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TOKYO MIRAGE SESSIONS #FE (WIIU)
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Publisher: Nintendo.
Developer: Atlus. Released: June 2016 (Europe). Genre: JRPG. Other versions: SWI. Posted 19th May 2023. By Shane Battams © 2023 |
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Even some seven years after its launch, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE still proves a contentious release for the Wii U. Announced initially as Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem, fans were quick to conjure images of demonic forces meeting gritty war stories, a melding of what the series’ were known for, especially with the announcement trailer proving so vague. When the end product saw instead a game focusing on pop idols, the entertainment business and teens in a modern setting, you know some were bound to be left feeling short-changed. However, while both series’ legacies weigh heavily on this game, this Atlus-developed JRPG still makes for a great time, with likeable characters, engaging combat and vibrant aesthetics all proving enjoyable despite some issues.
Itsuki Aoi, your average teenager, attends an event to support aspiring actor Touma and training pop idol Tsubasa. But the MC suddenly turns into some kind of monster who sucks the life out of most of the audience before kidnapping Tsubasa. After chasing after her into an otherworldly place, it seems like Itsuki is next to be drained. But thanks to special Performa, two mirages are freed from their servitude - Chrom and Caeda – and they form a bond that helps them cleanse this place of mirages. This leads to the teens being invited to the Fortuna Entertainment Talent Agency, a front for combating a growing threat with Mirage Masters, special individuals who can use allied Mirages. Thus, the group begins to defend against Mirage attacks to try to stop the problem at the root. What follows is a straightforward plot, bolstered by likeable characters. While a couple border on archetypal, especially Tsubasa whose ditzy nature can be grating, the writing feels natural and learning more through side stories proves enjoyable.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions nails the combat, with dynamic, fast-paced action and excellent presentation
But Tokyo Mirage Sessions benefits more from its vibrant style. A bright colour palette, vibrant menus and great character designs blend well. Numerous anime cut-scenes, often depicting the cast flexing their talent (such as in music videos), are particularly great. During battle, certain moves utilise these outside elements, such as one of Tsubasa’s moves recreating a drinks commercial, to deal damage to all enemies. Considering the focus on music, you’d hope the audio side would be good, and luckily, it’s top-notch. The native Japanese voicework has been retained, while the effects convey impactful moves well. The music, whether it’s the toe-tapping battle theme or a number of tunes from Avex Group, is awesome. The presentation offers a unique twist on the genre, like Persona but with school replaced by singing and acting. It’s only a shame there are some slowdown issues, as crowded combat encounters or certain explosive scenes cause the frame rate to drop, though it never adversely affects gameplay.
The Fire Emblem side of the collaboration is more geared towards combat. Battles, taking place in a turn-based manner, see you fighting a range of monsters inside Idalospheres. Each character has a Mirage, taking the form of a character from the series. Itsuki, for example, has Chrom, whose power comes in the form of a sword. While also levelling up characters with XP, your mirages also gain levels which can gift you abilities, buffs and Session attacks. The latter is triggered by exploiting weaknesses, elemental or physical, and as you earn more of these and further party members, you can chain these together for longer combos. Certain feats also improve Stage ranks, which unlocks special moves and side stories. Combat proves great fun, with a fast pace and combo-focused twist incentivising growth and levelling up, though grinding never became a huge factor outside of some boss battles. The Savage Enemy encounters are a bit of a shame, a higher-level threat that can feel like a cheap fight as they always scale above your level and can KO you sharpish.
The Fire Emblem side of the collaboration is more geared towards combat. Battles, taking place in a turn-based manner, see you fighting a range of monsters inside Idalospheres. Each character has a Mirage, taking the form of a character from the series. Itsuki, for example, has Chrom, whose power comes in the form of a sword. While also levelling up characters with XP, your mirages also gain levels which can gift you abilities, buffs and Session attacks. The latter is triggered by exploiting weaknesses, elemental or physical, and as you earn more of these and further party members, you can chain these together for longer combos. Certain feats also improve Stage ranks, which unlocks special moves and side stories. Combat proves great fun, with a fast pace and combo-focused twist incentivising growth and levelling up, though grinding never became a huge factor outside of some boss battles. The Savage Enemy encounters are a bit of a shame, a higher-level threat that can feel like a cheap fight as they always scale above your level and can KO you sharpish.
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Dungeon design proves an interesting component of Tokyo Mirage Sessions. Rather than opting for procedural generation, Atlus instead crafted several intricate dungeons that often require puzzle-solving to navigate. One has manipulating Alice in Wonderland-esque doll statues to climb to different levels, while another sees you avoiding cameras which teleport you to the start of an area. Plentiful side paths offer treasure boxes to open, including some sealed with special keys that reward potent items. It’s a shame it can feel quite labyrinthine to explore at times, with the map on your touch screen proving near-essential at points. It can also feel quite tedious when you make it to a point in the dungeon, only to have to leave as a character requires a skill that you need from Tokyo rather than the Idalosphere. A few teleports help to reduce this, but the back-and-forth can grow wearisome as it occurs on multiple occasions.
Still, this game offers plenty of bang for your buck. The main story will likely take around forty hours to see the end, but there’s a substantial amount of side content too. It can range in quality, however. Side stories offer great insights into each character as well as twists on traditional battles. On the other hand, Requests feel menial and often boil down to jumping between multiple locations to collect and return items. There’s also quite the potential for character growth, as you can eventually develop new weapons to learn more skills and harmonise new abilities such as being able to endure a deadly strike once per battle. There are two endings that depend on the side content you complete, as well as a New Game Plus and unlockable Lunatic difficulty to encourage a second run.
Still, this game offers plenty of bang for your buck. The main story will likely take around forty hours to see the end, but there’s a substantial amount of side content too. It can range in quality, however. Side stories offer great insights into each character as well as twists on traditional battles. On the other hand, Requests feel menial and often boil down to jumping between multiple locations to collect and return items. There’s also quite the potential for character growth, as you can eventually develop new weapons to learn more skills and harmonise new abilities such as being able to endure a deadly strike once per battle. There are two endings that depend on the side content you complete, as well as a New Game Plus and unlockable Lunatic difficulty to encourage a second run.
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On its own terms, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE proves another quality JRPG from Atlus. There are some criticisms you can levy at this one, such as the light story and some tedious gameplay design, but the core hook proves substantial enough to keep you glued to the screen. Likeable characters, excellent combat and interesting dungeon design combine with the glitzy presentation and world to form a great JRPG package. While perhaps disappointing to those expecting war grit or demonic designs, those who go in with an open mind should find plenty to like here.
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VERDICT
"While there are some criticisms you can levy at Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, it benefits from likeable characters, excellent combat and a glitzy presentation to form a great JRPG package." OVERALL: 8/10 |
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