Fire Emblem: Three Houses

 Switch
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2891 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,540 out of 2891
  2. Mixed: 124 out of 2891
  3. Negative: 227 out of 2891
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  1. SmiX
    Aug 17, 2019
    10
    Amazing turn based strategy game with deep story and multiple endings, loveable characters and permadeath. A must have for every strategist.

    Warning : "Just one more battle" ... Oops it's 3 a.m.?
  2. slim1985
    Sep 7, 2019
    10
    Fire Emblem Three Houses is the best jrpg this year. it has 3 lengthy stories with 3 different characters, choose a family and guide them as a professor. its not a hard game yet still have depth in gameplay. i highly recommend this game for switch owners.
  3. mAceOfHearts
    Aug 17, 2019
    9
    Three Houses changes a lot of the things the Fire Emblem franchise is known for, such as drastically altering the class system, getting rid of the child unit system from Awakening and Fates, and featuring a lot of non-combat gameplay where you walk around an academy and instruct your students. The addition of Battalions during combat provides new strategic options, and the many skills youThree Houses changes a lot of the things the Fire Emblem franchise is known for, such as drastically altering the class system, getting rid of the child unit system from Awakening and Fates, and featuring a lot of non-combat gameplay where you walk around an academy and instruct your students. The addition of Battalions during combat provides new strategic options, and the many skills you can learn and equip to your units allow you to customize your army to your liking. Likewise, the addition of Combat Arts, special attack that grant bonus effects in exchange for reducing weapon durability, add a neat option where you can increase combat efficiency at the cost of your resources.
    The only issue I have with the game is that the beginning of the game can be rather slow, making repeat playthroughs to see the different routes feel boring at first.
    Overall, a fantastic addition to the Fire Emblem franchise.    … Expand
  4. mitolxx
    Sep 4, 2019
    10
    My first fire emblem experience. What a game!, is pretty awesome - story and combat are top. Don't miss this opportunity to play this amazing game
  5. chemiclord
    Aug 8, 2019
    9
    A handful of performance issues and some painful lack of anti-aliasing are the only real quibbles I have technically for what is truly a masterful title with a LOT of replayability. When Nintendo claimed there was 200 hours of content in this game, they (perhaps unbelievably) might have been UNDER-selling it.

    Narratively, it is a BIT basic in the sense that there's no REAL massive    A handful of performance issues and some painful lack of anti-aliasing are the only real quibbles I have technically for what is truly a masterful title with a LOT of replayability. When Nintendo claimed there was 200 hours of content in this game, they (perhaps unbelievably) might have been UNDER-selling it.

    Narratively, it is a BIT basic in the sense that there's no REAL massive surprises in that no one side of the struggle is entirely right, and it's a type of structuring that we've seen many times before in games. But Three Houses excels in the execution of that framework. Regardless of the path you choose, and regardless of the perspectives you've experienced before, it is very easy to become wholly invested on the path in front of you.

    The only quibble I have is that the real "villains" of the story seem to exist only to be villains. They don't seem to have any particularly compelling reason to be in the story at all other than to do terrible things that no one else would do. It felt entirely unnecessary, and I feel like the game should have either committed to them or cut them entirely.

    All in all, there is nothing that Fire Emblem: Three Houses does that hasn't really been done before in the medium. There's nothing that I felt was completely unique or original, either in the technical presentation, the gameplay, or the story. However, it DOES put those pieces together in exceptional fashion, and anyone who likes these sort of turn-based style RPGs should enjoy this game immensely.

