Verdict
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is one of the finest strategy role-playing games of recent memory, taking an already solid base and expanding on it with fresh mechanics and nuanced storytelling. While some elements can get a bit repetitive, this game is still worth sinking hours of your time into, especially if you want to uncover the full narrative.
When it comes to strategy role-playing games, Fire Emblem is a force to be reckoned with. Since 1990, we've seen almost 20 games from the series, delivering turn-based thrills and riveting fantasy storytelling in droves. That brings us neatly to Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the sixteenth installment and my personal favorite of the bunch. Six years later, we're looking back at the Nintendo Switch game to see if it still holds up as one of the console's finest strategy offerings. Spoiler: it does.
Let's kick off with the Fire Emblem series' bread and butter, the battle mechanics. For those who don't know, this SRPG was one of the first to implement permadeath, in that if you lose a unit on the battlefield, that's them gone for good. However, in recent years, Intelligent Systems' approach to punishing players for making mistakes in the fog of war has softened, introducing a new 'Casual Mode' that makes it so fallen units aren't down for good.
Right at the beginning of Three Houses, you can either opt for the old-school 'Classic Mode' or instead make things a bit easier for yourself with 'Casual Mode.' For me, this is a pretty big deal, as the idea of losing characters forever used to put me off Fire Emblem games, so I appreciate the fact that you get to choose for yourself.
As for the battles themselves, Three Houses is pretty traditional for a strategy game, as you and your opponent take turns maneuvering your units across the battlefield and engaging in one-on-one duels while trying to exploit any weaknesses. There's a bit of a twist, though, with the Divine Pulse mechanic, which you can use to turn back time. This feature comes in pretty handy if you run into trouble with a specific battle strategy, allowing you to go back to an earlier point and look for a different approach.
Another new addition to the turn-based warfare is battalions and gambits. You can equip each of your units with a battalion, boosting their stats and adding a special move to their repertoire. Like everything else in Three Houses, managing your battalions and assigning them to the right unit in a way that benefits you most requires a bit of practice and active management, but it's worth it, as the late game can become a little tricky if you haven't got your head around it.
In terms of returning mechanics, weapons still have a durability system, so you have to keep an eye on your swords and lances to make sure they don't break mid-battle. The Combat Arms system also makes a comeback. What you have here are essentially special moves that hit harder against enemies but do more damage to your weapons, which in turn adds another layer of tactical thinking to the game as you're forced to choose between landing the killing blow and snapping a sword or launching a regular attack that might fall slightly short of ending your opponent.
Since first arriving back in 2019, some have criticized Three Houses for being too easy compared to previous series games, but I don't think it's an issue. As far as I'm concerned, it's a Goldilocks game, in that the balance between challenge and approachability is just right. Besides, there's a 'Maddening' difficulty option right there, and it lives up to its name, offering an experience that'll put even the most ardent fans of the series to the test.
Three Houses is a bit different from most Fire Emblem games in that the bulk of it takes place within the Garreg Mach Monastery, which is both the headquarters of the Church of Seiros and a sort of Hogwarts-like school for gifted warriors and magic users. In terms of students, there are three houses - hey, that's the name of the game! - and upon arriving at the monastery, you pick which you'd like to lead. You can opt for either the Black Eagles, the Blue Lions, or the Golden Deer, and once you've picked, you're sticking with your house until you go again in the New Game + mode.
Unlike some Fire Emblem games - I'm looking at you, The Sacred Stones - the narrative of Three Houses dials up as the story progresses, growing from what feels like a relatively contained narrative within the walls of the Garreg Mach Monastery to an epic conclusion that encompasses all of Fódlan. By the end of the game, or at least your first playthrough, the stakes are ludicrously high, and this makes the final few battles all the more intense.
Outside of battles, Three Houses puts more of an emphasis on building relationships than previous games, in a way that feels slightly inspired by Atlus Games' approach to forging relationships in Persona games, but in a much more PG way. Again, like Persona, the game features an in-game calendar, and you can use weekends to take your students out for lunch, while Mondays are reserved for teaching, which gives you the chance to hone in on training a certain class type or skill with specific students.
I'll admit that this level of depth feels a bit overwhelming at first, but Three Houses is very much one of those games that rewards you for putting time and effort into understanding the mechanics, especially if you want to exploit some of the hidden strengths of your units. There's also some intelligent game design in that your actions during a free day are limited, so you have to choose which units you want to invest your time in while trying to maintain a balance. It's a different kind of strategic thinking compared to what takes place on the battlefield, but it makes my brain whirr in the same way, which means my in-game to-do list never dries up.
I mentioned the game's New Game + mode earlier, but while a lot of similar post-game modes in other games are optional, if you really want to get your head around Three Houses, you're going to have to play it three times. That's because each house has its own storyline, and the narrative core is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle that only reveals itself fully once you've uncovered the perspectives of each faction. It might sound like a chore, but it's not, and it's made a little easier by the fact that you can carry some of your stats and progress over from a completed save file.
Much like the story, the visuals in Three Houses might be the most detailed in Fire Emblem history. I'm not just talking about the characters, though it is impressive that Intelligent Systems managed to design over 20 warriors that each feel unique, but everything, including the architecture and wider world design. The cutscenes are especially engaging, and I found myself rewatching them even during my fourth playthrough, when in most other games I'd be mashing the 'skip' button so I could get on with the gameplay.
My only real qualm with Three Houses is that certain aspects of the game can get a little repetitive. The most prominent example is the battlefield layouts, which get a bit samey in the mid-game, but I also feel the same way about the Tea Party mechanic. It's never enough to put you off the game for good, but it does put a bit of a dampener on things in the middle of the game, before the pace picks up and it grabs your attention once again.
All in all, Fire Emblem: Three Houses should be remembered as one of the finest games of the original Nintendo Switch era. It has everything: a gripping story, fantastic visuals, and, of course, tight and nuanced battle mechanics. Yes, it can get a little lethargic in the middle, especially if you're spending a lot of your time completing side quests and taking your students out for tea, but otherwise, it's an absolute gem and well worth checking out if you haven't already.
That was our Fire Emblem: Three Houses review. If you're looking for something else to play while you're here, be sure to check out our guide to the best Switch games and the best mobile games. Or, if you're more interested in what's coming up in the next few months, see our list of all the upcoming Switch games.