Fire Emblem: Three Houses releases on July 26th as a Switch exclusive. As the first Fire Emblem on the Switch, and the first to be released on a Nintendo television console in over a decade, Three Houses has a lot to live up to. There have been some major changes from older games, so the game is new to experienced and new players alike. This article will let you know what to expect for Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
One of the oldest elements of Fire Emblem is the social system. Characters in Fire Emblem: Three Houses will be able to socialize with the protagonist, developing a relationship that is represented by a letter rating, with an S-rank as the highest level. Party members can also socialize between themselves, and these relationships can lead to romance. In fact, an S-rank has often been restricted to romantic partners in previous titles.
A new game element in Three Houses is the introduction of the titular houses. The Black Eagles, Blue Lions, and Golden Deer are three separate factions you choose between near the beginning of the game as the faction your protagonist will teach at a military academy. Game Informer has a lengthy look at the three houses, and their members, so I suggest checking out their article on the subject. If you know which character you want to pursue a romance with, that can help you in choosing a house. If you’re still undecided, an in-depth look at the houses, and their themes, will still serve you well in deciding which one to pursue in your first playthrough. You don’t want to be staring at the screen for an hour, unable to make a decision and get on with the bulk of the game.
Experienced players will have to say goodbye to a number of advanced classes with this game. Since all characters have a much more open character progression system, where they learn abilities separately from their class, and any character can be developed into any class, there has been a reduction in the number of advanced classes for Fire Emblem: Three Houses. I’m personally quite sad to see no Dark Pegasus class, because a spell-slinging Pegasus rider is amazing, and my absolute favorite from Fire Emblem: Fates. There are a lot of these classes missing, so veterans will have to make an effort to teach their characters the skills needed to replicate their favorites.
Unlike the last two games with Avatar characters, this game doesn’t have a unique class for the protagonist. Presumably, this is for the same reason as the reduction in advanced classes. I’ll still miss the Tactician class, but this change is a little easier to swallow, since it was pretty common to at least switch the class of previous Avatars for some period of the game to learn abilities anyway. Now you just learn the abilities you want, in whichever basic class interests you the most. For those of you wondering, the Lord class is still in for the leaders of each of the three houses.
Interestingly, every character starts with a beginner class kind of like the Villager from previous games, but this time it’s either the ‘Commoner’, or the ‘Noble’. It is yet to be seen if there’s a mechanical difference between these two base classes, but I find it appropriate that in a game based around military school the students start out without a specialized class. I’ll be happy if the only reason for the difference is to establish lineage, and emphasize certain houses are more open to commoners than others, but I can’t wait to find out if there’s more to it.
There are plenty of other game elements, but preparing for Fire Emblem: Three Houses isn’t made any easier with them. The gameplay includes squads of generic units for example, but knowing that in advance doesn’t help you get ready for it. If you are ready to pick a house, explore relationships, and dig into a deep unit customization system, then you’ve got a head-start without being overwhelmed. I hope that this game helps give Nintendo a bump after their recent hiccups over a certain leisure town simulator was delayed, and that Three House’s presence on the Switch helps the game reach a broader audience. Fire Emblem is a quality strategy franchise, and I can’t wait to get my hands on this iteration.
