Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopesis doing as well in reviews as most fans probably expected. The mainFire Emblemseries reaches high marks, but this is an action spinoff for a particular crowd. It is a spinoff of a spinoff truly as the developer, Omega Force also works on theDynasty Warriorsgames. That series has its dedicated fan base which is great.
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This is the second Musou game based on the series andFire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopesis quite different from its predecessor.Fire Emblem Warriorsbrought in characters from across the series for a giant crossover. This game is instead a retelling ofThree Houses. Is that a good, or bad thing? Let’s figure that out in this breakdown.
8Best: Your Character Speaks
Shez is the new default character inThree Hopes. Players can choose between the male or female versions and both have a voice. This is a huge improvement overThree Houseswhose main character, Byleth, did not speak in a full capacity.Byleth does returnin this game as one of the villains and they do have a voice as well. That’s like a cherry on top of another cherry. The voice work, for all characters overall, is good.
7Worst: Characters Feel Less Special
There are far too many playable characters inThree Hopes. If they all felt distinct that would be one thing. TheDynasty Warriorsseries is known for including dozens of characters and they usually play differently from one another. Part of the reason why characters can lack variety is that this game reliesheavily on classesand many characters share these classes, even when they branch out. Some standout hero characters do go beyond ordinary abilities like Shez and the three house lords. However, as a whole, this aspect ofThree Hopesis disappointing.
6Best: Strategy Aspects
The one aspect of theFire Emblemseries that does shine through nicely in an action game is the strategic gameplay. Players can take up to four heroes into a battle at one time. It gets bigger with certain story maps but four is the standard. It should also be mentioned thatco-op is an option. As they control one character, they can pause the menu and issue commands to the other three.
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The AI is the best it’s ever been in one of these Musou games. Characters can destroy enemies with ease as long as players use their tactical prowess well. There are limitations to the magic but it is impressive, to say the least.
5Worst: Closed Off Maps
One of the worst aspects that have plagued theDynasty Warriorsseries since day one is how maps roll out. Most of the maps inThree Hopesare closed off to players right away. The worst maps are ones with locked gates or blocked passages, forcing players down a narrow pathway. The thing players don’t know is if these blocked paths will eventually open up. It’s important to know these things to better prepare the AI characters. It’s a waste of time to send a character to a gate, waiting in the hopes it will open. This issue dragsthe strategy mechanicsdown.
4Best: Character Design
Most of the characters’ base designs fromThree Housesreturn inThree Hopes. They looked good in 2019 and they remain great in 2022. There are also new designs once the time skip happens a few missions in. Plus there is a rollout of other costume changes players can unlock through various means and swap whenever they feel like it. The character designs have always been one of the strongest aspects of theFire Emblemseries. The anime look may not appeal to everyone, but fans of the genre have been in love ever sinceFire Emblem Awakeninghit the 3DS in 2013 in North America.
3Worst: The Graphics
While the characters look great in Three Hopes, the graphics in the game could use some work. It’s not just this game either. The Musou games know how to make their characters both look cool and play distinctly from one another. The environments have rarely looked great.
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That’s because these games push the boundaries of action games. Players will mow down hundreds upon thousands of enemies and it can stress the processing out. The engine can only handle so much and this is especially true for the current Switch model. The handheld console hybrid remains appealing but the graphical limitations have been showing their age for years now.
2Best: Camp Fast Travel
In-between battles players can go back to camp to do a variety of things. They can mingle with their teammatesand build bonds. They can shop for supplies like potions, or upgrade weapons to make the team stronger on the battlefield. There’s a lot to do and even though the various camp maps aren’t huge, the game still included a fast travel system. It’s very easy to open the menu, see what needs to be done, and warp there in an instant. Simple fast travel always deserves extra praise in a video game even if the mechanic is more standard now.
1Worst: Technical Issues
There are other aspects besides the graphics that the current Switch model doesn’t do well. The load times are not the worst the system has seen but they certainly aren’t quick like the PS5 or Xbox Series X. The performance during battle, regarding the frame rate, can take a dip at times which makes the game look like a stop motion animated special. This isn’t the Switch’s fault but there are only eight save slots in the game. That is astounding considering there are three campaigns inThree Hopes. That is not enough fora big RPGlike this with varying dialogue trees.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopeswas released on Jul 18, 2025, and is available on Switch.
