Huge. Fire Emblem: Three Houses features an amount of content unknown in the Fire Emblem saga. Three campaigns and more than a hundred hours of gameplay in an adventure of powerful narrative, big decisions and the same tactical-role-playing attributes so beloved of the last 30 years. Another surprise for Nintendo Switch users.
It is the most complete and ambitious installment in the Fire Emblem saga . It is not a small thing to say, considering that the license has almost 30 years of history and some video games to remember. But I can’t say anything else after checking what Intelligent Systems has done in collaboration with Koei Tecmo . It is something that I have also corroborated on the credits screen, when I saw the huge number of programmers and artists who have worked on a colossal work.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses has three stories, three campaigns that are not divided into three video games as happened with the Fates trilogy. Here everything is in a single cartridge , and that is one of the strengths of this production. Long-lasting game lovers are guaranteed at least 100 hours of playtime, and that’s if you’re going fast. We are facing one of those investments that will give you weeks, and even months of play. But not only that, but also the narrative is one of the best I remember in this series. Not only because of the careful cinematics, which are quite a few, but because of how much you interact with the protagonists and how surprising many situations are.
I honestly think you couldn’t do much better. The tactical role receives an exponent of quality beyond any doubt, with approaches that are even innovative within a Fire Emblem. Here we are a teacher, with students to direct and whom you see grow. That feeling, that of living in a monastery alongside a series of nobles who will lead the kingdom in the future, is what changes everything. Three Houses is ambition, novelty, duration … but also the evolution that could be asked of the saga , maintaining an unbreakable essence, which turn by turn shows us that it was possible to do it, and more with the power of Nintendo Switch .
Video Analysis of Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Commander, but above all professorI can start by talking about many things in FE: Three Houses , but for me the main thing is that it contains three different stories (Blue Lions, Black Eagles and Golden Deer). Some are faithful knights, other great magicians, and the last archers of a long tradition. But beyond this, the fundamental thing here is to know that each faction has its own development and events … well, in part. The first half of each campaign is quite similar in the three houses, although later there are more distinctions. This can put back those who want to complete all the stories, since there are elements that are repeated. It is perhaps one of the most criticized elements of the game.
As a teacher, we will be able to determine which aspects to enhance in our units, leading to very interesting management mechanics.
But on the other hand, the relationships you establish are different, so you never get the same experience. And which house to choose first? Well, the truth is that … you have to decide, and you will also do it without much data on the table. Here you will not know in advance who your allies and enemies will be, but there is the magic of a narrative that is built with many twists , some very surprising. Will you defend the Empire, the interests of the Church or the Alliance? The developers told us that they were based on taiga (Japanese historical dramas) to create a story that unfolds in chapters, with quite elaborate political plots that include friendship and collaboration, but also hatred and betrayal.
The humanization of the characters, showing themselves with feelings, concerns and desires is one of the things that make the plot of Three Houses great … and you, as a user, will have to make important decisions . I can’t say much about this, but it goes so far that one of the campaigns features two routes with some interesting changes. That is not to mention the number of crossroads that are presented to us in each of the stories, such as leaving a certain unit alive or not. It is true that many of these decisions do not have an impact on the advance, very linear, but at least I have felt that I had the reins of my army. That is really accomplished.
It is the most complete and ambitious installment of the Fire Emblem sagaYou may wonder how it is possible to achieve all this: make you feel part of something. The key is in the monastery . You have already heard from many places (also in my recent impressions of Fire Emblem: Three Houses ) that the game advocates a style of conversational adventure and exploration very much like Persona . As in the Atlus game, here we also have a calendar in which different things happen depending on the day. Thus, month by month, relationships between teacher and students are forged. Or put another way: between the player and the units he manages in combat.
In the monastery there are many activities. One of them is to invite your units to have tea… and even choosing the type of tea has its impact.
