CRM: We see you’re a fan of the Blue Lions! What is it that you love about this house so much? Many people have an attachment to their first house, were they the first route you played in the game?
UNa: They were indeed the first house I played through in the game! I love all of the other routes of course and have played through them, but the blue lions route has a particularly special place in my heart. It was really difficult for me to go through and see the characters of the house’s struggles especially with the heavy topic of war. Playing through the game and seeing them heal, develop, and work through the trauma of the circumstances they were put in made me feel like an actual professor. It was a joy to see that even through all their struggles, they still worked to better themselves to the end and it felt like a victory. Although my favorite route is the Blue Lions I do feel as though that Golden Deer felt much more complete as a full route.
CRM: Fire Emblem: Three Houses is known for its many different ways to play through the story, with each perspective revealing something new about the world. What do you think it is about this game that has resonated with so many different people?
UNa: I think that what Fire Emblem: Three Houses did that was different than Fates was that there wasn’t a “true ending”. I really enjoyed that aspect because you really fill in the spaces for what you felt as though the ending should have been.
While FE3H has a very large cast, it has extremely well written characters that come from a variety of backgrounds and settings. I think this is an added bonus to why fans resonate with so many of them and have favorites because they all feel unique. Having a world that feels well grounded to its setting in relationship to its characters helps the plot of the game out immensely, since video games in a way are in a way, interactive story-telling. Those elements specifically made the game extremely enjoyable for myself and many others.
CRM: You mentioned that Fire Emblem is one of your favorite game series! What was your introduction to the series? What has this series meant to you as you have played the games from it?
UNa: I hijacked the Game Boy Advance copy of Fire Emblem (technically FE7) from my brother haha. Growing up, I was not particularly good at video games so having a game where I could take my time but each decision counts made it an easy gateway.
This resulted in me playing all the other Fire Emblem (main storyline) games that were released in America. There are many Fire Emblem characters so you grow attached to them and they become your favorites. To a lot of my friends, the number of characters has been pretty overwhelming to them but for me it was options to use in combat and get to know.
The series has a lot of great morals to be learned that have helped shape things for me. Byleth has a great quote they say to Dimitri in the Blue Lions path when he asks about his purpose. They say “Live for what you believe in”. I think there is something about that line that is really powerful.
Fire Emblem, has also tackled a lot about the idea of racism. Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn and Three Houses especially used these as major plot points. It helped me be more comfortable in my own skin being an Asian-American growing up in a Caucasian household. So I am thankful for that.
CRM: Outside of Fire Emblem, you also cosplay many characters from other video games too! Some of these include characters from League of Legends, Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil, and the Fate series to name a few. What do you think it is that draws you to the medium of video games as opposed to other sources?
UNa: To be honest, I don’t have the greatest attention span. Games always keep me engaged with my full attention. They are also something I can enjoy with my friends. It can take me a bit to get into a new anime series sometimes. I grew up pretty old school with some of it such as waiting for DVD releases haha.