Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave

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Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave
Game art, featuring multiple key characters
DevelopersIntelligent Systems
Nintendo
PublisherNintendo
DirectorToshiyuki Kusakihara
ProducersMasahiro Higuchi
Genki Yokota
ArtistChinatsu Kurahana
ComposerTakeru Kanazaki
SeriesFire Emblem
PlatformNintendo Switch 2
ReleaseSeptember 17, 2026
GenreTactical role-playing
ModeSingle-player

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave[a] is a 2026 tactical role-playing game co-developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo, and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch 2. It is the eighteenth mainline installment in the Fire Emblem series, taking place in the same world as Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Set within the Dagdan Empire, the player takes on the role of four warriors in the Heroic Games to gain their heart's desire, and a hero chosen by the progenitor god Sothis to ensure their survival against the demon god Balor. Gameplay features turn-based combat, with players completing battles in both arena combat on a traditional grid-based, and on missions beyond the Dagdan capital which uses a party-based combat system.

Fortune's Weave included multiple staff from Three Houses including director Toshiyuki Kusakihara, producer Masahiro Higuchi, artist Chinatsu Kurahana, and sound director Takeru Kanazaki. Wanting to expand on the wider world of Three Houses, Kusakihara designed the game's world and story to reflect themes of family and change, designing the in-game world as an exotic and diverse region. The setting, inspired by the ancient Mediterranean, influenced both gameplay design and the art and music.

The game was released on September 17, 2026. Fortune's Weave received critical acclaim and was praised for its narrative, characters, gameplay, and orchestral score, with several outlets touting it as among the best games in the series to date.

Gameplay

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is a tactical role-playing game in which players take on the role of five different characters: a customizable protagonist named Eshmel by default, and four named characters with their own story campaigns dubbed the Flame Lords—Cai, Dietrich, Theodora, and Leda. Following an introductory section, the player can choose which of the Flame Lords to control, going through dedicated story campaigns set during the Heroic Games event within the city of Dagsion.[1][2] Dagsion acts as both main narrative's central location, and a hub for the player to explore and shop for equipment and items, recruit new party units for battle, and visit locations to receive boons from the nation's gods. The story is separated by arena matches as part of the Heroic Games, and free time periods where the player can explore beyond Dagsion for additional combat and quests.[3][4] The party can stay at inns in Dagsion, gaining additional experience points and items along with character-focused story events.[3]

Locations beyond Dagsion are visited using a world map, with additional Skirmish battles encountered alongside new item vendors, supply caches, and explorable locations.[2][5] The protagonist of each scenario has a unique gameplay ability tied to overworld exploration: Cai can tame mounts, Deitrich can locate enemies on the world map, Theodora can recruit soldiers for exploration or aiding in combat, and Leda can earn additional rewards by performing at inns.[6] Dungeons, which can appear either randomly or as part of story events, have the player navigating in real-time with a squad of four chosen units.[1][7]

The game's turn-based combat system is split into two forms: the Fire Emblem series' recurring grid-based combat dubbed "Matches", and a party-based version exclusive to dungeon exploration compared to early Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest dubbed "Clashes".[3][4] In Match combat, players can perform a move, and an attack during their turn, with the goal being defeating the enemy using tactics including flanking positions or defeating a key enemy. Player units can hold multiple weapon types to attack, and can combine some techniques depending on their current equipment.[1][2][4] Each Match begins with the player positioning their units before combat begins, with a unit's movement range displayed in blue and attack range in red.[3] During matches there is an option to rewind time to a limited degree to undo and retry combat actions.[3] Dungeon combat has the chosen party of four facing enemy groups, able to use combination attacks between units with a limited pool of Link Points. This combat can also be sped up or skipped.[3][5][7]

Playable unit abilities are dictated by a class system, divided into three ranks with multiple classes within these ranks. Different classes allow for and unlock exclusive moves or passive abilities.[1][3] There are multiple weapon types available dependent on a unit's class: swords, spears, axes, bows, gauntlets, and magic. Each weapon type has a different effect, such as magic being effective against heavily-armored units or spears having a longer range.[3][8] Weapons have a durability level, which is lowered by performing a powerful Combat Art. The Fire Lords can also perform Blaze Arts, super moves which drain their health while granting a powerful ability such as a large attack or teleporting to another location.[3] Use of Blaze Arts grants the user statistical boosts, but overusing them permanently reduces their health for the remainder of combat.[2] Depending on their current skills, a unit can be taken to a Certification Exam in Dagsion to be granted a new class.[3] Units can either join during the story, or be recruited once certain conditions are met.[2][3]

