Fire Emblem: Three Houses introduction

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and Koei Tecmo for the Nintendo Switch and published worldwide by Nintendo. It is the sixteenth installment in the Fire Emblem series and the first one for home consoles since Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, originally released in 2007.

Three Houses is set on the continent of Fódlan, divided between three ruling superpowers currently at peace. These nations are connected through the Garreg Mach Monastery, which houses a church and an Officer's school for students from each nation. Taking the role of Byleth, a former mercenary with a mysterious past and the academy's newest professor, the player must choose a class to lead and guide their students through a series of battles. The game maintains the turn-based tactical gameplay of the previous Fire Emblem titles, while incorporating social simulation and time management elements.

The game's production was challenging for Intelligent Systems, who attributed its success and timely release to Koei Tecmo, who had previously partnered with the company for Fire Emblem Warriors. The staff wanted something entirely new for the franchise's debut on high-definition home consoles, birthing the school life mechanics and expansions to battle. Chinatsu Kurahana was responsible for creating the character designs and illustrations. The game's school system and a time skip later in the story took inspiration from the fourth installment, Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War.