Video Game Review: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE - A Few Notes Short Of A Symphony

Developer Atlus
Publisher Nintendo
Distributor Nintendo Distributor South Africa
Where we got our copy Nintendo Distributor South Africa
Genre RPG
Game modes Single Player
Reviewed on Wii U

BiPolarBear

Published June 29, 2016

So where do we begin with this one? Announced in 2013 as a crossover project between Atlus’s Shin Megami Tensei series and Intelligent Systems’ Fire Emblem series, this game has received a less than welcoming reception from fans of both franchises. While Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is definitely not what fans would have expected from these two RPG giants, does that necessarily make it a bad game? Well, let’s follow the path to stardom and see where it leads us.

Right off the bat, you should know one thing: this game is very Japanese. The premise of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE centers around Japanese Idol culture which will probably seem incredibly foreign to most players in the West. Even though we can draw parallels with this to our celebrity fascination, this is on a whole different level. You’re going to be blasted with kawaii J-Pop from the get go and while the general aesthetic might feel uncomfortable at first, don’t write off this colourful adventure until you’ve gotten to experience the nitty-gritty of the game.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE sees players assuming the roles of Itsuki Aoi as he and his friends rise through the ranks of the entertainment industry and eventually save the world through the power of friendship. While it may not seem like the most inspired storyline and does borrow heavily from the game’s source material, it does still have some rewarding aspects. The story of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE does have its endearing moments which are presented in a very quirky manner, but are fresh thanks to the game’s very different setting. Even if the story could have gone in completely different directions and potentially gotten a lot darker, I’m glad that Atlus decided to take a more unconventional approach to create something unique compared to what we’ve been seeing recently. It goes completely against all expectations of the title which does give it that “need to experience” feel even with its shortfalls.

While the story of the game may be a bit of a hit or miss among players, it’s fortunately outshined by the rest of the game. We’re dealing with a game about popstars and celebrities, so it’s no wonder that game is filled with style and flair. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is filled to the brim with colour and energy to create a wonderful world of entertainment that one can’t help but get caught up in. Even if I’m not the biggest fan of J-Pop, I still found myself enjoying the music of the game and even listening to some of the character’s tracks outside of the game. They’ve managed to, from my understanding, nail the idol aesthetic in an incredibly enjoyable way.

It’s not only the music, however, that feels like it got the professional performer treatment, but the world as a whole feels like a celebrity day-dream. With wonderful colours filling up the streets and menacing yet bright colours painting the dungeons, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE manages to do a lot of interesting things with its world that one might not have even expected. One of the only downsides of the general aesthetic is that, because the game is so heavily invested in its music, that the game’s voice overs are only in Japanese. While this is a bit jarring at first, the game is well subtitled where it matters, without the spelling and grammatical errors that this type of localisation usually is plagued with. All in all, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is incredibly well presented and, even if it may feel like a full-on assault of the senses, is a pleasure to experience.

Now, even if the game is well presented and has a serviceable story, that doesn’t mean a thing if it’s not at all fun to play. Fortunately enough for Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, it combines aspects of the Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem battles systems to create something unique and interesting to play. Outside of dungeons, players will find themselves being able to walk around Tokyo, interacting with characters as they go along and participate in a couple of side-quests ass they progress through the main story. Even though these side-quests are quite poorly tracked, often relying on the player to remember what exactly they were meant to do. While all of this together provides for some relatively solid overworld navigation, it’s really once you get into the dungeon exploration that the gameplay comes into its own. Anyone who’s played a MegaTen (the general name for Shin Megami Tensei games and their spin-offs) should we well aware of the prevalence of dungeons in the series. Known as Idolaspheres in Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, these dungeons will see you solving various puzzles while using your Mirages, your supernatural Fire Emblem themed friends, to defeat the various monsters present. As you grind through the dungeons you’ll find various resources known as

Anyone who’s played a MegaTen (the general name for Shin Megami Tensei games and their spin-offs) should we well aware of the prevalence of dungeons in the series. Known as Idolaspheres in Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, these dungeons will see you solving various puzzles while using your Mirages, your supernatural Fire Emblem themed friends, to defeat the various monsters present. As you grind through the dungeons you’ll find various resources known as performa which allow you to craft new weapons and acquire new skills for your party. While these systems may feel a little bit complicated at first, they’re incredibly straightforward once you get the hang of it and are genuinely enjoyable. Resource gathering gives random encounters a far more compelling reason to them than just to grind experience points and the heavily stylised dungeons mean that you’re going to get caught up in some wacky situations that are going to be oh so enjoyable to play through.

