Fire Emblem: Three Housesis one of the most popular entries the series has seen, selling nearly three million copies.Three Houseshas brought many new fans into the series, and now is an excellent time to be aFire Emblemfan.
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WhileThree Housesbrought a great deal of new mechanics to the table, the previous fifteen entries to the series each have their own appeals and distinctions, from their varied gameplay to their storylines. So today, we’re going to examine the previous entries of theFire Emblemseries and discuss which would be perfect for newer fans of the series who started withThree Houses!
10Fire Emblem Heroes
Fire Emblem Heroesis a free to play mobile game that allows players to make small armies of four units, and collectcharacters from acrossFire Emblem’s history. The game is full of references to each game in the franchise, and it can be used for players who are interested in learning about the characters from previousFire Emblemgames. While the game does not tote large battlefields, it’s simplified unit-focused gameplay can be a nice change of pace.
9Fire Emblem Warriors
ThoughFire Emblem Warriorsis not a main series entry in the series, thisDynasty WarriorsandFire Emblemhybrid is currently the only otherFire Emblemgame available for the Nintendo Switch besidesThree Houses.This means that anyone who ownsThree Housesalready has access to the hardware required to play heroes.
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Though the core gameplay ofWarriorsis a far cry from a traditional fire emblem experience, the game contains familiar mechanics such as a Support system.
8Awakening
LikeThree Houses,Fire Emblem: Awakeningis an entry of the series that brought countless new fans into the series. Similarly toThree Houses,Awakeningpresents players with a large degree of freedom in how they approach the game. Additionally, the game’s support system is in the forefront of the game, allowing player’s to pair up units together, causing them to get married and have children. Without giving too much ofAwakening’s plot away, these children are quite important to the story, and giving player’s the freedom to choose their ideal pairings can be quite rewarding.
7Shadow Dragon
Playable on the Nintendo DS,Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragonis a remake of the first game in the series, and is perfect for players interested in examining the roots and history of the franchise. Following the story of the widely popular Marth, whileShadow Dragondoesn’t tote the best map design the series has to offer, and it lacks many mechanics that have become series staples such as supports, there is a degree of elegance to the game’s simplicity.
6The Blazing Blade
Released for the Gameboy Advance,Fire Emblem: The Blazing Bladewas originally released simply asFire Emblemin the west, and was the firstFire Emblemgame to be released outside of Japan. The prequel to Roy’s home game,The Binding Blade, this game contains finely tuned gameplay, map design, and one of the best tutorials the series has scene to date. Additionally,The Blazing Bladewas one of the first entries in the series that allowed players to experience the story from the perspective of a character of their choice.
5The Sacred Stones
AnotherFire Emblemgame released for the Gameboy Advance,Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stonesallows players to actively choose the protagonist of their play-through between the Princess Eirika and the Prince Ephraim. Additionally, this entry also included branching promotion trees that allows players to choose from two potential options when promoting their units.
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While earlier games in theFire Emblemhave a reputation for being rather difficult,The Sacred Stoneshas a very forgiving difficulty, giving players access to one of the strongest units in the franchise’s history: Seth.
4Fates
One element ofFire Emblem: Three Housesthat resonated with players was the ability to decide which house to teach, greatly altering the trajectory of the game’s story. Similarly toThree Houses,Fire Emblem Fatesallows players to choose which faction they will side with within a war between nations. Depending on which side a player takes, the game changes drastically, becomingFire Emblem Fates: Conquestif they side with Nohr, and becomingFire Emblem Fates: Birthrightif they side with Hoshido.
3Path Of Radiance
Originally released for the Nintendo GameCube,Fire Emblem: Path of Radianceis the first game in the series to feature 3D graphics, and is lauded by fans for having some of the best worldbuilding in the series. In addition to its phenomenal use of setting,Path of Radianceis among the most accessible entries in the series, allowing players of every skill level to enjoy what it has to offer. While it’s currently among the more difficult entries in the series for one to get their hands on, rumors have been circulating for the past few years regarding a potentialPath of Radianceremake.Just watch out for the game’s final boss.
2Radiant Dawn
Released for the Wii,Fire Emblem Radiant Dawnis a direct sequel toPath of Radianceand has one of the largest scopes within any entry in the series. While traditionally, aFire Emblemstory follows a single cast of characters that grows over time,Radiant Dawnfeatures a shifting perspective that allows the player to control numerous armies within the same conflict. This allows the players to experience numerous points of view similarly to how they would with a route split like that ofThree Houses, but all within the same cohesive timeline.
1Shadows Of Valentia
Released in 2017, FireEmblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentiais the entry in the series that had precededThree Houses.Exclusive to the 3DS,Shadows of Valentiawas a remake ofFire Emblem Gaiden,the second entry in the series, and was the first games in the franchise to be completely voice acted. When it comes to presentation,Shadows of Valentiais some of the best the series has to offer, from its soundtrack to art direction. Fans of the Divine Pulse mechanic will feel right at home as well, as this game’s “Mila’s Turnwheel” was the first inclusion of such a mechanic.
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