If you’ve been playing Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes on the Switch recently, then you might want to “take note” of the latest reward now available on the My Nintendo Store in North America.
This time around it’s a themed memo pad. Here’s the description from the official Nintendo website for this 48-page item, along with a look:
Fire Emblem fans, take note! Jot down battle strategies, take notes, or simply doodle ’til you drop with this full-color memo pad themed after the new Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes game for the Nintendo Switch™ system. Its pages feature stunning character art of new protagonist Shez (both male and female variants), Arval, Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude. Size: 8.5″ x 5.5″
Image: Nintendo
It will set you back a total of 600 Platinum Points, and is available as a physical reward on the store while stocks last. You’ll need to login to purchase this item as well.
Will you be adding this Fire Emblem item to your collection? Leave a comment down below.
A tip: If you’re playing Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, stick with the “classic” mode, whatever happens. C’mon. Despite its musou trappings, Three Hopes is still a Fire Emblem game, with all the life-or-death stakes and high-minded strategizing that entails.
To be clear, this is not an assessment of the game’s inherent challenge level. Three Hopes, released last week for Switch, is a spin-off of the 2019 strategy game Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and is playable at three difficulty settings: easy, normal, and hard. More than just a measure of health and damage values, these settings also dictate how many enemies attack you at once and the rate at which your various special attack meters fill up. All settings are totally valid. (I personally play on normal.)
Three Hopes is further playable in two game modes, which will be familiar to longtime fans of the mainline entries:
Casual: When a party member runs out of HP, they’re unusable for the rest of the battle, but will resurrect at the end of the mission.
Classic: When a party member runs out of HP, they’re dead for good. Sorry!
The actual ramification of your choice goes into effect during the game’s fourth chapter, and you can switch from classic to casual in the game settings menu. Fair warning, though: You can’t switch from casual to classic. (During the first three chapters, fallen units will come back to life even on classic mode.) So there’s a bit of an impetus to start a new game on classic, see if it works for you or not, before deciding which mode you want to play on at the end of the third chapter. If you’re just looking to tap Y-Y-Y-X your way through some frenetic battles, casual mode will serve you fine. But if you want to replicate the nail-biting torment of traditional Fire Emblem stages, classic is the way to go.
Screenshot: Nintendo
Three Hopes is ostensibly set in an alternate timeline of Three Houses, but stars most of the same characters. Early on, you get to ally with one of three factions: the Blue Lions, headed up by the stoic Dmitri; the Black Eagles, led by Edelgard, who desperately wants to make fascism fashionable; and the Golden Deer, which counts the swoon-worthy Claude as a frontman. And like Three Houses, you soon get to know—and deeply care for—the people who comprise these factions.
In a tactical game, it’s one thing to send a nondescript, nameless “brigand” unit into the fray. It’s another entirely to send Hilda, your reliable, pink-haired, ax-wielding warrior into the same fight. You know she likes singing and dancing and colorful flowers. You know she’s lazy as hell, hates responsibility, and will pass the buck at any opportunity. You know she’s tight with Raphael, the Golden Deer’s hungriest member, and is a close confidant to Claude. If she dies, that’s gonna sting. The same could be said for every member of the Golden Deer whose name isn’t Lorenz.
On classic mode, this devotion reflects in battles. At any point, you can press the plus button to pause the game and pull up a grid-based map of the battlefield, and then direct party members to attack enemies they have an inherent advantage over. (Three Hopes makes use of Fire Emblem’s classic “weapon triangle.”) You can also use the D-pad to swap between characters, giving you greater control over any particular party member who may be in a bind. When battles get tense, when your party members start losing health, you start to make these moves more intentionally, because any fuck-up means losing a favorite character—for good. That feeling isn’t possible when playing on casual mode.
And if you do end up losing a character you really, really like? Hey, that’s what save-juggling is for!
If you, like me, were intrigued by the recent smattering of Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes reviews and went looking for a copy on Amazon, the online retailer probably responded with a funny question: “Did you mean Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Holes?” Thank you for asking, Bezos-mart, but no, I literally didn’t mean anything of the sort.
Three Hopes is the upcoming Warriors-style sequel to Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the 2019 game that reignited just about everyone’s love for the classic Nintendo series. Other franchises have gotten the musou treatment in recent years as well, most notably The Legend of Zelda andPersona 5. Folks are apparently so excited about Three Hopes, however, that they’re mistyping searches en masse, or at least enough that Amazon’s algorithms think “Three Holes” might be the game’s real subtitle.
