Between Heaven and Earth: An analysis of moral ambiguity in interactive fiction through Edelgard von Hresvelg from Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Abstract

Video games present a very distinct form of storytelling; while some games use the elements of interactivity and narrative as auxiliary features to one another, some of the greatest games blend these two facets to make interaction an intrinsic part of the narrative experience. This thesis focuses on how this is achieved through the controversial character Edelgard von Hresvelg in the video game Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019). Specifically, this thesis aims to examine why Edelgard is understood so differently from player to player, by analyzing how her moral framing in the game’s narrative is affected by player decisions which determine what contextual clues are made available for the player to understand the story. In examining this, the present thesis argues that video games like Fire Emblem: Three Houses are especially suited to address themes of moral and narrative perspectivism in literature, with the player’s understanding of the story being shaped by the way in which they choose to interact with the multicursal narrative and the game’s mechanics. This thesis examines all four possible story routes of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Edelgard’s role within them, and I argue that the interactivity which determines the story that the player witnesses reinforces the underlying theme of the importance of interpersonal relationships, as the main characters of the story can only become their best selves with the support and guidance of the player character and their peers. In Edelgard’s case, I argue that she is a morally complicated character, and a tragic and flawed hero of Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ narrative, who loses herself without the bonds that the player helps her create.

Video games present a very distinct form of storytelling; while some games use the elements of interactivity and narrative as auxiliary features to one another, some of the greatest games blend these two facets to make interaction an intrinsic part of the narrative experience. This thesis focuses on how this is achieved through the controversial character Edelgard von Hresvelg in the video game Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019). Specifically, this thesis aims to examine why Edelgard is understood so differently from player to player, by analyzing how her moral framing in the game’s narrative is affected by player decisions which determine what contextual clues are made available for the player to understand the story. In examining this, the present thesis argues that video games like Fire Emblem: Three Houses are especially suited to address themes of moral and narrative perspectivism in literature, with the player’s understanding of the story being shaped by the way in which they choose to interact with the multicursal narrative and the game’s mechanics. This thesis examines all four possible story routes of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Edelgard’s role within them, and I argue that the interactivity which determines the story that the player witnesses reinforces the underlying theme of the importance of interpersonal relationships, as the main characters of the story can only become their best selves with the support and guidance of the player character and their peers. In Edelgard’s case, I argue that she is a morally complicated character, and a tragic and flawed hero of Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ narrative, who loses herself without the bonds that the player helps her create.