That’s the big idea behind this new Fire Emblem. In the end, between battle and battle, I wanted to lose myself in the monastery to start conversations or start a good number of activities . I could invite my favorite units to eat or sing in the choir, something that raised their self-esteem. Also fishing in a minigame that, although simple, has kept me hooked. Grow plants that you harvested the following week. Offering tea to anyone who meets me, with a topical conversation that could end… in something else. In fact, take a good look at who you associate with, because here there is also the possibility of establishing marriage .
I have been surprised by how much can be done in the monastery, a place where missions do not go beyond going from one place to another , but that help me to disconnect between conflicts. Some users may not fully understand this approach, or it just doesn’t appeal to them, but I also think the developers had anticipated it. Therefore, you are not obliged to start conversations with everyone or to start looking for things that students are losing because of the set.
You have many other options. You can simply focus on teaching, encouraging those aspects in which you want your units to stand out. But even here you can choose to make everything automatic, or directly dedicate Sunday to rest and make the morale of your troops recover. Each week you can decide whether to put them to work or get the most out of them, or you can even deviate and access an increasing number of side missions , which are not part of the plot, but they come in handy to gain experience and level up. to your soldiers.
One of the best aspects is the representation of the fighting. You can disable these sequences to go faster, but you will miss them.
The humanization of the characters is one of the things that makes the plot of Three Houses greatThe best summary that I can offer you, given the high complexity of explaining everything it contains, is that Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a simulator of a teacher expert in strategy , both inside and outside of combat. That is the distinction of this installment: putting ourselves in command of one of the three houses available, within a monastery in which – even so – they all end up coexisting, with which important ties between factions are strengthened that are of great use later for narrative purposes. The drama cooks slowly and between walls, only to later explode through a series of unexpected events, with the war involved.
We can recruit units belonging to other houses. Everything will depend on the affinity that we establish by offering them gifts.
That is why the monastery is so important. It is the place where knowledge is fostered, but also relationships between units. It may be that the degree of interaction at the playable level is sometimes very limited, with an approach that is done somewhat simple and repetitive. However, from time to time I felt the need to take another tour of this particular “Hogwarts School” (the inspiration in Harry Potter is quite clear) to raise the level of teaching of my character -you can choose between male or female- and thus accessing more and more options, which are impossible to describe in detail in an analysis.
I will comment, however, on one of the most important: unit recruitment . There are three soldier houses in the game, but one of the most amazing things about FETH is that you can “sign in” members of a different house. It all depends on the affinity you establish, as well as certain attributes or skills. But yes, it is possible to recruit units from other houses to accompany you in battle, or even ask them for temporary help. It is a game-changing introduction (optional), but I have appreciated having so many possibilities.
Fire Emblem valuesThe developers commented that the duration of Fire Emblem: Three Houses is above 200 hours . I have to emphasize that although the data may be true, it is an upward estimate. Obviously, this depends on many factors. If you deactivate the combat animations, do not complete all the secondary ones and do not stop at everything the monastery offers, the duration is somewhat shorter. My estimate, in a normal game, has been about 40-50 hours of play, which would give a duration of approximately 120-150 hours for the three campaigns , which is still a brutal longevity: the most ambitious in a Fire Emblem .
Many of the conversational options have no bearing on the story, but they still help us get deeper into the plot.
Another influencing factor is the difficulty chosen at the beginning of the adventure. You can choose normal or hard mode , but also to play with or without permanent death of your units. This last factor is perhaps the most important, because you will think much more about how to move your units on the battlefield. The game can be very uphill with these options activated, really challenging, so it is recommended for the most purists. However, the game is adapted to all types of users, and I have especially noticed it in that some help is introduced in the style of the divine pulse (which rewinds our actions) or the ability to repeat a battle while maintaining the experience progress achieved until then .
I have heard from various users of previous titles that they got stuck at certain points in the adventure. Intelligent Systems, together with Koei Tecmo, have added these options to avoid those fateful moments. Personally, it seems like a wise decision, which seeks to encourage the less expert, while keeping the most fans happy with a difficulty according to their interests. Then there are a number of additional elements, such as the ability to suspend the battle in case you want to close the game (and thus resume it later). There are also up to five save slots , which are good for testing different campaigns.
