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. owenw218
    Aug 4, 2019
    10
    This is my first foray into a Fire Emblem game. Played FE Awakening for a couple hours and just didn’t like it. I’m 25 hours into this game and it has completely sucked me in. It’s quite approachable without knowing much about previous games. I really enjoy the battle system, but what keeps me so engaged is the diversity in gameplay. There are battles of course, but you also spend timeThis is my first foray into a Fire Emblem game. Played FE Awakening for a couple hours and just didn’t like it. I’m 25 hours into this game and it has completely sucked me in. It’s quite approachable without knowing much about previous games. I really enjoy the battle system, but what keeps me so engaged is the diversity in gameplay. There are battles of course, but you also spend time leveling up your professor level which helps you accomplish more each week. The relationships between you and your students are actually engaging, I feel like you get what you put into it in terms of character arcs. So far, I feel the diverse game play, compelling stories, and enjoyable battling and leveling system make this a wonderful entry point for newcomers. I also look forward to newgame plus to see other stories / houses. The renown you earn is similar to GRADE in the tales series which makes me look forward to the next playthrough even more!… Expand
  2. Bobbyster
    Aug 4, 2019
    10
    Fire Emblem Three Houses is game of the year candidate. There I said it. The complexity of management brings almost tears to my eyes, game is looking amazing (all but maybe some of the conversations, where system moves the viewpoint) and the story is one of the best out there. With it's really minor flaws, this game is nigh perfection. I'm already excited for 2nd and 3rd playthroughs andFire Emblem Three Houses is game of the year candidate. There I said it. The complexity of management brings almost tears to my eyes, game is looking amazing (all but maybe some of the conversations, where system moves the viewpoint) and the story is one of the best out there. With it's really minor flaws, this game is nigh perfection. I'm already excited for 2nd and 3rd playthroughs and for the future of the series.… Expand
  3. rammsteks
    Aug 3, 2019
    10
    Great game. Very enjoyable to me( i play 120 hours almost an a row)
    Class system the best i ever seen
  4. Bunniebun
    Aug 3, 2019
    4
    Start strong but falls flat. The gameplay become too repetitive and boring. Story is nice but story telling isn't very good. Art direction is also worse than previous versions.
  5. EnixSquared
    Aug 3, 2019
    9
    Great game in just about every respect. The gameplay is a bit easier than prior games, even on hard mode, but it still provides a game that requires strategy and forward thinking to keep everybody alive. The characters and side stories are a lot of fun(I've only been playing Golden Deer so far, but I'm sure the other houses have just as interesting characters) It is rather disappointingGreat game in just about every respect. The gameplay is a bit easier than prior games, even on hard mode, but it still provides a game that requires strategy and forward thinking to keep everybody alive. The characters and side stories are a lot of fun(I've only been playing Golden Deer so far, but I'm sure the other houses have just as interesting characters) It is rather disappointing that you can't flesh out the relationships of most of the characters like you could in previous installments, but there is still plenty there in that respect to keep you busy and invested.… Expand
  6. Ben37
    Aug 3, 2019
    10
    Loads of great characters and character development, interesting story with secret routes and endings based on what house you choose. Engaging battles and good music plus all the actual dlc with content that's coming and no dumb micro transactions. This is a great game you need on your switch.
  7. Darkfire10
    Aug 3, 2019
    10
    Juegazo, tenía algo de experencia con otros Fire Emblem, pero la verdad es que este me está pareciendo el mejor. Una historia muy buena, y el combate a un nivel increible. Completamente recomendable.
  8. MistakeZ
    Aug 3, 2019
    10
    The game is fantastic! I have never play a fire emblem game before and I was a bit hesitant, but when I started playing I immediately fell in love with the game. I have it for less than a week and I have already 30+ hours in the game.
  9. NexusYuber
    Aug 2, 2019
    8
    Main Takeaway: I'd say it's a very solid entry into the Fire Emblem franchise. Not perfect, but, to me, worth the large investment of time it takes to play it through to the end.

    Fire Emblem: Three Houses offers a solid storyline seen through one of three nation-aligned houses in a warrior-school, knight-creating Hogwarts. Although I only played through one of the three possible houses,    Main Takeaway: I'd say it's a very solid entry into the Fire Emblem franchise. Not perfect, but, to me, worth the large investment of time it takes to play it through to the end.

    Fire Emblem: Three Houses offers a solid storyline seen through one of three nation-aligned houses in a warrior-school, knight-creating Hogwarts. Although I only played through one of the three possible houses, I was given an emotional, well-written (if strangely paced) experience that I definitely enjoyed.

