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. Alwaysintune
    Sep 2, 2019
    9
    I’ve never played a Fire Emblem game in my life, so I was a bit weary of picking it up. After my friend kept recommending the game over and over again I gave in and bought it day one after work. I was surprised that I had to go to three different stores since a lot of shops sold out quickly and I was being a bit impatient having to call each store to see if the game was available only toI’ve never played a Fire Emblem game in my life, so I was a bit weary of picking it up. After my friend kept recommending the game over and over again I gave in and bought it day one after work. I was surprised that I had to go to three different stores since a lot of shops sold out quickly and I was being a bit impatient having to call each store to see if the game was available only to find out they had a few and sold it a few minutes after arriving to the store. Let me tell you it’s the best decision I made to wait and go to the third store. The game was easy to understand and the story is very well written and executed. I had to have self control sometimes because I’d play for hours on end. It’s been a while since I’ve played a game for 5+ hours and I’m glad this is the game I did it with. Due to me having more responsibilities like having a full time job I haven’t made time to play video games because I just didn’t have the time or I felt like it wasn’t worth losing sleep over. The game does a good job letting the player know how to play the game and gives it options to have it on easy/normal to hard mode, and the classic or casual mode so it can accommodate new and veteran players.… Expand
  2. ByMineus
    Sep 2, 2019
    9
    Fire Emblem Three Houses is a great strategic JRPG that has loads of replayability and loads of stuff to do in each playthrough. Even if you don't play all routes,you can easily get up to 50 hours of joy for a single playthrough. The land of Fodlan is rich of interesting and good designed characters. Each voice actor was carefully picked and fit in both english and japanese. The only thingFire Emblem Three Houses is a great strategic JRPG that has loads of replayability and loads of stuff to do in each playthrough. Even if you don't play all routes,you can easily get up to 50 hours of joy for a single playthrough. The land of Fodlan is rich of interesting and good designed characters. Each voice actor was carefully picked and fit in both english and japanese. The only thing that keeps it away from a 10 out of 10 is the graphics which can be rather lackluster in certain places. Otherwise its a n experience and a must buy for switchc owners… Expand
  3. BuckeyeBrute
    Sep 2, 2019
    9
    Three Houses is possibly in the top 3 of the best entries to the Fire Emblem Franchise. The story is great and filled with many memorable characters no matter what route you choose. The world building is some of the best to come out of the series in recent years and the gameplay is top notch. If you want a game that scratches your tactical RPGs itch, this is probably one of the bestThree Houses is possibly in the top 3 of the best entries to the Fire Emblem Franchise. The story is great and filled with many memorable characters no matter what route you choose. The world building is some of the best to come out of the series in recent years and the gameplay is top notch. If you want a game that scratches your tactical RPGs itch, this is probably one of the best options available on the switch.… Expand
  4. Minnierzj28
    Sep 2, 2019
    9
    Loved it. My first FE game ever. Really scratched my Pereona 5 itch. Definitely recommend.
  5. FishieTheFirst
    Sep 2, 2019
    9
    The game excels in all aspects, from storytelling to the characters, almost everything is great. The only issue is the graphics, which is sub par at best.
  6. LunaAoi
    Sep 2, 2019
    9
    In my opinion it's near perfect. I only have a few gripes concerning gender locked classes and short sighted master classes, but otherwise I adore this game. Multiple stories that each answer different questions give the game great replay value to grasp the entire story. A few characters start out one dimensional but they develop them into more complex personalities as one progresses. IIn my opinion it's near perfect. I only have a few gripes concerning gender locked classes and short sighted master classes, but otherwise I adore this game. Multiple stories that each answer different questions give the game great replay value to grasp the entire story. A few characters start out one dimensional but they develop them into more complex personalities as one progresses. I highly recommend checking out out. It's got something for both veterans and beginners to the series.… Expand
