Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and Koei Tecmo, and published by Nintendo. It is the sixteenth installment for the Fire Emblem franchise. It was released for the Nintendo Switch on July 26, 2019.

Development
On January 18, 2017, the then-unnamed sixteenth Fire Emblem game was announced briefly in a special Fire Emblem Nintendo Direct without any footage, and with an estimated release in 2018. On June 12, 2018, the first gameplay trailer debuted during the E3 2018 Nintendo Direct video presentation, and the game's title, Fire Emblem: Three Houses was revealed. The estimated release date was also updated to Spring 2019.

The E3 trailer revealed that the game will feature some manner of free-roaming exploration outside of combat, expanding on the My Castle portions of Fire Emblem Fates and the dungeons of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. Cutscenes in the game are depicted in outlined CG animation, also much like Shadows of Valentia, giving off an illusion of hand-drawn 2D animation. The tactical gameplay, however, is depicted entirely with polygonal models, as in previous titles like Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn.

During a Nintendo Direct on February 13, 2019 new information on Three Houses was released. The trailer stated that the central character Byleth will act as a teacher to one of the three houses of the Officers Academy. The plot will in part focus on Byleth's connection to a mysterious figure known as Sothis. The game introduces many new gameplay mechanics and features, as listed below. During the Nintendo Direct, it was also announced that the date for Three Houses was pushed to July 26, 2019. On July 17, 2019, Patrick Seitz announced he served as voice director of the English dub cast.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses was developed with assistance from Koei Tecmo. The company had previously partnered with Intelligent Systems on Fire Emblem Warriors. Intelligent Systems staff focused on characters and story, while Koei Tecmo's Kou Shibusawa studio, the team behind the company's historical strategy games, performed the bulk of the development effort, with hands in programming, game design, and writing. The character designer for Three Houses is illustrator Chinatsu Kurahana. Sanzigen was in charge of animating the 3D cutscenes.

According to game director Toshiyuki Kusakihara, the premise was partially inspired by the friendship of Sigurd, Quan, and Eldigan from Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War. Their story of attending the Belhalla Royal Academy in their youth, only to have their friendship tested by war in adulthood was influential to Three Houses.

Gameplay
Three Houses has changed much of the gameplay elements of the series, more so than any game in the past. The game itself is no longer focused solely on constant map battles, but also a school setting which ultimately creates two different phases.

School Phase
The player will spend time with a portion of the playable cast as a Professor, instructing them in the art of war and improving their combat capabilities. This allows the player to shape the playable cast in a manner of their own choosing through Tutoring, leading them down different weapon/unit type proficiency and ultimately, different class paths when they take Certification Exams. Players can free roam the Garreg Mach Monastery interacting with the cast of characters, doing tasks, and doing various side activities to improve stats, form supports, and participatein other activities to improve performance in combat. Though a player is given eight students from the house they are chosen, they are able to recruit most students from other classes as well if they reach certain weapon, unit type, and/or stat levels.

Combat Phase
Classic map battles featured in all past Fire Emblem games still makes a return but with many new revamped combat features, mainly involving the usage of Battalions as an additional battle tactic to boost allies or weaken enemies. Unlike previous games, each class is generally free to use any weapon they see fit, such as Archers also using Swords and Axes. Weapon proficiency not only provides bonuses to characters when using weapons they have more experience with but also allows the player to reclass into specific classes when they reach a certain level. Magic is also a separate command through Reason. Rather than requiring a Tome or a certain HP amount to cast, every character who learns magic has a set number of castings of a spell per battle.

Setting
The game takes place on the continent of Fódlan. The landmass is divided into three rival nations who are now at peace: the Adrestian Empire to the southwest, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus to the north, and the Leicester Alliance to the east. At the center of the continent is the Garreg Mach Monastery, a neutral territory home to both the Church of Seiros and the Officers Academy. The game's "Three Houses" refer to the three boarding houses of the academy, the Black Eagles, the Blue Lions, and the Golden Deer, each populated with students from the three main nations.

In ancient times, a war raged between the Church's titular founder Seiros and the "Liberation King" Nemesis, an era which also saw the establishment of the Empire. In the thousand years since then, the Kingdom split away from the Empire, then the Alliance declared its independence from both powers. A prolonged conflict ensued, with the Church being responsible for keeping peace. Key to the nations of Fódlan are Crests, magical sigils passed down through families that play key roles in the continent's history and politics.

