Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Preview of the next chapter of the saga

Intelligent Systems e Koei Tecmo Games, during the recent Nintendo Direct broadcast on the occasion of E3 2019, they unveiled a lot of new information about their new work, arriving on July 26th. Fire Emblem: Three Houses it was thus shown to the public with a gameplay video that shed light on the main features of this sixteenth chapter of the saga, the first to land on Nintendo Switch. Following the trailer (you can find it as usual at the head of the article) which introduced the plot of the new title, we were able to find out more about the mechanics that will mark our hours of play in the continent of Fodlan, thanks also to a long demonstration live of the game.

Back to school

In Fire Emblem: Three Houses  we will play the role of a teacher ofGaregg Mach academy, whose job will be to educate and train students from the three great houses of Fodlan: le Black Eagles, the Blue Lions and Golden Deer. After creating our virtual avatar, we will have to pay attention to the inclinations, needs and habits of the cadets in order to direct them towards a growth path that will be decisive for the continuation of the plot. We will be able to move freely within the institute, through a map large enough to have to resort, in some cases, to rapid travel.

As was clearly highlighted during the Nintendo direct, the game will be divided into chapters, each of which will be substantially divided into two main phases: the first dedicated to teaching and training students, while the second (at the end of each chapter) will see us engaged in a great battle. If we want we can choose to completely skip the first, but in doing so we will lose the opportunity to follow the development of the characters and improve their characteristics or influence their subplots.

Time spent at Garegg Mach will be crucial. While a calendar will dictate the training rhythms of young people, it will be up to the player to choose how to approach his students. We will decide which role to assign to each of them, trying to invest in the disciplines for which they are best suited. In this way we will form infantrymen, knights, archers or brigands, also mixing the various classes together in order to obtain more versatile units.

Not just training

Given the role-playing nature of the title, we will also have to take care of the interpersonal relationships between the various NPGs. In the role of the professor we will have to pay attention to following the education of the students, not only from the academic and training point of view. In Fire Emblem: Three Houses it will be really important to intertwine relationships with the various characters, in order to learn to know their character, which can be useful for the resolution of mini secondary quests within the academy, and to discover the senders of some anonymous messages that will come to us delivered. This will allow the player to forge stronger relationships and perhaps persuade the student of a rival faction to turn to our cause. This is why we should not miss the opportunity to give advice, help in private or maybe more simply spend some peaceful moments having lunch with friends.

At the end of each chapter, each of our choices will show its consequences. It will in fact be the moment of a decisive battle in which we will be able to test the results of the teachings given. As is customary in the series, the fights of Fire Emblem: Three Houses they will be managed in shifts. It will first be necessary to arrange the various units, moving them on the battlefield grid and giving the attack and defense orders. Later the clashes will be resolved through short animated scenes, during which we will be able to enjoy the improved graphics and the quality of the drawings.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses promises to be much more than a turn-based strategy and certainly will not limit the gaming experience to the social aspects that often characterize Japanese productions set in school contexts. On the contrary, if what is shown during the Nintendo Direct is confirmed on the day of the game's release, the two aspects will be merged into a single videogame body, where the first will depend on the second and vice versa. Probably the new Fire Emblem will be a title to be enjoyed calmly, taking the right time to enjoy the in-depth mechanics that will manage the relationships between the player and the NPC. We just have to wait until next July 26, when the new title of Intelligent Systems e Koei Tecmo will finally be available on Nintendo Switch.