  7. Snance44
    Sep 2, 2019
    9
    It's a fun game! A lot of people said it is the Hogwarts game that never was, and it is. The story is okay, thats why I didn't rate it a perfect score, but I also have only played one route. What is crazy is the amount of gameplay. It took me fifty hours to complete one route and there are three other ones. I like the new feature of divine pulse. It is nice to be able to rewind a battle. IIt's a fun game! A lot of people said it is the Hogwarts game that never was, and it is. The story is okay, thats why I didn't rate it a perfect score, but I also have only played one route. What is crazy is the amount of gameplay. It took me fifty hours to complete one route and there are three other ones. I like the new feature of divine pulse. It is nice to be able to rewind a battle. I think it is a great game!… Expand
  8. GibranZ
    Sep 2, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A diferencia de Fates este juego es mucho mejor debido a que hay 3 caminos distintos en un sólo cartucho (y una cuarta ruta secreta)
    Eso sí lo que no me gusto es el tiempo en el que debes combatir tienes que esperar todo un mes en el juego y las batallas opcionales son dos y con mucha suerte una batalla extra que como premio es una basura, pero de ahí en fuera la historia es excelente y si te encariñas con unos personajes se te es difícil enfrentarlos con otra casa.
    Un juego muy recomendable denle una oprtunidad estoy seguro que les gustará    … Expand
  9. Bidoulou
    Sep 3, 2019
    9
    the game is really good. The only downside point I see for now are the useless 3d graphics (and poor graphics) and that the title seems a bit too easy even for a new player to the licence which I am.
  10. mknight
    Sep 3, 2019
    9
    Graphics are great, combat and gameplay are all fun, and the story has multiple paths to follow over a long period of time. Well worth the money. What's not to like? Anyone review-blasting this game (or any other game on any platform) just for being an exclusive to that platform is a complete tool. I don't think anyone review-blasted Halo for being exclusive to XBox years ago, orGraphics are great, combat and gameplay are all fun, and the story has multiple paths to follow over a long period of time. Well worth the money. What's not to like? Anyone review-blasting this game (or any other game on any platform) just for being an exclusive to that platform is a complete tool. I don't think anyone review-blasted Halo for being exclusive to XBox years ago, or review-blasting last year's Spider-Man on PS4 for being a Sony exclusive. People really need to grow up.… Expand
  11. jbutrica
    Sep 3, 2019
    9
    Espectacular! Juego de 10 , banda sonora de 10 y jugabilidad muy refinada muy RPG
  12. Willypooh11
    Sep 4, 2019
    9
    Art Style - 8/10
    Story - 10/10
    Direction - 9/10
    Gameplay - 9/10
    Multiplayer - na
  13. TheAdRock
    Sep 4, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's not a combat game, it's a social sim with a combat element, and honestly after you get half way through the game, the combat gets so easy that it's actually a broken combat system. I hope they fix it to add difficulty, because I can one shot kill anything by half way through the game. You can't lose at combat.… Expand
  14. imran_meerkat
    Oct 20, 2019
    9
    I did 50 hours on this game. absolutely loved it. persona 5 meets harry potter. great twist midway through the story. one of the best games of 2019!
  15. al20milla
    Sep 6, 2019
    9
    Hands down the best Fire Emblem in the series, It has a great story, tons of replayability and engaging gameplay. Oddly it does not scale back in interesting and deep mechanisms. At first I was a bit hesitant due to the school / academy theme, but don't let that stop you from trying this game, it is borderline perfect.
  16. ColaFairy
    Sep 6, 2019
    9
    It's absolutely amazing. It has elements of the older FE titles and newer ones. The storyline is extremely engaging and it's really interesting to look the storyline according to the views that are presented in the different routes. The voice acting is also great.
  17. Nihilem
    Sep 6, 2019
    9
    This is how a franchise should make the jump to the home console system. The traditional FE System like the battle system und the support are nicely included into the school setting. Also the different views onto the story create a high replayability, leading to 40 - 120 hours of gameplay, depending if you want to see everything or are satisfied with one side of the story.