Synopsis

Setting and characters

Fortune's Weave is set in the same world as Fire Emblem: Three Houses, taking place in the neighboring continent of Dagda. The Dagdan Empire is bordered by the three suzerain nations of Saramis, Arago and Brezarant, and has its capital in Dagsion at the continent's center. Within the Dagdan Empire, a nine-month combat event called the Heroic Games is held in honor of the empire's titular founding god-emperor, where the winner is granted their heart's desire.[9] The inciting incident is the revival of the demon god Balor, who will ravage the land shortly after the Heroic Games take place. After an initial scene during Balor's rampage, the story takes place during the Heroic Games themselves, with the player able to swap between the four key characters to experience and guide their stories through the Heroic Games.[2][9]

The protagonist Eshmel, also called the "Savior" and the "Promised One", is a figure from five years in the future who is charged with ensuring the survival of the Flame Lords against Balor's revival. The Flame Lords are Cai, a young man from the country who enters the Heroic Games to free his father from imprisonment; Dietrich, a noble from the Three Houses setting of Fódlan who craves strong opponents to fight; Theodora, the Queen of Saramis seeking to cement her rulership and restore the worship of a detested goddess; and Leda, a noble disguised as a dancer who is hunting her father's killers.[3][10] The supporting cast includes Fortuna (also called "Voice Upon the Peak"), the goddess of fate who aids Eshmel's mission; Solel, the sun god who currently rules Dagda and oversees the Heroic Games; and the progenitor god Sothis, returning from Three Houses.[5][10]

Story

In imperial year 1450, Balor is resurrected and his armies of risen dead begin swarming Dagda. Sothis tasks Eshmel with defeating Balor and restoring peace to the continent. Fortuna and her allies take shelter in the village of Kunlun, where they spend the following three years preparing a body for Eshmel's soul to inhabit. Once awake, Eshmel joins forces with Hong Hua and Troy to push through Balor's forces and reach Dagsion. Fortuna rescues Eshmel's group from a confrontation with Risen Dead versions of the Flame Lords, as well as the nefarious Lind, and brings them to the Obelisk Chamber. Here, Fortuna uses her power to send herself and Eshmel back in time to alter the fates of the Flame Lords so that they may live long enough to help them battle Balor.

Fox Obelisk route

Cai lives in Ribeira Village with his father, Castor, and childhood friends Tialla and Peter. On his 15th birthday, a mysterious red gem lodges itself in Cai's hand, granting him the ability to project dark flames. In Dagsion, Castor is arrested for eloping with the goddess Aurora— Cai's mother and Solel's daughter— fifteen years prior. After meeting Aurora, the children enter the Games alongside Aurora's priest, Ultand, seeking Castor's freedom. During the Games, Aurora asks Cai to investigate the temple of her grandfather Balor in Cybele, though an incident there turns his eyes red. Cai also clears Aurora's name by solving the mystery of a string of disappearances in her temple, for which she was blamed and confined. Cai learns that Castor is terminally ill, so he and Aurora resolve to make the most of their time with him. Castor sympathizes with Bertrand's cause and joins him in battle against Cai in the Games' final match. Cai emerges victorious and wishes for Solel to speak with Aurora. After they reconcile, Aurora adopts the name Laura and abdicates her temple and title to live with Cai and Castor in Ribeira.

Lion Obelisk route

Dietrich washes ashore in Dagda after the sea monster Cetus sinks his ship. Seeking a new ship to confront Cetus, he enters the Games alongside the mysterious Fabio, fisherwoman Esmeralda, and mercenary Mikaela. During the Games, the team explores the ancient Grand Megaliths, which Fabio was tasked with investigating by the god Vritra. Having fallen in love with Dietrich, Fabio ultimately abandons his mission. After passing the qualifiers, Dietrich receives permission from Solel to kill Cetus, who leaves behind the spear Grasitha; Fabio discovers she was once Hedda, an ancestor of Esmeralda and ally of Fódlan's King Nemesis. After Dietrich's final opponent withdraws, he wishes for a match against the god Mars, during which he overuses his blade Answerer and nearly transforms into a monster like Hedda. Fabio and Esmeralda remind him of his humanity and their love, restoring his senses. Mars acknowledges Dietrich as Dagda’s strongest mortal.

