this game isnt a real fire emblem game because i actually enjoyed it
this is the best non-persona persona game i've ever played
it's like a sugary treat in video game form. lots of fun even if ultimately lacking depth. loved it regardless though, great characters, gameplay, soundtrack, and visuals
This is one of the most barebones JRPGs I've ever played. The story is literally nothing, one of your allies is a weird neckbeard pedo, and it has a lot of padding in the back half. That said I think the battle system is very solid, there's some great music, and I do like a couple of the characters quite a bit.
I got half way into this game and out of my 20 hours, 2% was enjoyable.
Every character is a trope, that trope is their personality. The main character makes me want to consume cardboard because it would be much more interesting and at least I'd FEEL something (indigestion). They made him a voiced protag which means he should have a personality right? tough. he isn't even the "friendship is true power" kind of protag, he's just so dull and uninteresting and AGHBGH
this game makes me irrationally angry. It's boneless persona. The battle system is the only redeemable part of the game, because yes, it's the SMT/Persona battle system without the negotiation stuff.
The story? Uh, an evil force is consuming the city so go to another dimension to stop it, and there's idol stuff. Y'know, they could've made this as a comment on how terrible and exploitative the idol industry in japan is but nah, that requires a piece of originality to form into a jrpg story. let's stick to jrpg story equivalent of an unbaked cake.
This game really got on my nerves (if you couldn't tell) and I dropped it. I don't recommend this game at all, not because it's buggy or glitchy, but because it is fundamentally bad from the start.
Every character is a trope, that trope is their personality. The main character makes me want to consume cardboard because it would be much more interesting and at least I'd FEEL something (indigestion). They made him a voiced protag which means he should have a personality right? tough. he isn't even the "friendship is true power" kind of protag, he's just so dull and uninteresting and AGHBGH
this game makes me irrationally angry. It's boneless persona. The battle system is the only redeemable part of the game, because yes, it's the SMT/Persona battle system without the negotiation stuff.
The story? Uh, an evil force is consuming the city so go to another dimension to stop it, and there's idol stuff. Y'know, they could've made this as a comment on how terrible and exploitative the idol industry in japan is but nah, that requires a piece of originality to form into a jrpg story. let's stick to jrpg story equivalent of an unbaked cake.
This game really got on my nerves (if you couldn't tell) and I dropped it. I don't recommend this game at all, not because it's buggy or glitchy, but because it is fundamentally bad from the start.
this game is NOT that good lmao but i enjoyed it, and hope it gets a sequel. gameplay is great, soundtrack is great, story is mid and the cast just ok (and the mc fucking sucks). i do really like mamori though, shes very cute. still, as an smt and fire emblem crossover, and as an smt game. it's kind of a joke lol.
Pros: I really liked some of the costume designs and overall it's a presentable jrpg with decent production values.
Cons: nothing here really comes together, and after spending nearly 25 hours with the game I don't see how it's gonna improve on anything. It's just so stiff, and boring. The music – for a game in Shin Megami Tensei series that focuses on vocalists and performers – is plain mediocre. The combat shows promise at first, but systems in place are very rigid and don't allow for any interesting decision making. Progression is linear and doesn't offer much variety in how you can build characters. But the most insulting thing here is how devoid of subtlety the story is, how plain the characters are, how one dimensional every problem or conflict is. It plays off the setting of idols unamusingly straight, endorsing and dignifying the industry that's a constant source of abuse and stigmatization to artists. That's just... sad? And boring. It feels like Atlus made Tokyo Mirage out of obligation rather than passion for craft and barely tried to take into any interesting direction what was potentially a really neat crossover. After pushing tens of hours through I just don't see how it's gonna get likeable
Cons: nothing here really comes together, and after spending nearly 25 hours with the game I don't see how it's gonna improve on anything. It's just so stiff, and boring. The music – for a game in Shin Megami Tensei series that focuses on vocalists and performers – is plain mediocre. The combat shows promise at first, but systems in place are very rigid and don't allow for any interesting decision making. Progression is linear and doesn't offer much variety in how you can build characters. But the most insulting thing here is how devoid of subtlety the story is, how plain the characters are, how one dimensional every problem or conflict is. It plays off the setting of idols unamusingly straight, endorsing and dignifying the industry that's a constant source of abuse and stigmatization to artists. That's just... sad? And boring. It feels like Atlus made Tokyo Mirage out of obligation rather than passion for craft and barely tried to take into any interesting direction what was potentially a really neat crossover. After pushing tens of hours through I just don't see how it's gonna get likeable
Tokyo Mirage Sessions was one the two Wii U games i wanted a Switch port of, the other obviously being Xenoblade Chronicles X. I didn't expect TMS to be the one getting the port before X but that was a welcome surprise. It definetly felt like an underrated gem that nobody gave credit to because "lol idols" and i'll admit, i'm not really a fan of idols. I purchased TMS Encore a few days after released and spent the next three months playing it.