The game is set during two time periods. The first begins in Imperial Year 1180, during the characters' time as students at the Officers Academy. The story then jumps five years later to the time of a promised reunion between students, only for the three nations to now be seemingly at war with each other.

Part I: White Clouds
One night, Byleth and Jeralt rescue Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude from bandits, greatly impressing them. Both are then summoned to Garreg Mach where it is revealed that Jeralt was once the captain of the Church's military arm, the Knights of Seiros, and he is forced to rejoin the order while Byleth is made a professor of the monastery's Officer's Academy. Jeralt privately warns Byleth not to trust the Church's archbishop, Rhea. Byleth is then given the choice of leading one of the academy's three houses: the Black Eagles, the Blue Lions, and the Golden Deer, each populated by students from the Empire, Kingdom, and Alliance respectively. Byleth assumes their duties as the teacher for their chosen house, training their students and leading them in mock and real battles on behalf of the Knights of Seiros. Soon, it is discovered there is a conspiracy against the Church when Byleth thwarts an attempt to steal the Church's most valuable Hero's Relic, the Sword of the Creator. Mysteriously, the Sword awakens when Byleth holds it, and Rhea allows them to keep it.

Byleth is then sent to recover a stolen Hero's Relic from a thief, but the Relic turns him into a monster, leading Byleth and the students to wonder about the true nature of Relics and Crests. Later, a ball at the monastery is attacked by demonic beasts, and Jeralt is murdered by a student in the confusion; the student is an agent of "Those Who Slither in the Dark", a cult that opposes the Church. Reading Jeralt's diary, Byleth discovers that Jeralt fled from the Church due to Rhea's plans for Byleth when they were born. Byleth pursues the man responsible for Jeralt's murder, Solon, but is led into a trap and sent to a plane of darkness. Sothis then explains that she now remembers she is the Progenitor God, implanted into Byleth in hopes she would be reborn. Sothis merges herself fully into Byleth, granting them the power to escape the plane of darkness, though she sacrifices her individuality in the process. Byleth returns and defeats Solon.

Upon returning to the monastery, Rhea leads Byleth to the Holy Tomb, where she attempts to awaken Sothis. Edelgard, revealed to have been the mysterious Flame Emperor the whole time, then attacks the Holy Tomb with her army, accusing the Church of being corrupt and secretly ruling Fódlan from the shadows, and it is revealed Rhea is a dragon in disguise; some routes further reveal her to be Seiros, with her attempts at resurrecting Sothis indirectly birthing Byleth. Depending on Byleth's choices and the house they lead, they may either side with any of the three houses, or the Church. If Byleth sides with Edelgard, they help her lead an assault on Garreg Mach. If they side with Rhea, Dimitri, or Claude, then they help in the defense of the monastery. Regardless of the side Byleth is on, they are knocked unconscious at the end of the battle and wake up five years later, discovering that Fódlan has been plunged into a vicious war as the Empire, Kingdom, Alliance, and Church battle each other.

Silver Snow
Byleth reunites with their students and learns that Rhea has gone missing and the Church has lost much of its strength. Byleth agrees to help stop the war and save Fódlan. First, they retake Garreg Mach and use it as a base to launch attacks against the Empire. The Church receives assistance from Claude and learns that Rhea has been captured by the Empire. Dimitri takes the opportunity to attack the Empire as well. As the Church builds up its forces, the Empire, Kingdom, and Alliance engage in a three way battle, with all sides suffering heavy casualties. Dimitri is apparently killed and Claude goes missing. Byleth and their students attempt to capitalize on the moment to seize a strategic fort, but it is destroyed by a rain of missiles, forcing them to withdraw. Byleth changes tactics, and instead infiltrates troops into the Empire capital. Byleth defeats and executes Edelgard, and rescues Rhea. They then learn of the threat from "those who slither in the dark".

Byleth and their forces head to the main base of "those that slither in the dark", where they learn that they are the remnants of the nation of Agartha, a technologically advanced civilization that was wiped out by Seiros' kindred in ancient times. Defeated, the Agarthan leader Thales calls down numerous javelins of light to destroy his own base. Rhea turns into her dragon form to protect Byleth and the others but is gravely wounded. Rhea admits to Byleth that she implanted a Crest Stone in Byleth's heart, both to save their life and in hopes of reviving Sothis. However, in her weakened state, Rhea loses control of her powers and goes berserk, forcing Byleth to kill her. In the aftermath, the Empire, Kingdom, and Alliance are dissolved and Fódlan is unified under the Church with Byleth as its new ruler.

