Fire Emblem: Three Houses

[Endemic]

Gematsu article: https://gematsu.com/2018/06/fire-emblem-three-houses-announced-for-switch

Judging by the names and visuals, they're borrowing a lot from Northern Europe this time:

Looks like weapon durability is back. Some extra defensive stats as well? (looks like endurance\resilience)

Vincent over at Serenes Forest has a more detailed breakdown of the trailer: https://serenesforest.net/2018/06/12/three-houses-e3-2018-trailer-analysis/

 

[Damned Registrations]

Read character's name as 'Edgelord'. Too much time on the codex it seems.

 

[Endemic]

Her full name is Edelgard von Hresvelgr.

Read character's name as 'Edgelord'. Too much time on the codex it seems.

That's already her nickname in the FE fanbase

 

[Jacob]

This is Persona's character designer?

 

[Vorark]

People are speculating it's Kurahana Chinatsu.

I didn't get "Fire Emblem" vibes from the trailer but at least they are trying new things gameplay-wise. Hopefully it'll fare better than the 3DS entries.

 

[Damned Registrations]

So uh... why is the kanji in the picture of the title different than what he used?

 

[Jacob]

Damned Registrations
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/风

 

[Squid]

I've never been big on JRPGs but I got a Switch so I want something for it and Fire Emblem was a name I've heard a lot. Are you guys thinking this will be better than the DS games? I've heard those ones aren't worth playing.

 

[Endemic]

Well, Shouzou Kaga is still making SRPGs, if you'd rather play something made by the original creator of Fire Emblem. Vestaria Saga is getting an English translation sometime this year.

 

[Delterius]

ter than the DS games? I've heard those ones aren't worth playing.

Depends entirely on what you expect. The DS games double down hard on weaboo pandering, but at least Conquest is top tier in map design. Its also the most infuriatingly bad story you'll suffer through. Every other DS game is meh.

I expect this to be a refreshing and yet not fully realized new turn for the franchise.

 

[Squid]

Depends entirely on what you expect.

Man, I normally play Western cRPGs and action RPGs lol. I just want something for my Switch that I can invest into RPG wise, Wasteland 2 is coming out for it but I already own that on PC. I downloaded the Octopath Traveler (?) demo. I'm just wondering if the Fire Emblem fans think this project will be better than what I've heard of on the DS. You seem optimistic so I'll probably lurk around and see what you guys think of it.

 

[Swampy_Merkin]

Just watched the trailer and I'm floored. I used to play Fire Emblem on the GBA all the time (while stuck at my shitty slacker job at the time). This looks even beyond the FE game I've always wanted for console. Fuck...now I have to buy a stupid Switch.

 

[RNGsus]

People are speculating it's Kurahana Chinatsu.

I didn't get "Fire Emblem" vibes from the trailer but at least they are trying new things gameplay-wise. Hopefully it'll fare better than the 3DS entries.

I never played a fire emblem game for new or interesting things, just for a map with some sprite mens I can kill, and get my weeb on doing it.

 

[Zanzoken]

Man, I normally play Western cRPGs and action RPGs lol. I just want something for my Switch that I can invest into RPG wise, Wasteland 2 is coming out for it but I already own that on PC. I downloaded the Octopath Traveler (?) demo. I'm just wondering if the Fire Emblem fans think this project will be better than what I've heard of on the DS. You seem optimistic so I'll probably lurk around and see what you guys think of it.

Fire Emblem skews heavily toward the "S" part of SRPG so this may not be the series for you. The setting, characters, story, etc are all generic fantasy weeb trash that you have little control over. At best it's inoffensive, at worst you will want to see Japan get nuked again.

The saving grace has always been the excellent level and encounter design, coupled with a rather elegant battle system and permadeath for your units. The challenge comes from getting through each map without losing anyone -- to the point where it was even written into the series lore -- and you have to be meticulous because there are no engagement mechanics and the AI, while not particularly sophisticated, will not hesitate to gangrape your squishy units.

