Normally, we at Serenes Forest don’t report on rumours or leaks. This is because 90% of the time, they end up being utter nonsense. However, on rare occasions, some of them turn out to be true. Like when we covered the Three Houses leaked information via thanibomb.

Way back, during mid June 2022, a new Reddit user called miasmadelta posted some information about Fire Emblem Engage (and other things), with four screenshots to back up their statements.

As we know Engage ended up being real and the screenshots align with the official trailer. With that said, I think we should be critical of the non-screenshot information. The screenshots can be scrutinised, but there’s no way to prove what the user said is true or false. Therefore, we’ll only dive into the screenshots.

Screenshot 1

The first image is of female Alear in the Somniel base, with the base menu open.

We’ve actually seen this particular area in the trailer, when Alear is speaking to Alfred. Besides the trailer being higher resolution versus the low quality leaked screenshot, the only significant change seems to be the cloth on the table: red versus teal. The colour of the flowers is also similarly different. Unsure if this is just a simple change in assets or something bigger.

The menu has the following options: Emblem Ring (likely to equip/view the rings used to summon Emblems), Equipment, Allies, Inventory, Base Info, Save, Settings and Go to World Map. Along the bottom is the time of day: day time.

Crucially, all of the text is in Chinese, instead of Japanese like you might expect, since Nintendo/Intelligent Systems are Japanese. However, since the game is launching at the same time worldwide, I imagine localisation (for all language) was being done around the same time as development. This was likely the case with Three Houses (and Three Hopes) too.

The “Go to World Map” option interests me. This could suggest that optional (auxiliary) battles are back. Or it could simply be a way to travel to the next battle.

Screenshot 2

Next screenshot shows a support list belonging to Mobu (very rough translation), who’s the lance cavalry on the left.

The player has hovered over Vander, who appears on the right. The support options include Abby, Vander, Alear (who’s name is set to WWWWWWWW), Celine and Anna.

(A possible reason for Alear’s bizarre name is to test the maximum length of their name. I actually did something similar with Kris, during the New Mystery of the Emblem fan translation.)

Abby appears to be a wyvern mage and is probably the purple-haired caster who appears in the trailer and the boxart. You can see her veiled hat and horn-like hair ribbons. Plus we’ll see her mini-portrait soon. Celine also appeared prominently in the trailer and the special edition art. Anna here looks to be wielding an axe, like in FE Heroes.

Screenshot 3

Third screenshot I think precedes the second one. The player seems to be choosing the first character for the support conversation. Right now, they’re hovered over Mobu.

The characters are Chloe (Pegasus/Falcon Knight?), Celine, Framme (one of the Dragon Guardians; fights with fists), Lapis (does not appear in the trailer), Abby, Citrinne, Anna (whose portrait matches the official Japanese FE Twitter), Mobu, Diamante, Jakoba, Kagetsu and somebody cut off (none of these have been officially revealed).

Because the text is all in Chinese, the names of the non-revealed characters are extremely rough translations. It’s likely their English and/or Japanese names were decided first, then translated to Chinese. So here I am translating a translation of a name.

Kagetsu is intriguing; she has a Japanese-style name. Normally, characters in Fire Emblem have typical Western fantasy names. With the exception of Hoshidan characters. Hmm, could there be a Japanese-themed nation or clan similar to Hoshido?

Before I forget, here’s a comparison image of Abby from the leaked screenshots and the purple-haired caster from the trailer/boxart. Focus on her key features: the veil-like hat and the red, horn-shaped ribbons.

In addition, there are 12 characters shown (not counting the cut off one) and the scroll bar appears to be one-third of the way there. So it seems the player has around 36 characters in their roster, give or take. This would match rosters of previous FE games.

Notice how none of the characters in the list are Emblems. It’s possible they’re there, but further down the list. However, if there are around 12 Emblems according to the tapestry, you’d think at least one would appear. So I’m leaning towards Emblems being absent from typical support conversations.

Screenshot 4

The final screenshot is a dialogue between Mobu and Vander.

This is most likely part of a support conversation; the second and third screenshots are from the support list (and the first screenshot may be the player navigating to the support list from the base).

The text reads “If Lord/Lady Lumiere were still alive, I’m certain they would accept your excellency.”

This is a complete guess, but I wonder if this Lumiere is Alear’s father/mother? Alear’s Japanese name, Lueur has connections with light, like Lumiere.

Additionally, I’m curious why Vander addresses Mobu as if his station is much higher. Could Mobu be a ruler or prince? He does have a fancy headpiece. Also, his shoulder plate has a fire-like marking. We do know of a nation/territory called Firene, according to one of Citrinne’s costumes. That said, doesn’t he look a bit plain? Looks can be deceiving though.

Screenshot 5

Seemingly separate from the Reddit leak, there was also a single screenshot shared via Discord. Again, there’s also some backstory attached, but I’m not terribly convinced. However, the screenshot is definitely the real deal.

This one depicts female Alear in a battle pose. On her right appears to be an Emblem, just out of sight. Perhaps Marth, given the cape? Then again, capes are quite common in FE!

Amusingly, this pose is the same as in the special edition booklet. Although Alear isn’t wielding their fancy sword, Liberation, here.

In the background is some fancy architecture, which seems to be inspired by Italy. In particular, the white arches. There are also dragon sculptures and lush, green grass. If I had to hazard a guess, this is probably at the Land of Lythos, where the base may be located.

However, if they’re at the base, they shouldn’t have their weapon out. Unless the screenshot is from a battle animation viewer or something.