a unique metaphor for life. She says that she views everyone's life as a story, and that their dreams are a fairy tale that they should strive to make come true.
This metaphor comes to light when Alear's bond level reaches the maximum level with Chloe. In Chloe's final relationship cutscene, Alear uses this structure for a heartwarming conversation about how they want Chloe in their life. Alear says that their fairy tale can't come true without Chloe being by their side. This conversation shows just how big of an impact Chloe has on Alear through their relationship. Before getting close to Chloe Alear tends to focus on the present situations and stakes of any given moment. This conversation, however, shows a shift from that perspective to starting to think about the future and what the world will look like after they defeat Sombron.
Yunaka's Ending
On the surface, Yunaka is carefree but secretive. She gives all of herself over to serving Alear, but she makes a point to never discuss her past or where she comes from with Alear or any of her allies. This makes the cutscene when she strengthens her bond with Alear all the more impactful. During the scene, Yunaka says that she wants to give everything she has to serving Alear and that she can only do so if Alear knows everything about her.
To do so, Yunaka reveals a dark history to Alear. She says that when she was young she went by the name Larimar and was a professional assassin. She tells Alear that she changed her name when she decided to leave that life behind to help people, and that she has decided the best way to do that is by sticking by Alear's side. She is then given Alear's Pact Ring and accepts her new purpose in life of helping others while being true to herself and her history.
Citrinne's Ending
Citrinne is a royal knight that serves the nation of Brodia. From growing up with access to her family's wealth she built a habit of flooding those close to her with gifts and money. This shows how kind she is deep inside despite her haughty personality. This habit showed itself when she was first recruited by giving Alear a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
When Alear's bond with Citrinne is maximized, they meet outside of their castle to discuss their relationship. At the start of the scene, Alear gives Citrinne a dried flower. Citrinne quickly recognizes the flower as being from the bouquet that she initially gifted them. Alear then reveals that they carefully dried all of flowers so that they could preserve them and keep them with her.
This scene that shows the start of Alear and Citrinne's relationship does a lot to reveal information about both of the characters. Receiving the dried flower means a lot to Citrinne because it shows how Alear really valued the gift that Citrinne gave them. It also shows how much Alear cared about Citrinne from the very beginning, allowing them to start a very special relationship with one another.
Panette's Ending
Panette has a very distinct look alongside the rest of the cast of "Fire Emblem Engage," thanks to her goth-inspired outfit. However, her character arc is very similar to Alear's. When Panette first joined Alear she did so under the arrangement that Alear would help her search for her missing parents while also trying to save the world. In Panette's final cutscene, however, she says she is giving up her search.
Panette's acceptance of her missing parents is an emotional moment for her and Alear both. In response, Alear gives her their Pact Ring, but Panette refuses. She says that she doesn't want to get too close to Alear because she is fearful of their relationship turning sour and changing like her parents' relationship did before they went missing. Alear can convince her to change her mind, however, by understanding where she is coming from and promising that they will stay true to one another.
This interaction is particularly interesting because of how similar it is to Alear's arc of accepting her allies as her new family. Panette's arc is similar, with her fully opening up to Alear and being willing to be vulnerable with those close to her out of faith that they can serve as her new family without leaving her behind.
Zelkov's Ending
Zelkov is a dark and mysterious figure that joins Alear after being a knight for the nation of Elusia. He is a quiet character, but one that has a lot of hobbies that he is passionate about investing his time and efforts into. He also is a very quirky character thanks to his propensity to emphasize words in his sentences to try and give them a double meaning, although he rarely does so correctly.
Zelkov's amusing personality makes his relationship cutscene all the more surprising when Alear gets close enough to him. He reveals to them that he has a dark past that he usually doesn't like to speak about. He says that when he was young his entire family was murdered by bandits. This inspired him to become an assassin as he hunted down each of the bandits one by one to kill them as punishment. Afterward, however, he found that he completely lacked direction or purpose in his life, which saw him joining Elusia and searching for hobbies to occupy his time.
After telling all of this to Alear, he tells them that he has found new purpose in trying to serve Alear. This development is particularly interesting because of how it brings to mind Alear's own future after defeating Sombron. Their relationship with Zelkov then shows that they will likely be able to work through it together so they can find their purpose together.