GAMES LIKE FIRE EMBLEM THREE HOUSES SERIES
GAMES LIKE FIRE EMBLEM THREE HOUSES TV

During each classroom session, I select which students I want to train, and in which skills, from a long list. The classroom system is useful to enhance my army, developing skills outside of combat, but it doesn’t feel as deep as it could have been for story development. Hilda, an ax wielder with a lazy streak, begins the game with a major deficiency in heavy armor, but with perseverance I eventually turn that into a strength for her, making her an unbreakable force on the battlefield. While specific students have strengths and weaknesses, the system is flexible, allowing for variety in how my units develop. Classroom sequences let me focus students into different skill sets, training one kid for archery and another in white magic. Just starting out, though, my Golden Deer clan is a humble, puny bunch, and I’m tasked with bringing them up to snuff. Intelligent Systems, Koei Tecmo Games/Nintendo While the first part of the story will play out similarly no matter which house I pick, the second half of the game varies dramatically, with different maps, story beats, and final battles, giving me a completely different perspective on the conflict. (I’m bizarrely given the title of “professor” after fighting well in literally one battle, and despite being essentially the same age as these teens.) But the choice of house also has major implications down the road.

My choice in house determines my starting batch of students. The students in his house seem like they have interesting motivations, solid voice acting, and a preference for archery, which I gravitate toward in Fire Emblem games. I decide to join Claude and the Golden Deer house. Oftentimes, these sorts of hard-path decisions demand taking a wild stab in the dark, but here, I feel like I know who I’m getting into bed with. The game handles this sequence marvelously, allowing me to talk to every inhabitant of each house to learn about their strengths, weaknesses, and personalities. Each of the three has their own leaders, classmates, and specialties. The Academy acts as the central hub for all of Three Houses, and early on I’m given the most important decision I’ll make in this game: I have to pick my house. But Three Houses takes a sharp left turn with the introduction of the Officers Academy. The story begins by leaning on some traditional JRPG tropes: a silent protagonist with amnesia, a mysterious girl with pointy ears, and a gruff dad type acting as a mentor on the field of battle. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun - and worth fitting into your schedule.

GAMES LIKE FIRE EMBLEM THREE HOUSES TV

Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences. The story, the relationships, the tactical gameplay - they’re all treated as equally important, building to an even greater crescendo as they collide.

What’s so bizarre is that none of these elements play second fiddle.

It’s a relationship simulator, with flirting, romance, and gift giving. It’s an epic war story on a Game of Thrones scale. And it’s all your fault.įire Emblem: Three Houses is many things. You worked with them as youngsters, guiding their growth, applauding their accomplishments. Every death is brutal because everyone who dies was once your student.

GAMES LIKE FIRE EMBLEM THREE HOUSES SERIES

But what about the side characters? What about the third healer in your army? Or that archer who’s not as good as your main archer? The Fire Emblem series is built on getting you to care about everyone, even down to the smallest peon.īut with Fire Emblem: Three Houses, it goes even further. You’re with them through everything, and you want them to succeed. It’s easy to care about the protagonist of a game.

Games like fire emblem three houses