Between chapters there is the option of accessing accessory missions, ideal for leveling up our units, among other things.
However, on this I advance you that there is a new game + (once one of the campaigns is completed) that offers the possibility of playing another campaign, but keeping your prestige points, battalions and other details. Among them, the power to unlock teacher and support levels stands out, as well as change the appearance of your units or obtain emblem objects. In short, a very interesting incentive for those who want to dare to complete the video game one hundred percent.
When training our units, it is important to take into account their state of mind. The better they are, the more they will learn in your classes.
Another of the most interesting aspects of Fire Emblem: Three Houses is that it breaks with a convention maintained for years: the weapon triangle (sword> ax> spear). What happens in this installment? As the developers ruled, the scheme is not that it has completely disappeared, but it is true that it does not appear as such: we are not even informed about its existence, as it happened in other Fire Emblem games. Basically, what has been done is to hide the scheme under abilities that we can optionally equip our units: ax-chipper, cleavers and breakers. In other words, the weapon triangle still exists, but it is more hidden and not part of the default combat scheme.
It may seem like a questionable decision, but don’t think that it is something that detracts from the tactical scheme. There are a lot of skills to equip: weapon enhancement, additional life points, magic enhancements and even some other skill that is out of the ordinary, such as increasing the counterattack capacity of our unit or doubling the experience gained by the battalions . Aside from this, there is the possibility of equipping up to three techniques per unit, such as knockdown (effective against air units), Hellbreaker (ideal for armor units) or Flagellabeast (for monsters).
There are a lot of skills to equip: weapon enhancement, additional hit points, magic enhancements …Let’s say that FETH partially modifies its tactical scheme, although it is equally profound. For example, there are exams to change classes , which we can only pass when we have the appropriate level in certain weapons. There are classes of the basic, intermediate, advanced and supreme types (you can return to the classes that we have already examined at any time). The better the class, the better attributes it will have, something that has helped me overcome story missions without so much difficulty. It is something, again, optional, but that you soon learn what you must do if you want to be successful in the campaign.
There are quantity and quantity of details. The coordinated attacks are automatically undertaken when multiple units targeting the same enemy, which increases the attack values. Lieutenants can be appointed who act as support in combat, both in attack and defense and healing. The durability of the weapons is limited, although you can repair them in the forge , as well as improve their attributes with better versions of them. For these purposes, it is important to collect certain materials, something that is done in the exploration part of the monastery.
But if there is a striking novelty, it is the battalions . These are large groups of soldiers that we can assign to each of our units. For aesthetic purposes, they add a massive battle touch to each turn, but the important thing is that in game mechanics they have different effects on enemy units: they attack within a certain square radius, depending on the battalion. They also have different properties, with incendiary effects, effective arrow firing against air units, etc.
A qualitative leapSo there are some changes to the form, but few to the core of Fire Emblem. Combat missions are still turn-based as we knew them. Strategically move your units and pit them against enemies taking into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of each unit. Also study the terrain, hide in forests and if you can, occupy those special squares that will help you regain life. There are not as many possibilities as I expected, something that I have missed, but I have to admit that the missions are very varied .
The academic calendar is distributed in fictitious months. On Mondays we will propose each school week, and on Sundays we can rest, or also explore the monastery. You decide what to do.
In one mission they ambushed me, in another I went through labyrinthine corridors, in one more I had to dodge the flames scattered across the stage … The victory conditions also changed: in some cases it was simply to kill the typical commander, although in others it was necessary to avoid certain units will escape. Then you can come across doors and chests that hold succulent treasures. But what I liked the most were some beasts that occupied several squaresand that required a careful strategy. Once I learned to break his defense, my weapons began to deal more damage, making it more affordable to kill his various health bars. Major challenges, which make you -especially in the highest degree of difficulty- study every turn. One wrong move and you lose a unit. That is why I think the mission catalog is varied and interesting. It could have been better, but keep in mind that each campaign has specific missions , so your experience may vary from one to another.