And it’s not just me. Social media is rife with similar stories from people who went looking for Three Hopes on Amazon, only to be asked if they meant “Three Holes” instead. In fact, a Twitter search for “Fire Emblem Three Holes” reveals several people using the term both jokingly and mistakenly outside of the Amazon context. Maybe the romance-heavy turn the series has taken with modern installments means folks can’t help but imagine lewd scenarios while purchasing this spin-off.
I guess the only question that remains is if “Three Holes” refers to a single person or a sort of polyamorous, multi-lover scenario. I can’t believe I just typed that out.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes lands on Switch this Friday, June 24. Maybe players will get this nonsense out of their systems when the full game is finally available, but going by experience, I fully expect everyone to go way too far with their love and attraction towards these digital characters. As long as you all keep your wandering eyes away from Yuri, my actual real-deal boyfriend, we won’t have any problems.
It’s an incredibly busy week for the Switch with the release of titles like Fall Guys, Roller Champions and Sonic Origins. Alongside all of these games we’ve also got the first-party title Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes.
This is another spectacular Musou game by the team at Omega Force that sees you (the player) take control of the brand new character Shez, as they prepare to face off against the Three Houses protagonist Byleth. From here you join forces with Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude and are invited to set off on an all-new adventure.
In our own review, we noted how the game has improved upon its 2017 predecessor in several ways, and also featured some solid performance and an action-packed campaign – awarding it nine out of ten stars.
And here’s a round-up of what other outlets have said about the game so far. GamesRadar+ (mostly) loved it, awarding it 3.5 out of 5:
“Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes rides a great hybrid battle system while barely slowing down for its beloved characters.”
Vooks.net praised the game for its flawless fusion of gameplay and strategy – giving it 4.5 out of 5:
“Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes may just be the best Warriors game to date. It’s an utterly flawless fusion of fast-paced hack-and-slash gameplay with methodical, considered strategising, with a returning cast that is as vibrant as its ever been. With a cast as big as it is, it’s not surprising that a lot of characters come off feeling similar in combat, but that’s easy to look past with how fantastic every other aspect of it is.”
Nintendo Insider gave the game 9 out of 10, noting how it was an “exceptional standout” among the many Warriors games on Switch:
“Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes brazenly leaps headlong into battle, delivering tactical brilliance and heroic thrills in equal measure. This is an exceptional standout among the many Warriors games on Nintendo Switch, and perhaps the best to grace the portable home console up until this point – laden with armies to slaughter, heartfelt storytelling and more than enough content to keep you occupied for months on end whether at home or on the move.”
Comicbook.com said it was “closer to perfection than it has any right to be”, with a 4.5 out of 5 rating:
“Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes has enough of the franchise’s DNA to satisfy. And in some ways, zooming across a battlefield while triggering abilities like Assassinate or Nosferatu seems more in line with the chaotic, war-torn battlefields of Fodlan than what came before.”
And Destructroid was also impressed with the latest Warriors entry, awarding a 9 out of 10 score:
“While the core Warriors gameplay likely isn’t going to completely win over folks who have already tried to get into it, those of you who do enjoy it should have a ton of fun with Three Hopes.”
Will you try out this game out yourself when it arrives on the Nintendo Switch later this week? Tell us down below.
The musou genre has seen plenty of crossovers, adding everything from giant anime mechs to superpowered pirates to the action over time. While the developers at Omega Force initially stuck very close to their winning formula, more recent crossovers with Nintendo characters have revealed a willingness to experiment. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes pushes things farther than ever, adapting everything I love about the strategy franchise outside of its turn-based gameplay for use in an action game. It makes for a robust, overstuffed game with systems, menus, and perk trees all vying for your attention. Still, nothing changes the fact that Three Hopes is a game about using a sword to propel clouds of enemies into the air in an enjoyably ridiculous 2000-hit combo, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
While Three Hopes is technically a direct sequel to 2017’s Fire Emblem Warriors, it shares much more in common with 2020’s Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. It offers an alternate take on the story of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, starring a mercenary named Shez in place of Byleth. The old hero turns villain as Shez joins up with one of the three houses and seeks revenge. The storytelling feels just like the Fire Emblem of old, thanks to numerous fully-voiced cutscenes and other conversational opportunities. Things can get complicated when characters talk about their distant relatives and which fiefdom they plan to conquer next, but it works.
