GOTY 2019 - NUMBER EIGHT
Video version
Fire Emblem sits just on the periphery of stuff I’m into. Strategy games, RPGs, anime; it’s all stuff I like every once in a while. It’s rare that I get into a new one, but when it happens, they have a tendency to capture my attention completely. Even within Fire Emblem it’s been tough. I loved Awakening, but Fates and Warriors really struggled to hold my interest. With this in mind, it’s a relief how little effort I’ve had to put into enjoying Three Houses.
One thing I go on all the time when it comes to this stuff is pacing. Nothing can make me drop out of one of these things harder than a mislaid bit of filler, a long, meandering grindy bit that loses focus, or a plot revelation that fell flat. This is what Three Houses excels at. There’s freedom within the structure. The story is broken up into in-game months, and you’re given the flexibility to focus on what you like. There are routes through the campaign almost entirely focused on maintaining strong relationships with your team and developing their potential in battle, or you can ignore the school drama and push on through the series of traditional, time-tested turn-based strategy challenges. You’re rarely forced to do something that will test your patience, but there’s layers upon layers of depth if you want to dig into that stuff. Its scenarios present intense situations and conflicts, but it’s quite easy-going with how players take them on. What I like about Three Houses might be completely different from what anybody else does, but we both might like the game just as much, and our appreciation will be just as valid.
What I’ve always seen as unique and compelling about Fire Emblem is that it’s a strategy series that’s about the people. No unit is expendable, and you’ll be rewarded for finding characters you like and bonding with them. If that means some weird sex thing for you – fine – again, that’s a totally valid reason to play these games, and all kinds of players are catered for. It’s an aspect of Fire Emblem that has given a lot of potential players the wrong impression though. Three Houses’ cast are fun, charismatic, flawed and admirable. You’re almost certain to start caring how your favourite students are faring in each fight, and that affects how defensively you approach high-risk situations. You’ll go in knowing that at some point, war will break out, and those who haven’t sided with your faction will become enemies, so you’re going to have to find out who these people are, and decide which ones you like the most.
What sets Three Houses apart from previous entries is the depth of your interaction with each party member. Each in-game week, you’ll be given the opportunity to explore the school grounds, chatting to all the students, giving them gifts and even inviting them over for tea once they’re comfortable enough with you. You can find out who these people are, what they’re interested in, and what they’re scared of. If you’re looking at it from a romantic perspective, it’s nice to know who everyone is, but it also helps in how you approach training them for battle. You might find out someone in your class is getting tired of the job you’ve been giving them, and would rather train in a different style of combat. Maybe that would fuck up the balance of your team, and you can insist they stick with their role, but maybe you adapt your strategies for the sake of their interests. It’s the kind of thought you’d never have in a traditional strategy game, and it’s a really compelling wee hook. Something that gives you an emotional attachment to seeing each unit in your command survive.
Strategy games are typically something you’ll return to if you’re looking for a very specific experience. If I load up Command & Conquer, I know exactly what’s in store. Three Houses has far more to it, and you often change your focus multiple times during any given play session. Three Houses is so rich with variety, but none of it overwhelms or detracts from the strategy gameplay. Looking at it in a strict, logical way, it’s all just boosting stats before you get into the next traditional battle, but Three Houses has a tendency to suck you into its setting and view things from the perspective of its characters. Once you start to like the people you’re fighting alongside, it’s not difficult to start to care about all the wee systems.
It might sound overwhelming, but again, it’s that freedom within the structure that makes it all work so well. If you’re interested enough to buy it, you’re almost certainly going to enjoy something in it.
Video version
Fire Emblem sits just on the periphery of stuff I’m into. Strategy games, RPGs, anime; it’s all stuff I like every once in a while. It’s rare that I get into a new one, but when it happens, they have a tendency to capture my attention completely. Even within Fire Emblem it’s been tough. I loved Awakening, but Fates and Warriors really struggled to hold my interest. With this in mind, it’s a relief how little effort I’ve had to put into enjoying Three Houses.
One thing I go on all the time when it comes to this stuff is pacing. Nothing can make me drop out of one of these things harder than a mislaid bit of filler, a long, meandering grindy bit that loses focus, or a plot revelation that fell flat. This is what Three Houses excels at. There’s freedom within the structure. The story is broken up into in-game months, and you’re given the flexibility to focus on what you like. There are routes through the campaign almost entirely focused on maintaining strong relationships with your team and developing their potential in battle, or you can ignore the school drama and push on through the series of traditional, time-tested turn-based strategy challenges. You’re rarely forced to do something that will test your patience, but there’s layers upon layers of depth if you want to dig into that stuff. Its scenarios present intense situations and conflicts, but it’s quite easy-going with how players take them on. What I like about Three Houses might be completely different from what anybody else does, but we both might like the game just as much, and our appreciation will be just as valid.
What I’ve always seen as unique and compelling about Fire Emblem is that it’s a strategy series that’s about the people. No unit is expendable, and you’ll be rewarded for finding characters you like and bonding with them. If that means some weird sex thing for you – fine – again, that’s a totally valid reason to play these games, and all kinds of players are catered for. It’s an aspect of Fire Emblem that has given a lot of potential players the wrong impression though. Three Houses’ cast are fun, charismatic, flawed and admirable. You’re almost certain to start caring how your favourite students are faring in each fight, and that affects how defensively you approach high-risk situations. You’ll go in knowing that at some point, war will break out, and those who haven’t sided with your faction will become enemies, so you’re going to have to find out who these people are, and decide which ones you like the most.
What sets Three Houses apart from previous entries is the depth of your interaction with each party member. Each in-game week, you’ll be given the opportunity to explore the school grounds, chatting to all the students, giving them gifts and even inviting them over for tea once they’re comfortable enough with you. You can find out who these people are, what they’re interested in, and what they’re scared of. If you’re looking at it from a romantic perspective, it’s nice to know who everyone is, but it also helps in how you approach training them for battle. You might find out someone in your class is getting tired of the job you’ve been giving them, and would rather train in a different style of combat. Maybe that would fuck up the balance of your team, and you can insist they stick with their role, but maybe you adapt your strategies for the sake of their interests. It’s the kind of thought you’d never have in a traditional strategy game, and it’s a really compelling wee hook. Something that gives you an emotional attachment to seeing each unit in your command survive.
Strategy games are typically something you’ll return to if you’re looking for a very specific experience. If I load up Command & Conquer, I know exactly what’s in store. Three Houses has far more to it, and you often change your focus multiple times during any given play session. Three Houses is so rich with variety, but none of it overwhelms or detracts from the strategy gameplay. Looking at it in a strict, logical way, it’s all just boosting stats before you get into the next traditional battle, but Three Houses has a tendency to suck you into its setting and view things from the perspective of its characters. Once you start to like the people you’re fighting alongside, it’s not difficult to start to care about all the wee systems.
It might sound overwhelming, but again, it’s that freedom within the structure that makes it all work so well. If you’re interested enough to buy it, you’re almost certainly going to enjoy something in it.