    The biggest positives of the game for me were:

    - The updated tactics system that did away with the rock-paper-scissors style of previous Fire Emblem entries.
    - The level of faith the writing had in the intelligence of its audience, dropping more terminology, names, and locations than many previous games.
    - The game's willingness to tackle topics of politics, fealty, religion, war, and the unique perspectives one could have on any one of those issues.
    - The depth given to characters that seem extremely gimmicky at first, but have meaningful and believable motivations once their personal stories and interactions are explored.
    - A very interesting and emotionally rewarding way of separating chapters and acts.

    The biggest negatives of the game for me were:

    - The sometimes strange pacing, both in the story and in the functional aspects of the game (if you plan well, you may run out of things to put time into while exploring the 'home' area far sooner than you'd imagine, leaving completionists or people who like unlocking/exploring feeling a little empty for the latter stages of the game).
    - The writing frequently falls into exposition tropes, particularly of the 'I have something important to tell you, but only after this next thing' variety.
    - The full CG stills seem much lower in quality compared to the character busts, and they somewhat drain from the emotion intended during their scenes.

    All in all, I had a good time while playing this game, even if, by the end stages, I was mostly speeding through the story as I had exhausted all of the other features. It isn't perfect enough to get me to invest the time into exploring the other two houses and their paths, but at no point did I feel like I had wasted my time playing it. I suggest checking it out.    … Expand
  10. Julpyz93
    Jul 28, 2019
    10
    Well it's my first fire emblem and I m in love with the character adn the world he gives us
  11. tliuusc
    Aug 2, 2019
    10
    Amazing evolution for the series. Really enjoyed the amount of content packed into this game.
  12. jhawk889
    Aug 2, 2019
    10
    Fire Emblem: Three Houses made me get into a Fire Emblem game, something I once thought impossible. With a plethora of interesting characters and dark mysteries, it is a must have.
  13. Ksterner
    Aug 1, 2019
    9
    This game is absolutely phenominal. It finally does away with the “friendship wins!” Phenomena of the last few games and introduces adult themes. Love it.
  14. MikeyGunz0
    Aug 1, 2019
    10
    This is a really fantastic game so far... about 20 hours in, and the mechanics are awesome.
  15. Ansatsu83
    Aug 1, 2019
    7
    First of all, there are so many things that are good about this, and a few things that prevent me from really saying its one of the better titles.

    First of all, the different houses are a very unique idea, think kind of like harry potter classrooms, etc, but in fire emblem. You become the teacher for one of the houses, and can train students the way you want to use them in battle. There    First of all, there are so many things that are good about this, and a few things that prevent me from really saying its one of the better titles.

    First of all, the different houses are a very unique idea, think kind of like harry potter classrooms, etc, but in fire emblem. You become the teacher for one of the houses, and can train students the way you want to use them in battle. There is a nice little open roam element, and there is an online setting, if someone has fallen in combat on a specific tile, it can create an xp or gear tile for someone else playthrough. Likewise if one of your units is defeated, it will create one of the tiles for another player. This is a unique element and I actually think its a good one!

    There is also a new brigade system, which reinforces your units with extra abilities that can help others out, this is also a neat system that hasn't been done before. The cutscenes also have the same quality as the CGI from the 2016 berserk series, which means they are relatively well done!

    Now the bad... First, I really do not like the character design, I think its one of the weakest character designs in the franchise. Most characters have the same color hair as their iris, which gives them a creepy feel. Some just look weird/creepy to begin with. I would say half just look odd, and the others look natural, I could get into a list of things for each character, but too long for a review.

    Frankly, my biggest complaint is the sheer amount of solider's I can bring into battle. I am a bit of an impatient person, so when I have to control 20 students at the same time, it gets a bit annoying. I would prefer for them to go back to the system from awakening/fates.

    Also the bond system is not nearly as good as it was in previous entries. I think fire emblem fates actually had the best bonding system out of all of them, but that's just me. Overall, I do like the game, I have sunk 20+ hours into the game and continue to enjoy it... but its not anywhere close to my favorite fire emblem game.    … Expand
  16. Jgalvis
    Aug 1, 2019
    10
    Increíble juego, no son los mejores gráficos, pero FE nunca se ha tratado de eso. Historia de mucho trasfondo. Sin lugar a dudas de los mejores juegos del 2019
  17. Ginko-the-gamer
    Aug 1, 2019
    8
    Since this section seems to be just a battle between 0's and 10's, Imma leave an 8.

    Balanced, as it should be.
  18. A0I
    Aug 1, 2019
    9
    Not the Fire Emblem I expected, yet a very worthy one. I thought the inability to get children characters would be a letdown, but you don't really mind so much. The gameplay got improved with the special skills, and being bond to certain weapons or classes on your characters gives you the chance to actually build the army you wish for.

    They really invested in the support conversations,    Not the Fire Emblem I expected, yet a very worthy one. I thought the inability to get children characters would be a letdown, but you don't really mind so much. The gameplay got improved with the special skills, and being bond to certain weapons or classes on your characters gives you the chance to actually build the army you wish for.

