Amidst all the posts about Japanese history and Buddhism, I had been playing Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in my spare time, but to be honest I found the game long and tedious compared to its predecessor. Once I defeated Ganon (in mid-suavamente, no less), I was exhausted and put the game down and haven’t picked it up since.
Looking for other games to play, I realized that I had purchased Fire Emblem: Three Houses a while back and hadn’t played it. Thanks to Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, I was introduced to the Fire Emblem series (big in Japan, not as well known here), and figured I should try at least one game.
I have been totally hooked on it since.
The Fire Emblem series has apparently been around a long time, famous for its turn-based strategy, and permanent death for any teammate that falls in battle. However, another side to the series is its character depth.
In Fire Emblem: Three Houses, you become a teacher of one of three classes, or “houses”. The students mainly hail from nobility from a given region of the continent, but also some commoners too. The house you choose greatly impacts the story, and if you play through again with a different house, or even different choices at key points, the story alters drastically. Further, the way the students interact with one another also grows and develops over time. You learn their backstories (often quite surprising), or their relationship with another student may change over time. You can, with a bit of effort, recruit students from other houses to join yours, further expanding the range of interactions.
It feels an awful lot like anime version of Hogwarts Castle (a la Harry Potter) at first glance, and normally anime does not interest me. However, the sheer breadth of characteres, interactions, and ways to built your team is fascinating, and the character depth is really well-written.
Even now, I can close my eyes, recall each of my students and something about them. Since I picked the Black Eagle House, I can tell you all about Linhardt, Caspar and Ferdinand, not to mention the ladies like Bernadetta, Dorothea, and Petra. Even the villainous characters are surprisingly three-dimensional, not cartoony evil.
Further, per Fire Emblem tradition, you have the option to romance characters and such, and even marry them at a later stage in the game. Many of the characters are bisexual, so regardless of what gender you pick for the hero, Byleth, romance is still an option. Some characters are openly bi which caught me by surprise, but a refreshing one.
Early in the game, I was trying to romance both Shamir (I am a sucker for tough women), and having intimate tea time with Lady Rhea at the same time. I figured that Lady Rhea was a villain early on (at least in some story lines), but it was fun to try. It’s a guilty pleasure but a fun one.
All in all, life in Garreg Mach monastery is really fun, even more so than the combat, as you can explore and interact as much as you like.
Then comes the emotional gut punch.
The story, at least through the Black Eagle House, contains some pretty shocking twists that caught me by surprise. It’s like being on a roller coaster that slowly creeps up and then suddenly the bottom drops out and it’s free fall from there. Brilliant story-telling.
There have been some very heart-warming moments thus far, and some moments or choices I made which made me feel pretty awful. I feel like there’s a hidden subtext about kids having to grow up too fast, which as a parent breaks my heart. I had to grow up too fast in my youth, and it’s hard watching kids in the game be forced to do the same, but that’s the reality of the situation as well.
I haven’t finished the first play-through yet, but I am roughly halfway and absolutely loving it, while also planning ahead toward my next play through, either through the Blue Lions or the Golden Stag house (that Claude is such a charmer).
It’s funny reviewing a game from 2019, but as someone who’s entirely new to the Fire Emblem I have been genuinely impressed with the game and the series overall. Quite honestly, I wish I had known about this sooner, but I am glad I took a chance on an unfamiliar franchise. If you own a Switch, definitely pick up the game if you can, and let me know which House you picked. 😁
P.S. Fun fact: the Japanese name for the game is ファイアーエムブレム 風花雪月 (faia enburemu fūkasetsugetsu) whereby by 風花雪月 stands for the four story lines:
- 風 (fū, “wind”) – as in Verdant Wind.
- 花 (ka, “flower”) as in Crimson Flower.
- 雪 (setsu, “snow”) as in Silver Snow.
- 月 (getsu, “moon”) as in Azure Moon.
Brilliant.
P.P.S. RIP Billy Kametz, voice of Ferdinand von Aegir:
Gleanings in Buddha-Fields 