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★★★★★
Disregard the review bombing occurring elsewhere...
As always, straight to the scores:
Graphics quality: 9/10. Almost every game that releases is capable of looking better, and FE3H is no exception. However, whether it is the animated cutscenes, traversing the monastery, or engaging in large-scale tactical battles, FE3H looks great for a game on Switch. I genuinely believe this is one of the reasons the game pulled me in so quickly, and I am so happy to see that time was taken to ensure the game looks as good as it does.
Animation: 9/10. Again, same thing. Beautiful. I was very happy to see things that were not previously animated, being animated. The best way I can describe this is that there are smaller things you will notice from time to time that you never thought would make a difference - like the fact that there is no longer an animation for "entering" an attack. Those things make a difference. All of the difference.
Story: 9/10. "Harry Potter" is not an accurate description of this game's story, because the only thing FE3H shares with Harry Potter is a House system. House systems are a tradition of England's schooling dating back hundreds of years. If anything, FE3H is historically accurate. And I am really disappointed that some of my fellow Fire Emblem veterans have simply dismissed the game for this reason, because the nuance of the story is something I really appreciate as opposed to many of FE's former titles. I won't tell you what to do, but in short, I do not believe you can actually "play" the game and walk away thinking it is like Harry Potter, so if I were you, I would strongly disregard anyone who brings that view to the table.
Characters: 10/10. Characters in this game are excellent. Dialog is snappy, and time spent with students really draws you into the world and its story. If you do not spend time with these characters, you will be missing a HUGE part of the game. Take the time to individually "instruct" them when the time comes and you will see that you care a lot about your students and their progress. You will definitely be invested in them and their lives.
Customization: 10/10. Your students progress is the foundation for FE3H customization options. Every single student has the ability to become so many different classes. It is your responsibility to see to it that they achieve their goals, true. But it is also your responsibility to ensure they try new things. If you do, you will find that some characters have a knack for classes they had no interest in - just like real life. This is a really fun part of the game that I think a lot of people are overlooking, so take your time with it.
Gameplay: 10/10. Honestly, FE3H feels as great as FE always has. They brought back weapon durability, which adds some busy work, in my opinion, but the classic battle system is there with just a few more layers to keep veterans interested. And its great! I also think the battle-to-schooling ratio is perfect, making battles feel more intense and more important then previous titles.
Voice-acting quality: 10/10. This entire game is voice acted. This ENTIRE game. I love the voices involved and I am really happy with all of the casting choices. I recognize many of the names, but generally the voices are a "good fit" for the characters you are speaking with.
Music: 8/10. The music is well implemented. There some interesting decisions with sound design in the battles that I think I just need to play more to understand, but it seems like the music shifts depending on what is occurring, which is cool. None of the tracks stand out to me so far though, which is a shame. "You are the ocean's gray waves" comes into my mind every so often, and I miss that.
Price of game: 10/10. No MTX BS, no content cut before launch just to sell as DLC. Just a really great game for $60.
Extrinsic positive/negatives: +0/-1 points for auto advance/auto-scroll during conversations not being as tight as it should be. This may seem like a minor nitpick to some, but when the story and the characters are this good, I just want to enjoy them like a movie, not continuously click after their lines are delivered.
Average score: 9.3/10. I got the game a day early and said, "oh wth, I will just play an hour or two." I had planned to play considerably the next day, but since it came a day early, why not, right? Well, I ended up playing for five or six hours and I did not realize it. Because I was just having fun. Having said that, I am only about eight hours in now, so I will be returning to update this review as I play through the rest of the game.
I hope this review helps you make an informed decision.
July 2019 · Video Games · verified purchase