Board 8 > First Fire Emblem: Three Houses review

(+) Yeah! (+)

Okay cool thanks gang. I already know I'll be buying this game, so I'm trying to go in as dark as possible from this point on. I was just checking to see if these exploring free-roam mingle with your party elements were a brand new development in the series or had crept its way in to prior titles in one way or another. Sounds like this is just the next step in FE's emphasis on relationship building mechanics.

If I discover a renewed interest in tactical combat, maybe I'll check out a previous title. But I expect it'll be the explore system that sucks me in and the story is what will lead me when the focus shifts mainly combat.
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There was some free roaming in Fates too, but not nearly to the extent of Three Houses. That one gave you a small castle base to go back to between battles, and you could customize it with different facilities. It also doubled as a map for battling other players' armies.
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I'm trying to stay positive for this game but the character design is so bland and ugly so far.

After Echos, where everyone looked beautiful, it's a bit of a disappointment. Also, I really hope they don't do the whole "meaningless people surrounding the battles to make it look more like a war" for all games going forward but from a recent interview it sounds like it's here to stay.
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mnkboy907 posted...

One preview mentioned that the students you temporarily recruit for a month can appear in the story segments if they're relevant,

Random side characters actually appearing in story segments is what I've wanted most in Fire Emblem. I hope they really run with that
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I've heard something particular in regards to the relationship options in the game that I'm very interested in seeing play out.
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SantaRPidgey posted...

I'm trying to stay positive for this game but the character design is so bland and ugly so far.

After Echos, where everyone looked beautiful, it's a bit of a disappointment. Also, I really hope they don't do the whole "meaningless people surrounding the battles to make it look more like a war" for all games going forward but from a recent interview it sounds like it's here to stay.

Really? I really like it. I'm glad it finally looks like an actual army since they always pretend like it's an army yet you only ever see a handful of people.
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Having a platoon for each unit is definitely much better and is something langrisser has been doing for years that fire emblem finally caught on to as well
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Yeah I definitely prefer this to the random series of 1 on 1 battles in the middle of a supposed war
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ninkendo posted...

Having a platoon for each unit is definitely much better and is something langrisser has been doing for years that fire emblem finally caught on to as well

yeah there's a reason that series never caught on.

I mean Langrisser isn't bad, but it's definitely not "good"

I love the one on one, it makes your army feel intimate and plucky, this just looks like a low budget musou game (which I guess, it is now)
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Well it is being co-developed by Koei!
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I really don't think the platoon thing is any kind of primary reason Langrisser never caught on.
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well hey good thing it's getting another chance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTv3-X69Sew" data-time="
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It sounds like Byleth is the only character that can S-rank, and all the students and other teachers can only hit A-rank among themselves.

Also there's 5 lesbian and 3 gay options. Lesbian options include a number of major characters and gay options include... two of the 40-50 year old teachers.
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lemon party
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Still torn on getting this but I have nothing in want to play until Pokemon and then Death Stranding so I may just grab this

Doesnt seem like any of the yuri options have my kind of design preference, but I expected as much anyways.

https://twitter.com/matttVEVO/status/1149818412085870593?s=19
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The series has been dead a long ass time then given how far back the dungeon crawl thing was
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Lol
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ninkendo posted...

well hey good thing it's getting another chance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTv3-X69Sew" data-time="

You're right, I guess the art design could always be worse. I should be thankful.
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UltimaterializerX posted...

I bet the developer who thought a high school dating sim belonged in Fire Emblem is the same guy who thought dungeon crawls in the last one would be a good idea.

This series died the second it started catering to casuals, and it's a shame because it was the best series in gaming for a very long time.

If they hadn't done this the series would be LITERALLY dead instead of your nebulous figuratively dead. FE was going to get shelved Advance Wars style if Awakening didn't blow up.

AKA

Waluigi1 posted...

Lol

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So like, what exactly is different about this game? I've heard something about more fluid class changing or something and phase of the game where you go to magic high school or something?
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LapisLazuli posted...

If they hadn't done this the series would be LITERALLY dead instead of your nebulous figuratively dead. FE was going to get shelved Advance Wars style if Awakening didn't blow up.