I know it's not the Fire Emblem x SMT crossover that everyone expected but let me start off by saying that the character designs in this game are pretty dope. The "SMT'ified" versions of Fire Emblem characters are pretty cool (especially some of the promotions) but what i really liked the most was the Carnage Forms of each character. They manage to maintain that Fire Emblem look while at the same time managing to have a unique feel not found in any other Fire Emblem game. The characters themselves are good enough (not you Barry). I wouldn't call them amazing but they serve their purpose and i liked the cast overall. The side stories definitely help flesh out the characters more since the story kinda isn't good at doing that. In fact, i'd say that just like Xenoblade X, this is a game where the side stories are better than the main story. On the subject of the characters, Kiria is best girl, Touma is best boy. As for the actual Fire Emblem characters themselves, the Mirages that are allied with the party stay in character to their original counterparts but i have to give extra props to Tharja for actually not being a bad character. Crazy how Tharja is a better character in TMS than in Awakening.
The gameplay was actually pretty good. It's simple yet rewarding and those Session attacks can get addicting. I will say that it does feel like TMS gets easier as you progress. Once you start unlocking the Open Session passives for everyone, you'll have an overall easier time dealing with enemies than in the early game, where you could only do two Session attacks. I also appreicate the very generous amounts of EP the characters have, since you're almost never going to use the normal attack. Ad-lib and Duo attacks were pretty cool to see and this does tie back into the idol influence that i mentioned earlier. While i don't like the idol genre, the reason this game worked for me is because it actually did something unique with the idol genre, not to mention there were other elements of the entertainment industry. Most things in the idol genre are just reskins of Love Live. Also, i really like the theming of everything in this game. The party members were refered to as "cast members", locations were "scenes" and the characters were "artists". I also think it's pretty cool that the "magic circle" thing that shows up whenever a character uses magic is actually just their signature. It's pretty cool.
My main issues with the game is that there are times when the combat does feel a tad bit too repetitive. Dark and Light skills are also pretty useless since they can't Session into anything and Almighty is almost as useless except it has one use in breaking through Tetra/Makara skills. Some dungeons have puzzle elements but they weren't doing that well. The puzzles themselves weren't hard but a lot of the times, it was just impossible to see what it is you're actually trying to solve, so it results in undeeded trial and error. Also, the inability to swap out Itsuki from the party (i know you can in NG+) is a problem since it kinda limits you at times. In battle, characters can swap out at any time during their turn for no penalty (and it can be done as many times as needed) except Itsuki. He must always be there, even when it isn't beneficial at all.
The music is.....pretty forgettable actually, which is strange to say in a Modern FE world and in a game about music, because every Fire Emblem game since Awakening has had solid OSTs (before Awakening, most Fire Emblem games had like five memorable songs at most). The vocal songs themselves are pretty good but other than that, the soundtrack is just there. Good in the moment but nothing to really write home about.
Overall, the game isn't amazing but it's a solid addition to the Switch's library. It gets the Armagon seal of approval. I do recommend this game.
