Ah, Chapter 16 of Fire Emblem Engage. I remember it well, mostly because I spent the first few turns watching my ground units flounder around in the rising tide like confused sea lions. It's 2026, and I still chuckle thinking about my first attempt. The game throws you onto this beach map with a simple yet devilish gimmick: the tide comes in, and suddenly your mighty knights are waddling through knee-deep water with all the grace of a turtle wearing roller skates. The objective? Defeat the Hounds, Marni and Mauvier, while not letting the ocean swallow your army whole. Simple, right? 😅

Let's talk setup, or as I like to call it, 'Picking the Right Swimmers.' The game forces Rosado and Goldmary on you. Rosado, the wyvern rider, comes pre-packaged with the shiny new Emblem, Eirika. Goldmary's just there with a spear, probably to look intimidating. My priority? Mobility, mobility, mobility! I loaded up on fliers because, as I learned the hard way, birds don't care about tides. I also brought mages for the inevitable armored jerks, a couple of healers (because someone will get frozen), and a beefy strength unit to play whack-a-mole with the big monsters.

The enemy lineup is a fun mix. You've got your standard cavalry charges, some sneaky thieves, and then the main event: Corrupted Wyrms. These things are the reason I keep a stress ball next to my controller. They hit like trucks and ignore your defenses. My first encounter ended with my tankiest unit being turned into a fine red mist. Not ideal. But then I discovered the secret weapon: Emblem Eirika. Rosado, with Eirika's Twin Strike, can almost one-shot these abominations. It was a beautiful, cathartic moment.

This chapter is also your proper introduction to two Emblems: Eirika, who you have, and Corrin, who you got earlier. Eirika, strapped to Rosado, is all about deleting enemies. Her Luna skill ignores defenses, and her Sol skill heals on hit. When Engaged, she does both. It's gloriously overpowered. Corrin, on the other hand, is the master of zoning. I paired her with my thief, Yunaka, and suddenly I was creating fog banks to lure enemies into ambushes. Her Dragon Vein ability can change the terrain, which is handy when you're trying to not get your feet wet. The best partners for her are covert units or dragons like Alear.

Now, the star of the show: The Tide. Every two turns, the water rises in the dark sand areas. Ground units caught in it have their movement crippled. It's a brilliant, annoying, and hilarious mechanic. I learned the hard way to treat the tide forecast with the same seriousness as my morning coffee. The rhythm is: High tide for two turns, low tide for two turns. You absolutely must plan your movement to reach the safe islands before you get stuck doing the aquatic shuffle.

The battle itself is a three-pronged affair. You need to split your forces. I sent a squad north, a squad south, and the main group barreled down the center. The north team's job was to secure a fortress and save a village from a thieving axe fighter. The south team had to hold the line against cavalry and mages. The center team? They had to deal with the big Wyrm blocking the path and then push forward. My strategy involved a lot of baiting. I'd dangle a high-avoidance unit like Lapis in front of enemies and watch them swing at air. Very satisfying.

Reinforcements are a thing here, and they love to show up right when you think you've got things under control. Around Turn 6, and again on Turn 10, new enemies spawn at the forts and your starting area. The key is to stand on the fort tiles to block them from appearing. If you forget (like I did), you'll have a nasty surprise in your rear. My southern team once got sandwiched because I was too busy focusing on the front. It was a massacre, set to the serene sounds of ocean waves.

Finally, you reach the Hounds. Marni and Mauvier, each with their own little entourage. Marni has a Hurricane Axe that makes my fliers nervous. Mauvier has a Flame Lance that hits with magic damage, which is just rude for a lance user. They're protected by Martial Masters who heal and use Chain Guard. My advice? Isolate and obliterate. I used a Bolting tome user to snipe a Martial Master from afar, then baited Marni forward with my dodgiest unit. She has a terrible hit rate, so it's comedy gold watching her miss repeatedly. Once she's alone, magic users can melt her from a safe distance.

Mauvier is the bigger problem. He's tanky, hits hard, and has a Silence staff to shut down your mages. I had to throw my entire southern squad at him. It took two turns of concentrated fire to bring him down, all while managing his supporting Martial Master. The victory screen was a relief, mostly because I was tired of the beach. I pocketed Eirika's Emblem Ring, my units dried off, and we marched on, a little wiser and significantly soggier. Chapter 16 is a fantastic puzzle that teaches you to respect the ocean and the power of a well-timed Engage attack. Just remember: wear water wings.