Fire Emblem Three Houses: What we know so far
Ever since its announcement in the 2017 Fire Emblem Direct, Fire Emblem: Three Houses has a lot to offer that can make it the best in the series to date.
What started as a Japan-only series up until 2003’s Fire Emblem (known as Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken, or Blazing Blade in English), the newest entry, Fire Emblem: Three Houses has been hyped up for some time ever since its announcement in Nintendo’s Fire Emblem Direct in 2017.
Even with the game being delayed until July 26th, fans eagerly await more exciting news and counting down the days until the game comes out worldwide.
What we know so far
The first trailer was revealed at Nintendo’s presentation for E3 2018, and it brought chilling and cryptic vibes on fans’ skins once the ominous yet familiar tune of the Fire Emblem theme played while Edelgard, one of the lords of the game, narrates about a goddess watching over the continent of Fódlan.
Months later, there was not a lot of news about the game, nothing from Intelligent Systems, the core development team of the Fire Emblem series, or Nintendo up until a Nintendo Direct on February 13, 2019. We are then introduced to Sothis, a mysterious young girl who apparently the avatar Byleth can only see. After an introduction of Sothis, we are given some world building of the continent the game takes place in.
The setting
As the video states, Fódlan is said to be protected by a revered goddess. There are three sections that make up the continent: the Adrestian Empire, where Edelgard is next in line to be the empress, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, where Dimitri is the high prince to take the throne, and the Leicester Alliance, where Claude will become the leader, instead of being a king or emperor.
Afterward, we are introduced to both genders of Byleth, our avatar of the game and know a bit of their backstory. They start as a mercenary in their father, Jeralt’s, group.
There is then an unexpected incident that reveals Byleth’s hidden power, and that leads to them heading to the Officer’s Academy at the Garreg Mach Monastery, where they will become a teacher to the students that go there.
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Garreg Mach Monastery is centered in the middle of the Adrestian Empire, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and Leicester Alliance. The Church of Seiros is also at this location, and it is said to be a considerable part of the game’s narrative.
Like Fire Emblem Fates, there is a choice that would affect the game’s story, as with Three Houses, the player gets to choose either to teach the Black Eagles featuring Edelgard, Blue Lions featuring Dimitri, or the Golden Deer featuring Claude.
In E3 2019, a new Fire Emblem: Three Houses trailer was a part of Nintendo’s presentation, showing what happens five years later. It is darker compared to the lighthearted school atmosphere, and it seems that your choice of who you want to teach will have consequences in the game’s story.
Characters
From time to time, we are introduced to the students/characters in the three houses. The Japanese Fire Emblem Twitter account released lots of information on the characters and which house they are a part of. Nintendo of America’s Twitter account released them as well translated after. Examples include Linhardt, who is a student under the Black Eagles.
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What is interesting to know is that some characters have crests associated with them. The avatar Byleth has an unknown crest, along with the other three lords, Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude. Another character who is in the Blue Lions, Felix, is also connected to his crest.
Characters being tied to crest is a callback to Fire Emblem: Geneology of the Holy War, a Japanese-only SNES title released in 1996. Like that game, characters are tied to something that lets them have increased base growths or wield legendary weapons.
Gameplay
One of the critical elements in any Fire Emblem game is the definitive gameplay. Nintendo has been grateful to show off some compelling gameplay that will let fans know what to expect. Many features have made a comeback from previous titles.
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There are combat arts, which were first introduced in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, and they appear to have different methods of use compared to the previous entry. While Shadows of Valentia would have combat arts take away hit points, Three Houses consume durability from weapons used.
Another feature from Shadows of Valentia that makes a return is the ability to go back in time. Originally called Mila’s Turnwheel, it is called Divine Pulse in Three Houses.
A gameplay feature that has been absent after Radiant Dawn is calvary units being able to move spaces away after attacking an enemy. Weapon durability is back, but instead of the weapon being gone, it will just be broken.
Dismounting also makes a return, a feature absent since Thracia 776. It will make the cavalry units a bit weaker in stats, but they will be rid of their weakness to horse-slaying weapons. Dismounting can also be done for pegasus knights, who are weak to bows and horse-slaying weapons.
A feature that has been prominent in the 3DS-era games (except for Shadows of Valentia), child units, will not return in Three Houses. This is a bold move on Intelligent Systems to stray away from this idea.
A well-known gameplay feature that has been around since Geneology of the Holy War is the weapon triangle. While it is not entirely present, it is still in the game. It will be present in the form of skills. That means a unit equipped with an axe will be able to have a lance breaker skill. Meanwhile, a lance wielder will have a sword breaker and a sword will have an axe breaker.
As the player chooses their house to teach, they will begin by preparing the characters for battles to come. There are many ways to help them out to make them competent in the fighting.
Three Houses will also have the students from each separate houses take exams to change into a class type. For example, Edelgard can become a Brigand as long as she meets the requirements, which is having a C rank or higher in axes.
It is possible to reclass characters without getting a 100% rate, but it will be more difficult and can end up in the characters failing the exam. It is not a bad thing as they can try again with reaching more requirements, but they can be encouraged by the player to help them change into another class.
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With just about a month away, Fire Emblem: Three Houses has been anticipated by fans for a long time and deservedly so. With a seemingly darker story, enhanced gameplay, and exciting characters, the sixteenth entry of the series could eventually become the best once it comes out for the Nintendo Switch worldwide on July 26.