Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore for the switch, or its other name, Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem, or as I call it "Persona but there's random Fire Emblem characters and they never explain why" has finally come out for the Nintendo Switch. It was originally a Wii-U game that had a pretty unique gimmick. The main game was played on the TV screen while your game pad had you "Topic", basically your smartphone/menu open at all times. The game didn't sell that well at its initial launch, partly do to it not having a very powerful marketing campaign, and partly do to the general opinion of the Wii-U itself. But the team took their chances and ported it to the new console with a few extra features anyway.
Taking weird chances is a theme that explains the game in general. The plot, even for a SMT game, is wacky. A girl who's sister disappeared at an Opera show years ago decides to become an Idol on the off chance that it helps her find her older sister. A guy who goes to a concert on the off chance his friend will be there instead of at home like she said. A music manager that hires a group of untrained teenagers on the chance she can make them the next stars. The plot is kind of wacky.
Some of the design decisions fall into that same list. In the Switch version of the game, random Fire Emblem characters take the place of other characters in the game. The main characters pair with Persona-esq spirits called Mirages, and two of the main ones are literally just Chrom and Tiki. (The #FE stands for Fire Emblem) The battle system is based entirely on showing off, and you only get new equipment by leveling up what you already have.
But all these risks pay off into a truly unique game. The JRPG genre is one forged from hardware shortcomings. One created on some of the oldest gaming systems in the world. As such it tends to get its share of critics, and every entry is scrutinized very intensely. Its a genre where a game has to be have unique mechanics and a great story to even stand out anymore. This game has both of those in spades.
It has a persona-like life simulator part. You hang out with your friends, and as your bond gets closer they get new powers to help you in combat. But it lacks Persona's time management and sense of urgency. To me this is a good thing, others may not think so. It has a surpisingly deep combat system with flashy attacks, but it seems strangely simple at first, and only shows its true colors a few hours in.
One major downside being that the game has no English dub. While a lot of people prefer to play anything anime-esq in the native language, having the option of English is always a plus. The in-combat dialogue has no subtitles. This is kind of a weird choice because there is a LOT of in combat dialogue. It also has the old school-JRPG problem where there is a party combination that is just absurdly better than any other combination.
All in all, this game is a BLAST. Its a wacky good time with some FANTASTIC music, and it never takes itself too seriously or lets itself get too goofy. If you have a switch, pick up a copy. Become a pop star, save the world, and make some new friends.
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