The Most Addictive Game of the Year
Listen. If literally any part of you enjoys the beautiful art of video games I have a piece of work that WILL change your life. Released this summer, Fire Emblem: Three Houses (FE3H) took the Nintendo Switch community by storm. Since its release, I have played over 170 hours of this game, which sounds like an absolutely absurd number of hours. It is. Let me tell you why this game is so good.
The cast of FE3H. Image via
From a gameplay perspective, FE3H is a turn-based strategy game. Battles take place on complex grids where you control a group of ~10 units with the hope of accomplishing a specific goal for that level. Sometimes it is to defeat every enemy or just a specific one, but the objectives can also be to guard specific locations and characters as well. the units you control can vary greatly; the player will have to choose one of the 3 houses, granting them a completely separate cast of characters.
Your units at the beginning of battle. Image via
A unit casting offensive magic. Image via
Players also have tons of choice in how they chose to use these characters. Each comes to you as virtually a blank slate, able to use many different skills and abilities, and it is up to you to decide which direction, and with which classes to take each character. Ignatz, a shy and artistic member of the Golden Dear House, can excel as either a Bow Knight or Dancer. Bow Knights fire arrows from horseback, while dancers support the team with magic. The choice is yours.
The game isn’t just about fighting either. FE3H is organized around a calendar, and the player can explore the monastery where the characters live ever free day. When exploring, you can spend a finite amount of activity points to share meals with units (and boost their motivation), garden to acquire flowers that can be given as gifts, fish and more. These different activities strengthen the relationships between characters, which increases their power in battle and unlocks additional pieces of story. This game truly has something for everybody, as well as tons of replay value. I’m on my third play through right now (I wanted to try each house) and I’m still loving it. Get the game. Get it.
Cover image via