    For people who have never experienced the series before (because it had been a handheld exclusive series), there really is no better way to introduce yourself to it. It earns every bit of a 9/10 and I would recommend it to any RPG fan without reservation.    … Expand
  6. Roleplayer21312
    Sep 2, 2019
    10
    By far the most fun and suprising game I've ever played. The amazing characterization, the awesome storyline and great gameplay came out of nowhere for me but completely captured my jaded heart.
  7. Roild
    Sep 2, 2019
    10
    After playing through two paths and starting my third, I've got to say this is easily the best Fire Emblem story in the series. The characters are charming and the game-play is what I'd expect from Fire Emblem. Every character is viable and so are the classes. The amount of content in a single path was mind boggling, but starting over for a different path kept everything fresh. This isAfter playing through two paths and starting my third, I've got to say this is easily the best Fire Emblem story in the series. The characters are charming and the game-play is what I'd expect from Fire Emblem. Every character is viable and so are the classes. The amount of content in a single path was mind boggling, but starting over for a different path kept everything fresh. This is the best FE package all-around and I'm extremely happy the franchise has stuck to its roots while moving forward in such a constructive way.… Expand
  8. dundee
    Sep 4, 2019
    10
    Love this game like the previous entries. I have waifu that can fight alongside with me.
  9. ParkerI
    Jan 15, 2020
    8
    This is the perfect introduction to the Fire Emblem series. In fact, I loaned the game to my friend, and both him and his girlfriend completed it. So if you are on the fence about the series, then definitely you should give the game a try. It has an extremely addictive gameplay loop that makes you feel constant progression. Therapeutic, in fact if you like games like Animal Crossing or theThis is the perfect introduction to the Fire Emblem series. In fact, I loaned the game to my friend, and both him and his girlfriend completed it. So if you are on the fence about the series, then definitely you should give the game a try. It has an extremely addictive gameplay loop that makes you feel constant progression. Therapeutic, in fact if you like games like Animal Crossing or the old Sims, this is probably right down your ally. I will say as a Fire Emblem fan, I enjoyed the game more on my first playthrough than subsequent ones where I began seeing its shortcomings. I wish there was a higher difficulty setting and a more refined end game. I see Fire Emblem Three Houses as an extremely safe game that could have been even greater if more development time was spent. Alas, what we do get is still incredibly worthwhile! I'm hopeful for the future of Fire Emblem.… Expand
  10. hinst
    Apr 20, 2022
    10
    This is going to be a personal-opinion review where I will not try too hard to be objective.

    Fire Emblem Three Houses is pretty close to being the best game of all time, only rivaled by The Witcher 3 and Elden Ring Let's start with the negative stuff. What I disliked: * Locked on Nintendo Switch and not (easily) available on PC * Lackluster graphics; this is directly connected to    This is going to be a personal-opinion review where I will not try too hard to be objective.

    Fire Emblem Three Houses is pretty close to being the best game of all time, only rivaled by The Witcher 3 and Elden Ring

    Let's start with the negative stuff. What I disliked:
    * Locked on Nintendo Switch and not (easily) available on PC
    * Lackluster graphics; this is directly connected to the first point... The graphics could be better on platforms that are not as technically-challenged as Nintendo Switch
    * Paid DLCs