It may seem like a pretty straightforward JRPG experience so far, but the actual battles are the true gem of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. The game doesn’t directly take aspects from its influencers and combines them, but rather takes their prominent aspects to create something unique and ultimately incredibly enjoyable. Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem games are all about exploiting weaknesses in combat. From being the most optimal way to deal with enemies to making sure you don’t lose your allies on the battlefield, understanding weaknesses and strengths is vital to progression in those two series and it is no different in Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. But since this game is about performers, it obviously has to put its own delightful twist on it.

We all know how vital the cast and crew are to delivering an incredible performance right? Well how about translating that into a JRPG battle which sounds a little scary at first but is pulled off incredibly well. What happens in Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is that once you attack your opponents weakness you will trigger what is known as a “session” attack where your allies will be able to join in based on the attack that triggered it and other session attacks they have available to them. This means that one well thought out attack could wipe out an entire party of enemies, but the same applies to you and your party. This means that players have to think about the enemies around them and make sure they equip the appropriate items and level up their party to ensure they have the right skills to deal with tougher enemies later in the game. While it may seem a little strange to newcomers, anyone who’s familiar with the press-turn system will fall in love with it and for anyone who isn’t, you need to experience this all for yourself.

All in all, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is an enjoyable game. Even though it faces a lot of hostility for what it isn’t, it does so much so well that it deserves to be appreciated for the strange but delightful game that it is. It definitely won’t scratch that Shin Megami Tensei or Fire Emblem itch adequately, it does deserve to still be appreciated for what it is and I hope that, regardless of its reception, it’ll be expanded on and is given the chance to develop into a JRPG great.

So where do we begin with this one? Announced in 2013 as a crossover project between Atlus's Shin Megami Tensei series and Intelligent Systems' Fire Emblem series, this game has received a less than welcoming reception from fans of both franchises. While Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is definitely not what fans would have expected from these two RPG giants, does that necessarily make it a bad game? Well, let's follow the path to stardom and see where it leads us. Right off the bat, you should know one thing: this game is very Japanese. The premise of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE centers around Japanese Idol culture which will probably seem incredibly foreign to most players in the West. Even though we can draw parallels with this to our celebrity fascination, this is on a whole different level. You're going to be blasted with kawaii J-Pop from the get go and while the general aesthetic might feel uncomfortable at first, don't write off this colourful adventure until you've gotten to experience the nitty-gritty of the game. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE sees players assuming the roles of Itsuki Aoi as he and his friends rise through the ranks of the entertainment industry and eventually save the world through the power of friendship. While it may not seem like the most inspired storyline and does borrow heavily from the game's source material, it does still have some rewarding aspects. The story of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE does have its endearing moments which are presented in a very quirky manner, but are fresh thanks to the game's very different setting. Even if the story could have gone in completely different directions and potentially gotten a lot darker, I'm glad that Atlus decided to take a more unconventional approach to create something unique compared to what we've been seeing recently. It goes completely against all expectations of the title which does give it that "need to experience" feel even with its shortfalls. While the story of the game may be a bit of a hit or miss among players, it's fortunately outshined by the rest of the game. We're dealing with a game about popstars and celebrities, so it's no wonder that game is filled with style and flair. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is filled to the brim with colour and energy to create a wonderful world of entertainment that one can't help but get caught up in. Even if I'm not the biggest fan of J-Pop, I still found myself enjoying the music of the game and even listening to some of the character's tracks outside of the game. They've managed to, from my understanding, nail the idol aesthetic in an incredibly enjoyable way. It's not only the music, however, that feels like it got the professional performer treatment, but the world as a whole feels like a celebrity day-dream. With wonderful colours filling up the streets and menacing yet bright colours painting the dungeons, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE manages to do a lot of…

Video Game Review: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE – A Few Notes Short Of A Symphony

2016-06-29

BiPolarBear

Not quite the virtuoso

Total - 7

70 7

Enjoy this game for what it is and do not hate it for what it is not. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is going to be a very different cultural experience for most players but given its solid gameplay it is definitely worth your time. While it may not be able to contend with you favourite Shin Megami Tensei or Fire Emblem title, it is definitely still an enjoyable game as well as a solid JRPG experience on the Wii U.

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BiPolarBear

Gaming Author at Geek Node

The best person to offer the worst opinion. Paul's interests include adding 100 hour JRPGs to his backlog and dark walks through dungeons. You'll probably find him rambling on about old man Nintendo or that crazy newfangled eSports thingy.