Yesterday, during a Nintendo Direct presentation, a bunch of new and remastered games were announced, but the one that made me scream with nerdy glee was the announcement of Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes.
Nintendo shared their sparse summary of the upcoming installment:
“Join Fire Emblem™: Three Houses characters as you engage in massive battles across Fódlan.
Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude, and other Fire Emblem: Three Houses characters return to put their combat expertise on display as you revisit a war-torn Fódlan.
Unleash devastating combos and striking special moves in action-packed, real-time combat
Cut through hordes of enemies as characters from the Fire Emblem: Three Houses game. Take down dozens of foes with Edelgard’s axe or Dimitri’s lance, or blast enemies from a distance with Claude’s bow. Slash, swing, and spear your way to a brighter future for Fódlan.”
What excites me most about this Warriors-style game (in the vein of Dynasty Warriors and Hyrule Warriors before it) is that it will be a new story in the same universe, and I am deeply attached to the characters of Three Houses in a way I haven’t been since I played Awakening and the original American release of The Blazing Blade (Lyndis forever).
Fates and Conquest didn’t connect with me, and I was skeptical about Three Houses until I started playing and haven’t looked back since. That kind of preexisting connection is the perfect way to make this style of game compelling.
In Three Houses, you start on the continent of Fódlan, which is divided between three ruling bodies that are tentatively at peace. They are connected by Garreg Mach Monastery, which is both a church and a school for students from each nation. You play Byleth, a former mercenary who becomes the new young professor, with strange powers that deepen your connection to both the church and your students.
As Byleth, you must choose between one of the Three Houses and lead them into battle. You get Black Eagles led by Edelgard, imperial princess and heir to the Adrestian throne (my personal favorite and the queerest one, tbh); the Blue Lions, commanded by Prince Dimitri of the Kingdom; and the Golden Deer led by Claude, heir to the Alliance’s leading family.
It was especially very harrowing each time you took a new route, realizing that there were people you were going to leave behind. I started under the Black Eagles banner and, therefore, every time I have to battle against Edelgard, it literally hurts my heart. That is a powerful way the storytelling and gameplay makes you build up these bonds, only to let you know how fragile they can be when war comes.
The possibility of being able to make new support connections and possibly introducing some classes that were absent in the game (I want to make Dorothea a witch so badly! is exciting. Plus, Edelgard has a new hairstyle. Shit is serious.
My favorite part of the first installment was getting to visit the characters, and just seeing them in this is enough to make me interested. I never picked up the Warriors series before; it didn’t necessarily appeal to me, but for the opportunity to get a “Golden Route” with some of my absolute favorite babies, I will gladly emerge myself in a new gaming experience.
If I could do it with Pokémon, I can do it with Fire Emblem.
We will return to Fódlan June 24th 2022, and I cannot wait.
(image: Nintendo)
