On May 3rd, I received a Nintendo Switch along with three games for my birthday. These games were Animal Crossing: New Horizons, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Out of all these games, I’d be pining after ACNH the most; however, during my quarantine, I found myself playing more and more of FE3H with each passing day. I first heard of FE3H from an online friend who’d tell our group chat all sorts of things about the game. They would tell us about the characters, the worldbuilding, and even send us memes created by others online. I thought it sounded interesting, but could not check it out at the time since I did not own a Switch.
Now, though, I am completely obsessed.
For those who don’t know, Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a tactical role-playing game that was released on July 26, 2019 and was developed by Intelligent Systems and Koei Tecmo. The game follows Byleth, a former mercenary who takes on the role of professor at Garreg Mach Monastery in the continent of Fodlan, which is divided by three nations now at peace. Controlling Byleth (who can be given a different name at the start), the player must choose one of three houses to tutor and lead through a series of battles. These houses are the Black Eagles, the Blue Lions, and the Golden Deer, with each house representing students from the Empire, the Kingdom, and the Alliance respectively (the aforementioned nations which make up Fodlan).
In my opinion, what makes FE3H so intriguing are its worldbuilding and characters. The story can be a bit confusing as players navigate each of the house’s routes one by one, but if one pays close attention, it is amazing to see how each overlaps with the other. I feared the only difference in each house would be the characters tagging along for the journey, but fortunately, this is not the case. Each house route has a different story to tell, and these stories help the world feel more real and immersive. It also helps that the characters are so believable, too. Each character has their own personal story, which the player can uncover bit by bit the deeper their bond is with that character. Some of their stories have even made me tear up and cry! Without these characters, I don’t think FE3H would be the game it is.
As someone who has not played video games since 2014 (around the time I once had a PS4), it is nice to be immersed in a virtual world again. FE3H has been fun to play and I encourage everyone to give it a shot. The story-telling is engaging and the characters are so unique. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be an extreme gamer, I’m sure you’d enjoy it very much.