Taking on bandits, knights, and even monstrous fiends, Fire Emblem: Three Houses takes the signature turn-based combat of the series and feeds it into its story with a well-paced gameplay loop. Battalions give a new dimension to combat, and a recruitment system adds to the depth of character.
Fans of the weapon triangle will be pleased to learn that bouncing between classes can unlock new skills — including passive abilities like “breaker” attacks that give units an advantage against certain weapons.
Plot
Longtime Fire Emblem fans will recognize many of the same gameplay elements, but Three Houses takes a fresh approach to plot. By focusing on the relationships between units and the players, the game keeps the player invested in the success of their squads. As a result, the player isn’t just happy when they win a battle; they are proud.
In contrast to Fates, which used the plot as a means to further the gameplay elements, Three Houses lets the plot stand on its own. This is aided by the fact that the character roster has a wide variety of characters from noble classes to commoners, as well as plenty of canon and rare pairings.
The story also tackles some complex issues, such as racism, with a much more thoughtful manner than Path of Radiance. In addition, the academy segments are well executed and don’t feel overly long. Players are given the option to recruit students from the other houses, which opens up new relationship combinations as well as a way to see a different side of an already familiar character.
Characters
If there’s one thing that separates Three Houses from previous Fire Emblem games, it’s the game’s characterization. The characters are richly rounded, and conversations are full of personality. This keeps you invested in the lives of your units and gives you a stake in their victories.
This is especially true for the students of Garreg Mach Monastery. Promising young people from all of the Fodlan Continent’s superpowers come to study at the officer’s academy. You teach them swordplay, horsemanship, and how to use gambits in battle.
Seeing your students grow and mature over time is incredibly rewarding, but they also have plenty of problems to deal with. This is where the drama of the game lies. Having to watch some of your favorite students go through hard times is painful. However, if you keep an eye on them and support them in their relationships, they can overcome the obstacles. This makes for an amazingly resonant story that doesn’t get in the way of strategy gameplay.
Graphics
After a long delay, the Fire Emblem franchise finally made its return to home consoles with Three Houses. It’s an ambitious game, but it updates the franchise’s formula to make it more resonant. The plot, characters, and gameplay are all fantastic.
The world of Fodlan feels like a real place, and Three Houses makes every battle feel personal. Your students have complicated backstories that shape their personalities, and seeing them mature under your guidance is one of the most rewarding parts of the game.
While the game retains a rock-paper-scissors weapon triangle, it downplays the element of luck that’s been a part of past games. This makes the action more predictable, but it also makes it less hectic.
The graphics aren’t particularly high quality, but they’re good enough for the genre. The characters are well-designed, and the animations are smooth. The cutscenes, however, are a bit lacking. It’s hard to tell how many people are in a room when there are only two or three, and some scenes even feature empty rooms.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack features all the music that appears in the main story and its downloadable content, including the theme song Hresvelgr no Shoujo-Fuka Yuzuki. It has a total track list of over eight hours and is available in both regular and limited editions. The latter comes with a replacement jacket that can be replaced with a clear hologram specification case, and includes four tall-sized postcards compatible with the cover illustration as well as a music box for the game’s heroine Fresberg Girl.
In addition to the full soundtrack, the limited edition also includes a DVD containing “Thunder” versions of the map themes that can be played during combat animations and BGMs from prior Fire Emblem games that can be unlocked by scanning amiibo. The DVD is also home to a short collection of jingles, including the Level Up fanfare. This is the first time that a music DVD has been included with a Fire Emblem game in Japan.