Even the star of Fire Emblem Engage can’t get a copy of the Nintendo RPG

It doesn’t matter if you work on a hit Nintendo RPG, that won’t get you special treatment. One of Fire Emblem Engage’s lead voice actors could not get his hands on a collector’s edition of the game despite having pre-ordered. 

Brandon McInnis, who voices the male version of the Fire Emblem Engage’s protagonist, was disappointed to learn that GameStop was unable to fulfill his preorder of the game’s Divine Edition. 

“GameStop just called to let me know that my preorder of the Divine Edition… sadly won’t be fulfilled because corporate had them selling preorders without guaranteed stock,” McInnes said in a tweet. “I voice the lead in the game.” 

“When they originally told me it was delayed the night before release, I got a digital copy instead… but it irks me that people gave money to GameStop believing they’d get a copy of something special to them and were duped”, McInnis continued. “Just wanna let y’all know to save y’all some grief when a game that’s really important to you drops in the future.” 

Not-so-divine

As a die-hard Fire Emblem fan myself, I  sympathize with McInnis’ tale of woe. Had I ordered the Divine Edition only to find that my store of choice had sold me a preorder without guaranteeing stock, I, too, would be profoundly unimpressed. The Divine Edition doesn’t go above and beyond in terms of extra goodies, but the art book, poster, and art cards are certainly nice to look at.  

Fire Emblem Engage is an excellent entry in the series, boasting intricate turn-based strategy gameplay combined with joyful anime melodrama. Though I felt it lacked some of the charms of its predecessor, Fire Emblem Three Houses, I still had an excellent time with it. 

In fact, I think the combat in a Fire Emblem game has never been better. At high difficulty, the game is deliciously unforgiving and offers serious strategic challenges. Thanks to having permadeath enabled, I would sometimes have to choose to let a beloved character die to complete a mission. This process was often heart-breaking, thanks in no small part to the work of talented voice actors like McInnis, who helped breathe life into the game’s ensemble cast.

It’s saddening to think of folks who missed out on their preferred version of the game because of retailers promising pre-orders that they’re not in a position to deliver. Hopefully, McInnis’ tweets will raise awareness of the practice and make outlets like GameStop think twice before making promises to consumers that they cannot keep.

• Looking for more great games on the Nintendo Switch? Here’s our list of the very best.