Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a medieval fantasy delight for trpg/srpg and visual novel fans. With lovely aspects of Irish lore, French aesthetics, and Germanic-inspired naming conventions, the game never felt like less than an absolute pleasure.
FE3H was my first game in the series, and I finished my first and second playthroughs in late 2020. It was an excellent introduction to the franchise. Besides having a highly pleasing overworld and artstyle (call it muddy if you will and muddy it was but i liked it), the voice acting is superb, and character development is rich. Oh, and the music is fantastic and immersive as well.
The story takes place in a medieval multiverse on the fictional continent of Fodlan, which is divided into three historically rival nations. Thus, the "three houses" refer to factions of these respective nations at the Garreg Mach Monastery, a neutral territory and base for members of the Church of Seiros that lies at the center of the land.
The gameplay itself is split into two major phases: school (classroom skill training, tutoring, one-on-one interactions, side quests, etc.) and combat (central battle gameplay, cutscenes, and story progression). The school phase has some aspects of open-world, training, and exploration, but it can feel limiting in some respects. I did enjoy how you can choose which NPC's to invest your time in. Subsequently, these school interactions yield extra cutscenes/lore AND increase cohesion during battle (unlocks combos between characters). I also enjoyed how customizable the class system is, and the idea of building and refining your team. As for battles, they're long, exciting, require strategy, and feel rewarding. Did I mention that the music is phenomenal?
The player, Byleth, will be fighting alongside whatever faction they initially chose: Black Eagles (Edelgard), Blue Lions (Dimitri), or Golden Deer (Claude). Your team is placed on a gameboard similar to that of chess but much more extensive; enemies scattered about, terrain, elements, and other environmental factors. Each character can be considered a chess piece with different roles, varying levels of mobility across the board, distinct classes, etc. Because each faction is larger than the permitted number of characters allowed on the gameboard, the player must decide which NPC's to invest their time in and ultimately utilize for battle scenarios.
The base game alone has a VERY high replay value...Did I mention there's DLC that's equally as fantastic?! You'll want to play each of the three factions, experience the diverse characters, their lore, and the DLC. Because this is a visual novel, there's much to see here. Highly highly highly recommend this gem. P.S. Marianne is the best character.
FE3H was my first game in the series, and I finished my first and second playthroughs in late 2020. It was an excellent introduction to the franchise. Besides having a highly pleasing overworld and artstyle (call it muddy if you will and muddy it was but i liked it), the voice acting is superb, and character development is rich. Oh, and the music is fantastic and immersive as well.
The story takes place in a medieval multiverse on the fictional continent of Fodlan, which is divided into three historically rival nations. Thus, the "three houses" refer to factions of these respective nations at the Garreg Mach Monastery, a neutral territory and base for members of the Church of Seiros that lies at the center of the land.
The gameplay itself is split into two major phases: school (classroom skill training, tutoring, one-on-one interactions, side quests, etc.) and combat (central battle gameplay, cutscenes, and story progression). The school phase has some aspects of open-world, training, and exploration, but it can feel limiting in some respects. I did enjoy how you can choose which NPC's to invest your time in. Subsequently, these school interactions yield extra cutscenes/lore AND increase cohesion during battle (unlocks combos between characters). I also enjoyed how customizable the class system is, and the idea of building and refining your team. As for battles, they're long, exciting, require strategy, and feel rewarding. Did I mention that the music is phenomenal?
The player, Byleth, will be fighting alongside whatever faction they initially chose: Black Eagles (Edelgard), Blue Lions (Dimitri), or Golden Deer (Claude). Your team is placed on a gameboard similar to that of chess but much more extensive; enemies scattered about, terrain, elements, and other environmental factors. Each character can be considered a chess piece with different roles, varying levels of mobility across the board, distinct classes, etc. Because each faction is larger than the permitted number of characters allowed on the gameboard, the player must decide which NPC's to invest their time in and ultimately utilize for battle scenarios.
The base game alone has a VERY high replay value...Did I mention there's DLC that's equally as fantastic?! You'll want to play each of the three factions, experience the diverse characters, their lore, and the DLC. Because this is a visual novel, there's much to see here. Highly highly highly recommend this gem. P.S. Marianne is the best character.