    Now here are the things that I liked:
    * A perfect length of 40 hours - not long enough to get bored
    * Tactical battles with many unique situations and challenges
    * No endless RPG grind, no RPG level-up BS: on normal difficulty, the number of battles you can fight is strictly limited, so the player starts each story-mission with what they've got and you cannot go back into an "open world" to level up a few more times. This is great for game balance; you will rarely feel overpowered
    * Awesome voiced dialogues that are neither too short nor too long. It is up to you whether you want to say something that people want to hear in response, or just have fun
    * The voice lines in combat are great too: attack, defense, concern, cheer up - they're all nicely done, and without those voice lines, the battles would not feel as immersive
    * Decent lore and story, which is way more than most games released since 2017 can offer
    * You can play favorites with the students. Of course, you will help everyone in the end, because the success of the mission depends on each one's ability, but you will just put that extra bit of care into teaching and equipping the few select students that you like the most. And before you judge me, remember that this is just human nature, and it always happens in real life whether we want it or not. We can completely eliminate favoritism only when we remove human supervisors from the equation entirely.
    * Flashy combat animations, detailed equipment and armors. Almost each piece of equipment has its own unique model
    * A cool protagonist. I usually pick female player character when I play games, but for my Fire Emblem 3-Houses walkthrough I picked a dude; and, surprisingly, I did not regret it! The dude is the very definition of "cool". This is again a stark contrast with the majority of modern games... Although the player character is silent and makes only few decisions that influence the story, it did not stop me from feeling impressed. The game makes you feel that you are the person who can get everyone alive through every battle, no matter the circumstances
    * The combat moves of the protagonist are satisfying to watch every single time, and protag's clothes & armors are nicely designed; this is equally true for both male and female versions.
    * A great selection of wives. In this regard, Fire Emblem 3 Houses is better than most "erotic" games could ever hope to be; because Fire Emblem presents you people with actual stories, personalities; it gives you the sense of bonding with someone who have been through a lot with you. You can go into battle with your "loved one" and observe the real consequences of your care: oh, you forgot to pack a healing potion for your wife? Well, tough luck! Now she's surrounded by bandits with no hope of escaping. Same goes for shields, swords and stuff. You better not misjudge what sort of weapon will be adequate for the next mission. The danger of failure makes you worried; however, seeing your "loved one" do well fills you with joy. When you see your wife dispatch bandits and crazed wolves with ease, or maybe save some of your students from an otherwise-hopeless situation, it is a very special feeling
    * A satisfying ending that does not feel rushed; which is something that many story-driven games struggle get right

    Overall a great game that prolly deserves it's score of 8.8 on MetaCritic at the time when I wrote this review; I hope that Nintendo will cOnSiDeR creating a new Fire Emblem game after they release the upcoming Xenoblade 3.    … Expand
  11. StickmanRyan
    Aug 21, 2019
    10
    The best game I’ve played on the switch so far. It is the first fire emblem game I have played so I can’t compare it to those, but I loved how it essentially felt like two games that were affecting one another. Walking around the school and learning about all the characters was interesting in itself, and whilst the quests were a bit dull and repetitive, they were pretty quick to complete.The best game I’ve played on the switch so far. It is the first fire emblem game I have played so I can’t compare it to those, but I loved how it essentially felt like two games that were affecting one another. Walking around the school and learning about all the characters was interesting in itself, and whilst the quests were a bit dull and repetitive, they were pretty quick to complete. The great thing about learning about the characters is you feel a connection, and it’s even more devastating when one dies. The battles are great fun and I felt were fair but easy to be punished if you’re not paying attention. If you’re a newbie to the series like myself I’d recommend playing on normal difficulty first, not so much for the battles but it’s more forgiving if you have been leveling your characters wrong. Replayabiliy is high. I have now completed it on both normal and hard with two different houses, and I’m looking forward to playing another run through. The only thing I would say is missing is a skirmish mode or multiplayer versus, but there’s still plenty of game here to make it an easy 10.… Expand
  12. TheMegaGodz
    Sep 29, 2019
    10
    This game was nonstop fun! Even during moments of the game with no action, I was still enjoying myself. A huge step in the right direction for Fire Emblem! Can't wait for whatever may come next!
  13. niclol
    Sep 2, 2019
    9
    Es el primer juego de Fire Emblem que juego ,y la verdad es que me sorprendió y para bien.
    Es un vicio, me lo pasé en cuatro días con la ruta de Edelghard(no sé si se escribe bien) y en no mucho tengo pensado en volverlo a jugar con otra ruta.
    Es una pena el review bombing que está sufriendo este juego, lo recomiendo al 100%
  14. ZappityZ
    Sep 6, 2019
    9
    Absolutely incredible, just truly an amazing story that has led me to make new friends who are fans, just a required buy for any switch player
  15. MMC
    Sep 21, 2019
    10
    I came into this game ridiculously hyped. This was my most anticipated game of the year. Somehow, against all odds, it surpassed my expectations. The characters are so damned good and well written. The main lords are easily the best in the franchise. Dimitri, in particular, is such a fascinating lord. The way this game tackled things like loss, revenge, guilt, etc. completely blew me away.I came into this game ridiculously hyped. This was my most anticipated game of the year. Somehow, against all odds, it surpassed my expectations. The characters are so damned good and well written. The main lords are easily the best in the franchise. Dimitri, in particular, is such a fascinating lord. The way this game tackled things like loss, revenge, guilt, etc. completely blew me away. This is easily top 3 of all time for me. It ranks alongside Persona 5 and Breath of the Wild for me.… Expand
  16. Lone_Wolf_Sones
    Feb 3, 2020
    10
    Three Houses marks the return of Fire Emblem to a main line console. The last entry on a home console was Radiant Dawn on Wii and before that, Path of Radiance on Gamecube.

