I mentioned here that romance writers shouldn’t be gamers.
That wasn’t correct.
Really, what I should have said, was romance writers shouldn’t play Fire Emblem games.
I try to mitigate any spoilers ahead, but fair warning, I do talk about some later game stuff.
I struggled with my playthrough of Fire Emblem Fates Birthright when the game killed two of the main characters and I could do nothing to save them. In the Fire Emblem franchise, characters can die. Permanently. However, you can usually avoid this by having an appropriate “rank” with them. Or not getting them killed in battle. This was different.
Then Fire Emblem Fates Conquest killed a different two characters. Both games sit unfinished because I just can’t…I have Revelation, which my husband says I should just play as it’s the “canon” version and no one has to die, but I haven’t yet.
Then I bought Fire Emblem Three Houses that just came out.
A strategy game with a complicated admin system, more lovable crazy characters, and a female House lead?!? YES, please!
As I played through the intro, I discovered you must pick one path, and one of the three paths you can pick is leading knights.
You wanna talk about my catnip!
Sorry Edelgard, there are knights over here.
Except, I should have known better. Remember the other games? Remember the issue with basic writing even in a sandbox world?
I am over half-way through the playthrough, even with all of the min-maxing I have been doing. Why do so many games have a fishing component?!?
But I digress.
At this point, I want to slap the main character I am supposed to be helping.
Dracor help me, but if he doesn’t stop whining, pick himself up, and be the savior king so many people have sacrificed so much for, be the king his people desperately need, the king he promised he’d be…
If I were allowed to go off the gaming rails, my character would first try to help him. I know, novel thought, right? Why isn’t that an option?!? Her charisma is through the roof.
Anyway, if kindness didn’t work, she would slap him. Hard. Her strength is through the roof, too. And she’d make him get a haircut. At least look like a king. Seriously. My character would be kind enough to have a super mutant follower, but she is not going to tolerate abusive and self-harming ways. Kingdom harming ways.
I am not certain the writers can save the knight who is supposed to become king in my eyes. I guess we’ll see, but given previous game writing, I am skeptical. When you have made a character fall so far, become so unlikable, the plot crucible it takes to bring them back is that much greater.
I understand that he is probably suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome and crushing depression. I get it. But I still need him to be redeemable instead of a homicidal maniac I wouldn’t put in charge of a boy scout troop much less an entire kingdom.
This game has become a family affair as I have been playing it on the big screen in the living room, and my family will not let me put it down half way.
But I want my happy ending. I want my happily ever after. I want the characters to have earned it.
Yes, I already know this series isn’t known for that. And I figured out character recruiting late…
I want the same cathartic release I get when I finish a book, but on a grander scale as I have put so many more hours into this game.
I should have picked Edelgard.