    They really invested in the support conversations, since there are a ton of them, every character has a a couple of special scenes (or even more) with everyone else, making it virtually impossible to get them all on a single run, making every person's experience different from others, and adding more replay value.

    Fire Emblem Hogwarts was a risky gamble, and it nailed it. Probably not the best Fire Emblem ever, but it is pretty close to it.    … Expand
  19. SuperRon
    Aug 1, 2019
    10
    As someone who love FF tactics and JRPG in general, i feel like this game as a bit of everything.
    The mission are paced with some exploration, and social simulator where you can choose to improve affinity or recrut new character, very high customization and replayability, Very long campaign and multiple paths!
    This game stay accesible enough in it's difficulty, even if there is a lot to    As someone who love FF tactics and JRPG in general, i feel like this game as a bit of everything.
    The mission are paced with some exploration, and social simulator where you can choose to improve affinity or recrut new character, very high customization and replayability, Very long campaign and multiple paths!
    This game stay accesible enough in it's difficulty, even if there is a lot to digest at first, you pick up the pace pretty quickly and learn as you do.
    The graphics aren't too impressive, and maybe i would have loved a bit more track, but i put a 10 to counterbalance the stupid day one zero that add no value to explaining you what the game is realy about.
    I can't wait to see this game in final form with all the new difficulties and additional stuff!    … Expand
  20. Schlorbz
    Aug 1, 2019
    10
    15 hours in and I love all of my sweet children. They shall grow and love each other. They shall grow strong and destroy mine enemies.

    This is the advancement from the Awakening formula that I didn't know I needed.
  21. PolishJohn
    Aug 1, 2019
    10
    Is absolutely my favorite game on Switch. Can't remember the last time I was so excited to get out of work, etc, to play a game. The way I feel about this game is the same way I felt about BotW; the New Donk City portion of Mario Odyssey; my first Splatfest.
  22. wailmer
    Aug 1, 2019
    6
    Battles are fun but have been better everything is slightly more complex than before for some reason. I don't like the exploring part or really anything at the school that's not why I play this game I play for the battles. The ds games were far better.
  23. ThatOneChick
    Aug 1, 2019
    9
    This game is wonderful in the sense that it's completely different from any other Fire Emblem game before. It took the best of Awakening and Fates and combined it. The ability to travel the entire school and interact with the students and instruct them is wonderful. The combat is so well thought out. I do think that taking away the weapon triangle is good in some ways and bad in others,This game is wonderful in the sense that it's completely different from any other Fire Emblem game before. It took the best of Awakening and Fates and combined it. The ability to travel the entire school and interact with the students and instruct them is wonderful. The combat is so well thought out. I do think that taking away the weapon triangle is good in some ways and bad in others, but still so well put together. The use of battalions is unique and even adding monster battles to it is a nice change. It's like they took a strategy game and combined it with an MMO or RPG. It's wonderful.

    The ONLY reason this isn't a 10 is that you lose the ability to customize your avatar and the graphics threw me off a little bit. There are some small details that aren't as good as they should be in the art but it's still a wonderful game.    … Expand
  24. Lift_M
    Aug 1, 2019
    10
    Game of the year to Switch!! Persona game style x10. There were doubts looking at the reviews, but they were not confirmed! Best Anime Game of the Year !!
  25. CrazyRah
    Aug 1, 2019
    10
    - OST and Visually it's up there with the best. Now by visually I mean the art style they went with is one that the Switch got no problem handling and is a massive step up from what Awakening and Fates had with them being on handheld. Animations are great with surprisingly few mistakes which is great to see. OST is.. it's Fire Emblem so of course it's fantastic.

    - Combat is mostly like    - OST and Visually it's up there with the best. Now by visually I mean the art style they went with is one that the Switch got no problem handling and is a massive step up from what Awakening and Fates had with them being on handheld. Animations are great with surprisingly few mistakes which is great to see. OST is.. it's Fire Emblem so of course it's fantastic.

    - Combat is mostly like it's been in Fire Emblem and it's still as enjoyable as ever. Missions are overall the best out of Awakenings and Fates. Not every mission is mega memorable but they gradually got better and better as the story and narrative progressed.