Crimson Flower
Byleth reunites with their students and Edelgard, and finds out that the Kingdom has allied with the Church while the Alliance remains nominally neutral. Edelgard plans to eliminate the Alliance before moving on to the Kingdom. Byleth is able to quickly seize the Alliance capital and eliminate Claude from the war, either through killing or exiling him. They then advance into the Kingdom, taking a vital fortress. However, Edelgard's uncle Arundel arranges for the fortress to be destroyed as revenge for Edelgard interrupting his own plans. Edelgard is aware of Arundel's treachery, but keeps it secret and tells the others that the fortress was destroyed by illegal Church weaponry. Undeterred, Edelgard continues to lead her armies to the Kingdom's capital. Dimitri heads out to meet Edelgard head on but is defeated and dies in battle. The Kingdom army is routed and Rhea withdraws to the Kingdom capital with her Knights. In her increasing madness, Rhea sets fire to the city, forcing Edelgard to attack to put a stop to her. Working together, Byleth and Edelgard are able to kill Rhea. Byleth apparently dies, but the Crest Stone embedded in their heart dissolves, reviving them. In the aftermath, Edelgard unites all of Fódlan under the Empire and abolishes both the Church and the nobility. She then turns her attention to "those who slither in the dark".

Azure Moon
Byleth reunites with Dimitri, who has been ousted from the Kingdom due to a coup from pro-Empire nobles. In the time since, Dimitri has become bitter, disillusioned, and dangerously unstable as he is haunted by visions of his deceased family and driven to get revenge on Edelgard at any cost. Byleth's students and the remnants of the Church ally with Dimitri and they decide to use Garreg Mach as their base to attack the Empire. Dimitri eventually forces a massive battle between his own army, the Empire, and the Alliance, resulting in heavy losses on all sides. As the conflict progress and one of Dimitri's trusted allies sacrifices himself to protect him from an assassin, which in combination with Byleth's guidance, causes Dimitri to finally realize his desire for revenge is futile. Instead, he decides to focus on saving Fódlan and liberates the Kingdom from imperial rule, assuming his rightful place as king. With his own motherland liberated, Dimitri marches for the Empire capital itself. Wanting to make peace with Edelgard, Dimitri arranges a meeting with her and suggest they join forces to realize their goals. Edelgard refuses to work with Dimitri, forcing him to attack. He is able to defeat Edelgard and once again offers her mercy, but is forced to kill her when she attempts to attack him. In the aftermath, Fódlan is united under the Kingdom with Dimitri as its ruler, while Byleth becomes the new archbishop of the Church when Rhea voluntarily steps down.

Verdant Wind
Byleth reunites with Claude, who has been waiting for their return. They then occupy Garreg Mach and rally their students and the remnants of the Church to stand against the Empire. Gathering additional allies and support, Byleth and Claude directly invade the Empire. However, as they confront Edelgard and her forces, a Kingdom army led by Dimitri also arrives, resulting in a massive three way battle. Edelgard is forced to retreat while Dimitri is killed attempting to pursue her. Byleth and Claude press on towards a strategic Empire fort, and receive aid from the foreign nation of Almyra. However, the fort is destroyed by a rain of javelins of light before they can seize it and the Almyrans decide to withdraw. Claude admits that he is the son of the Almyran king, and announces his desire to open Fódlan's borders to the outside world and end the continent's self imposed isolation. Byleth and Claude continue their advance, attacking the Empire capital. Edelgard is defeated and killed, but Byleth and Claude learn of "those who slither in the dark", who have been secretly manipulating the war to destroy Fódlan. Rhea confirms the existence of the group, and Byleth and Claude set out to stop them. They defeat "those who slither in the dark" and their leader Thales attempts to destroy them with another series of javelins of light. Rhea turns into her dragon form and intercepts the missiles, but is gravely wounded in the process. Meanwhile, Nemesis, an ancient bandit king who was defeated by Seiros, awakens in a secret tomb. Byleth and Claude are forced to destroy Nemesis and his undead army. In the aftermath, Fódlan is united under Byleth's rule as Claude leaves to take the throne of Almyra.

