Fire Emblem: Three Houses (NSW) Review

Three major choices.

 One of the year's most anticipated Nintendo Switch releases is finally here! Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the latest in Nintendo's decade-spanning Fire Emblem series, developed by Intelligent Systems and this time around, Koei Tecmo. In it, you play as a silent young tactician who must lead a band of young soldiers to face an evil threat. To be honest, I wasn't too thrilled when I heard about Fire Emblem: Three Houses, as my excitement in the series waned after Fire Emblem Fates, which wasn't as interesting as the games before it. Nonetheless, I had to give Three Houses a try since there isn't much to play on my Switch and after 50 solid hours strategy RPG goodness, I'm glad I didn't skip out!


 In the land of Fodland, three nations live peacefully with one another: the Adrestian Empire, the Holy Kingdom of Farghus, and the Leicester Alliance. As a young tactician, you join the Garreg Mach Monestary, an academy that basically connects all students from the main nations and trains them to become soldiers. You must become a professor to one of the three houses in an effort to teach them the basics of battle while also batting the forces of a shadowy threat. The story is definitely one of those where multiple playthrough are encouraged to get the full scope of the story since certain plot elements and character motivations make a lot more sense when you're viewing them from a different perspective. Without delving into spoiler territory, I really had fun with the story as it was compelling with awesome characters and mystery surrounding it. There were times where things can be predictable, but it manages to surprise you with some shocking twists.

The thrilling story is easily one of the game's

highlights.

 Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a strategy turn-based RPG with sim elements thrown in the mix. You command your own squad in battles, moving and placing them across the battlefield. Each character having their own class and specializing in a specific weapon. However, the game is pretty flexible when it comes to the gameplay. For example, you can a character that specializes with a sword and train them to the point where they become a healer, giving you the ability of making them both an attacker and healer. I liked this aspect as gives tons of room for experimenting and making some special units, which is neat. Also, characters gain experience and level up when they defeat enemies or by simply countering their attacks during enemy turns. When they reach a certain threshold, characters can apply for higher, more stronger classes by taking a test, where their success rate is depended on the grade of their skills. By unlocking new classes, characters gain stat boosts and by late-game, they can basically become pretty invincible.

The battles are all about strategy and where you

place your units.

 Characters will unlock Combat Arts over the course of the game, which are attack skills each character can perform at the cost of weapon durability. Powerful arts consume more durability and the more a character levels up, the more arts they unlock. If that's not enough, you can hire a battalion of soldiers to fight for you in the form of the "Gambit" mechanic. Each battalion has its own unique set of attacks and some will even provide healing as well. If you attack with the battalion when next to an ally unit, you'll receive a slight attack boost too. Keep in mind that you won't attack with your weapon if you use a battalion. Personally, I found it to be a sweet mechanic though I just stuck with regular attacks and arts since most of the times the battalions often miss their attacks and I'd just waste a turn as a result.

While the game is deep in regards to its systems,

it never felt overwhelming.

 Right after the tutorial, You'll be given the most important choice in the game... siding with one of the three houses: the Blue Lions, Black Eagles, or the Golden Deer. The Lions are led by the ambitious Dimitri, who specializes in lance combat. The Eagles follow the evaluating Edelgard, whose an axe wielder. Lastly, the Deer is led by the charismatic archer, Claude. I went for Lions as my house mainly because blue is my favorite color and Dimitri is such a badass though for my second playthrough I'm definitely checking out the Golden Deer. Each month, you're given a specific task to accomplish in order to progress the story and some money to spend on your houses' equipment. This is where you can actually interact with the game's hub world, the monastery. This is also where the game opens up its sim elements as well. You can talk with residents, increase your relationship with your students by joining them for lunch, take on side-quests, and even fish (which is surprisingly fun!). Clearing certain side-quests will unlock a blacksmith, where you can forge or repair weapons, and special shops that sell you rare equipment at a hefty price. It's worth noting that the game limits the amount of activities you can do, so make sure to spend your day wisely.

There's a lot of interesting things happening 

at the monastery.

 Fire Emblem veterans will be pleased to know that the old-school difficulty of the original games is back. When you boot the game up, you're given the option of choosing Hard or Normal difficulty accompanied by either "Classic" or "Casual" modes. Classic mode features the signature Fire Emblem permanent death mechanic, where if a character's HP reaches 0 in a battle, they will die forever. The beauty of this mode is that you'll always be second-guessing your choices and will always create tension as you'll never know when a beloved character's life might be cut short if an enemy gets the better of you. Fortunately, the game has a rewind features where you can temporarily undo an action that could result in a character's death, though its uses are limited in battles. If that's a bit extreme then you'll be comfortable with Casual mode, as when a character's HP reaches 0, they'll simply flee the battlefield and are able to join you on the next battle. I personally went for casual (don't judge me) and it was fun, though I'm definitely interested in taking a risk with classic mode next time.


 In terms of criticisms, I haven't found much in the way of that. But if I'm being nit-picky, I'd have to say that the lack of a character customization feature as seen with Fire Emblem: Awakening to be disappointing, and that's about it. Although I'm not that great at strategy games, I still enjoyed the turn-based combat since the game made things consistently engaging in the sense that you're always being rewarded for your efforts in battles, with cool weapons and items. It's a weird comparison but I felt that Three Houses was similar to the Persona games when it comes to making bonds with those around you. The higher the bond rank-- which is increased by giving characters gifts and inviting them to tea-- the stronger their support with you in battle becomes. You'll also get to know them on a more personal level, as some of them carry a tragic past with them, which is great character development. Also, the leveling wasn't that painful as characters level up relatively fast so you won't get burnt-out by the grinding as with most RPGs, which is always something to praise. That being said, the game remains a long one, taking me nearly 50 hours to finish my first playthrough.

You'll be meeting a wide range of characters, ranging

from annoying to mysterious to downright awesome.

 As the first Fire Emblem game to hit the Switch, Three Houses boasts some high production values. I'm in love with the anime art-style and character designs, which are simple yet stunning to look at the same time. The character models and backgrounds during gameplay also look great though I feel that they could have used a slight bit of polish. Playing the game on the TV, you can't help but notice some of the jagged models and flat textures. It bothered me initially, but nothing that took me out of the game. The English voice acting is strong with many commendable performances though the option of Japanese voice is there for those who prefer it as well. The soundtrack is also worth noting as it packs some great tracks that fit the game's fantasy setting.

Three Houses is by far one of the most impressive-

looking games on the Switch.

 Fire Emblem: Three Houses is among my favorite games of the year and among the best RPGs in the Switch's already impressive library. It's one of those games where the replay-value is immensely high and I'm definitely coming back after finishing up the review.  You probably read enough of me singing the games praises already so if you're an RPG buff with a Switch, then Fire Emblem: Three Houses comes as a must-play. Also, if you're a newcomer then you'll pleased to know that the game is surprisingly accessible and will ease you in its various mechanics.