Fire Emblem: Three Houses
In what was a blow to basically everyone who was n’t intimately familiar with the serial , Fire Emblem : Three Housesarrived on Nintendo Switch last class in stellar , centre - catching fashion , immediately cement itself as one of the best RPGs released in 2019 along the way to a Game of the Year nominating speech at that year ’s Game Awards .
The series has long been a favorite of those well acquainted with tactical combat , and carve a niche for itself within the genre by combining intuitive and deep mechanics with narratives that often let musician geminate up their preferred character with marriage ceremony . In the cause ofFire Emblem : Three Houses , the plot pivoted hard into the social sim elements that were always lick away under the airfoil of past titles , and the result was a refreshing take on the franchise that made it more accessible to fans who could put up the grind of tactical fight if it mean they got toattend schooltime and recruit classmatesinto their house .
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That ’s what get the game ’s major DLC side floor , Fire Emblem : Three Houses : Cindered Shadows , such a surprise . Although it still fully embrace the quirky dialogue , persona fundamental interaction , and personal narratives that made the theme game so appealing , it also returns to the series ' roots in a major way . or else of an even - keel pacing that often allowed player to organise for weeks in - biz between battles , Cindered Shadowspiles the pressure high , and does n’t let those who ’ve build up an incredibly over - powered United States Army exploit that by trouncing the side content . That tonal shift works , though , and makesCindered Shadowsan pleasurable side report that preserves the most significant component of the base biz but shun a lot of the fluff in favor of offering lover a concise , self - contained adventure that does n’t require day of gambol metre to progress through .
It bears repeating thatCindered Shadowsis a side story , which have in mind that it existsmostly separate from the main game ’s narration . That means player will find their characters locked in on level , class , and funding , placing a great pile more restriction on how the biz is play . While there are main history unlocks link with progression throughCindered Shadows , it ’s best to just take in the side story as it ’s ownFire Emblem : Three Housesspin - off : a straightaway flavor at a new region of the Garegg Mach Monastery with some characters that are well - worth the toll of admission . as luck would have it , the fictitious character that players will inescapably become so fond of will carry over to the main secret plan once the side storey is finish up , which also makes for a great alibi to explore another itinerary of the game should players not yet be finished all three .
WhileCindered Shadows ' news report is near , it ’s also pretty conterminous to the principal concerns of the base biz and , apprehensible or no , that mean it can feel somewhat grim stake at times . The end of the arc is still as vivid as lover might have expected fromFire Emblem , but the tangible value of this side story is in the gameplay itself . There are no side battles to concern about , nor retentive breaks in between encounter to hone a player ’s army into the perfect weapon . Cindered Shadowsmoves at an accelerated clipping , removing the ability of players to teach lesson to their pupil and grow their stats that way . Byleth also ca n’t use side struggle to labor experience points to be better - prepare for a major fight , either , meaningCindered Shadowsplaces a large emphasis on resource denial and the motivation to plan accordingly .
That ’s familiar district for the serial as a whole , but it ’s not quite howFire Emblem : Three Housesplayed out prior to this DLC . That makes it feel bracing even if it is more nostalgic , and the tot up force per unit area of these battles is felt now . Each fight inCindered Shadowsis difficult , equivalent to late - game content in the main story . Without good equipment to lean on because purchase funds are also restricted , and with no power to grind up character into insurmountable Juggernaut , Cindered Shadowsis as tactical asFire Emblem : Three Housesgets . Each tactic has added grandness , especially impart the fact that the new Ashen Wolves fiber each bring something new to the tabular array . The power to experiment with lineups and engagement establishment is doubly fun because the whole experience takes maybe ten hours to complete , meaning no one has to rush through anything in the hopes that it will accelerate a plodding progress system . matter hap quickly inCindered Shadowsand each battle is authoritative as a effect .
The map design inCindered Shadowsis also a solid point . Each one feels extremely cagy , pressuring thespian into re - analyzing their battle plan as fights unfold . The only knock againstCindered Shadowshere is that it only introduces a limited number of new map , and some of them are repeat - but even still , it ’s a small complain , and one that ’s easily dismissed thanks to the calibre of the environments . Fire Emblem : Three Houseshad vaporous quantity down pat , andCindered Shadowsfocuses on being a quality DLC instead of attempting to add 40 more hour to the game , which is the right call .
Overall , the only existent issue withCindered Shadowsis how rote the taradiddle feels . In special , the " twist " players are subjected to are so predictable that they might as well be holler in Byleth ’s face by the first guard they come across . fortunately , that ’s balance by the truly bully Ashen Wolves character , who are both interesting in ways that make them palpate like their own hoi polloi and , in some cases , actually somewhat useful in struggle too . ReleasingCindered Shadowsas a stand - alone storythat force players into a specific version of Byleth and company was a tremendous fashion to freshen upFire Emblem : Three Houses , andCindered Shadowssucceeds in breathe even more life sentence into a secret plan that was already one of the best RPGs useable on Nintendo Switch . The DLC time of year pass - which , to this point , has mostly been a lot of frippery and minor extra - is now a amply justifiable leverage and , in fact , a recommend one , asCindered Shadowsadds much more to the player experience than is necessary to rationalise its price .
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Fire Emblem : Three Houses : Cindered Shadowsis available now on Nintendo Switch . Screen Rant was provided with aFire Emblem : Three Housesseason pass off for the purposes of this review .