I know it's not the Fire Emblem x SMT crossover that everyone expected but let me start off by saying that the character designs in this game are pretty dope. The "SMT'ified" versions of Fire Emblem characters are pretty cool (especially some of the promotions) but what i really liked the most was the Carnage Forms of each character. They manage to maintain that Fire Emblem look while at the same time managing to have a unique feel not found in any other Fire Emblem game. The characters themselves are good enough (not you Barry). I wouldn't call them amazing but they serve their purpose and i liked the cast overall. The side stories definitely help flesh out the characters more since the story kinda isn't good at doing that. In fact, i'd say that just like Xenoblade X, this is a game where the side stories are better than the main story. On the subject of the characters, Kiria is best girl, Touma is best boy. As for the actual Fire Emblem characters themselves, the Mirages that are allied with the party stay in character to their original counterparts but i have to give extra props to Tharja for actually not being a bad character. Crazy how Tharja is a better character in TMS than in Awakening.
The gameplay was actually pretty good. It's simple yet rewarding and those Session attacks can get addicting. I will say that it does feel like TMS gets easier as you progress. Once you start unlocking the Open Session passives for everyone, you'll have an overall easier time dealing with enemies than in the early game, where you could only do two Session attacks. I also appreicate the very generous amounts of EP the characters have, since you're almost never going to use the normal attack. Ad-lib and Duo attacks were pretty cool to see and this does tie back into the idol influence that i mentioned earlier. While i don't like the idol genre, the reason this game worked for me is because it actually did something unique with the idol genre, not to mention there were other elements of the entertainment industry. Most things in the idol genre are just reskins of Love Live. Also, i really like the theming of everything in this game. The party members were refered to as "cast members", locations were "scenes" and the characters were "artists". I also think it's pretty cool that the "magic circle" thing that shows up whenever a character uses magic is actually just their signature. It's pretty cool.
My main issues with the game is that there are times when the combat does feel a tad bit too repetitive. Dark and Light skills are also pretty useless since they can't Session into anything and Almighty is almost as useless except it has one use in breaking through Tetra/Makara skills. Some dungeons have puzzle elements but they weren't doing that well. The puzzles themselves weren't hard but a lot of the times, it was just impossible to see what it is you're actually trying to solve, so it results in undeeded trial and error. Also, the inability to swap out Itsuki from the party (i know you can in NG+) is a problem since it kinda limits you at times. In battle, characters can swap out at any time during their turn for no penalty (and it can be done as many times as needed) except Itsuki. He must always be there, even when it isn't beneficial at all.
The music is.....pretty forgettable actually, which is strange to say in a Modern FE world and in a game about music, because every Fire Emblem game since Awakening has had solid OSTs (before Awakening, most Fire Emblem games had like five memorable songs at most). The vocal songs themselves are pretty good but other than that, the soundtrack is just there. Good in the moment but nothing to really write home about.
Overall, the game isn't amazing but it's a solid addition to the Switch's library. It gets the Armagon seal of approval. I do recommend this game.
Had a great time with this! great battle system, fun characters and story and a great ost and art style. Its main weakness is that the turns in its otherwise great battle system can be frustrating when you lose an ally and the puzzles in some dungeons are annoying
I didn't play enough of this game so I'm not gonna rate it
HOLY FUCK this is literally the most snore-worthy JRPG I've ever had the displeasure of trying I couldn't even get through chapter 2
Good if you like "trashy" popcorn entertainment high school JRPGs though probably but I've long been out of that phase
HOLY FUCK this is literally the most snore-worthy JRPG I've ever had the displeasure of trying I couldn't even get through chapter 2
Good if you like "trashy" popcorn entertainment high school JRPGs though probably but I've long been out of that phase
It's a weird blend of Persona and Fire Emblem that isn't as good as either but its still really stupid concept that you just can't help but laugh at. Like I feel like combat gets reeaal old after awhile especially with duo skills that play a 1-minute-long cutscene of anime girls dancing to do a supermove. Overall, the game is flawed but fun and has enough charm and strong characters where I can overlook a lot of its unfortunate shortcomings.
Gaudy and annoying battle screen, throwaway Power Rangers plot. And why does your character appear differently in and out of battles? That is not how to make a classic RPG.
Game is a big shitpost and I love it
Sora takaku fly
Sora takaku fly
Really fun so far!
