Fire Emblem Engage Fell Xenologue Review Part 2

This blog entry contains spoilers for Fire Emblem Engage's Fell Xenologue DLC

Here's part 2 of the Fell Xenologue. For a brief recap, Alear found herself in an alternate Elyos in which her counterpart died defeating Sombron and an unknown Fell Dragon is threatening the world. Two Fell Dragon twins, Nel and Nil, have enlisted Alear's help in recovering the Emblem Bracelets and ensuring that they cannot be used for evil. They have recovered one, two are in the hands of the enemy and the remaining four are held by the four nations, so they go out to each nation.

Firene is Alear and company''s first destination, since their goal is to acquire the Bracelet of the Brash General before the enemy can. Unfortunately, the Firenese are violent and vengeful, the polar opposite of their usual state. Queen Eve died at the start of the last war, and her successor, King Alfred, cut ties with the siblings.

Nel greets her contact in Firene, a woman named Zelestia, Unlike the cruel and arrogant Zephia, Zelestia is humble and friendly, mistakenly assuming that her counterpart is an ally to Alear. Alear, who has encountered Zephia by now (since the Fell Xenologue unlocks after Chapter 6) knows the truth but doesn't correct Zephia.

Nel asks for Zephia's report, and Zephia informs them that Celine is planning an invasion of Brodia. She also notes that the Bracelet of the Brash General has been altered since they last saw it, but doesn't go into details.

Inside the castle, Celine browbeats Alfred into approving the invasion, noting Firene's need for resources. Alfred, however, is uncomfortable with the risk, considering how strong Brodia is. Celine insists on going anyway with her force of knights, and Alfred caves in.

Nel then interrupts, and after Alfred threatens her with execution, she asks for the bracelet, hoping to avert another war. Unfortunately, she has to admit that while she's planning on getting all of the bracelets, she hasn't gotten any of the other nations' bracelets yet. Celine refuses to turn over the bracelet and prepares to fight. Things only get worse when they see Alear, and assume she is an imposter.

This scene in particular suffers from "As You Know" style exposition, such as:

1. Celine reminding Alfred of how they lost their mother and retainers in the war.
2. Alfred noting that Brodia has a mining economy.
3. Celine pointing out that Sombron was the one who killed the alternate Alear(which the player knows already).
4. Celine bringing up Alfre'ds nom de guerre- the "Prince of Strewn Flowers."

In this mission, there are two bosses- Alternate Alfred and Alternate Celine, the former of whom has Emblem Hector equipped.

Unique Quotes: Alfred

If Alternate Alfred faces his main universe counterpart, he'll assume this is a trick. Meanwhile, the real Alfred notes that his other self isn't buff, either, but looks forward to fighting against himself.

If Alternate Alfred faces his retainers Etie and Boucheron, he'll note that he's grieving their losses and is upset that they were brought back as Corrupted. Unlike some of the other royals, he doesn't give any indication as to their personalities in the alternate universe, possibly because Etie and Boucheron were two of the more forgettable retainers.

If Alternate Alfred faces Celine, he'll be confused about her fighting with the enemy, and conclude that his eyes are deceiving him. Disappointingly, Celine says nothing.

Lastly is Alear. Despite being heartbroken at the death of his friend, he still thinks Alear's a Corrupted.

Unique Quotes: Celine

While Celine can take ruthless actions to protect Firene, she appalled by her alternate self's pursuit of war with Brodia. The two may not be polar opposites, per se, but this is a nice showing of their contrast.

Celine is similarly saddened to see her retainers once again, believing they are Corrupted. From what she says about Louis, he seemed to be the same as in the main universe, since he brewed tea for her.

Celine also has unique dialogue for Etie, who's close enough to her that she forgoes using her "Princess" title when they're alone. Celine is unhappy at facing Etie, but is resigned to killing her if she must.

Celine is also angry about fighting Alfred as a Corrupted, but Alfred says nothing.

Celine is eager to fight Alear, noting it would be unthinkable if they were allies, but she has no reason to hold back now.

After Battle

Nel is forced to return Emblem Hector to his slumber. Without the bracelet, Alfred reluctantly calls off the invasion. Despite being bitter that Alear isn't on his side, which proves Alear wasn't the friend he remembers, he's glad he met her. Alfred and Celine apologize for picking a fight with Alear and the others, and while Nel halfheartedly accepts their apology, Nil sympathizes with them.

Alfred asks to come with Alear, but while Alear is receptive, Nel vetoes this proposal, pointing out that Alear isn't in charge here. Celine also proposes helping, but Nel also refuses her, saying that Firene needs its king and his sister. Alfred and Celine propose that Alear entrust the bracelet to them for safekeeping, but Nel refuses yet again, saying that if the enemy can awaken Emblems, putting it to sleep will do no good.

Alfred gets a bit emotional despite knowing Alear isn't his world's Divine Dragon, then apologizes, claiming to be fatigue. As you may recall, Alfred is terminally ill, so his odd behavior may not be solely due to exhaustion. The siblings promise to help Firene recover without going to war.

As Alear leaves, she wonders about Alfred's behavior, and Nil remarks that Alfred was probably afraid of Nel. Alear complains that Nel is too harsh, and they start bickering about Nel's refusal of Alfred and Celine's proposal. Zelestia is briefly confused by the tension between them, then implies that Nel was different in the past.

Alear asks if the assassin is part of a set of Fell Dragon twins, but Nel and Nil doubt it, noting that most Fell Dragons lose their twins as they grow older, and they're the exception. Another flashback plays, showing that Nil is scared of dying, and fears that his weakness will be the death of him

Thoughts So Far

Alfred and Celine's interactions with other characters were reasonably interesting, but their conversations with the former retainers didn't reveal much about them or their retainers, perhaps because the Firene retainers are among the least interesting characters in the game.

I find it rather disappointing that the designs of the alternate universe characters don't change. Engage's character designs are rather colorful, for better or for worse, so the developers had the potential to make designs that would reflect the characters' changed personalities.

Similarly, the alternate royals' personal skills are renamed to reflect their different personalities- for example, Celine's Gentle Flower becomes Fierce Bloom for Alternate Celine. This is another wasted opportunity to not only have skills that are more in line with those names- for example, Celine's healing-focused skill could be a more offensively-oriented one for Alternate Celine- but also to make skills that are more tailored to enemy bosses rather than player units (for example, relatively few enemy units use healing skills, so Gentle Flower wouldn't do much for them).