Maddening is an unfair mode that requires more preparation than gameplay if its your first time playing maddening or if you don't know what you're doing. However all this preparation makes playing the main story missions more fun when you actually do them. There are alot of ambush spawns, which are enemy spawns that act on the same turn that they were deployed on, which makes the game alot harder than it should be. I would not reccomend this mode to someone doing their second or third run, make sure you're comfortable and know how the game operates.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a fantastic addition to the NIntendo Switch library and to the Fire Emblem series as a whole. Whilst it does not replace Fire Emblem: Awakening as my favourite in the series, this was still a brilliant turn based strategy game and has become one of my favourite games for the Switch.

In the game you play as a Byleth, a mercenary who quickly gets a job as a teacher at Garreg Mach Monastery. Whilst at the monastery, Byleth must prepare their students as leaders and soldiers, whilst also trying to protect the school and residents from a group of mysterious antagonists. I will say that the plot for Three Houses does not have the same epic feel to it that Awakening did. Still, I did like the fact that the story changed, depending on which of the three houses of students you decided to teach.

From a gameplay perspective, if you have played a Fire Emblem before then you know what to expect, when it comes to the battles. These are turn based and different soldier types are effective against different enemies. Like with previous Fire Emblem games, you can choose the classic difficulty of permadeath for your characters or the more lenient option of having them temporarily removed when they are knocked out. The new additions that Three Houses brings to the battles are the inclusion of Battlions- these are groups of soldiers that when assigned to a hero, gives that hero a special ability. Then there is also Divine Pulse, a special ability that effectively allows you to rewind time, by a small number of turns, in order to try a different strategy. I'll be honest, I didn't really use these new features that much, as I prefered the more traditional Fire Emblem combat mechanics.

However, the battles are not the whole game. Half of your time will be spent mentoring your students by teaching classes, holding seminars and an assortment of other side activities. This part of the game is where you can manage what roles your students master, as well as strengthen your bond with them. This period in between the battles was always a nice welcome change of pace, that gave me the time to organise my forces and as well as focus on the story aspect of the game.

Overall, I highly recommend Fire Emblem: Three Houses. With approximately fifty hours for each House's story, you are definitely getting value for money. The game takes the Fire Emblem formula and delivers an experience that will please most Fire Emblem fans.