    So how did it fare? Pretty well. Fire Emblem saw a resurgence in popularity after the 3DS title Awakening and has since gone form strength to strength bolstered by it's presence in Smash Bros. Three Houses ditched    Three Houses marks the return of Fire Emblem to a main line console. The last entry on a home console was Radiant Dawn on Wii and before that, Path of Radiance on Gamecube.

    So how did it fare? Pretty well. Fire Emblem saw a resurgence in popularity after the 3DS title Awakening and has since gone form strength to strength bolstered by it's presence in Smash Bros.

    Three Houses ditched the three different versions that Fire Emblem Fates had with Birthright, Conquest and Revelations. Instead it opted for one game with three branching paths based on which house you chose.

    There is a lot of replay value here to be sure. Many of the core tenants from the series carry over like support conversations and yes even romance and marriage for a given pairing. Though they have scaled back in that only the main protagonist and one of their choosing can marry and gone are the offspring that can then be recruited into child soldiers.

    Now you can hire battalions to aid you in battle and the gameplay remains much the same. There are a few new mechanics here or there. But generally speaking if you have played Fire Emblem before you will know what to expect.

    The Monastery of Gareg Mach is where you spend much of your time as it serves as a hub with many activities to engage in. You can teach your students, partake in cooking, etc. All of this goes toward increasing skills. It's a novel approach and it works well. After a time skip it becomes your headquarters of sorts.

    All the dialogue is fully voiced and the actors really commit themselves to their roles here. I didn't really find any cringe inducing lines of dialogue that I can think of. It's an enjoyable story too.

    Easily one of the Switch's best.    … Expand
  17. Eretik
    Sep 2, 2019
    10
    This is really fantastic game.

    The only draw back I have found is impossibility to pause game during battle which may be really long.
  18. marcain
    Sep 1, 2019
    10
    One of the best games on the Switch. Haven't played anything else since I got it.
  19. VirgonoShaka
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    FIre emblem Three Houses is the best Fire Emblem since Radiant Dawn easily, and has a incredible amount of replay value. With tha base set in, let's see, the Good: The characters are very well developed with deep meaningful dialogues and relationships, the story(ies) is excellent, with deep meaningful decisions that change the story or the players and their interactions, the strategyFIre emblem Three Houses is the best Fire Emblem since Radiant Dawn easily, and has a incredible amount of replay value. With tha base set in, let's see, the Good: The characters are very well developed with deep meaningful dialogues and relationships, the story(ies) is excellent, with deep meaningful decisions that change the story or the players and their interactions, the strategy mechanics are very good, using a combination of the last home console FE with improvements of the 3DS ones, the fully voice acted scenes, heck yes. The bad: It is far, and I mean far too easy, not even considering the divine pulses mechanic, not all campaigns are as good as others, the S class relationships scenes are pretty meh, no voice acted endings or at least full complete endings, no control over the endings of other characters with some weird randomess too it.
    All in all, an excellent entry into the series that I will keep playing at least a few more runs, but still a few steps away from what I think this series can acomplish. Nevertheless, keep improving FE, it is close.    … Expand
  20. Aclancy83
    Aug 14, 2019
    9
    An amazing game that kept me interested for 60 hours and I'm still playing it here and there through new game plus. If you have any interests in rpgs, jrpgs, srpgs and adventure games then you should give this game a try. I'm not gonna get into crazy detail but I will tell you that every aspect of this game is done well .
  21. weskergamer
    Oct 14, 2019
    10
    I just love this game, i spend 200 hours and never got bored. The story is so good and the characters so perfect that i didn't hate anyone of them. Recommended to every Switch owner
  22. PyroFierceDeity
    Dec 1, 2020
    9
    Excellent game and my personal game of the year of 2019. The music. the narrative, the content, how fun it is, it's all there. This game got me into Fire Emblem. What I love most about the Fire Emblem games is how much the gameplay reminds me of chess. All 4 paths were pretty good, Blue Lions being my favorite and arguably the best one. The church route felt kind of rushed and was theExcellent game and my personal game of the year of 2019. The music. the narrative, the content, how fun it is, it's all there. This game got me into Fire Emblem. What I love most about the Fire Emblem games is how much the gameplay reminds me of chess. All 4 paths were pretty good, Blue Lions being my favorite and arguably the best one. The church route felt kind of rushed and was the least memorable to me. My second favorite is the Black Eagles route. And Golden Deer taking 3rd place. I liked the Golden Deer route but towards the end that also felt kind of rushed. I clocked in about 200 hours beating all the routes.