Remember when Twitter gassed up the most mid game of all time?
How weird is it that this exists? A SMT-like that co-opts Fire Emblem names and characters, and also it's about J-pop. I wonder how angry Nintendo America was when Nintendo Japan told them this is what they have to sell.
I adore this game's aesthetic. I'm a sucker for pop music in games anyway and this really incorporates it into every aspect of its style. The Session system makes the game maybe a little easy but also kinetic and showy, and that's a trade-off I'm more than happy to make. I don't know much about idol music but found the tunes are catchy enough that I often let them play out during battles instead of skipping the animation.
It's a shame that style isn't present more in the actual story. The game doesn't have any point to make about the nature of performance. In the end the villain is defeated physically but not refuted philosophically. The Cosmic Evil is summoned off-screen and once the heroes pump some DPS into it for a while the story just abruptly ends. Maybe I was expected to recognize the Big Bad from Fire Emblem which I have no experience with, but nothing else in the story relied on outside knowledge.
Other than that, it's a very solid RPG. When asked I've been describing it as Persona-lite: similar mechanics and setting, but without the calendar and also 40 hours shorter. The characters are interesting enough to fill the ~50 hours this game took me to beat. All the female characters have a crush on the protagonist because unlike in Persona you can't choose to date one so they have to cover all the bases. I might go load my endgame save and get some more achievements done.
I adore this game's aesthetic. I'm a sucker for pop music in games anyway and this really incorporates it into every aspect of its style. The Session system makes the game maybe a little easy but also kinetic and showy, and that's a trade-off I'm more than happy to make. I don't know much about idol music but found the tunes are catchy enough that I often let them play out during battles instead of skipping the animation.
It's a shame that style isn't present more in the actual story. The game doesn't have any point to make about the nature of performance. In the end the villain is defeated physically but not refuted philosophically. The Cosmic Evil is summoned off-screen and once the heroes pump some DPS into it for a while the story just abruptly ends. Maybe I was expected to recognize the Big Bad from Fire Emblem which I have no experience with, but nothing else in the story relied on outside knowledge.
Other than that, it's a very solid RPG. When asked I've been describing it as Persona-lite: similar mechanics and setting, but without the calendar and also 40 hours shorter. The characters are interesting enough to fill the ~50 hours this game took me to beat. All the female characters have a crush on the protagonist because unlike in Persona you can't choose to date one so they have to cover all the bases. I might go load my endgame save and get some more achievements done.
Story 3/10
Gameplay 6/10
Graphics/Animations 5/10
Music 6/10
Game was too long and slow paced. Not exactly the SMT x FE crossover I was expecting...just could not bring myself to finish it. If you like Persona 5 but have never played any other JRPG, play Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Ni No Kuni or Dragon Quest instead. If you choose this instead you'll just be wishing the whole time you were playing P5 instead.
Gameplay 6/10
Graphics/Animations 5/10
Music 6/10
Game was too long and slow paced. Not exactly the SMT x FE crossover I was expecting...just could not bring myself to finish it. If you like Persona 5 but have never played any other JRPG, play Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Ni No Kuni or Dragon Quest instead. If you choose this instead you'll just be wishing the whole time you were playing P5 instead.
The only video game to put me through physical pain.
This game is lacks substance, is full of moe idol pandering garbage, and is overall a spit in the face to the SMT franchise.
I know this game has it's fans and good for them but I can't get into it, it makes me honestly sick.
This game is lacks substance, is full of moe idol pandering garbage, and is overall a spit in the face to the SMT franchise.
I know this game has it's fans and good for them but I can't get into it, it makes me honestly sick.
