Do you need to play Fire Emblem: Three Houses before playing Fire Emblem Engage

sportskeeda.com:

Now that Fire Emblem Engage is available, the question of whether or not you really need to first play Fire Emblem: Three Houses before tackling Alear’s adventure on the Nintendo Switch, has come up.

There are some similarities and differences between these two titles. However, Fire Emblem Engage is not a sequel to Fire Emblem: Three Houses in any fashion. While many of the games in this franchise take place in the same universe, they have their own individual storylines in most cases.

It is to the player’s benefit if they have played some of the previous entries to understand who the Emblem summon characters are, but is it required? Let's find out.

One of the great things about the Fire Emblem universe is that while they share a common ancestry, storylines, and features, they can often be played out of order. Fire Emblem: Three Houses tried something new, adding deeper social activities to the franchise. Players had to take part in a Persona-style time management system.

You had to teach classes, and keep up with the growth and education of your charges while also participating in heated, tactical battles. Most of that has been removed in Fire Emblem Engage. There is still a social aspect to the game, but it certainly takes a backseat to the improved tactical combat of this latest game.

This isn’t to say Fire Emblem: Three Houses was a poor entry in the franchise, because it’s frankly, one of the greatest. But it did several things differently from its predecessors. Which faction you started with mattered - each had its own group of characters with unique personalities, strengths, and weaknesses.

That went against the series’ roots, and Fire Emblem Engage returned to the way things were. You start with one character and a few