Sequels in the Fire Emblem franchise are a rarity. Most installments are standalone experiences players can enjoy regardless of how many prior entries they’ve tried, if any. Some games reference previous Fire Emblem titles, but these callbacks are usually little more than lip service, Sometimes, there are exceptions, which makes it difficult to tell whether a Fire Emblem game that includes these easter eggs is a sequel or not.
So what gives?
If it works for all of those franchises, why not for Fire Emblem?
The “Awakened Rivals” trailer also featured several hints that time manipulation was at play and responsible for the ensuing story. The previous trailer gave audiences a glimpse of the character Arval, and while the “Awakened Rivals” one didn’t expand on them, it did include the same film negative effect and sigil Sothis uses to turn back time in Three Houses. Plus, like Sothis, the Three Hopes website claims that only the protagonist can see and hear Arval, which all but confirms Three Hopes’ status as an alternate timeline spin-off. Moreover, these hints imply that Arval is the catalyst of the game’s events, but we’ll have to beat the main campaign to see if that is true.
Of course, since Nintendo has not explicitly stated how Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes connects to Fire Emblem: Three Houses, this is all just speculation backed by context clues. Then again, if Nintendo did come out and say it, that might spoil some of Three Hopes’ plot threads and twists.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is out now on the Nintendo Switch.
