Review: In Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Morality and Tactics Walk Hand in Hand

Fire Emblem attains an especially epic, moral grandeur with this game’s focus on the interplay between education and religion.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Photo: Nintendo

With Fire Emblem: Three Houses, a series known for its extravagant tales of power-grabbing attains an especially epic, moral grandeur with its focus on the interplay between education and religion. As Byleth, a sword-wielding professor on the continent of Fódlan, you must teach one of three groups of students about the art of war, all in the name of serving the Church of Seiros. Depending on which class of youngsters you choose to lead (the Black Eagles, the Blue Lions, or the Golden Deer), the game’s narrative, heroes, and villains change significantly. The meticulously constructed story, throughout which old friends wind up crossing blades, underlines the heartbreak that results from those who feel oppressed by the power of priests being at odds with those who can’t live without faith. In the end, the two sides develop respect for each other, but that doesn’t stop the spilling of blood.

Three Houses is far from the first Fire Emblem title to grapple with the influence of religion on the world. Just two years ago, the remake Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia showcased a clash between two distinct religions that complicated the link between lovers Alm and Celica. But an emphasis on education, both in its story and gameplay, separates Three Houses from every title in the series that’s been released in the United States. The students’ melee and magical abilities in combat are affected by how the player manages educational and training goals. The most powerful types of warriors can only be produced if you identify and grow the proper skills, making Three Houses as much about preparation as action.

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This system amplifies the story’s drama. Viewing the proceedings of the game as a teacher who wants to help students succeed, you might feel regret upon seeing past classmates fight to the death. And when Byleth is forced to dispatch former students, it’s hard to derive much satisfaction from a well-executed military tactic. Few strategy RPGs are as self-critical as Three Houses. If you happen to choose a side that promotes the Church of Seiros, the story rarely gives one the sense that the church is justified in using soldiers to suppress rebellions. Similarly, the game’s atheistic movement subscribes to a dubious morality, as the non-religious decry the brutality of the church as they carry out their own brand of domination against those who disagree with their worldview. Three Houses recognizes that war, no matter the reason for it, isn’t about heroism but dreams of a better future after the violence ceases.

The turn-based fights in Three Houses take inspiration from Shadows of Valentia, avoiding the series’s well-known sword-axe-lance triangle system and instituting a time-travel mechanic that allows the player to rewind turns a limited number of times. The game further distinguishes itself with gigantic maps and a high number of enemies, both of which can make certain isolated skirmishes feel like dungeon-crawling expeditions. The larger levels reinforce the idea that you’re playing Fire Emblem with the highest of stakes. The final two battles, which can take multiple hours to win given the incessant wave of projectiles hurled at your troops from afar, more than confirm this notion. Because stages often feature surprise attacks and multiple pathways to reach enemy commanders, one’s strategic placement of individual characters on the tile-based battlefield—whether to absorb damage, block the trajectories of foes, or set up battalion attacks—has never been more critical in a Fire Emblem title.

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The game’s audiovisuals are another high for the series. Not only is the animation extremely smooth, but unlike previous Fire Emblem entries in which only major cast members are spotlighted during battle, numerous infantry sprites fight alongside higher-ranking soldiers when the camera zooms in on the violence, further underscoring the more sprawling nature of Three Houses. But it’s the audio that’s the heart and soul of this game. The soundtrack morphs to reflect the emotional context of the narrative, as when the game’s main theme at the school transforms after Byleth’s father dies, with the soft and pleading piano and the ephemeral violins capturing the vulnerability and emptiness, respectively, that plague those who mourn. The shards of dialogue that are heard in battle, whether braggadocious (“See you in the eternal flames”) or existential (“I will not die here”), make up a moving and often hilarious tapestry of characters trying to find their way through bloodshed.

The work of one voice actor in particular, Chris Hackney (who plays Dimitri of the Blue Lions), epitomizes the ultimate theme of Three Houses. Dimitri, the son of a murdered king, initially seems like a well-meaning, well-put-together noble of the church who wants everyone to get along despite his participation in killings. But events cause him to reach a breaking point, and it’s at this juncture where Hackney’s genius comes into full bloom as he injects a distinctive type of campy despair and anger into Dimitri’s voice. The apoplectic evolution of Dimitri is a tragicomical take on how people hide their demons in trying to appear holier than others. That Three Houses can deliver such a powerful, simple statement about humanity, within an elongated structure that would weigh down the messages of other games, is extraordinary.

The game was reviewed using a retail Switch copy purchased by the reviewer.

Score: 
 Developer: Intelligent Systems, Koei Tecmo  Publisher: Nintendo  Platform: Switch  Release Date: July 26, 2019  ESRB: T  ESRB Descriptions: Blood, Suggestive Themes, Violence  Buy: Game

Jed Pressgrove

Jed Pressgrove's writing has appeared in Game Bias, Film Quarantine, and Unwinnable.

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