    The character bonds you forge in this one are great and actually feel important too. It actually shapes the characters into who they are. It can also determine which character is going to marry who when you beat the game.

    What really made me fall in love with the game was the amount of interacting you can do with the characters as well as how beautifully crafted the music is. The music fits whatever is happening in the story so well, I haven't seen a game make the music fit the narrative this well since Undertale. A plus about this game too is it isn't too hard. I found the balance on normal classic to be perfect.

    I paid full price for this one and will gladly buy it again for full price if I could. If you own a switch you have to give it a try.    … Expand
  23. meta_nor
    Aug 22, 2019
    9
    I have much play time, but still i can find new discover.
    This game has rich content more than everyone expected.
    Only, strolling is boring ,more I'm getting used to playing this game.
  24. A_coat
    Aug 10, 2019
    9
    I was very skeptical and hesitant to get this game because I knew it was going to be a lot to chew. I'm so glad I went with the hype on this one because yes it is a very deep game, but it never seems that it's too much to deal with. It's all pretty manageable and early hours of the game do a fine job of helping you understand how things are done and from there on out it's pretty routine.I was very skeptical and hesitant to get this game because I knew it was going to be a lot to chew. I'm so glad I went with the hype on this one because yes it is a very deep game, but it never seems that it's too much to deal with. It's all pretty manageable and early hours of the game do a fine job of helping you understand how things are done and from there on out it's pretty routine. After only 7 hours of gameplay I would give this game somewhere between a B+ or an A- ...so I guess a 9/10. But this could easily become a 10/10 as things continue. The combat is simply amazing, and I'm really beginning to enjoy the character development, and relationships with the students, and I thought for sure that would be something I wouldn't enjoy much. I've never played a Fire Emblem game before this, nor have I ever played a life or academy sim but this aspect of the game is so important to raising the stakes of combat...if you are a real gamer you'll play with perma-death enabled, and after a few hours of getting to know your students you absolutely will do anything to prevent their deaths in combat, making for very intense and thoughtful moments on the battlefield. I see exactly what Fire Emblem is going for here, and I like it.… Expand
  25. Caracaveinossa
    Apr 8, 2020
    10
    Incredible story, amazing combat, thrilling cutscenes, this game is just perfect for the quarantine.
  26. BillyBillyBoBil
    Sep 2, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A game that truly makes good use of the switch, both in looks, gameplay, and sound, its art style helps compensate for the fact the switch is a low performer showing the devs knew what they had to work with, with a kicking soundtrack that suits each encounter scene and situation and the gameplay is fun with options for both the casual and hardcore so no one is left out, highly reccomended… Expand
  27. Barrator
    Aug 21, 2019
    9
    The game is massive and has a lot of interesting mechanics. The only reason I give it 9 instead of 10 is that it's extremely easy on normal mode (even with classic style) mainly because of divine pulse and exp retain after retreat from battle. That last option is horrible (it is present only in normal mode) and pointless. I've seen a lot of people complain about it on forums. I played TheThe game is massive and has a lot of interesting mechanics. The only reason I give it 9 instead of 10 is that it's extremely easy on normal mode (even with classic style) mainly because of divine pulse and exp retain after retreat from battle. That last option is horrible (it is present only in normal mode) and pointless. I've seen a lot of people complain about it on forums. I played The Sacred Stones (GBA) and Radiant Dawn (Wii) on normal modes and they were perfect. After about 15 hours of playing