Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a 2022 hack and slash action role-playing game developed by Koei Tecmo's Omega Force division, and published by Koei Tecmo in Japan and Nintendo internationally for the Nintendo Switch. A crossover between Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors, and the Fire Emblem series developed by Intelligent Systems, the game is a successor to both Fire Emblem Warriors (2017) and the mainline entry Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019). Taking place in the land of Fódlan, the story follows mercenary Shez as they seek revenge against Three Houses protagonist Byleth. After joining the military academy of Garreg Mach Monastery, Shez must choose to ally with one of Fódlan's three nations, leading to alternate story paths. Gameplay is carried over from Fire Emblem Warriors, combining the arena-based action combat from Dynasty Warriors with mechanics from Fire Emblem including character classes and social elements.
Production of Three Hopes began following the release of Three Houses, with Warriors staff Hayato Iwata and Yosuke Hayashi returning as director and producer respectively. Three Houses artist Chinatsu Kurahana returned to design the new characters. The game was based around the premise of exploring the themes of Three Houses from an alternate perspective, while creating an accessible gameplay experience that expanded on established Warriors gameplay. Three Hopes received generally favorable reviews. Critics deemed it an improvement over its predecessor and praised its implementation of Warriors gameplay, but criticized its pacing and technical performance. The game shipped over one million copies worldwide by August 2022.
Gameplay
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a hack and slash action role-playing game in which the player controls a mercenary at the Garreg Mach Monastery, and a party of allies from a chosen faction; the Adrestian Empire, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, or the Leicester Alliance. Depending on the faction chosen, a different story will play out. The mercenary's name—Shez by default—and gender can be changed by the player. The game is split between two gameplay modes: combat missions which drive main story and side quests selected from an overworld map, and sections where Shez and other team members can interact with each other and strengthen their bonds. Missions can be completed in either single-player, or through local multiplayer. Missions are split into regional campaigns, with the player able to either conquer all territories within an area, or head straight for the main target. Upon completing a battle and gaining control over a region, the player is awarded with resources, experience points for units, and points which can be used to customise the player's strategy for a region's main fight such as a frontal assault or sabotage to weaken the enemy.
Combat and mission structure is similar to Fire Emblem Warriors (2017), and carries over its basic gameplay design from the wider Dynasty Warriors series. During missions, players take control of selected party members including the protagonist, with battles revolving around hack and slash combat that build up a combo metre and allow the controlled character to raise their "Awakening" metre to trigger a temporary powered-up state. The goal of missions is to either defeat a specific enemy, or gain control of a location. The player can also use a limited fast travel option to reach different parts of a map. In addition to the controlled party member, the player can direct allied army battalions on missions such as attacking strongholds. Instead of paired units as were present in Fire Emblem Warriors, Three Hopes uses a version of Three Houses "Adjutant" system, with selected player units being assigned support units which provide assistance in combat. Each battle has a rank, with the highest "S" rank unlocking a reward for the player.
Unit strengths and abilities are dictated by their character class, which grow stronger through a dedicated experience system. Once a unit and their associated class are a high enough level, the class can be upgraded using a dedicated tree, with classes having proficiently in different weapons which have different effectiveness against other types governed by the recurring Weapon Triangle mechanic. Classes come with different boosts, such as Pegasus Knights having flight or Swordmaster gaining increased speed. Units gain experience through combat, but can also be levelled up using in-game money. While basic attack options are common to all characters, some units have unique skills and all units have different growth rates when their level rises. They can also learn properties from additional classes such as increased defence. Prior to an in-story time skip, the player has the option of recruiting units from factions outside their chosen one, though after the time skip only select missions provide this as an option.
Between combat missions, the player can explore their camp and spend a limited point resources to talk to units, engage in training missions, and forge or strengthen their weapons and equipment. Units can engage in Support conversations, raising their social bond and strengthening both their statistics and the two units' synergy during combat. The player as Shez can also engage in dedicated side missions, and complete optional activities with other characters to raise their bond and increase the chance of Support conversations. Three Hopes features multiple difficulty levels, alongside two modes dubbed "Casual" and "Classic": in "Classic" mode, most units who fall in battle are subject to permanent death.
Synopsis Setting and characters Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes takes place in the land of Fódlan, the setting of Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019). Fódlan is divided between three nations; the Adrestian Empire, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and the Leicester Alliance. A central location is the Garreg Mach Monastery, where the Officers Academy is based that the main characters attend. The storyline is based around a divergence in events during the early story of Three Houses, leading Fódlan down an alternate history. Based on an early choice of alliance, the game splits into three narrative paths: "Scarlet Blaze", "Azure Gleam" and "Golden Wildfire".