    Only major    This is how a franchise should make the jump to the home console system. The traditional FE System like the battle system und the support are nicely included into the school setting. Also the different views onto the story create a high replayability, leading to 40 - 120 hours of gameplay, depending if you want to see everything or are satisfied with one side of the story.

    Only major dislike are the repeating maps for side missions.    … Expand
  18. Odh
    Sep 6, 2019
    9
    Not sure its the absolute best FE game ever, but its in the discussion. Kind of miss the character breeding in recent FE games, but the hub world in this one is interesting as sort of something out of Harry Potter. Never really got used to the Gambits, would forget I could use them, but its an interesting new mechanic. This FE game doesn't reinvent the wheel, but tweaks it, I mostly reallyNot sure its the absolute best FE game ever, but its in the discussion. Kind of miss the character breeding in recent FE games, but the hub world in this one is interesting as sort of something out of Harry Potter. Never really got used to the Gambits, would forget I could use them, but its an interesting new mechanic. This FE game doesn't reinvent the wheel, but tweaks it, I mostly really like what they have done, but some longtime fans might say past games were somehow better or more challenging.… Expand
  19. Yaniel_
    Sep 8, 2019
    9
    Great game, I recommend it if you like a good entertaining game, great graphics, solid story, enjoy
  20. Silvermooncat
    Sep 7, 2019
    9
    Awesome game to play even if you are a new player. Smart game design is in play here.
  21. MatthewDavisMed
    Jul 8, 2020
    9
    Easily my new favorite game in the series, this is a game I can see myself replaying a lot. It's tactical combat is just as fun as ever, and with more stuff to do and great characters to interact with, and 3 different classes to take, I can truly see myself replaying this a lot.
  22. AranCab
    Sep 8, 2019
    9
    Fun gameplay, beautiful story, charming characters, it makes you feel so much emotion with the story, a really good game in general.
  23. Timothy0927
    Sep 8, 2019
    9
    If you are big fan of srpg you need to play this game.
    This game has a lot of replayability
  24. Logz
    Sep 11, 2019
    9
    This game... I'm almost 40 hours in, and I'm just finishing the Church route. It's a refreshing feeling knowing that when I finish the game, I haven't finished the game. I still have 3 different routes to take! If each take 40 hours, that's about 160 hours of play! That's only the main story. There's so much else to do. This was my first Tactical RPG, (and my first Fire Emblem) and I'mThis game... I'm almost 40 hours in, and I'm just finishing the Church route. It's a refreshing feeling knowing that when I finish the game, I haven't finished the game. I still have 3 different routes to take! If each take 40 hours, that's about 160 hours of play! That's only the main story. There's so much else to do. This was my first Tactical RPG, (and my first Fire Emblem) and I'm blown away by the gameplay. I will be playing this even after I finish all of the storylines just for the gameplay. The anime-style cutscenes were great. I think the low framerate looks awesome during these. The only complaint I have (which bumps it down a score) is the graphics. Some of these graphics look like literal garbage. If you go to the marketplace, you can see the fruit textures with such low-quality renders. During support/mission conversations, the background is just a flat image, and it looks terrible, especially when the ends meet. It can sometimes be distracting from the game. I do like the character models, they look perfect to me. The voice acting is great, and I have no complaints. This is a must-play if you have a Nintendo Switch.… Expand
  25. SilverF0X
    Sep 16, 2019
    9
    Easier than your usual strategy rpg but still very fun.
    Would recommend this game to anyone.
  26. Nitsuga
    Sep 15, 2019
    9
    Amazing game, decisions completely change the course of the story, has a good challenge when on max difficulty. The negative points are maybe fishing and the fact that your dead units are still "alive" somewhere.
  27. YTG_GAMING
    Sep 18, 2019
    9
    An epic tactical RPG adventure! When I say epic, I’m saying epic to the point I don’t actually know how long and extensive this game is. I am 80 hours in playing one of the (three) titles story arcs with the Black Eagles and I don’t think I’m near the end yet. I am playing on Classic Hard.

    In this you play the role of Byleth who unexpectedly gets enrolled as a new professor at Garreg    An epic tactical RPG adventure! When I say epic, I’m saying epic to the point I don’t actually know how long and extensive this game is. I am 80 hours in playing one of the (three) titles story arcs with the Black Eagles and I don’t think I’m near the end yet. I am playing on Classic Hard.

    In this you play the role of Byleth who unexpectedly gets enrolled as a new professor at Garreg Mach Monastery and customization goes as far as picking your gender and giving Byleth a first name. You are given some brief background to his current place in the world working as a Mercenary with his father Jeralt enforcing the lands and supporting local villages in trouble with bandits and other unsavoury types. Your first big choice and what initially captivated me with Three Houses is what made me choose the Black Eagles. Most RPGS offer stat screens, starting gear, a starting class and other pre-set builds that help you decide how you want to begin. In the tutorial, you are introduced to the three main leaders of each house. And you get a chance to get to know them a bit better. This is where I broke off the path of usual RPG tropes and instead of focusing on what each house could offer me in the long run – stats, equipment and specialties wise. I focussed instead on which leader I liked the most, their personalities, their background, their aims and dreams and their attitude. For the first time in years, it felt like I didn’t have to research each character online before making my decision. The writing is so exceptional, it felt like these characters were real and I knew them in real life. This doesn’t just count for the house leaders, every single character in this game has such in-depth character development and no doubt you will be fully invested in these characters. From Bernadetta, the archer who suffers with extreme social anxiety and is riddled with such a low self-esteem, to Caspar, the young cocky wipper-snapper who’s naivety sometimes gets the better of him, to Hubert, the brooding sinister ‘Snape- like’ character who’s nose is nestled so far up Lady Edelgards bottom to the point of uncomfortable obsession. To add to the character development, you have relationship building, social class politics, side-activities, character specific side quests, role/class and stat building (achieved by teaching and exams), each is as equally important as the other and what you get is an in-depth ‘social’ sim alongside the tactical action side. This all happens in the exploration side of the game where you are given free reign of the academy.