Most of the older games can be played via emulator if you're interested in giving one a try. The series has declined quite a bit in recent years but you can at least see if you like the format.

 

[Endemic]

Fire Emblem skews heavily toward the "S" part of SRPG so this may not be the series for you. The setting, characters, story, etc are all generic fantasy weeb trash that you have little control over. At best it's inoffensive, at worst you will want to see Japan get nuked again

That depends which era we're talking about. Genealogy steers a lot closer to Matsuno-type storytelling than the more recent entries, for example. But yeah, in general, the strategic\tactical gameplay is what people like about FE.

 

[deuxhero]

Squadcar
Play the 7th one, released as just "Fire Emblem" in the west, or the 9th, Path of Radiance. They're the most solid of the English releases and 7 in particular has an extensive tutorial (the devs knew it would be the first released in the west).

Zanzoken
Level design really depends on the game. Some, like Gaiden and its remake, have really bad level design.

Damned Registrations
Han unification. From what I can tell it's the Chinese equivalent on 風.

 

[L'Montes]

They've been flogging the "player avatar" and marriage systems in Awakening/Fates, I have a feeling that they may feel a need to add that (I think the person Edgelord refers to as teacher is the player avatar?). Or at least, I'd be pretty surprised if this one doesn't have it's own Fire Emblem Eugenics simulator element.

 

[Zanzoken]

Considering the Avatar and waifus are credited with revitalizing the series, I would 100% expect those to remain for the foreseeable future.

 

[L'Montes]

In Genealogy (with the time-skip) and Awakening (to a lesser extent with the small time-skip + future traveller plot device) they were written to make sense to some degree. Fates was a bit more awkward with the parents seemingly abandoning their babies to their own devices in a shadow dimension while they continue skin-stroking games in their personal treehouse (exaggerating a bit, but it was handled oddly imho).

I think I mostly wonder if a mainline home-console version of Fire Emblem means the production values and writing will attempt to pull everything together in a... more satisfying fashion. I think people's expectations of handheld SRPGs tend to be lower. I assuming a waifu-petting mini-game is somewhat less likely to arise there as well.

 

[Ysaye]

Whilst not flawless, Fire Emblem 5 really shows off the best this series has to offer, combining the slightly more mature mood of Fire Emblem 4 (child sacrifices, death cults, brainwashing and propaganda etc.) with some really good maps and slightly less weeb than say Fire Emblem 3 or the later ones (There are inherent relationship bonuses). On a number of the maps there is often the choice to easily escape a battle scene and save the characters and your weapon durability that you have, but sacrifice the opportunity to save others or get better weaponary; conversely if you do the heroic thing and try to save everyone, you are in for a much harder time. The fact that I enjoyed this game is doubly interesting given that I played it in Japanese, and I don't know the language at all. I think that was the last FE game the original creators worked on; I have often thought that if you combined the good bits of FE5 with the style of the old SSI gold boxes you may get something that the Western turn based RPG audiences might really appreciate.

They've been flogging the "player avatar" and marriage systems in Awakening/Fates, I have a feeling that they may feel a need to add that (I think the person Edgelord refers to as teacher is the player avatar?). Or at least, I'd be pretty surprised if this one doesn't have it's own Fire Emblem Eugenics simulator element.

I hate the idea of the player avatar thing in these games; the only thing worse than that was the "choose any class for any character" that they had in the remake of I (I stopped playing the games after that). The avatar has replaced the archetypal role of the "Jeigan" character, who would act as the protagonist's advisor and also be a strong character early on but with no potential. I much prefer Jeigan to the avatar; I suppose the avatar thing plays to the whole "I like to play a character I created in the game" crowd which is perhaps more mainstream, but IMO it gets away from the fun of finding out whether a character/class that you gain is of any use or not, and it is harder to do anything with the character plot-wise, so it just feels like this thing that sits on the edge of the story.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

For the newer games on 3DS playing it on Hard make it still challenging enough for them to be fun. And I am a weeb so I enjoy the weeb story

The common thing of all FE games tho, is that it is less of an SRPG but more of tactic-puzzle-rpg thingie. Due to the perma-death, getting through with all your character surviving usually revolves around: 1. picking the right units for mission 2. playing correctly, including abusing the enemy agro range 3. exp distribution because you can't really have one man carry the game especially in Hard difficulty.

