Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Side Story: Cindered Shadows

Fire Emblem: Three Houses Cindered Shadows is one of those downloadable add-ons that’s solid enough. Overall this feels more in line with earlier entries in the series, stripping away most of the exciting newer features demonstrated in the original release. This makes for an experience that’s enjoyable but also rather unsurprising and straightforward. As far as story expansions go though, Cindered Shadows will likely have you hooked on Fire Emblem once again. It’s just hard not to be a little disappointed given how excellent Fire Emblem: Three Houses was.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ Expansion Pass has no shortage of amusing characters and activities to interest anyone playing through the main story, be it for the first time or fourth. If you can get past the confusing nature of unraveling a story that seems to exist in its own universe before reaping the rewards back in a more familiar world, Cindered Shadows provides some great challenge that’s agonizingly close to being wholly unique to the rest of Three Houses, offering a few exciting new mission objectives while leaning a little too hard on familiar maps. Its missions may not be as replayable as the main story, but they do give an enticing look at what the four new characters are capable of, leaving me itching to recruit them into my team.

Cindered Shadows includes new characters, new classes and features some tough challenges but the story depicted in this DLC is quite disappointing and lacks of impact and creativity.

While such side a story doesn't reveal crucial elements from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, this new underground location, the colorful additional characters and their radically diverse skills somehow deepen the adventure as a whole.

Another good value expansion pass from Nintendo, that doesn’t quite make up for the flaws of the parent game but does manage to emphasise its most positive qualities.

Cindered Shadows brings the Three Houses’ Expansion Pass content to a definite conclusion, but without a bang. While its additions to the main campaign are somehow welcoming, the new story chapter is short and bland. Long-time fans of the series can be happy and excited with the challenging gameplay that has been a trademark of the series, but the overall quality of Cindered Shadows might not be enough to justify a Pass purchase, except to the players willing to experience all of the content Three Houses can offer.