    In terms of the action, initially I thought it was very basic. I haven’t played any previous FE titles but I am accustomed to SRPGs so I had a rough idea of what to expect. You will expect the same if you’ve ever played an SRPG. You take turns managing your whole team by moving, attacking, healing etc then it’s the enemy’s turn to do the same on their side. Each team member can do one action per turn so you have to use this one action wisely to give yourself the advantage. What I initially thought was quite a basic battle system, becomes a lot more in-depth as your students grow and develop new abilities. They grow accordingly with the difficulty as well. I found the game gradually got more and more difficult as your options expand. There is an extremely useful ability that involves time travel which definitely helps in the later stages but you are limited to a certain amount so they are to be spent wisely. Despite the time travelling ability, it is still very possible to lose. All in all, combat is exactly what is expected and it isn’t ground breaking, this however doesn’t lose Three Houses points. It is extremely satisfying when a plan comes together and is a solid battle system overall. If you love a challenge, I recommend playing on Hard mode, I’ve read numerous accounts that normal is far too easy and requires virtually no thinking. I am looking forward to trying out lunatic mode after finishing my first playthrough.

    Not many downsides I can think of really, I guess sometimes there can be too much talking but I only found that frustrating after a long play session so that’s my problem really. Only other downside I have is that Three Houses has one of the most tedious, boring fishing mini-games I’ve ever played and I usually love fishing mini-games – rewards are pretty minimal as well even though it is a prominent way of bringing in money for your house.

    A solid 9/10 game, packed with content.    … Expand
  28. CesarHylian
    Sep 21, 2019
    9
    La mejor historia de toda la saga, todos los personajes bien desarrollados con su propia personalidad e historia. El desarrollo del juego es perfecto y da cátedra de como debe de ser un SJRPG. Tiene sus detalles como glitches gráficos y elementos que se pudieron pulir mucho más. No es un juego difícil pero tampoco fácil, y por ende para todos. Candidato a juego del año.
  29. Galix
    Feb 12, 2020
    9
    Uno de los imprescindibles de nintendo switch, especialmente para los fans de la saga.

    Lo bueno: -Una historia con chicha y con varios caminos diferentes. -El sistema de combate, perfecto como viene siendo habitual en la saga. -Las fases de explorar el monasterio, las tutorías y mejorar la relación con tus alumnos le da una vuelta de tuerca a la saga y hace que te impliques mucho más    Uno de los imprescindibles de nintendo switch, especialmente para los fans de la saga.

    Lo bueno:
    -Una historia con chicha y con varios caminos diferentes.
    -El sistema de combate, perfecto como viene siendo habitual en la saga.
    -Las fases de explorar el monasterio, las tutorías y mejorar la relación con tus alumnos le da una vuelta de tuerca a la saga y hace que te impliques mucho más con tus unidades.
    -La banda sonora muy buena como siempre.

    Lo malo:
    -Si bien a nivel de diseño está muy bien, el apartado técnico en general es algo pobre, especialmente los escenarios que se ven de fondo durante los diálogos que parecen escenarios pre renderizados de los que se usaban en la PSX.    … Expand
  30. MasonTwin
    Sep 24, 2019
    9
    I never really liked tactical checker-board games in general having played Civ 6, FE Fates, and Mario/Rabbids. I was willing to try out this game because of all the hype surrounding it which was well deserved. The gameplay was fun, really fun. I loved how weapons could break in the game to prevent it from getting boring because to be frank a lot of weapons practically insta kill whichI never really liked tactical checker-board games in general having played Civ 6, FE Fates, and Mario/Rabbids. I was willing to try out this game because of all the hype surrounding it which was well deserved. The gameplay was fun, really fun. I loved how weapons could break in the game to prevent it from getting boring because to be frank a lot of weapons practically insta kill which anyone would've abused. Switching from top down checkerboard to a close up 3D view was incredible as both of them played amazingly.

    Story isn't something I care too much for and I don't often expect much of one out of a Nintendo game but the one in FE is no non-sense. For the base characters everyone speaks like human beings that can't be said of most anime artistic games. And the protagonist, Byleth, is absolutely ruthless and doesn't bring up the cliche pacifist trope.    … Expand
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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

All reviews »
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 »