Focusing on the battlefield, it must be said his representation has won many integers on Nintendo Switch. Accustomed to portable consoles with obvious hardware limitations, I have seen a fairly large graphical jump here . There are several levels of zoom, and we can even place ourselves at the foot of battle, with free 3D movement of our unit. It’s not good for much, but just having the option pleases the eye. In some scenarios there are more detailed elements than in others, and some sequences falter a bit, but in general it is appreciated as a renewed experience to see a Fire Emblem with high definition graphics .
The localization of texts into Spanish is sublimeI also say it for the part of the monastery, in which you have a fairly wide space to travel. There are many rooms, hallways, and even different elevations. It is a very conversational Japanese adventure- style exploration , but there is also the grace to continually see character arts with different expressions while they speak. The approach is very Personal, but you shouldn’t dislike it if it’s not your style, as reading more or less dialogue is entirely up to you. It’s one of the best things about FE: Three Houses, that you can go for what interests you the most. If you want “lore”, you will have it. If you want more battles, you can quickly head towards them.
The monastery map is a good option to guide us and know which units are in each location, as well as use fast travel.
However, I already tell you that it is a game that is enjoyed more in a relaxed way, without haste, taking your time. There is a lot of content waiting for you in a production that has had many workers. You will see it on the credits screen. That is another of the issues that I would like to highlight: this is a Fire Emblem in which a lot of money has been invested, something that manifests itself not only in its vast duration, but also in some anime cinematics (without being abundant, they have a presence) and into an orchestrated soundtrack containing some absolutely memorable tracks. I was surprised until each and every dialogue is dubbed in English and Japanese(There is a voice selector), and that is a lot of work. Also on the part of the localization of texts into Spanish , which is sublime.
The video game includes as enemies large beasts that occupy several squares. They require quite a bit of strategy and are a considerable challenge.
Everything is very neat, seamless, and that is really complicated when you have such a big project on your hands. Perhaps the only thing I would have asked for in this regard is some kind of multiplayer, but it is clear that Nintendo and Intelligent Systems have preferred to focus on the campaign. Instead there are some online options. One of the most interesting is to check which alternatives the players choose in the monastery: whether to explore, whether to fight battles, whether to rest … Another striking function is the spirits of the fallen. During contests, bright spots will appear right where other players have perished; if we fall into them, we will receive an object or some experience. Finally, in the monastery we can receive visitors sent by other users to trade at a lower price than usual, or also play hide and seek in a minigame.
The online options don’t go any further, they are quite limited, but they do contribute to the end goal of creating a huge Fire Emblem . If what you are looking for is a durable and well-cared title, and one that also cares about evolving within the genre it defends, that of tactical RPG, I think there are few options as good as this one.
“Magnificent”
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
9.2
Readers
(16)
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the largest video game in the series. Three campaigns and more than 100 hours of gameplay are the main headlines of a delivery that shows an evolution in terms of production, being the most ambitious game of Intelligent Systems in terms of scale. A title with a surprising narrative, decisions that matter, an outstanding tactical scheme, which is adapted to many types of users and which also takes advantage of a machine like Nintendo Switch in the audiovisual field. One of those games that are worth more than they cost and that will give you weeks – maybe months – of turn-based fun.
- Three campaigns in a single game: more than 120 hours in total
- Absorbing and very careful narrative, with charismatic protagonists
- Presence of some decisions that may alter the course of the campaign
- The teacher dynamic at the monastery brings variety to the Fire Emblem formula
- Number of activities: fishing, farming, tournaments, eating with your units …
- High difficulty for purists and affordable for newbies
- Important production values in the audiovisual field
- The first part of the story is similar in all three campaigns
- It would not have hurt to have multiplayer battles