Three Houses I regretted not choosing hard mode since there is no option of changing the difficulty mode to higher. After some time you simply don't want to engage in interesting mechanics, such as seminars, battalions, finding lost items from online players, because you can just lose any battle 2 or 3 times, retain gained exp and easily win another time. To developers: please at least remove the exp retain option from normal mode to make the game more engaging. I know that I can play on hard but most players will not want to play again from the beginning after several hours of playing when they discover that normal mode is pointless. If you remove this option, or at least make other changes to make the game unique mechanics more engaging, I'll give the game 10 and buy the season pass, I promise ;)… Expand
  28. Dalura
    Jun 10, 2022
    10
    This is by far the best fire emblem entery in the series with multiple rutes/endings, a ton of characters, astonishing soundtrack and an incredibly fun gameplay! Loved the game from beginning to end! There are still scenes where you can see that the development of the game was pretty rushed but all in all it's an incredible experience and i highly recommend this game to every switch owner!
  29. FFerrario
    Sep 3, 2019
    9
    While sometimes the writing can seem simplistic at times, it's amazing how deep they can take a cookie cutter story and make it as "realistic" as an anime style game can be with still a lot of charm. You care about these characters, you relate to them, you hate them, you love them and when they die, it's important to you. Some people say that this game is a copy of persona 5, well damn,While sometimes the writing can seem simplistic at times, it's amazing how deep they can take a cookie cutter story and make it as "realistic" as an anime style game can be with still a lot of charm. You care about these characters, you relate to them, you hate them, you love them and when they die, it's important to you. Some people say that this game is a copy of persona 5, well damn, persona 5 is a damn good game, and honestly, that seems like quite the compliment.
    The gameplay is as solid as always. The lack of the weapon triangle lent to a wider capacity of customization and design by the player. Sure, some activities are mundane, but you start to appreciate as time passes.
    My only gripe, is that some storylines are better than others (as in the story that each house will tell) and well, that is sad, because not everyone wishes to replay the game from start to finish once more. All in all, a great game, one of my favorites and I look forward to the next entry.    … Expand
  30. Immu222
    Nov 1, 2019
    10
    Absolutely amazing game a must buy for switch owners. Personally FF3H is my GOTY for 2019 yet. I have spent 100+ hours just to complete 1 route in BE houses and still playing to finish all routes, unlock all supports with every character. The game play, the story and the characters are all absolutely great. Can't wait for the Dlc story that's in the work.
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best Switch Game of 2019
4
#4 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019
4
#4 Most Shared Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 102 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 98 out of 102
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 102
  3. Negative: 0 out of 102
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 28, 2020
    95
    There may be too much content here for busy adults to tackle! I don't know when I'm going to find the time to do full playthroughs of the other two Houses that I didn't choose to begin with! [Issue #41 – September 2019, p. 74]
  2. Universo Nintendo
    Oct 29, 2019
    90
    Fire Emblem Three Houses is one of Switch's best games of 2019 and a breeze of fresh air to this franchise. Unfortunately, its poor animations preclude any possibility of being the game of the year.
    Read full review
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Oct 11, 2019
    86
    Large selection of classes, good AI and wide variety of missions make Fire Emblem: Three Houses one of the best turn-based tactics. [Issue#240, p.50]
See all critic reviews »