Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Presentation

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a turn-based tactical RPG set on the continent of Fódlan, divided between three major powers: the Adrestian Empire, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and the Leicester Alliance.

The player takes the role of Byleth, whose gender can be chosen. Initially a mercenary fighting alongside their father Jeralt, Byleth joins Garreg Mach Monastery and becomes a professor at the Officers Academy.

The player must then choose one of three houses: the Black Eagles led by Edelgard, the Blue Lions led by Dimitri or the Golden Deer led by Claude. This decision determines which students are placed under Byleth's responsibility and heavily influences the rest of the story.

The first part of the adventure alternates between life at the academy and turn-based tactical battles. On the battlefield, units move across a grid and must make use of their weapons, skills, range, terrain and positioning.

The battalion system allows troops to be assigned to certain units. They improve their abilities and provide access to Gambits, special actions capable of attacking multiple enemies or producing different tactical effects.

Byleth also possesses Divine Pulse, which allows certain actions already taken during battle to be rewound in order to correct a decision or try another strategy.

At Garreg Mach, the role of professor is an important part of progression. Byleth can teach different skills to the students, define their goals and prepare them for certification exams that unlock new classes.

The class system is particularly flexible: a character's progression depends on their aptitudes, training and chosen specializations rather than a completely fixed advancement path.

Exploring the monastery allows the player to talk with characters, complete quests, share meals, take part in various activities and strengthen support bonds between members of the group.

Some students from the other houses can also be recruited if Byleth meets the conditions related to their interests and skills.

After a major narrative turning point, the story advances by five years. The former students are then reunited as adults in a Fódlan at war, and the consequences of the house choice become much more significant.

Depending on the route followed, the player discovers different perspectives on the conflict, the ambitions of the leaders, the Church of Seiros and the events shaping the continent.

Key points

• A turn-based tactical RPG set in Fódlan.
• Byleth as the protagonist and professor.
• Garreg Mach Monastery as the center of the first part of the game.
• Three houses led by Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude.
• The house choice heavily influences the course of the story.
• Tactical battles built around positioning, terrain, weapons and skills.
• Battalions capable of using different Gambits.
• Divine Pulse allows certain actions to be rewound.
• A teaching system used to develop students' skills.
• Numerous classes unlocked through certification exams.
• Characters from other houses can be recruited.
• Support bonds develop relationships between characters.
• Garreg Mach offers quests, meals, training and activities.
• A five-year time skip separates the two major phases of the story.
• Multiple routes provide different perspectives on the war in Fódlan.

Conclusion

Fire Emblem: Three Houses combines the series' traditional tactical battles with a structure in which character preparation plays a central role.

The role of professor allows the player to gradually shape the students' skills, classes and relationships before meeting them again five years later in a war where the choices made at Garreg Mach take on a new significance.

Choosing between Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude therefore does more than determine the starting roster: it defines a large part of the perspective adopted on the political, religious and personal conflicts that run through Fódlan.

Good to know

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is developed by Intelligent Systems and Koei Tecmo and published by Nintendo.

The game was released on July 26, 2019 exclusively for Nintendo Switch.

It is primarily a single-player experience.

The adventure begins at Garreg Mach Monastery, home of the Church of Seiros and the Officers Academy, located at the center of the continent of Fódlan.

The main choice is between the Black Eagles, Blue Lions and Golden Deer. Certain later decisions can also alter the route followed.

The game offers Classic Mode, where losing a unit can be permanent, and Casual Mode, where defeated characters return after battle.

Several difficulty levels are available, including the later addition of Maddening Mode.

The Expansion Pass adds various quests, outfits, maps and additional characters.

Its main content, Cindered Shadows, offers a side story focused on the Ashen Wolves and the Abyss, an area located beneath Garreg Mach.

Characters and certain features unlocked in this side story can then be integrated into the main campaign.

This entry focuses on the main campaign, Byleth, the three houses, Garreg Mach, teaching, tactical battles and the main routes of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, without detailing every character, class or narrative branch.