    - Characters are improved upon in comparison to the ones in Awakenings and Fates, By that I mean that the ones in 3H are in general more fleshed out, more reasonable and less reliant on "unique" character traits that replace any semblence of the character being an actual person. Still a few of those characters are there and that's fine, they are minority now and not the main portion    … Expand
  26. Jasonlove110
    Jul 31, 2019
    10
    This game is huge. The amount of consent will drain your time. I got only one of the endings and can’t really wait to get back. I mainly play rpgs or action games, but this game is simply too good.
  27. xxSxx
    Jul 31, 2019
    10
    Definitely my GOTY for 2019, as I expected it to be.
    Right now, I'm 30 hours into the game and just got into Part 2 of the Blue Lions House.
    This is my first Fire Emblem game, and after I'm 'done' with this game, I'll certainly catch up on some of the older games. But damn, this game is great. The battles are quite fast, and I actually spend most of my time roaming around, looking for    Definitely my GOTY for 2019, as I expected it to be.
    Right now, I'm 30 hours into the game and just got into Part 2 of the Blue Lions House.
    This is my first Fire Emblem game, and after I'm 'done' with this game, I'll certainly catch up on some of the older games.
    But damn, this game is great. The battles are quite fast, and I actually spend most of my time roaming around, looking for objects and talking with NPCs. The back stories of some of these characters are very interesting too.

    And for the people who just want a pure Tactical-RPG experience...you can skip most(like 90%) of the cutscenes. And really focus on the training and battles. But believe me, you really want to train your characters.    … Expand
  28. FoxFire22
    Jul 31, 2019
    10
    Absolutely amazing. The game starts quickly, letting you experience the action without the typical hour long tutorial and it hooks you almost right away. The opposite segments of school and combat are perfectly balanced so that it won't even feel like time is passing by. The story is excellent as well, with a sense of mystery that's very exciting.
  29. Greggor
    Jul 31, 2019
    10
    Outstanding gameplay. This game has me addicted moreso than any previous installment in the series. The addition of the training and social aspect of the academy is a welcome breath of fresh air. I find the school atmosphere vaguely (just vaguely) reminiscent of the Persona series, but the strategy and mechanics are definitely going to feel familiar and interesting to fans of the olderOutstanding gameplay. This game has me addicted moreso than any previous installment in the series. The addition of the training and social aspect of the academy is a welcome breath of fresh air. I find the school atmosphere vaguely (just vaguely) reminiscent of the Persona series, but the strategy and mechanics are definitely going to feel familiar and interesting to fans of the older games. The story is captivating, and I can feel myself conflicted during certain parts and empathizing with the characters I've met as well. Overall, I've found so far that this installment is more accessible to casual gamers and yet has more than enough to sink your teeth into for hardcore gamers. I can't think of anyone I wouldn't recommend it to.… Expand
  30. Kallenovsky
    Jul 31, 2019
    10
    FE3H is a fantastic game with some minor issues. The most glaring issues come in visuals with some slow down in areas of the monastery. The most significant is when you approach the online visitors section of the map. In addition to the slow down there, seeing students with different names "visiting" the monastery can be immersion breaking for some, so I suggest avoiding it since theFE3H is a fantastic game with some minor issues. The most glaring issues come in visuals with some slow down in areas of the monastery. The most significant is when you approach the online visitors section of the map. In addition to the slow down there, seeing students with different names "visiting" the monastery can be immersion breaking for some, so I suggest avoiding it since the payoffs are often not worth the effort anyway.

    Voice acting and dialogues between characters are fantastic, for the most part. My only gripes are with repetition for a few and the direction for the character Petra. People that struggle with a foreign language do not speak the way she does. It is really immersion breaking and makes you want to ditch the character all together, which is a shame because her design is fantastic. Other than that, in my play through with the Blue Lions I thoroughly enjoyed just about every character—some more so the more I got to know them, such as Dedue.

    The art in the game is great if you're into that type of anime style. The transitional artwork between chapters is my favorite so far. I love those sections each time I pass a major battle to finish a month.

    As for gameplay, if you're new to Fire Emblem be aware that the higher difficulty will be quite tough to manage, so start at normal. If you're okay with losing characters, go ahead and skip casual mode. There are plenty of students to recruit and you always have the ability to rewind time if someone dies, so long as you use your tactics wisely. Maps are mostly good, though some can be a mess to get around. People will complain about the weapon triangle being gone, but the way the battles work it just doesn't matter. If anything, they're less predictable now, so I see that being where most of the complaints are coming from.

    I understand the Persona comparisons, but aside from the art style FE3H's monastery feels more like Mass Effect 2 to me. Like ME, you're building relationships in one area that changes character positions after each major objective in the story. There are also support building paralogues with characters to complete, just like ME2 in the lead up to the finale. The major difference here is that instead of a space ship you're in a giant monastery and there are far less loading times.

    For those of you looking to start this series, and you're into long playthroughs with a lot of depth and character building, then give this one a go. Think of FE more like a chess game with cool battles each time pieces move on the board. If you like that type of strategy, don't pass this one up.

    If you're looking at the negative reviews on here stating that this game detracts from the older FE titles, don't bother with them. Games cannot remain the same, just as music or art do not. If they remain the same then they will become stale and a series will lose interest and die out. That's why the Awakening release was so popular. This is another natural change and a welcome one for the FE series.    … 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 »