Very vitacore wish it got a sequel with money
if we just change persona to performa people will think this is basically persona r-right????
how did anyone think that this is at all good enough to be on the same level as other smt-like games. major bruh moment
imagine basing how powerful you are based on how good you are at singing, also people got butthurt because there was no hotspring dlc in the english version.
it has like some merits. like the actual performa aspect is nice, the fire emblem gimmick is like ok and the visuals are cool. but the combat is literally just baton pass but done really bad.
anyway, i can say this is definitely a game
how did anyone think that this is at all good enough to be on the same level as other smt-like games. major bruh moment
imagine basing how powerful you are based on how good you are at singing, also people got butthurt because there was no hotspring dlc in the english version.
it has like some merits. like the actual performa aspect is nice, the fire emblem gimmick is like ok and the visuals are cool. but the combat is literally just baton pass but done really bad.
anyway, i can say this is definitely a game
this game is excellent fuck everyone else
I'm one of those people who saw the "SMT x Fire Emblem" teaser back in the day and filled their heads with thoughts of how amazing a crossover between the two series could be, with the dark atmosphere of SMT mixed with the compelling heroes of FE.
...I only ended up playing it 4 years after release and what I imagined wasn't exactly what I got, but TMS #FE Encore is an example of how sometimes being proven wrong is okay.
I immediately assumed the idol premise wouldn't be for me when the game first released and avoided it, but since giving it a chance I was really pleasantly surprised. The battle system feels really satisfying, especially pulling off long combo attacks by striking weaknesses (kind of like 1 more in Persona and press turn in SMT, but more powerful when used smartly and when you have the right skills and teammates).
It's also cool to see "Mirage" forms of both recent and classic FE characters alike- And the promotion system from FE lets you choose the final form of your party members' Mirages. There's also a wide range of weapons, levelling them up gives you new skills etc.
The story is... All right. The idol stuff isn't really my cup of tea, but I kind of found myself enjoying it anyway. While some of the leading cast are kind of bland, they're generally pretty likeable (Except Ellie. All my homies hate Ellie). The side quests are really fun little stories and some of them are pretty humourous.
All in all a really fun JRPG. I'm glad I played it, but part of me does kind of wish the project dubbed SMT x Fire Emblem had been something more... Well, representative of how both franchises actually are.
...I only ended up playing it 4 years after release and what I imagined wasn't exactly what I got, but TMS #FE Encore is an example of how sometimes being proven wrong is okay.
I immediately assumed the idol premise wouldn't be for me when the game first released and avoided it, but since giving it a chance I was really pleasantly surprised. The battle system feels really satisfying, especially pulling off long combo attacks by striking weaknesses (kind of like 1 more in Persona and press turn in SMT, but more powerful when used smartly and when you have the right skills and teammates).
It's also cool to see "Mirage" forms of both recent and classic FE characters alike- And the promotion system from FE lets you choose the final form of your party members' Mirages. There's also a wide range of weapons, levelling them up gives you new skills etc.
The story is... All right. The idol stuff isn't really my cup of tea, but I kind of found myself enjoying it anyway. While some of the leading cast are kind of bland, they're generally pretty likeable (Except Ellie. All my homies hate Ellie). The side quests are really fun little stories and some of them are pretty humourous.
All in all a really fun JRPG. I'm glad I played it, but part of me does kind of wish the project dubbed SMT x Fire Emblem had been something more... Well, representative of how both franchises actually are.
This is literally the same game as the original with such minor changes but I loved playing it way more. I think the more depressed you are, the better this game is.
This game rocks.
It's as generic as an anime story/characters can be, but it's an insanely enjoyable ride through, with a genuine masterpiece of a turn based battle system. Was a big fan of the music and overall aesthetic as well. The encore improvements feel so great having never fully beaten the original. It has its fair shares of flaws but it's truly an unforgettable experience for me.
It's as generic as an anime story/characters can be, but it's an insanely enjoyable ride through, with a genuine masterpiece of a turn based battle system. Was a big fan of the music and overall aesthetic as well. The encore improvements feel so great having never fully beaten the original. It has its fair shares of flaws but it's truly an unforgettable experience for me.
The quality isn't the greatest but the gameplay is really fun
this game has a walter skin which raised by rating by half a star. it's kinda average, characters are decent but the protagonist is horribly boring. dungeons are more fun after the second one which almost made me drop the game.
it's a far better game than persona 3 and 4 at least.
it's a far better game than persona 3 and 4 at least.
"There appears to have been a fusion accident"
This is not only a disappointing crossover but also a disappointing game.
