Fire Emblem Warriors was the second Nintendo property that Omega Force got to work on. The first was The Legend of Zelda series via Hyrule Warriors. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is unlike its predecessor because it is a reimagining of a previous game, aka Three Houses, instead of being a big crossover title.
The same was true for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity when that came out. It was connected to Breath of the Wild but that is only half of the story. As two pseudo sequels/prequels to their respective series, what game did it better? Is Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes the new best Musou game or does that honor still go to Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity?
8 Characters: Age Of Calamity
Three Hopes has more characters in its game but there are only a few archetypes to choose from. That’s because the game relies on a class system just like the main series. In Age of Calamity, every character acts differently from their movement style to their weapons.
Not all characters are created equally in the game as there are some stinkers. Still, overall, the variety in Age of Calamity is much better and will help cater to more types of players. It better defines what it is to be a Musou game with wild characters.
7 Story: Three Hopes
Age of Calamity is a prequel to Breath of the Wild and fills in a few gaps. However, the story soon goes off the rails and doesn’t make a lot of sense toward the second half. Three Hopes has a much more coherent story even though it does split off into three branches. That’s not to say its story doesn’t have plot holes as well because there are plenty.
Even with those blemishes, the thing fans will take away from Three Hopes will be its character interactions. It’s just as much fun to bond with characters in Three Hopes as it was in Three Houses as the charm is through the roof.
6 Enemies: Age Of Calamity
The playable characters in Age of Calamity are great and so are the villains. Three Hopes has a generic set of soldiers players will go after instead. The character designs, for the generals, are great and there are a few big surprises as well in Three Hopes.
Still, there’s no beating the overall variety in Age of Calamity. It has a huge history of villains it can draw from regarding cannon fodder enemies like Moblins to the big bosses. It can be more fun to slay foes if they have distinct looks compared to the aforementioned cookie-cutter soldier designs.
5 Environments: Three Hopes
One of the things fans loved about Breath of the Wild was its open-world design. There was so much to see and do and some of those iconic locales return in Age of Calamity. However, the scope is a lot more limited. The variety is much better than a standard Musou game but Three Hopes edges it out by just enough to win the level design argument.
As frustrating as some of the maps can be, concerning gateways, they should be praised. They can create some interesting tactical decisions for players to make just like in the main games.
4 Visuals: Age Of Calamity
The graphics were one of the most surprising things about Age of Calamity. It looked like Nintendo made it from their internal studio network and didn’t ask Omega Force to join in. It looks like a true follow-up to Breath of the Wild as far as the watercolor-like cel-shading goes. Three Hopes uses cel-shading as well which looks great on the characters.
The environment may be better in Three Hopes but the graphics in them aren’t as good as the characters. It’s disappointing because Three Houses did a better job with its graphics and overall art flow but that didn’t translate fully in this spinoff. That’s why Age of Calamity wins as the synergy between the world and the characters is better.
3 The RPG Mechanics: Three Hopes
The Musou games, at their very core, are hack and slash action RPGs. Killing enemies in both of these games will level up the stats of characters as is the norm in RPGs. Players can tweak some abilities and their weapons in Age of Calamity but it’s not as robust of a system as Three Hopes.
That’s because the class system keeps players hungry for more. As one class is mastered, another beckons players to level up next. There is also the bonding system, building up your camp, and so many other things that will give players a break from the action gameplay. It’s nice to have a breather in games like these.
2 The Gameplay Loop: Age Of Calamity
Age of Calamity and Three Hopeshave two-player co-op which is something the Musou games typically have. It’s disappointing there are no online features for multiplayer in either game but both share good couch co-op gameplay. The one basic gameplay mechanic that is better in Age of Calamity though is the loop of it all.
Players in Three Hopes will go from chapter to chapter, fixed on a set of missions on a small portion of the map. Age of Calamity has the world map just like in Breath of the Wild. It can take a while to open up everything, but there is more to do overall and it doesn’t feel as linear as Three Hopes.
1 Verdict: Age Of Calamity
Omega Force hit it out of the park with Age of Calamity as far as making a game that would fool players into thinking Nintendo designed it. Is it the best spinoff ever in The Legend of Zelda series? No. Is it the best Musou game ever? No again as that honor goes to Persona 5 Strikers which further proved how much talent Omega Force has.
Three Hopes is a good game but it definitely feels more like a Musou title for better or for worse. Some players may prefer its style over Age of Calamity and that is okay too. At the end of the day, these are both worthy spinoffs brandishing the names of some of Nintendo’s biggest franchises.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes was released on June 24, 2022, and is available on Switch.