Not a fan of the box art above, too much colour: 7.8/10

Seriously though, Three Houses is everything that Fates wanted to be. It took me over 100 hours to beat the Black Eagles route on Hard/Classic. To think that there are three more paths and endings, and unlike Fates, they’re actually in the base game?? Content overload! I definitely want to play the other paths as well at some point, because I think only then can the full picture of Three Houses’ lore be pieced together. Also unlike Fates’ bland cast and story, you actually want to find out more about Three Houses’ characters, their motivations, and their goals.

Garreg Mach is the hub for this game, and it is massive. I’d say a quarter of my playing time is just for these monastery exploration phases. Rather than rushing through each month to the next battle, I thought it was worthwhile to take my time to really get immersed in the school life and get to know the characters. (Hmm, sounds like Persona) The support conversations are great as usual. Dorothea was my priority in the beginning, but I ended up marrying Petra when it’s all said and done ❤️. Bernadetta is another one of my favourites. I know social anxiety is a serious issue, but her dialogue is hilarious.

The monsters and beasts are an interesting addition. They take quite a bit of effort and strategy to take down, and it always feels like a great feat when you do. The battalions is another interesting mechanic, and they’re very valuable during the harder missions, just keep an eye on their stamina! There is also Divine Pulse, a feature where you can rewind time to redo your turns, a lifesaver when the RNG gods are not in your favor. You can be old school and restart the chapter if a character dies, but I’ll just be using Divine Pulse, thanks.

The final battle vs. The Immaculate One was long and gruelling, damn flamed tiles.

More thoughts to come when/if I play the other routes!