Welcome to our full review of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore, one of the best RPGs currently on the Nintendo Switch! Great music and a fun storyline, what more can you ask for?
Slay strategically in deep, stylish RPG battles
The worlds of the Fire Emblem series and Atlus games have crossed paths again and the result is coming to the Nintendo Switch system. An interdimensional evil has invaded modern-day Tokyo, resulting in this fantastical barrage of music, style, and yes, danger. So, fight back! Battle through dungeons to pump up your strategy and creatively decimate your foes…before all hope fades to black.
You and the rising stars you call friends will need to call on your own creative power—manifested as iconic Fire Emblem characters—to wage a secret war on rogue spirits that feed on creativity. Each encounter will immerse you in deep, turn-based battles that blend the combat of the Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei series into one brutal harmony. Fuse items to craft weaponry; then play to your strengths and crush your foes. Around every corner you’ll find fun nods to multiple fandoms, including Fire Emblem references, dungeons themed to the entertainment industry, and stunning musical performances.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is basically what happens when you mix and match music, the RPG genre and the best bits of 2 franchises. If you read my preview, you already know I love this game and I will go into detail in my full review right now. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is about our two main protagonists Itsuki and Tsubasa. Tsubasa was the sole survivor of the mass disappearance that happened years ago. Her sister and all the people on stage and in the music hall disappeared.
Years later, she decides to become an idol and keep searching for her disappeared sister, hoping to find clues on the inside of the industry. Itsuki notices her entering the contest and decides to take a look. Upon Tsubasa’s turn to sing, suddenly things get grim. The host Go Juin becomes evil and before they know it, they are overrun by evil beings that take them to the other side. Itsuki breaks free from the hold they have over him and he heads into the weird place called the Idolasphere.
Shortly after, a bright light appears and prevents Itsuki from being captured. Still on the pursuit of Tsubasa, he enlists the help of Chrom and becomes a Mirage master. Tsubasa is then rescued and she becomes the Mirage master of Caeda. Together they get out of the Idolasphere and with the help of newly found friends, they are informed of the events that just transpired. In the aftermath, they are both recruited into the talent agency called Fortuna.
In their attempt to find out what happened to Tsubasa’s sister, they actually succeed in finding her and setting her free, but that opened way more questions than they’d have wanted. What is happening and why does it appear all the bad guys are seemingly working together? Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is all about that quest. Who are they and what motivates them to cause havoc all’round?
As this game is a blend between Role Playing Games and a lot of music, it comes to no surprise that music is the red line throughout the story and it is also its main selling point. Great music even and anime scenes in between the action, a lot is going on in this game. Not even mentioning the side quests and added options to level up. I loved they even included a warning that leveling up too much would render the game too easy. But if it is still too much for you, after losing you can even go for the “friendly” mode, which makes things even easier. A nice touch for a semi-hard game. Not too hard, just need to keep your head at it.
The reason why I mention this, the game mechanics incorporate a lot of features and they make the game much more interesting every time more is introduced. As Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is a basic turn-based RPG, you get the timeline that you need to follow and while all attacks are in turn, there are session attacks as well. Basically, when an enemy is hit by the right attack, your teammates will follow up with their own attacks, regardless of their position on the timeline. It is the way to beat enemies quickly.
But it does not stop there, there are also special attacks that are better, but they take a while to amass power for. While more powerful and visually impressive, they do need some serious planning ahead as you don’t just perform those at will.
Add in tons of items, outfits, weapons, … and you got Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore. A visually stunning game with a lot of depth and fun to be had. And now for the elephant in the room, this game is “yet another port” on Nintendo Switch. It is time to stop the conversation about this, the Nintendo Switch version of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore looks amazing and it is an awesome game as it is. There is no need to keep bringing this up. A great game got added to the console and we should be happy it is now widely available.
In conclusion, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is a game that withstood the test of time and is still as awesome as I found it way back on Wii U. The game has some of the best music and a strong storyline to keep you entertained for a nice 50 hours average! If you did not get this game on the Wii U, this is your chance to pick it up for the Switch!
