Some things in the world of video games are hard to understand, but if it works, there’s nothing to complain about. One such strange phenomenon is the spin-off of Omega Force, the studio responsible for the Dynasty Warriors series. His simple yet epic releases spawned the entire musou genre, but it’s his work with other people’s IPs that catches the eye the most. Today we will consider Fire Emblem Warrior: Three Wishes – rethink the tactical masterpiece Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

We remind you that this is not the first time the studio has picked up a Fire Emblem – in 2017, Fire Emblem Warriors was released, which received positive reviews from critics and players alike. Since then, the studio has not stood still, releasing, in particular, Persona 5 Strikers and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. The novelty, as you might have guessed, is based on the last game in the Fire Emblem series.

As is often the case in the studio, the story here is alternative. Instead of familiar characters, it all starts with a new hero. And, as befits an anime-style game, we lost a good fight at the start.

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Despite the fact that Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes can be picked up even by a novice, fans of the original IP will have a blast. The developers have always treated the franchises they picked up with special trepidation, and here you’ll be able to meet many of your favorite characters and even the narrative aspect. I don’t associate the Musou genre with a good story, but here you can see that a lot of effort has gone into it – actually, the script here is for a good RPG, with a choice of phrases, prizes, relationships and politics. What’s more: as in “Three Faculties”, from the start you can choose “classic” or “simple” mode; First, after death, the character does not return, but dies. I suggest (as the original) goes for classic mode – that way there will be more suspense and motivation to learn all the characters (and there are lots of characters).

But that’s only a small part of what Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes has to offer. No matter how much you like characters or lore expansion, this is not an RPG, this is an Omega Force game. Therefore, first of all, keep in mind if you have played any other Musou games and if you like fighting games. If absolutely not, then Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes will most likely upset you. No matter how many upgrades there are, it’s still the same global battle with hundreds of participants and corresponding (some would say monotonous) gameplay. For some, this is a thrill, and someone quickly gets tired of such battles – especially if you, like many fans of the original, prefer slow tactical gameplay.

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I love how carefully the developers incorporate Three House elements into the new game, but yeah, in the end, it all boils down to what we’ve seen time and time again. As a spinoff, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is great, but the key is to approach it with the right expectations.

Many fans of the genre like to learn about the stats, skills, weapons and class differences of fighters, but there are also those who want to play faster – for them, a “fast” mode has been created, which allows you to avoid all this by automatically optimizing your fighters. Little, but good.

Visually, the game has a pleasant feel – it mimics the Fire Emblem: Three Houses in every way, and it works. Previous games had frequent frame rate drops, and this is also the case here (especially in the camps) although nothing bad has happened – Switch players aren’t used to this. On the OLED screen the image is very bright, and the vibrations are carried out at that level too.

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Decision

It’s weird, but Fire Emblem Warrior: Three Wishes so full of plot twists and fun trivia that the review had to be shortened so as not to spoil the impression. Yes, we are talking about a musou game! It’s nice to see that the Omega Force studio not only doesn’t give up, but progresses further, because even against the backdrop of the Fire Emblem Warriors, progress is evident. But despite all the great details, the idea remains the same, and if you’ve never liked spinoffs from this studio, then novelty won’t change anything.