Returning Features

 * For the fifth time in the main series, Three Houses features a playable Avatar character, Byleth.
 * This is also the second time the player avatar is also the main character, following Corrin.
 * While absent in the past two titles, Weapon Durability returns in Three Houses. Weapons that run out of durability break but are still usable with reduced stats, as was the case in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War.
 * Weapon Arts, a battle mechanic introduced in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, return as Combat Arts. In Three Houses, Combat Arts consume weapon durability instead of HP and are limited by the remaining uses of a weapon.
 * Additionally, not only can enemy units can use Combat Arts, but Combat Arts can now get critical hits.
 * Divine Pulse serves as the Three Houses version of Mila's Turnwheel.
 * As featured in Heroes, the player can toggle on Auto-Battle through the battle menu and turn it off via the ZL button.
 * Like Gaiden/Shadows of Valentia, the Weapon Triangle is not featured in this game, though certain skills do replicate the sword-axe-lance dynamic.
 * Expanding on the free-roaming exploration mechanics of My Castle in Fates and the dungeons in Shadows of Valentia, the player can freely roam Garreg Mach Monastery, interact with NPCs, and take part in side-activities and events.
 * However, the Monastery cannot be customized like My Castle.
 * Dismounting, Canto, Fog of War, and Casual Mode make a return.
 * Certain enemy units can be recruited during battle.
 * Supports are featured and romance options are possible, however romance can only occur after the five year time-skip.
 * Some supports require multiple conversations to progress between levels.
 * Only Byleth can reach S-support with another character.
 * Three Houses will have dual audio features, supporting both the Japanese and English voice cast. This is the second time this feature has been in a main series title, with Awakening being the first and only other.
 * The game features complete voice over for all cutscenes and supports, the second to feature this after Shadows of Valentia,
 * All cutscenes and supports are fully rendered and animated rather than standstill portraits and sprites.
 * Paralogue chapters are featured, containing optional side stories that grant rewards, but ultimately do not affect the plot of the game as a whole.
 * All playable characters have an exclusive Personal Skill similar to the playable cast of Fates.
 * Similar to Fates, the story branches into different paths based on the chosen house.
 * There are four distinct story paths.
 * Returning classes include: Mercenary, Thief, Knight, Cavalier, Brigand, Archer, Mage, Priest, Myrmidon, Soldier, Fighter, Monk, Wyvern Rider, Pegasus Knight, Dancer, and Lord.

New Features

 * There is an in-game calendar divided into twelve seasons that correspond to months that progresses day-by-day with the narrative. Certain events and activities take place on specific calendar days.
 * Special events, such as student birthdays, are observed on the calendar and the player can choose to celebrate them.
 * Byleth has a Professor Level that increases by earning experience from teaching and other monastery activities. Professor Level determines, among other things:
 * The number of activity points they can spend performing actions at the monastery.
 * The number of auxiliary battles and Paralogues they can tackle in one day.
 * The number of adjutants that can be assigned to units during battle.
 * Characters can change into a variety of classes, no longer restricted to a set for each character, though certain classes are gender-restricted.
 * Characters must pass Certification Exams in order to reclass. The chances of passing a certification exam are dependent on how well a character meets the prerequisites, and the first time a character promotes or reclasses into a new class, a seal item is required.
 * Once a character has passed an exam, they can change into that class at any time without the need of another item.
 * Characters learn a variety of weapon types through Tutoring, increasing their skills with Weapons, Magic, Healing, and even special unit types like Riding, Heavy Armor, and Flying.
 * A new weapon type called Brawl, which focuses on fist weapons. This weapon class can only be wielded by non-mounted units.
 * New classes include: Noble, Commoner, Brawler, Grappler, Fortress Knight, and Warlock.
 * Renown earned can be spent to restore four saint statues at the monastery to unlock permanent upgrades including bonuses to learning specific skills and additional Divine Pulse charges.
 * Improved graphics, visually displaying characters moving within their tile squares when idle and when zoomed in, will display them with the battalion if they are deployed.
 * These battalions can be called upon to perform a Gambit, which becomes more effective if done beside adjacent units. The number of times a Gambit can be performed depends on the Authority level of the unit they're assigned to. Battalions take damage alongside their assigned unit and the battalion will be lost if their Endurance reaches 0. Enemies can use Gambits as well.
 * In addition to character level and weapon level, it is also possible to earn experience toward the character's assigned battalion.
 * Various UI updates including Red "aggro lines" displaying the enemy's intended target on their upcoming turn.
 * The Pair Up mechanic has been replaced by adjutants. When Byleth reaches Professor Level C, undeployed units can be attached to deployed ones and earn experience. Although adjutants ignore the deployment limit, the number of adjutants that can be attached is limited by the Professor Level.
 * Adjutants occupy the same movement tile of their assigned character.
 * There are new side-activities to take part in, including a fishing minigame.
 * Magic has a set number of usages per battle and does not use Weapon Durability as in most previous titles or a certain amount of HP as in Gaiden and its remake.
 * The Skill stat has been renamed Dexterity and a new stat, Charm, has been added.
 * Three Houses is compatible with amiibo and can be used at the amiibo Gazebo. Using any amiibo grants free items, while scanning a Fire Emblem character amiibo will unlock legacy Fire Emblem music for auxiliary battles.
 * Various online features including:
 * Special Event Tile-like highlighted squares that display the outcomes of battles from other players also using online features
 * Students of other players online can appear in castle, selling goods or repairing weapons for a fee.
 * Online statistics regarding the popularity of activities taken on a given week (Exploration, Battle, Seminar, or Rest) are provided to give the player suggestions on how to proceed.
 * Various character popularity rankings are calculated and occasionally displayed during loading screens.
 * New Game+ is available upon completion of the story, granting various rewards for completing a route and allows the player to select another house.