It's pretty hard to buy into that when the sales figure that Awakening supposedly had to meet to "save the series" was one met by almost every other game in the series prior.

Not to mention Awakening sold well because it was marketed and released at a non-stupid time, whereas most previous games had minimal/shitty marketing and a lot of had awful release dates late in consoles lifespans or at the same time as a bigger game
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Fire Emblem is a game series that now has lots of different types of fans of all ages after only having one type of grumpy jrpg type number bois. It's definitely in a weird place because we've reached a situation where it's literally impossible to please all the fans.

That said, IS has done an amazing job since awakening trying to make games that are deep and challenging with mass market appeal. Even I, Grumpy SantaRPG, who hates everything that this game brings to the table with this iteration, bad art, non-diverse characters, long gameplay hours, accentless foreign characters (a new pet peeve that I specifically developed for this game), bad UI, persona time systems. Even I still acknowledge this will be a pretty good game, and even if it sucks, the game after this will probably be pretty good, because no fire emblem game sticks to one idea forever, it mixes and matches, and changes to find different types of ways to approach it's tried and true formula.
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SantaRPidgey posted...

I'm trying to stay positive for this game but the character design is so bland and ugly so far.

imo the character design is passable, but all the environments (whether it's battlefields or the school) look super bland/ugly. Everything is brown and drab.

Kinda interested in the Persona-esque aspects though.
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Man you're real salty about the extra LGBT reps.
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Drakeryn posted...

SantaRPidgey posted...

I'm trying to stay positive for this game but the character design is so bland and ugly so far.

imo the character design is passable, but all the environments (whether it's battlefields or the school) look super bland/ugly. Everything is brown and drab.

Kinda interested in the Persona-esque aspects though.

This Japanese commercial shows some more variety in the maps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISR4_0PlAT0" data-time="
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mnkboy907 posted...

Drakeryn posted...

SantaRPidgey posted...

I'm trying to stay positive for this game but the character design is so bland and ugly so far.

imo the character design is passable, but all the environments (whether it's battlefields or the school) look super bland/ugly. Everything is brown and drab.

Kinda interested in the Persona-esque aspects though.

This Japanese commercial shows some more variety in the maps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISR4_0PlAT0" data-time="

oh damn this is literally the first video to fill me with hype, those maps look good.

God damn I've been trying to stay relatively blind about all this but there's SO much information coming out and the game is so far away
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Only 13 days!
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Just preordered on the eshop.
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LapisLazuli posted...

Just preordered on the eshop.

Gunna be awkward when you try and trade that in later for store credit
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I'm still torn on Male or Female Byleth

I prefer the male choice for player-insert characters but Male Byleth's hair looks dumb
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Going with the guy though I more than likely wouldve went with the girl if the lesbian options were better

Dude...this looks actually good
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I find myself drawn to playing females in fantasy and males in sci-fi.
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Who're the options for lesbian?

KamikazePotato posted...

I'm still torn on Male or Female Byleth

I prefer the male choice for player-insert characters but Male Byleth's hair looks dumb

Can you not change MC's hair this time?
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Mac Arrowny posted...

Who're the options for lesbian?

From a post I saw the lesbian options are Edelgard, Mercedes, Dorothea, Rhea & Sothis

Pretty sure Byleth appears in pre-rendered cutscenes, which usually means no appearance customization.
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some cool girls in there

hopefully one of them is my #1, but this probably makes choosing FeMC worth it

(though I probably would've anyway...)
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Mac Arrowny posted...

I liked Conquest's story.

Remind me to never again take anything you say seriously.
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Birthright's story was so bad I didn't even make it past a few chapters in Conquest.

Some of the worst storytelling I've ever experienced in any medium. It's why I'm hesitant with Three Houses.
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I won't say I liked it, but Conquest's story was at least more interesting than Birthright's.
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I found the story insufferable. I also thought the base-building was unsubstantial fluff. Also the romance was cringe - though I mostly ignored it.

I get the feeling I'm going to get enticed by word of mouth to buy 3H and then be disappointed. I just hope the story is decent.
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Some people think the GBA FEs had good stories, so I don't really trust people's opinions on FE stories in general.
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