All of the action runs well on the Switch OLED, with only rare instances of slowdown no matter how many soldiers, pegasi, or giant wolves are on screen. There are still a lot of enemies that pop in and out of existence as you run by, but nothing technical gets in the way of gameplay. Graphics, both in-game and in cutscenes, are very close to Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which helps make the alternative history of Three Hopes feel like just another adventure in that same world.
This camp is a fully realized environment that you can walk around at will.
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Even outside the main missions, Three Hopes does a lot to keep things moving story-wise. Instead of living inside a menu, this game’s camp is a fully realized environment that you can walk around at will. You can talk with every character you’ve recruited, buy weapons and gifts, volunteer your army to perform chores, train and gain levels, or even cook up a meal for your comrades. It’s a whole subgame that feeds into battles via necessary upgrades to health and attack power.
This is great for a little while, but walking around big, open areas just to get some errands done gets old fast. You’ll likely start warping around via a handy menu before too long, and even that drags towards the end of the campaign. Progression can be slow going considering the action game pacing everywhere else, but it’s ultimately rewarding to see favorite characters get a class upgrade or a brand-new magic spell as a result of your efforts.
There was a support system in Fire Emblem Warriors, but it feels tiny compared to what’s available in Three Hopes. While not every character pairing has a cutscene when they reach certain levels of friendship, a good chunk of them do, especially regarding Shez. It stops short of marriage, but trading a unique item with Shez’s special friend will net you upgrades you can’t find anywhere else.
The implementation here is as awkward as it sounds.
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To get to that point, Shez can take characters horseback riding beyond the camp for a sit-down conversation. These moments feel less like an intimate rendezvous and more like a pop quiz, as you’re judged based on how well you can respond to questions and comments via multiple choice. If you’re perceptive enough to guess the correct responses three times in a row, the camera zooms in a bit and lets you get a closer look at your associate while they make jokes about how you should stay respectful with your gaze. This style of interaction has been a part of Fire Emblem for a while now, but the implementation here is as awkward as it sounds, leading to an activity that likely won’t please anyone.
Between upgrading camp facilities and tending to friendships, Three Hopes has a level of progression that many other musou lack. There are always a few things to do between battles, and upgrades roll out at a good pace, so you’re never overwhelmed by options. It almost makes up for the inherently repetitive nature of Warriors-style combat, and it will be great to see Omega Force take what it has learned here and apply it to the Dynasty and Samurai games, which could definitely use some ways of mixing up their gameplay.
Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes Reveal Trailer Images
Most of the new ideas in Three Hopes aren’t on the battlefield, so if you’ve played any of this style of game before you know what to expect when you embark on a new mission. Your army consists of sword masters, knights, mages, and archers, all with strengths and weaknesses dictated by Fire Emblem’s weapon wheel. Any one character with a decent level can mash through most fodder enemies and smaller generals, with only the biggest bosses posing any threat. Missions are straightforward and fun if you train your abilities right, stick to a core group of heroes, and pay attention to the ever-changing objectives.
In a way, it’s similar to DOOM 2016’s Glory Kills.
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That’s not to say that nothing has changed when it comes to combat. Three Hopes pushes you toward named enemies more than ever by expanding on the stun meters found in the last Fire Emblem Warriors. Hitting stronghold leaders and other unique enemies over and over will knock them down and let you perform a super move that sweeps up fodder enemies and generally strikes a killing blow. This is in addition to the returning Awakening Mode and Warrior Specials, and the resulting gameplay is far more flashy than you’d expect. In a way, it’s similar to DOOM 2016’s Glory Kills; battles propel you in the right direction and reward you with more of the screen-clearing madness that brings people to this genre in the first place.
Three Hopes has also learned to get out of its own way when it comes to combat more often than its predecessor does. Leveling up no longer pauses the action mid-fight – instead all the stat-boost screens have been pushed to the end of the level by default. AI characters can be assigned to fight specific generals on the map rather than just entire strongholds, allowing you to use their limited combat prowess effectively. You can also equip your extra characters with the best weapons and abilities at the press of a button, which is remarkable considering how many swords, axes, and spellbooks languish in your inventory over time.