The main character is a mercenary, named Shez by default, who can be a man or a woman; during the events of the story they come into contact with the three other main characters, heirs to the nations of Fódlan. These are Edelgard von Hresvelg, imperial princess of Adrestia; Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, heir to the Kingdom of Faerghus; and Claude von Riegan, heir to the Leicester Alliance's controlling family. During the story Shez receives guidance from Arval, a being who seems to live within their mind. Byleth, known as a notorious mercenary in their own right and dubbed the "Ashen Demon", acts as a recurring antagonist. The wider cast includes established companions of the three rulers, characters from the Cindered Shadows downloadable content of Three Houses, and characters exclusive to Three Hopes.
Plot While on a job Shez is defeated in battle by Byleth, vessel of the progenitor god Sothis, and their father Jeralt; Shez only survives due to the intervention of the mysterious being Arval and swears revenge. Six months later, Shez rescues three nobles from a bandit attack: Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude. As a reward, Archbishop Rhea of the Church of Seiros allows Shez to enroll in the Officer's Academy, an elite military academy for Fódlan's brightest students. Shez and their classmates rescue Monica von Ochs, a former student who was abducted by "Those Who Slither in the Dark", a fanatical cult that seeks to conquer Fódlan. Afterward, the three lords are forced to depart the Academy when crises strike their respective homelands. Edelgard launches a coup to overthrow Thales, the leader of Those Who Slither in the Dark who has taken effective control of the Empire; Dimitri suppresses a coup launched by his uncle and regent Rufus; and Claude defends Leicester's eastern border from an invasion by Shahid, an avaricious prince of the eastern kingdom of Almyra and Claude's half-brother. Shez accompanies their chosen lord and remains in their service for the next two years. All three lords are made the leaders of their respective countries. Two years later, Edelgard declares war on the Church of Seiros, believing it to be corrupt.
Scarlet Blaze Route Edelgard and her forces claim Garreg Mach for the Empire, forcing the Church of Seiros to seek aid from the Kingdom. The Empire manages to hold back troops from the Kingdom and Alliance to secure key locations in the west and east. Months later, Edelgard and Claude form a pact for the Empire and Alliance to work together to defeat the Kingdom and Church of Seiros. As their forces begin to surround the Kingdom, many Adrestrian territories are suddenly attacked by Those Who Slither in the Dark and a revolt led by the former Duke Aegir. Edelgard's army slays Duke Aegir and contains most of the chaos before advancing back to the Kingdom. While the Empire and Alliance fight the Kingdom and Church of Seiros in the north, Rhea uses a secret passage and leads her soldiers to reclaim Garreg Mach, which is also approached by Thales and Those Who Slither in the Dark. Edelgard's forces manage to hold back both armies until Rhea and Thales seemingly kill each other. With their absences, the influence of the Central Church wanes, and Those Who Slither in the Dark vanish.
There are two endings to this route that are determined by Shez deciding to recruit or kill Jeralt and Byleth. If they kill Jeralt, Byleth joins Claude and encourages him to break the pact with the Empire during the battle with the Kingdom and Church in the north; Claude's forces are defeated in a three-way battle, which causes all three ruling powers of Fódlan to return to war against each other with no end in sight. If they are recruited, Claude maintains the pact, and the Empire and Alliance prepare for their final battle with the Kingdom to bring an end to the war.
Azure Gleam Route Dimitri chooses to provide asylum to the Church of Seiros and go to war against the Empire. As they attempt to reclaim western territories, they face a revolt from the traitorous former mage to the royal family Cornelia and the western lords. After they defeat her, Cornelia tells Dimitri that his stepmother, Edelgard's mother, was involved in the Tragedy of Duscur and encourages him to seek answers from Edelgard before dying. The Kingdom and the Empire face off in Arianhrod, with the Kingdom emerging victorious. Before Dimitri can kill Edelgard, Thales appears and attacks both of them. Edelgard reveals that he was responsible for the death of Dimitri's father before he uses his magic to subdue and put her under his control. With the Empire becoming more chaotic under Thales and Duke Aegir's leadership, Claude and Dimitri form a partnership so the combined forces of Leicester, Faerghus, and the Church of Seiros can take down Adrestia. After splitting up the Empire's western and eastern forces, Dimitri and his army successfully kill Duke Aegir and Thales and free Edelgard from Thales's mind control. This forces Adrestria back on all fronts and radically transforms the power structure throughout Fódlan as the allied forces press south to crush the Empire for good.
Golden Wildfire Route