The newFire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopestrailer gives fans a better picture of what the spin-off entails. In the absence of a truly newFire Emblemgame, this alternate take onFire Emblem: Three Houseswill providefans something to enjoy over the summer.Three Hopesis the secondWarriorsspin-off theFire Emblemfranchise has seen, and the fourth fullWarriorsgame using a Nintendo franchise. Tecmo Koei’sMusoutitles are uniquely appropriate for adaptingFire Emblem, given thatDynasty Warriorsis also a fantastical and tactical representation of wars.
While thefirstFire Emblem Warriorswas met with a lukewarm response,Three Hopeshas the chance to fix its issues. The game looks to be launching with more strategically minded mechanics and map objectives, as well as improving on its original character protagonist. Players will take control of Shez, a new mercenary hired in place ofThree Houses' Byleth. Byleth is not gone, however, and will meet Shez as the Ashen Demon, contrasting Shez’s enthusiasm with quiet stoicism. Much like inThree Houses, players are given the choice of three story routes to go down. However,Three Hopesshould provide a more definitive resolution upon completing them all.
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Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes' Story Paths Will Feel Familiar
Like inThree Houses,Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes’ different routes will be decided early on, and will affect both the plot and playable characters. Players can choose to side with Edelgard and the Black Eagles, Dimitri and the Blue Lions, or Claude and the Golden Deer. As of right now, there is no word on whether the Garreg Mach Monastery faction or the DLC Ashen Wolves will be available.Three HousesandThree Hopesare not the first timeFire Emblemhas experimented with multiple routes, withFire Emblem Fatesalso presenting three major paths. Even so,Fatesgives players some time to meet the opposing factions before making their choice, and the “true” route is DLC for most of its releases.Three Housesmade players choose their story immediately, and it looks likeThree Hopeswill follow suit.
Fortunately, Tecmo Koei and Omega Force are suited to adapting games with multiple routes. PastMusougames have included multiple faction stories, specificallyDynasty Warriors 7and8. These two titles feature three different story modes collecting most of the playable characters, as the rosters were growing too large.Three Hopeswon’t have so many faction-exclusive characters, so players should be able to recruit and play with their favorites earlier. However,Dynasty Warriors 7and8do one more thing thatThree Hopesshould take note of: they introduce a new route after the other three are beaten.
Adding a Final Scenario to Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
WhileFire Emblem Fateseventually added its Revelation story to be played after one or both of its other paths,Fire Emblem: Three Housesdid no such thing. Its DLC took place midway through other routes, and aside from the path split offered by the Black Eagles, there is no story overlap or progression between the factions. One ofThree Houses’ greatest weaknesses is that while every story is distinct and contributes to the overall narrative, they are also mutually exclusive. There is no bonus for completing every route, and manystory elements are locked behind specific Houses. This is whereDynasty Warriors 7and8could provide a solution toThree Hopes, with a new route set after or near the end of the others that unifies the storyline.
This “final story” could play out a lot like those found in the Dreamcast and GameCube-eraSonic the Hedgehoggames. After all of a given entry’s stories were complete, one final scenario opened up. It usually consisted of a boss fight and a proper ending that brings the whole cast together.Sonic Adventure 2has a fitting formatforThree Hopes, as it includes a fair amount of regular gameplay in its Last Story, and the regular stories run parallel to each other. Each route inFire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopeswill presumably be much shorter than a complete run of oneFire Emblem: Three Housesequivalent, so expecting the player to play all of them and more could be reasonable. Allowing fans to experience the entirety of this alternateThree Housesstory and get a new ending for every faction would help makeFire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopesa surefire hit.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopeswill release July 29, 2025 for Nintendo Switch.
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