Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is a must-grab according to early reviews

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is heading into launch with a very positive early reception, as reviews praise its enormous campaign, flexible structure, tactical combat, and willingness to push the series beyond its established formula. Nintendo’s latest strategy RPG is set to launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on September 17. 

High scores across the board

Among the outlets in the early review roundup, IGN awarded the game a 10/10, Eurogamer gave it 5/5, while Game Informer scored it 8.75/10. Polygon’s review is also highly positive, calling Fortune’s Weave “Nintendo’s best game in decades” and describing it as a major achievement for Nintendo and Intelligent Systems.

A major reason for the enthusiasm is the game’s scale. Fortune’s Weave revolves around four playable heroes whose stories can be tackled in parallel. Rather than forcing players into one fixed campaign route, the game lets them switch between protagonists and gradually combine their progress into a larger narrative.

That structure appears to work particularly well alongside Fire Emblem’s traditional tactical battles. Players still position units on grid-based battlefields, exploit weapon and class advantages, manage terrain, and build squads around complementary abilities. New mechanics such as character-specific Blaze Arts and Combat Arts add additional risk-and-reward decisions to familiar systems.

Plenty to do outside of combat, with drawbacks in tow

The reviews also highlight just how much there is to do outside combat. Between battles, players can train units, recruit allies, improve equipment, complete requests, explore the wider continent of Dagda, and investigate dungeons. The result is a game that leans heavily into the social and progression systems that helped make Three Houses such a defining modern Fire Emblem entry.

That ambition isn't without drawbacks. The Verge’s review notes that the game can become repetitive, with repeated quests, cutscenes, and exploration appearing across some routes. Managing several squads later in the campaign can also slow the pace, while the dungeon combat is generally considered less compelling than the series’ main tactical battles.

Still, the early consensus is overwhelmingly positive. A review roundup published on September 16 lists an initial spread ranging from Nintendo Life’s 8/10 to multiple 9/10 scores, alongside IGN’s 10/10 and Eurogamer’s 5/5. The roundup currently places OpenCritic at around a 90 average from the early reviews.

For a series that has spent years balancing tactical strategy with character-driven storytelling, Fortune’s Weave appears to be doubling down on both sides of that formula. With its four-route structure, expanded progression systems, and massive runtime, the new Switch 2 exclusive is arriving with plenty for Fire Emblem fans to sink their teeth into.

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