Last year we saw the launch of the most successful Fire Emblem title in the U.S. to date: Fire Emblem: Three Houses. With its unexpected popularity, many new players have become better acquainted with Fire Emblem combat and lore. Today, January 17, 2020, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore released on Nintendo Switch. It's considered to be a crossover between the world of Japanese video game developer, Atlus - the creators of Persona 5, and the world of Fire Emblem. But players shouldn't expect a Fire Emblem experience from this game.
This is a re-release of the Wii U title, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, and it centers on modern Tokyo teenagers who are out to save the world from evil by becoming performers. The Switch version of the game hasn't been out very long, but so far, user scores indicate that the game is well-liked, overall by those who have played it.
First Impressions
I picked up my copy of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore this morning. I hadn't played the original game on Wii U, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The trailers and artwork that I'd seen gave me the impression that this would be a zany title, and from what I've played so far, that assessment has held true. At the time of writing this, I've put about 3 hours into the game.
One thing I'll say is that you shouldn't expect this game to be anything like a Fire Emblem title. True, popular Fire Emblem characters, like Chrom and Ceada, are seen throughout the game, and the weapons triangle from older Fire Emblem games is in use. Still, the battle mechanics and overall world of Tokyo Mirage Sessions is nothing like Fire Emblem.
The game opens with one of the main characters heading to a talent audition, similar to America's Got Talent or American Idol. Only in this case, Ryan Seacrest is actually a talent-sucking demon determined to steal your soul and worse, your skills. It's up to you and your friends to protect Tokyo from this invasion by bonding and fighting alongside Mirages - basically the ghosts of Fire Emblem heroes.
It's still too early for me to form a strong opinion on this game. But, so far, it has piqued my interest as an odd-yet-charming JRPG. The turn-based battle mechanics are fun, the world is super colorful and exciting, and the anime-style cutscenes are gorgeous. I'll have my full review on this game out sometime next week. Until then, see what fellow Nintendo Switch gamers are saying about Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore.
Player reviews
This is definitely a niche game, and there aren't nearly as many reviews as there have been for others Switch titles. That being the case, at the time of writing this, professional reviewers have left it with an average score of 80 on Metacritic while user reviews are at an average of 7.6. That's not the best score, but not the worst we've seen.
As always, there's a mixed response to any video game that comes out. However, in this case, most of the reviews are positive. I'll continue fighting off evil with the help of Mirages to form a better opinion and will write my full review of this JRPG next week.
What do you think?
Are you interested in Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore for Nintendo Switch? Are you going to be playing this weekend? Tell us about it below.
Save the world from talent-stealing evil
The worlds of Atlus and Fire Emblem come together to create a bright and lighthearted JRPG. Your goal is to protect the world from an evil bent on stealing talented people's Performa. Level up, learn new attacks and add more people to your team.