Less punishing in the newer 3DS games because you can grind exp (except in Nohr side of the 3 games release?).

 

[L'Montes]

I hate the idea of the player avatar thing in these games; [...] I suppose the avatar thing plays to the whole "I like to play a character I created in the game" crowd which is perhaps more mainstream, but IMO it gets away from the fun of finding out whether a character/class that you gain is of any use or not, and it is harder to do anything with the character plot-wise, so it just feels like this thing that sits on the edge of the story.

I guess having a player avatar you determine stats for, make choices for, and mold is debatably more "RPG-like". It's also appealing from a power fantasy standpoint. Why play as preset "Whiny McStupid JRPG-guy" when you can be "Thinly veiled self-insert-man with DLC cosmetic gear!" Long-time series fans have had issues with it going back to New Mystery of the Emblem though, yes.

I think part of the issue in that appearance is that the avatar is a Gary Stu kind of character who gets shoe-horned into an pre-existing narrative (Marth's story), and instead "the unseen player" being responsible for the victories (portrayed as Marth overcoming adversity in-story) - you're the linchpin of everything. It's weirdly fan-fiction-y, like people that self-insert themselves into Harry Potter and write it such that all the characters fall in love with them and fight for them.

Robin/Corrin aren't quite as bad in the sense of them not wrecking a pre-existing story. However, they do seem to exist to provide both a self-insert and allow your personal representation to be in a relationship with any character they like. It's quite shallow though, it doesn't even approach Persona sorts of levels of "light visual novel relationship". I've always figured there's some inherent difficulties in establishing a character with any depth or interest if you're forced to do "Who the fuck are you?", "Bridge segment", and "Relationship conclusion/climax" in the course of 3 C/B/A "supports". The result is most characters not directly involved in the plot (and regularly) are shallow and poorly defined.

Ultimately though, the shit sells. They can tell people you get to "make your own character, star in an epic story, and pick from among many characters to have sexy relationships with." Nintendo aren't above the hard fanservice sale it seems (as the officially licensed Tharja statue shows I guess).

 

[Endemic]

Whilst not flawless, Fire Emblem 5 really shows off the best this series has to offer, combining the slightly more mature mood of Fire Emblem 4 (child sacrifices, death cults, brainwashing and propaganda etc.) with some really good maps and slightly less weeb than say Fire Emblem 3 or the later ones (There are inherent relationship bonuses). On a number of the maps there is often the choice to easily escape a battle scene and save the characters and your weapon durability that you have, but sacrifice the opportunity to save others or get better weaponary; conversely if you do the heroic thing and try to save everyone, you are in for a much harder time. The fact that I enjoyed this game is doubly interesting given that I played it in Japanese, and I don't know the language at all. I think that was the last FE game the original creators worked on; I have often thought that if you combined the good bits of FE5 with the style of the old SSI gold boxes you may get something that the Western turn based RPG audiences might really appreciate

Yeah, and it fills in some gaps in 4's story (being an interquel). Capture and fatigue are definitely strong additions to the gameplay.

The translation's almost done on FE5/Thracia 776, so I might play that one next.

 

[spekkio]

The translation's almost done on FE5/Thracia 776, so I might play that one next.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

http://www.siliconera.com/2018/06/18/8-4-localizing-fire-emblem-three-houses/

Most likely means Treehouse will be translating the game.

Cheers for butchered translation and rrwriting the game characters.

Dont have switch so incould hardly care but if Treehouse is translating any game I wont be buying.