Once a game franchise has more than a dozen titles in it, you can rest assured it’s a keeper. Nintendo’s long-running tactical turn-based RPG series, Fire Emblem, is one such series, and its newest member of the lineup, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, came out on Nintendo Switch very recently. Now, considering the popularity of the series in question, and the fact that this game just came out, one would think that it wouldn’t be on sale already, but it’s available at a discount nonetheless.
That’s right, Fire Emblem: Three Houses is $10 off at Target, bringing it down to a nice $50 price tag with free two-day shipping. Not at all bad for a Nintendo Switch exclusive title, and one that has received overwhelming positive reviews and reception at that.
However, while you can order it online from Target at that price, you could also go to a brick-and mortar Walmart at buy it at the essentially same price of $49.94. It seems more than one retailer is following the new trend of selling new games at $50 rather than $60 upon release.
If you’ve never played Fire Emblem before, it’s a mix of storytelling RPG elements and turn-based strategy; generally speaking you command a diverse and interesting cast of medieval combatants as you thwart the nefarious plans of some evil force, be it the king of demons, an evil dragon, or a madman turned emperor. Three Houses has you control a mercenary turned professor, who chooses one of the titular three houses to teach. Your students become your warriors on the field of battle.
In its review on GameSpot, Three Houses earned a 9/10. “When all was said and done, all I could think about was starting another playthrough. I was curious about the mysteries left unsolved, of course, but I also hoped to undo my mistakes,” wrote GameSpot’s Kallie Plagge. “A second playthrough treads familiar ground in the beginning, but after learning and growing so much in the first, it feels fresh, too. That speaks to Three Houses’ mechanical complexity and depth as well as the connections it fosters with its characters–and whether you’re managing inventories or battlefields, it’s the kind of game that’s hard to put down, even when it’s over.”
Whether you’re a longtime Fire Emblem fan or someone who enjoys storytelling and strategy games, Three Houses is definitely worth grabbing for the Nintendo Switch. There’s no way of knowing if it will remain discounted indefinitely, or if retailers will rescind the offer at a later date. $10 isn’t a whole lot, but it’s $10 you don’t have to spend if you act on a good opportunity.
