Did I Finish Fire Emblem Three Houses?

Short answer: No. It was not due to a lack of effort. I made a huge push in November and December to get to one of the several endings in the Fire Emblem: Three Houses story. In a post I made back in April 2021, completing Fire Emblem: Three Houses was something that I was striving for. When my students were finally adults, I was very optimistic that my two-year journey with the game that involved more than 110 hours was finally going to conclude. I assumed that the second part of the game would be relatively short compared to the first and I would finish it within a couple of hours. Needless to say, I was wrong. Really wrong.

What didn’t help matters was when I purchased Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor in December. I’ll admit that I was a bit deflated when I realized that I was nowhere near completing Fire Emblem: Three Houses after all the time I put into the game in November and early December. So I had to take a break from the strategy RPG. My attention then turned to the Lord of the Rings game and I was having a tremendous time. Day after day, I was coming back for more, leveling up the main character with new abilities, and just enjoying putting the hurt to the orcs and their generals. My favorite moments were when a general appeared and I eliminated him with just one move. If you enjoy the gameplay of titles such as the Batman Arkham series and Marvel’s Spider-Man, you’ll feel at home with Shadow of Mordor. In any case, I’ll admit that I got distracted and I accepted that I wasn’t going to finish Fire Emblem: Three Houses in 2021.

I’m not the type of gamer to normally spend so much time on one game unless it is a sports, first-person multiplayer shooter, or procedurally generated title. The multiple endings in Fire Emblem: Three Houses are based on which of the Three Houses in the game you decide to align yourself with, as well as if you will choose loyalty to the church above all else. You can also change up things a bit by playing on a higher difficulty that includes permadeath, meaning the characters that fall in battle under your watch are truly dead and will not come back. There are probably other factors too but I did not want to spoil any of the game’s plot. While you will have differentiated content based on those choices, the overall progression of the story will mostly stay the same. I can understand Fire Emblem enthusiasts that will play the game repeatedly to see the game unfold from every angle possible, but this doesn’t interest me. So when I do finally complete the Black Eagles arc of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, it is not likely that I will return to play the game again. With well over 100 hours, I’ve gotten my money’s worth and my fill of this great game.

In this sense, Persona 5 Royal is very similar. It is a very long game that you can replay again and make different choices to see how things turn out. There are multiple endings, but my current trek is intended to reach the best ending possible. Like Fire Emblem: Three Houses, when I reach that ending, I will be finished with the game. Playing through a game only once and not desiring to see all of the endings doesn’t mean that it isn’t great. I’m just the type of gamer that enjoys moving on to other titles after a certain amount of time. Once I finally complete Persona 5 Royal, I will move on to the next game. But like Fire Emblem: Three Houses, you will get more than your money’s worth with Persona 5 Royal for sure.

My gaming endeavor is likened to a person wishing to sample as many items as possible at a large buffet. That person may only have smaller portions of each of the items on his plate instead of a full serving. In some cases, the person may not finish everything on the plate. The experience is more about getting a taste of everything. I’m that way when it comes to video games. I do not need to pass every game that I play. Furthermore, I don’t feel the need to explore every nook and cranny of the games I play. I will dedicate more time to some games than others if they capture my interest. Some gamers relish earning every single achievement in every game they play and that’s awesome. Full completion is always the goal. But it isn’t me. I want to experience as many games as possible. Even if it means I only get a taste of some games.

In order to accomplish that, I tend to buy older games that have significantly dropped in value instead of focusing on newer games. It saves me a lot of money and it helps that I’ve missed a lot of good games throughout my life. So while other gamers already have “been there, done that,” it represents a new experience for me. Shadow of Mordor came out several years ago, but I had never played more than a few minutes of it. So it is still a new game for me. Diving into the past and having those types of new experiences with games that I missed along the way has been very satisfying.

I will be working more on Fire Emblem: Three Houses throughout the year. It is a game that I do want to finish. Now, will I finish it in 2022? After last year and the way I am as a gamer, I’m deciding to no longer even put a date on it.

-LandoRigs (TVGA)
admin@videogamersadvocate.com

WHAT GAMES HAVE TAKEN YOU A LONG TIME TO BEAT?