Wolf Obelisk route

Theodora, princess of Saramis, loses her father and right arm in her brother Dyan’s plot to gain the throne. With retainers Bonaventure and Tobias, she defeats assassin Bahr Vahn, obtains her ancestor Mahadu’s prosthetic arm, and acquires a charm to suppress Balor's corruptive influence within the arm before exiling Dyan and claiming the throne. Three years later, she enters the Heroic Games alongside her retainers, seeking to restore the goddess Yu Phas’s honor and annex the region of Cybele, historically ruled by the Saramisians' ancestors. During the Games, Theodora’s charm repeatedly breaks and she grapples with Balor's influence, but Yu Phas’s daughter Aurora is able to purify Mahadu’s Arm. When Dyan allies with the foreign kingdom of Mosa to reclaim Saramis, Theodora withdraws from the Games and leads her forces to Fort Zanbar, where she executes Dyan and his followers.

Eagle Obelisk route

Leilidahna's father Guillermo is killed by Bertrand in the Cydonia Massacre. Her ally, Father Mahdel, immolates himself after confessing his role in the massacre and provides Leilidahna with a list of the co-conspirators, whom she spends the following five years assassinating. Going by Leda, she enters the Games alongside companions Buccar, Sirocco, Mu and Olympia to locate Lechner, the last name on the list, as well as Bertrand. During the Games, Leda’s reliance on her cursed vihuela Obsidian strains her relationships, and she ends her friendship with Queen Aswan of Arago over her support for Bertrand. Maria, chancellor of Arago and daughter of Balor, kills Lechner to conceal the truth behind the massacre, then captures Leda and resurrects Guillermo as a risen dead. Mahdel, who faked his death, sacrifices himself to help Leda escape. After defeating Bertrand, Leda learns he agreed to protect her in Guillermo's stead but was framed for the late king of Arago's murder. She postpones killing him, and wishes for Solel to reopen the massacre investigation. Following Maria’s death, Leda seeks a way to free Guillermo’s soul from the underworld.

War arc

One month after the conclusion of the Heroic Games, the Divine Emperor Dagda awakens from his forced slumber, executes Solel, retakes control of Dagda, and declares a genocidal war against Saramis. Theodora leads Saramis into battle against Dagda, and is quickly joined by Bertrand, who has become king of Brezarant. The two depose the tyrannical King Gilchris of Arago and make their way into Dagsion itself only to discover that Dagda and his minister Raksha have murdered all of the civilians in the city to empower him. Theodora defeats Dagda in battle, and Raksha betrays and ritually sacrifices him. She is revealed to be Lyrah, a daughter of Balor, and has been manipulating Dagda for centuries to ensure her father's resurrection. Theodora and her allies pursue Lyrah, but are unable to prevent her from completing the ritual to resurrect Balor. Eshmel and Fortuna intervene to save the Flame Lords from certain death as the underworld invasion begins.

Salvation arc

Together with the Flame Lords, whose deaths have been successfully undone, Eshmel destroys the underworld gate in Dagsion and retakes control of Dagsion to serve as their base of operations. Eshmel marshals the continent's forces to destroy the other underworld gates, weakening Balor. Eventually, as a solar eclipse which will empower Balor approaches, the Promised One's army besieges the Temple of Balor and kills Lyrah. They then make their way into the underworld itself and defeat Balor. While their allies escape, Eshmel and Fortuna make their way into the heart of the underworld and destroy Balor's true body, bringing an end to the calamity but leaving them trapped in a void. Fortuna sacrifices herself to ensure Eshmel's escape as peace returns to Dagda. In a post-credits scene, Sothis begins to narrate the story of how she came to Fódlan and Dagda to an unseen listener.