The combat is OK and some characters are kinda likeable, but overall the cast and story are really, really dumb and cringey. One example that always sticks out in my mind is the conflict in the Tarantino movie chapter.
The combat is OK and some characters are kinda likeable, but overall the cast and story are really, really dumb and cringey. One example that always sticks out in my mind is the conflict in the Tarantino movie chapter.
Adorei cada segundo, principalmente dos especiais serem performances completas!
This review contains spoilers
I'm honestly shocked at how much I ended up liking this game.
I bought it out of boredom because I'm a big Fire Emblem fan, and I love Persona 5 (I'm not too hot on the older games), and this game was seemingly a mix of both with an idol theme, so I figured, "eh, what could go wrong?"
The combat in this game is stellar. As a self-proclaimed turn-based RPG connoisseur, this is definitely up there as one of the best in terms of how enjoyable the combat is. If you're experienced in Megami Tensei like I was when I played this, it'll be easy to catch on to it. Building different characters is fun, and because of the way learning skills, stat growths and promotions work, no two playthroughs will be the same.
The dungeon design isn't the best, but it's far from the worst. It's just a bit simple sometimes...almost too simple, to be honest. Some dungeon designs can be a bit frustrating to figure out, like Illusory Daitou TV, but it never gets unbearable at any point.
I kind of love the story? The very concept of J-Pop meets Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem is hilariously stupid, but I could tell they tried their damn hardest to actually make it work. I didn't dislike really...any character in the game, which is definitely a good thing. Kiria and Touma were definitely my standouts from the bunch. The final boss battle with the Opera of Light cutscene, which I'm sure you've seen already because of how much it's been memed to death, is the most surreal cutscene I've ever seen in a video game. While I was laughing at how hysterically dumb the cutscene was, I was thinking to myself, as I'm sure many others were, "this is a Fire Emblem game."
Considering this is a crossover game between Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem, two franchises that take great pride in amazing soundtracks, I would expect this game to follow suit, and it more than delivers. The soundtrack for this game bangs. The normal battle theme, Bloom Palace, the boss theme, Gharnef's boss theme, the dungeon themes, it goes on and on...pretty much all of the songs in this game are great, which is something I can't say about a lot of games I've played.
All in all, if you're craving a turn-based game and haven't played this, you should pick it up. It's honestly a surprisingly fun time.
I bought it out of boredom because I'm a big Fire Emblem fan, and I love Persona 5 (I'm not too hot on the older games), and this game was seemingly a mix of both with an idol theme, so I figured, "eh, what could go wrong?"
The combat in this game is stellar. As a self-proclaimed turn-based RPG connoisseur, this is definitely up there as one of the best in terms of how enjoyable the combat is. If you're experienced in Megami Tensei like I was when I played this, it'll be easy to catch on to it. Building different characters is fun, and because of the way learning skills, stat growths and promotions work, no two playthroughs will be the same.
The dungeon design isn't the best, but it's far from the worst. It's just a bit simple sometimes...almost too simple, to be honest. Some dungeon designs can be a bit frustrating to figure out, like Illusory Daitou TV, but it never gets unbearable at any point.
I kind of love the story? The very concept of J-Pop meets Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem is hilariously stupid, but I could tell they tried their damn hardest to actually make it work. I didn't dislike really...any character in the game, which is definitely a good thing. Kiria and Touma were definitely my standouts from the bunch. The final boss battle with the Opera of Light cutscene, which I'm sure you've seen already because of how much it's been memed to death, is the most surreal cutscene I've ever seen in a video game. While I was laughing at how hysterically dumb the cutscene was, I was thinking to myself, as I'm sure many others were, "this is a Fire Emblem game."
Considering this is a crossover game between Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem, two franchises that take great pride in amazing soundtracks, I would expect this game to follow suit, and it more than delivers. The soundtrack for this game bangs. The normal battle theme, Bloom Palace, the boss theme, Gharnef's boss theme, the dungeon themes, it goes on and on...pretty much all of the songs in this game are great, which is something I can't say about a lot of games I've played.
All in all, if you're craving a turn-based game and haven't played this, you should pick it up. It's honestly a surprisingly fun time.