Fire Emblem: Three Houses
You can’t talk about tactical games without talking about the reigning champ. If you’ve somehow slept on it, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the latest in Nintendo’s long-running series of “let’s have kids wage war!” strategy games, has it all, weaving an emotionally complex, multi-branching plot between brain-melting tactical battles and downtime of visual novel elements. You don’t need any series familiarity, as it is a narrative standalone. Nor do you need to know exactly how the combat works. (It slowly onboards you to its quirks and systems…and proclivity for one-hit kills.) And similarly to XCOM, there’s permadeath—if you want it—along with gut-wrenching personal relationships that will make you regret letting anyone die.
Platforms: Switch
Playtime: 74.5 hours
