Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is doing as well in reviews as most fans probably expected. The main Fire Emblem series reaches high marks, but this is an action spinoff for a particular crowd. It is a spinoff of a spinoff truly as the developer, Omega Force also works on the Dynasty Warriors games. That series has its dedicated fan base which is great.
This is the second Musou game based on the series and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is quite different from its predecessor. Fire Emblem Warriors brought in characters from across the series for a giant crossover. This game is instead a retelling of Three Houses. Is that a good, or bad thing? Let’s figure that out in this breakdown.
8 Best: Your Character Speaks
Shez is the new default character in Three Hopes. Players can choose between the male or female versions and both have a voice. This is a huge improvement over Three Houses whose main character, Byleth, did not speak in a full capacity. Byleth does return in this game as one of the villains and they do have a voice as well. That’s like a cherry on top of another cherry. The voice work, for all characters overall, is good.
7 Worst: Characters Feel Less Special
There are far too many playable characters in Three Hopes. If they all felt distinct that would be one thing. The Dynasty Warriors series is known for including dozens of characters and they usually play differently from one another. Part of the reason why characters can lack variety is that this game relies heavily on classes and many characters share these classes, even when they branch out. Some standout hero characters do go beyond ordinary abilities like Shez and the three house lords. However, as a whole, this aspect of Three Hopes is disappointing.
6 Best: Strategy Aspects
The one aspect of the Fire Emblem series that does shine through nicely in an action game is the strategic gameplay. Players can take up to four heroes into a battle at one time. It gets bigger with certain story maps but four is the standard. It should also be mentioned that co-op is an option. As they control one character, they can pause the menu and issue commands to the other three.
The AI is the best it’s ever been in one of these Musou games. Characters can destroy enemies with ease as long as players use their tactical prowess well. There are limitations to the magic but it is impressive, to say the least.
5 Worst: Closed Off Maps
One of the worst aspects that have plagued the Dynasty Warriors series since day one is how maps roll out. Most of the maps in Three Hopes are closed off to players right away. The worst maps are ones with locked gates or blocked passages, forcing players down a narrow pathway. The thing players don’t know is if these blocked paths will eventually open up. It’s important to know these things to better prepare the AI characters. It’s a waste of time to send a character to a gate, waiting in the hopes it will open. This issue drags the strategy mechanics down.
4 Best: Character Design
Most of the characters’ base designs from Three Houses return in Three Hopes. They looked good in 2019 and they remain great in 2022. There are also new designs once the time skip happens a few missions in. Plus there is a rollout of other costume changes players can unlock through various means and swap whenever they feel like it. The character designs have always been one of the strongest aspects of the Fire Emblem series. The anime look may not appeal to everyone, but fans of the genre have been in love ever since Fire Emblem Awakening hit the 3DS in 2013 in North America.
3 Worst: The Graphics
While the characters look great in Three Hopes, the graphics in the game could use some work. It’s not just this game either. The Musou games know how to make their characters both look cool and play distinctly from one another. The environments have rarely looked great.
That’s because these games push the boundaries of action games. Players will mow down hundreds upon thousands of enemies and it can stress the processing out. The engine can only handle so much and this is especially true for the current Switch model. The handheld console hybrid remains appealing but the graphical limitations have been showing their age for years now.
2 Best: Camp Fast Travel
In-between battles players can go back to camp to do a variety of things. They can mingle with their teammates and build bonds. They can shop for supplies like potions, or upgrade weapons to make the team stronger on the battlefield. There’s a lot to do and even though the various camp maps aren’t huge, the game still included a fast travel system. It’s very easy to open the menu, see what needs to be done, and warp there in an instant. Simple fast travel always deserves extra praise in a video game even if the mechanic is more standard now.
1 Worst: Technical Issues
There are other aspects besides the graphics that the current Switch model doesn’t do well. The load times are not the worst the system has seen but they certainly aren’t quick like the PS5 or Xbox Series X. The performance during battle, regarding the frame rate, can take a dip at times which makes the game look like a stop motion animated special. This isn’t the Switch’s fault but there are only eight save slots in the game. That is astounding considering there are three campaigns in Three Hopes. That is not enough for a big RPG like this with varying dialogue trees.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes was released on June 24, 2022, and is available on Switch.