Development

Fortune's Weave was co-developed by recurring studio Intelligent Systems and series publisher Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch 2.[11][12] Multiple Three Houses staff returned including director Toshiyuki Kusakihara and producer Masahiro Higuchi from Intelligent Systems, and Nintendo's Genki Yokota and Kenta Nakanishi in producing and supervising roles.[13] Since the 2019 release of Three Houses, Kusakihara wanted to portray other regions referenced within the game, choosing Dagda as a more vibrant and diverse place to explore. Building on their experience co-developing Three Houses with Koei Tecmo, Intelligent Systems opted to co-develop Fortune's Weave with Nintendo to properly realise Kusakihara's ambitions for the game.[12] While the core Fire Emblem gameplay was carried over, the team also adjusted the class system, added more exploration elements and reintroduced dungeon exploration that had first been used in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (2017). Due to the breadth of content and potential for repetition across story routes, Nakanishi worked to make each route's gameplay style unique. The team also expanded the number of character classes and weapons available, with their new units designed based on the game's exotic setting. Due to technical limitations caused by the ability to switch between story paths and elements carrying over between them, the team had to limit players to a single auto-saved file.[14]

Discussing the setting, Kusakihara wanted a more varied setting with an emphasis on freedom and diversity compared to the strictly ordered setting of Three Houses, drawing inspiration from cultures of the ancient Mediterranean.[13] In contrast to earlier Fire Emblem games which placed focus on noble protagonists with clear heroes and villains, both Nakanishi and Kusakihara wanted a cast that would grow sympathetic to players over time even with an initial antagonistic impression. A central theme of the narrative was family and how people chose to live, using different expressions of these themes with each of the four leads.[12] During early production, there were only the four lead characters, with the storyline focusing on their different perspectives on the Heroic Games. Kusakihara originally wanted eight leads, but Yokota advised halving the number. To create a connecting thread between them and allow a broader view of the overall story, Eshmel was created midway through production and consequently the story was rewritten to incorporate the time travel element. While the story focused around unifying factions rather than the conflict-driven story of Three Houses, they carried over the approach of introducing players to a large cast at once rather than the small initial casts of earlier Fire Emblem games.[13]

Chinatsu Kurahana returned from Three Houses as character designer, wanting her design style carried over into a title set within the same world. According to Kusakihara, Kurahana enjoyed her work on the project but found designing Eshmel challenging as they had to show personality while being dressed completely in white, going through multiple design and revision phases. The increased hardware power allowed for more detailed character designs and artwork than had been possible before. Takeru Kanazaki also returned as sound director, with Kusakihara giving guidance of blending flamenco music with "strange-ancient" and "wonder-ancient" motifs, wanting it to be a stark contrast to the music of Three Houses.[12]

Release

Fortune's Weave was announced in September 2025 as the final reveal of a Nintendo Direct broadcast. The game's Japanese title, Banshisenkō, is derived from a idiom describing a scene of blooming multicolored flowers.[15] The game was released worldwide on September 17, 2026. Alongside standard physical and digital editions, a "Dagdan Collection" special edition will release containing an artbook and themed merchandise.[16] As part of the promotion, the characters were featured in the mobile spin-off Fire Emblem Heroes,[17] and a manga adaptation by Kazurou Kyou will begin serialization in the October 2026 issue of Saikyō Jump.[18]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
Metacritic89/100[b][19]
OpenCritic97% recommend[c][20]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid9/10[21]
Eurogamer5/5[22]
Game Informer8.75/10[23]
GameSpot9/10[24]
IGN10/10[25]

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[19] OpenCritic determined that 97% of critics recommended the game.[20]

Brendan Graeber of IGN praised the game, declaring it among the best titles in the series and deeming it an "ambitious leap forward" in terms of scope.[25] Polygon's Josh Broadwell called it "Nintendo's best game in decades" and said that the game has a "a sense of vastness and a capability to surprise that's rare in modern video games."[26] Dom Peppiatt, writing for Eurogamer, noted the "quality, depth, and voice acting work across all four" story routes, particularly commending Leda's narrative as the most emotional one.[22] GameSpot's Steve Watts called the title a "sprawling masterpiece" accompanied by an "incredible orchestral score"; he also applauded the character artwork, but found the design of Dagsion sometimes overly simple.[24]

Game Informer reviewer Eric Van Allen enjoyed the characters and setting, but stated that the game at times "weigh[s] itself down", finding the dungeon-crawling monotonous.[23]

Awards

Awards and nominations for Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave
Year Award Category Result Ref.
2026 Golden Joystick Awards Best Storytelling Pending [27]
Console Game of the Year Pending

