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Fire Emblem: Three Houses (JP) is the first mainline entry in the Fire Emblem series on the Nintendo Switch. It was released worldwide in July 2019. It takes place on the continent of Fódlan between the nations of Fergus, Adrastea and Leicester. Three Houses is the first Fire Emblem game to release on a home console since Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn for the Wii.
Gameplay
The game is similar to previous entries in the series with the player controlling an army of units on a map with the typical goal of defeating all the enemy units or the boss. The units become a variety of classes and gain expertise in weapons between swords, axes, lances, bows, gauntlets, regular magic and white magic. Additionally, there are now troops that can be equipped to each character able to do attacks with powerful effects that cannot be counterattacked called Gambits. This game however changes the requirements to using a weapon. Besides magic, any weapon can be equipped by any class with everyone starting in E rank but, these skills are improved over the game earning the unit the ability to use better weapons and special Combat Arts that take multiple weapon uses but tend to deal more damage along with a special effect like greater effectiveness on certain unit types or leaving the enemy less likely to attack.
The class system has also changed so, that any unit can turn into any class assuming they have sufficient skills. Every unit starts as a commoner or noble but, with upgraded skills and at level 5, they can be promoted using a beginner seal. Intermediate seals can be used at level 10, advanced seals can be used at level 20, and master seals can be used at level 30. Each class has their own skill requirement but, that only gives the seal an automatic success. If the unit has the proper stat total, they can try to take the test at a reduced chance. Each class has different skill and stat priorities giving better bonuses to those when gaining experience. Every class also gets a skill when mastered and beyond beyond beginner classes, they get special skills that can be used while in that class. Only when in certain classes will the unit get different movement types but, they earn skill experience for the movement type in every battle as that class.
A few of the major changes are the removal of the weapon triangle and the return of limited uses on weapons. Instead of the weapon triangle being always active, they have be replaced with learned Combat Arts that player learn at B rank. When a weapon runs out of uses, it becomes much less effective but, it can be fixed at the blacksmith.
Outside of combat, the game is scheduled in terms of months with the Sundays being special free days and close to the end of the month a story mission. As a professor at the academy, the player instructs their units on how to improve their skills. Personally instructing the students can allow the player to diversify their skills and earn extra support but, the player can also automatically instruct them to focus on their goals. However, the professor can only instruct a unit if they have motivation with each session taking up 25% of their motivation gauge. There is also a group goal function where the player puts two units on a certain task. This improves on of their movement stats on top of earning support. Students can ask the professor during the week questions which can affect their motivation or their goals. At the end of each week, all units will get skill experience in their goals (1.5 times experience for those with a single goal).
On Sunday, the player gets a few options. Without choosing, they can go to the marketplace and buy weapons, items, battalions, or use the blacksmith or certify their units for their next class. However, there are 4 main activities available each time. The player can explore the monastery, go out to battle on missions, go to a seminar or rest for a day to recover motivation and relic uses. There is also a skip function that will automatically do one of these activities for the player to move the story along. The seminar lets the player either instruct some units on swords and authority or go to one of the other teachers and learn different skills. The students that have similar goals to what is being taught will go and earn skill experience. Additionally, everyone who goes gets some support points and restores motivation. The Explore option allows the player the most freedom, letting them go around the monastery with the only limitation being the activity points according to the professor level. The player can interact with all the units across the houses but, options expand as the game goes on. One of the options is the faculty training is key for training the player character in skills they do not have like flying or magic. Some activities like fishing or gardening do not cost any activity points. The final option is the battle option. This option does free battles the player gains over the course of the game as well as the quest missions and paralogues. On Normal difficulty, some of the free battles do not cost battle points and can be freely retried.
Characters
Church of Seiros
- Byleth
- Sothis*
- Jeralt*
- Rhea*
- Manuela
- Hanneman
- Alois
- Seteth
- Flayn
- Catherine
- Gilbert
- Shamir
- Cyril
- Jeritza *
- Tomas*
Black Eagles
Blue Lions
Golden Deer
Plot
Development
The game was first confirmed to be in development in January 2017 in the Fire Emblem Nintendo Direct broadcasted that month with a 2018 release date. The game was first shown properly during E3 2018 where it got it's name and was pushed back to spring 2019. During the February 13, 2019 Nintendo Direct, it was announced that the game would release in July instead of the Spring release window they were originally targeting. Soon after the direct, it was announced that Koei Tecmo was actually helping developing the game alongside Intelligent Systems.
Towards the game's release, the game's directors, Toshiyuki Kusakihara and Genki Yokota, were doing press tour. They revealed that the game had been in full development shortly after Shadows of Valentia had been finished and the lion's share of development was done by Koei Tecmo, specifically their Kou Shibusawa team that develops games like Nobunaga's Ambition. They also confirmed a Lunatic difficulty option would be coming as a free update.
The game also received an expansion pass similar to other Nintendo Switch titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The contents of the expansion pass are to be delivered over the course of the next year. Early purchasers get an alternate costume for Byleth.
Reception
Sales
Three Houses had a very successful launching month and quickly became the fastest selling game of the franchise in the U.S. Details on the worldwide sales were not comunicated when this statement was made but it was mentioned that it was already closing in on the U.S. sales of Fire Emblem Awakening, the second best selling Fire Emblem game, indicating that the game is already one of the best selling games in the series in its first month.
| Fire Emblem series | |
|---|---|
| Console games | Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light • Gaiden • Mystery of the Emblem • Genealogy of the Holy War • BS Fire Emblem • Thracia 776 • Path of Radiance • Radiant Dawn • Three Houses • Engage |
| Handheld games | The Binding Blade • Fire Emblem • The Sacred Stones • Shadow Dragon • New Mystery of the Emblem • Awakening Fates • Echoes: Shadows of Valentia |
| Spin-offs | Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE (Encore) • Heroes • Warriors • Warriors: Three Hopes • Super Smash Bros. |
| Related | Intelligent Systems • Shouzou Kaga • Yuka Tsujiyoko • Nintendo Wars • Project X Zone 2 • WarGroove • Dark Deity |