Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE
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For: Wii U
Classified: M
The list of things that are great about Japan is a long one, but if I was forced to choose four they might be Tokyo, anime, J-pop and video games. If you feel the same way get ready, because I have just the thing for you.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE is a sugary explosion of all the sillier parts of Japanese pop culture, seeing a talent agency and its various idols locked in conflict with mysterious "mirages", invaders from another dimension.
Taking place in modern day Tokyo, the game tasks you with building up the cast's fighting and performance skills to take on menacing enemies in demonic versions of locales like Shibuya 109. It's ridiculous – and it knows it – but it's very enjoyable.
The game was originally conceived as a crossover between two blockbuster franchises: Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei and Nintendo's Fire Emblem, but FE really is its own beast.
Musical interludes are beautifully animated and feature some seriously catchy songs. Stretches of dialogue and non-combat gameplay will cover familiar ground for Japanophiles, but the story is competent and the characters endearing enough that I was happy to put down the controller to watch it unfold. Dialogue is all Japanese with English subtitles, a choice that ultimately works well given the motif.
Combat is a delightful blend of turn-based fighting and idol-style live performance. Exploiting an enemy's weaknesses not only deals extra damage, but allows allies with the appropriate skills to jump in and 'session' off the attack, creating crowd-pleasing combos.
I particularly like the neat and easy-to-grasp progression system that lets you shape your troupe's growth over time. Each character is bonded to a friendly mirage which transforms into a variety of weapons as you collect souls from enemies. Each weapon in turn imparts new skills.
Hardcore RPG fans may be left unsatisfied, but what FE lacks in gameplay depth it more than makes up for in style, music and unadulterated cheesy fun.