References

  1. Watts, Steve (August 13, 2026). "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Feels Like Four Games' Worth Of Fire Emblem". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 15, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  2. Graeber, Branden (August 13, 2026). "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave – The Final Preview". IGN. Archived from the original on September 8, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  3. Romano, Sal (August 4, 2026). "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Direct details characters, Heroic Games, classes, combat, and more". Gematsu. Archived from the original on August 28, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  4. Pepiatte, Dom (August 13, 2026). "20 hours in, I cannot believe the scale, complexity, and ambition of Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  5. LeBlanc, Wesley (August 13, 2026). "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave - A Slow Build That Hasn't Quite Hooked Me Yet (But I Want To Keep Playing)". Game Informer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  6. 真の主人公・救世主「イシュマール」公開！「ファイアーエムブレム 万紫千紅 Direct」から見えてきた全体像. Nintendo Dream (in Japanese). August 7, 2026. Archived from the original on September 15, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  7. Vitale, Adam (August 13, 2026). "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave remixes what's come before, taking the strategy series in a new direction". RPG Site. Archived from the original on August 22, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  8. 『ファイアーエムブレム 万紫千紅』武器種は剣、槍、斧、弓、籠手の5種類。兵種によって扱える武器が異なる仕様に. Famitsu (in Japanese). July 6, 2026. Archived from the original on September 10, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  9. ファイアーエムブレム 万紫千紅 - Overview (in Japanese). Nintendo. Archived from the original on September 13, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  10. Stenbuck, Kite (September 14, 2026). "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Characters - List of all of the playable characters, villains, and more so far". RPG Site. Archived from the original on September 14, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  11. 『ファイアーエムブレム』『メイドインワリオ』などの開発会社・インテリジェントシステムズが公式X開設. Famitsu (in Japanese). September 1, 2026. Archived from the original on September 1, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  12. "Ask the Developer Vol. 23 – Chapter 3". Nintendo. September 15, 2026. Archived from the original on September 15, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  13. "Ask the Developer Vol. 23 – Chapter 1". Nintendo. September 15, 2026. Archived from the original on September 15, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  14. "Ask the Developer Vol. 23 – Chapter 2". Nintendo. September 15, 2026. Archived from the original on September 15, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  15. Stenbuck, Kite. "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave launches worldwide for Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026". RPG Site. Archived from the original on August 1, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  16. Romano, Sal (June 9, 2026). "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave launches September 17". Gematsu. Archived from the original on June 11, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  17. 【FEヒーローズ】新作『FE万紫千紅』からカイやセオドラたち4人の新英雄が参戦！ ディートリヒとレダは初の“風光英雄”として登場. Dengeki Online (in Japanese). September 8, 2026. Archived from the original on September 9, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  18. Doolan, Liam (August 6, 2026). "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Is Getting A Manga Series, Here's The Key Art". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 6, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  19. "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave for Nintendo Switch 2 Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  20. "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Reviews". OpenCritic. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  21. Duwe, Scott (September 16, 2026). "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave review - From Three Houses to 4 heroes, and a deluge of stuff to do". Destructoid. Retrieved September 17, 2026.
  22. Peppiatt, Dom (September 16, 2026). "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Review - A Strategy RPG Great". Eurogamer. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  23. Van Allen, Eric (September 16, 2026). "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Review". Game Informer. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  24. Watts, Steve (September 16, 2026). "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Is The Series' New Peak". GameSpot. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  25. Graeber, Brendan (September 16, 2026). "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Is Among the Best Games This Series Has Seen, With Compelling Stories Spread Across a Huge, Branching Campaign". IGN. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  26. Broadwell, Josh (September 16, 2026). "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Is Nintendo's Best Game in Decades". Polygon.com. Retrieved September 17, 2026.
  27. Jones, Ali (September 25, 2026). "007: First Light, Big Walk, and Resident Evil: Requiem lead the Golden Joystick Awards nominations". GamesRadar+. Retrieved September 25, 2026.

Notes

  1. Known in Japan as Fire Emblem: Banshisenkō (Japanese: ファイアーエムブレム 万紫千紅, Hepburn: Faiā Emuburemu: Banshisenkō)
  2. Score based on 100 reviews
  3. Score based on 108 reviews