Wolfenstein Young Blood, Fire Emblem: Three Houses & more hot games reviewed!

A MASTER CLASS IN EMOTIONALLY GRIPPING TACTICS.

THE FIRE EMBLEM series is all about relationships. Human tales of loss and redemption are hidden in the grit of beautifully designed grid-based combat have made Fire Emblem different from other games with similar mechanics. Every character, even the weakest farm boys who would go on to be powerful knights, feels important with their own backstory, relationships, and specialties. Losing a soldier was never an option.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses takes this idea and puts it center stage, realising a direction the series has been taking in a way that has never been done before. It priorities stories like these over combat – a poor girl living in poverty turned songstress or a shut-in archer with a childhood of abuse – with a Personalike relationship simulator that tasks you with learning likes, dislikes, histories, and ambitions in order to build an army you care about. The tight, challenging turned-based combat is still there, it’s just not all that Fire Emblem is anymore.

As the series has evolved over the years, the focus has increasingly moved towards the character-focused elements of each game. If you’re a fan of the series then you’re familiar with the infamous face rubbing and emphasis on waifus, but Three Houses has ditched that, instead focusing on stories behind each character. While you’ll still share tea (and “observe” characters to increase relationship points) the story feels serious. I was attached to the plot all the way through, although I wish the player character had an actual personality and not act as a surrogate for whoever is holding the controller.

Grid-based combat is back in full force with a fair amount of more depth than previous entries. New mechanics like combat arts (special powers like the ability for an archer to shoot five spaces away), battalions and their gambits (troops with unique abilities you can assign to each character) make battles more complicated and visually satisfying while remaining accessible.

After playing through 45 hours of Fire Emblem: Three Houses I’m already prepared to start another file to see how the story differs with the other houses. Even if the main plot doesn’t get altered much, the individual stories behind each character are gripping. I’ve always cared about my squad while playing Fire Emblem, but Three Houses made that sense of care a passion. [ARON GARST]