Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
It's the bright and breezy Shin Megami Tensei/Fire Emblem crossover in a world of J-Pop idols which nobody played on the Wii U ported to the Switch where it has been instantly forgotten!
This is a very stylish, slick, streamlined JRPG with an unusual, daft and fun premise, i.e. You become a pop star to explore the shadowy supernatural underbelly of the idol scene to try to find your mate's lost sister. I haven't really played much Persona, maybe ten hours of P5, but it feels very similar in terms of surface sizzle and concise combat. It's structurally very similar to Persona but the social stuff and time management is really toned down which suits me a great deal better.
It's very much cheered me up this afternoon and feels like a great game to sink a few hours into. A number of my most enjoyable recent gaming experiences have been story-driven slower stuff when I've made the effort to adapt to the more leisurely pace. Possibly a lesson in that. It's very very very anime, so caveat emptor, but I seem to have more of a tolerance (even appetite) for that kind of thing these days.
Anyone ever given this a chance either on Switch or Wii U? I'll report back.
- KSubzero1000
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Re: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
I remember being really excited reading about this game's initial announcement, but my interest completely dropped off a cliff the more details were being unveiled. I'm admittedly really set in my ways when it comes to Fire Emblem, and a Persona-style social JRPG dealing with modern day media personalities and supernatural threats ticks a grand total of zero of my boxes. If there's any correlation whatsoever to the proper FE formula, then they did a terrible job at marketing it because I'm not seeing it.
I'm not terribly proud to admit this considering I've never played this game and my opinion consists of little more than prejudice, but the entire premise sounds... wrong to me considering the alleged FE pedigree.
Must be getting old or something.
I'm not terribly proud to admit this considering I've never played this game and my opinion consists of little more than prejudice, but the entire premise sounds... wrong to me considering the alleged FE pedigree.
Must be getting old or something.
Re: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
It’s not a fire emblem game in any way really.
Re: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
Yeah, the FE elements are barely apparent after the first few hours. It's basically a Persona game.
- JadePhoenix
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Re: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
I'm currently about 75%-ish through the remake, after bouncing off it originally, and yeah, as others have said, it's basically Persona 4.5. The Fire Emblem references basically consist of the names of weapons, some characters, and some sound effects, and that's pretty much it. The combat is super flashy and a ton of fun, but no where near as well balanced as mainline Persona games. I'm really glad I gave it a second chance.
- ThirdDrawing
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Re: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
I'm still infuriated at the fact we've had this, Catherine AND a P5 spin-off announced and released all AFTER SMT V was announced and we've had ZERO information on it. It's bloody infuriating.
Re: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
I'm only playing half an hour here and there but it's a great little session every time. It's also plenty tough enough for me even on Easy or whatever. It also feels so streamlined up to this point, all good stuff, no padding.
Re: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
I'll be completely honest, it's the name that puts me off more than anything. There are so many generic anime sounding games out and I don't have a clue what any of them actually play like, but when you look at screenshots they all look almost identical. Anime characters, battling, dialogue... You couldn't move for the on the Vita online store, they baffle me. I always wondered 'who's buying these!?' It's a shame really because I bet there were some gems in there, which I happily ignored.
Re: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
I totally understand this. For a long time, I would have been put off this game by any number of elements which you mentioned. The music and look of it, the slightly questionable character designs, the daft name, the 'weeb shit' - without putting too fine a point on it. And as I've said a couple of times, I'm not generally into JRPGs or even Persona games.Alex79uk wrote: ↑February 15th, 2020, 11:35 pm I'll be completely honest, it's the name that puts me off more than anything. There are so many generic anime sounding games out and I don't have a clue what any of them actually play like, but when you look at screenshots they all look almost identical.
As for what's changed...I guess that culturally, I've become a little desensitised to these off-putting elements and I've found a lot below the surface which is rare and wonderful, and I especially like the mundane slice of life details. I don't really watch anime but the top tier stuff I've seen I've really loved, like Berserk, stuff by Katsuhira Otomo (Akira, Perfect Blue and others), Neon Genesis Evangelion and Studio Ghibli, and this has broken down my prejudice somewhat. Likewise, reading some top tier manga has helped me to see past the superficial elements, and again Berserk and Akira, but also Nausicaa, Lone Wolf and Cub and Monster are absolutely incredible. I've also dipped my toe into less highbrow/well-regarded stuff like Gantz and enjoyed it for the pulpy action and pace and crazy artwork. I still hardly watch any anime or read any manga because I find a lot of it juvenile or it simply doesn't appeal, but I've got past my initial preconceptions.
I think that's how I've come to play and enjoy this game, basically. I'd also say that Fire Emblem Three Houses probably played a significant part, because it borrows heavily from this type of Persona template and all the slice of life stuff really appealed to me. Tokyo Mirage Sessions is by no means a masterpiece or deep in almost any way besides the combat system, but it's very slick, playable, condensed, polished, flashy and it has a happy, silly atmosphere which really appeals to me these days. It's a very pleasant way to unwind, as opposed to killing myself chaining Ikaruga or grinding out a few ranking points in some multiplayer game. I love those things, too, but not all the time and not when I'm knackered and really busy. Balanced diet, and all that!
Anyway, just wanted to give you a decent reply because I totally get where you're coming from, but having dipped my toe into this kind of thing now, I would say there are some unique riches to be found.
Re: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
I've been putting more time into this of late rather than the odd twenty minutes/half hour and I love every moment with it. For something about such a dodgy industry, it's such a bright and breezy and light-hearted romp. The music and combat are especially excellent but the whole aesthetic just makes me feel happy to play it.
You could certainly argue that they're presenting a tone-deaf sanitised version which belittles the suffering and abuse which goes on behind closed doors but, in fact, they do address some of the issues within the idol circles and still manage to create and encourage a celebration of pop music and self-expression. They even acknowledge some of the lustier elements in quite a healthy way. It's never at all explicit or particularly played for laughs, rather than an expression that talented, attractive, confident people are appealing and that it's OK to be proud of yourself. There's a refreshing sincerity to that message which I feel would be sneered at in Europe, albeit possibly not so much in the States where people seem much more comfortable to promote themselves!
I also find that in Western culture (both in Europe and the US) there's a lot more overt sexualisation which ironically goes hand-in-hand with a culture of shame (I stopped short of saying 'slut shaming', but that's what I I'm referring to predominantly). This attitude is also brought up in the game where it's subsequently conquered by the purity of artistic vision!
I honestly think this would make a really interesting show.
You could certainly argue that they're presenting a tone-deaf sanitised version which belittles the suffering and abuse which goes on behind closed doors but, in fact, they do address some of the issues within the idol circles and still manage to create and encourage a celebration of pop music and self-expression. They even acknowledge some of the lustier elements in quite a healthy way. It's never at all explicit or particularly played for laughs, rather than an expression that talented, attractive, confident people are appealing and that it's OK to be proud of yourself. There's a refreshing sincerity to that message which I feel would be sneered at in Europe, albeit possibly not so much in the States where people seem much more comfortable to promote themselves!
I also find that in Western culture (both in Europe and the US) there's a lot more overt sexualisation which ironically goes hand-in-hand with a culture of shame (I stopped short of saying 'slut shaming', but that's what I I'm referring to predominantly). This attitude is also brought up in the game where it's subsequently conquered by the purity of artistic vision!
I honestly think this would make a really interesting show.
- raisinbman
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Re: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
Not sure how forum conduct is here, but there are spoilers below:
- Spoiler: show
Re: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
Well that was an epic and bizarrely specific first post! Welcome to the forum!
- raisinbman
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