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So, I finished my third Fire Emblem: Three Houses playthrough today, and I have some non-spoilery thoughts.
1. I know the E playthrough is considered canonical by many, but so far as I'm concerned, Dmitri's was the winner.
2. That said, Black Eagle is still the best house.
1. I know the E playthrough is considered canonical by many, but so far as I'm concerned, Dmitri's was the winner.
2. That said, Black Eagle is still the best house.
3. Golden Deer is a close second, but nothing really compares to the Bernie/Petra/Dorothea trifecta.
4. I like to view the difference between the D & E playthroughs as the influence of the protagonist, since each is pulled back from the edge by you.
4. I like to view the difference between the D & E playthroughs as the influence of the protagonist, since each is pulled back from the edge by you.
5. One of my all time favorite interactions in the entire game is Hubert trying to pull his "I'm sinister and scary"routine on Shamir, who makes it clear she will just straight up kill him.
6. (In that playthrough, they ended up together, which was awesome and terrifying)
6. (In that playthrough, they ended up together, which was awesome and terrifying)
7. I sound like I don't have a lot of love for Claude here, and that's not true. He was my first playthrough, and I think that was a good call, but it's the most classically heroic story, and it feels like maybe you matter a little less in it.
8. Was somewhat annoyed that after all three plays there's still a LOT I don't know about those who slither in the dark. Weirdly, there was more info on them in Claude's playthrough than any other.
9. I did Ashen Wolves and I'm very glad I did. Great characters, great lore.
9. I did Ashen Wolves and I'm very glad I did. Great characters, great lore.
10. That said, I dunno if it's taste or whatever, but the women of the game stick in my head much more strongly than the men. I *like* the men, some of them quite a lot, but they're not the first to pop into my mind.
11. That said, it delights me that every person who bonds with Caspar eventually realizes he's a lot more insightful than he looks, but his clear insight in no way interferes with his being a cheerful dumbass.
12. In the best way possible.
12. In the best way possible.
13. Most impressive to me was the number of characters who make a really bad or boring first impression, but who unfold beautifully. Hilda is probably the best example of this, but I'd also point to Lorenz too, and arguably Dedue & Mercedes.
14. Mercedes, in particular, took the E playthrough to unfold properly due to a unique relationship there.
15. Annette has a similarly unique relationship on the D path, but I don't think it landed quite as well.
15. Annette has a similarly unique relationship on the D path, but I don't think it landed quite as well.
16. The animation bits were all good, but I do not think there was a single sequence better than the D playthrough when he snaps. Would have been so easy to make him a foaming berserker, but what they did was so much scarier, and set up the follow up really well.
17. In my first playthrough, I failed to recruit everyone, and the price of that hurt me enough to be utterly zealous in my subsequent recruiting, getting everyone but those you couldn't, and when fighting those, I won the battles without engaging them when possible.
18. The game did not recognize my efforts, and for that I was slightly annoyed.
19. A clever thing they did with the Ashen Wolves was makes sure each one had at least one strong historical tie to another character (though Hapi's is a bit roundabout) in addition to new ties.
19. A clever thing they did with the Ashen Wolves was makes sure each one had at least one strong historical tie to another character (though Hapi's is a bit roundabout) in addition to new ties.
20. Did it stretch believability? Maybe a little. Did I care? i did not, because it *immediately* humanized these new characters to see them reunite with an old friend, or be protective of a best friend's sister and such.
21. It was really hard not to make everyone a brawler. Or at least every dude, because of the stupidly gendered classes.
22. Speaking of the gendered classes, it felt like a poke in the eye to the Petras and Catherines or really any melee woman.
22. Speaking of the gendered classes, it felt like a poke in the eye to the Petras and Catherines or really any melee woman.
23. (Yes, technically I could have leaned into Archer for Petra, but Bernie & Shamir are already filling that niche. I 100% went assassin, which was kind of an early apex until I brute forced enough magic for Mortal Savant, which felt wrong)
24. Though the real annoyance was that Constance has an unlockable *talent* for brawling, but all the brawler classes except War Cleric are locked to dudes. Made her a War Cleric out of sheer spite.
25. And don't even get me started with the locked caster classes.
26. Mentioned this before when discussing 4e, but FE (like FFT) is a great example of how a D&D 4e game could have been both tactical as hell AND super character/story driven.
26. Mentioned this before when discussing 4e, but FE (like FFT) is a great example of how a D&D 4e game could have been both tactical as hell AND super character/story driven.
Beyond this, my opinions get kind of spoilery, so I wrap up there. Honestly, that was more restrained than I expected.
