Fire Emblem: Three Houses Preview

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is likely not what fans, old or new, might expect from a Fire Emblem game. While the older Fire Emblem games were very combat-focused and the newer games have been oriented more towards the social/romantic aspects of the game while easing up on the hardcore battling, Three Houses, in which you play a professor at an academy for young knights, does a fantastic job in finding the balance between both.

As soon as you open Fire Emblem: Three Houses the game gives you plenty of options; you have the ability to choose your difficulty, if you would like to play in Classic or Casual (essentially a permadeath on/off switch for your students) and much more. Possibly the biggest decision to make is which of the Three Houses to offer your tutelage to. Once you have done this, you follow a calendar of events that allows you to spend your time and activities on training your students in all of the various combat techniques available.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses allows you to set each character’s skill focus manually, allowing you to mold your students into a well-oiled fighting machine by balancing your front line, ranged and support units for the greatest tactical efficiency. Students may even approach you on their own to request that they change their focus, which you can accept or reject. Over time, as your students gain weapon skill, you can have them take tests to unlock new fighting classes, each of which comes with their own pros and cons.

Equally important to combat is how you interact with your students in your free time. You will be given the opportunity to roam around the academy freely. It is very important to use this time to foster relationships with students so that you can increase their motivation, build support levels with them and further develop their skills. Eventually you will even be able recruit students from other Houses to join you!

For those primarily interested in combat there are many options which allow you to automate the instruction of your students. If you choose this route, I highly recommend at least keeping an eye on their skill focuses to make sure you keep a good blend of weapon-proficient students in your roster. It is also wise to build support between your students, as this has strategic benefits as well.

Once you engage in a battle there are many options available on how you wish to equip your students, something that must be carefully monitored as your weapons will break over time. Keeping yourself stocked on weapons and supplies is vital to success on the battlefield. The preparation screen will also allow you to review support levels and Combat Arts available for your students. Combat Arts are special moves unlocked by your students that provide more powerful attacks at the cost of greater weapon durability loss.

The excellent balance between the social/relational side of the game and the tactical/combat aspect, not to mention how inter-dependent they are on one another, really adds quite a bit of depth to the Fire Emblem: Three Houses. It has enough of both to appeal to anyone who is primarily interested in either, while simultaneously rewarding those who devote their energy into both.