Characters

 * See main article: List of characters in Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Chapters

 * See main article: List of chapters in Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Classes

 * See main article: List of classes in Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Quests
See main article: List of quests in Fire Emblem: Three Houses

North America “Seasons of Warfare Edition”

 * Copy of Fire Emblem: Three Houses
 * Fire Emblem: Three Houses Sound Selection CD (33 songs)
 * Fire Emblem: Three Houses Art Book
 * Steelbook
 * 2020 Calendar

Europe Limited Edition

 * Copy of Fire Emblem: Three Houses
 * Fire Emblem: Three Houses Sound Selection USB stick (33 songs)
 * Fire Emblem: Three Houses pin badge set
 * Fire Emblem: Three Houses Art Book
 * Steelbook

Japan “Fódlan Collection”

 * Copy of Fire Emblem: Three Houses
 * Soundtrack CD (33 songs)
 * Steelbook
 * Fire Emblem: Three Houses Art Book

Downloadable Content
As with previous Fire Emblem titles since Awakening, Three Houses will feature paid DLC. The DLC will be released in four waves over the course of nine months and bundled together in a singular Expansion Pass worth $24.99 USD.

The Wave Contents are as follows:
 * Wave 1 - Officers Academy uniforms for both genders of Byleth (available at launch)
 * Wave 2 - Additional Auxiliary Battle maps and in-game support items, and additional content (to release by 10/31/2019)
 * Wave 3 - Additional quests and costumes (to release by 12/31/2019)
 * Wave 4 - New story content, playable characters, and locations (to release by 4/30/2020)

Additional bonus content will also be released as free DLC for pass holders and non-pass holders.

Launch Promotion with Fire Emblem Heroes
To celebrate the launch of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the game features a cross-promotion with Fire Emblem Heroes. Heroes players will receive a free unit, 'Byleth: Tested Professor', if they register their copy of Fire Emblem: Three Houses in order to receive My Nintendo Gold Points. To be eligible, players must play Heroes on the same Nintendo Account used to earn the points.

The promotion will run through June 29, 2020.

A crossover event with Tetris 99 will run between August 23-27, 2019. Participants who earn 100 points will permanently unlock a Three Houses tetris theme.

Voice Cast
See: List of Voice Actors in Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Trivia

 * The Japanese title is a reference to a Chinese poem of the same name, which was adopted in Japanese culture. The poem uses the analogy of snow, the moon, and flowers to represent winter, autumn, and spring, respectively. (See the full explanation).
 * Three Houses elicits the four aspects in the poem's title, Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon, through the titles of each of the game's four separate story routes (Verdant Wind, Crimson Flower, Silver Snow, and Azure Moon).
 * Three Houses is the first main series Fire Emblem game to see a simultaneous worldwide release.
 * The Officers Academy school chime is the opening notes of the Fire Emblem theme.
 * Three Houses is the third Fire Emblem game to use 3D character models instead of sprite artwork on the gameplay maps. The previous games were Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. Characters are still represented by sprite artwork in the game's menus.
 * The loading screen features a small Byleth sprite that moves left and right with the tilting of the Nintendo Switch's gyro controls. Byleth will also jump when B is pressed.
 * This is the third main Fire Emblem game to have its English voice acting recorded by Cup of Tea Productions, after Awakening and Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.
 * This also will be the second main Fire Emblem game to have full voice acting outside the FMV cutscenes, the first being Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.
 * This is the first Fire Emblem game in which no first names of the playable cast received name changes between the Japanese and International releases of the game.