In the last decade, Fire Emblem has grown from a niche strategy series into one of Nintendo's most important franchises. A huge factor in this change was Fire Emblem: Three Housesa game that redefined the series and brought it mainstream success. while Fire Emblem: Get Involved was well received, did not capture the same attention or sales. With Fire Emblem 18 on the horizon, intelligent systems may very well lean toward the most successful Three Houses formula, instead of repeating Fire Emblem: Get Involvedthe nostalgic but less impactful approach.
Fire Emblem: The Three Houses plot and setting attracted popularity
Two of the key reasons Fire Emblem: Three Houses resonated with a wider audience are its accessible plot and military school setting. Unlike Fire Emblem: Get Involvedits addiction to nostalgia for older titles, Three Houses it offers a narrative built around a more universally appealing framework. The school environment allowed players to form deep connections with the students, which became essential as the game progressed. Beyond the game, it created a lot of online dialogue between players about who their favorite characters were. This word of mouth eventually made other people who had never played the series curious and check the game out for themselves. It would be hard for Intelligent Systems to ignore this style of play and social phenomenon.
Replayability was the secret ingredient to Fire Emblem: Three Houses' success
Replayability played a major role in the success Three Houses. The game's branching stories encouraged players to experience multiple narratives in its various houses, keeping them engaged for many playthroughs. The game's story consists of about three branching paths and includes fun characters that represent each of them. Not only that, but the game plays out in slightly different ways depending on the chosen branch.
By contrast, Fire Emblem: Get Involved it offers a more linear story with fewer opportunities for deep narrative exploration. Most of the narrative focused on the conflict between the nations, and the characters were somewhat relegated to the background. Most of the interactions between the characters were just a few short unlockable cutscenes that served more to provide background on them than to establish budding relationships. Fire Emblem: Get Involved it has less replay value because it doesn't change much story-wise. Three Houses, on the other hand, it invites players to come back to the game. For Fire Emblem 18recapturing this depth of replayability would likely resonate with fans looking for meaningful choices and complex narratives.
Fire Emblem 18 should take the best of both worlds
while Three Houses and Engage each has its strengths, Fire Emblem 18 could benefit from combining their best features. A perfect balance would be the combination Three Houses' deeper, character-based narratives and school setting with Engageits refined tactical gameplay. This would allow Intelligent Systems to cater to the series' broad audience without feeling like it's regressing. For example, Fire Emblem 18 could implement a system of deeper dynamic relationships that develop over the course of ongoing battles.
Future Fire Emblem: Learning from the Past
Although Fire Emblem: Get Involved wasn't a failure, its reception made it clear that fans were looking for something more in their next Fire Emblem story. Three Houses brought a perfect blend of innovation, emotional depth, and replayability that resonated with both new and old fans of the series. It would be no surprise if Fire Emblem 18 he leaned heavily on what he did Three Houses successful, recapturing the formula that helped the comeback Fire Emblem in one of Nintendo's iconic franchises.
