It Has Serious Style, and a Bopping Soundtrack
That image up above, yeah it’s from the main menu of Tokyo Mirage Sessions. An animated menu that really nails the tone of the overall game, and that sense of style permeates to every aspect.
Before Persona 5 blew everyone away with its slick animations and absurdly good style, Tokyo Mirage Sessions laid the groundwork, and now the Encore version on Switch is giving the game a second chance.
As you explore the streets of Tokyo crowds are painted with rainbow silhouettes, dungeons are all themed after musical ideas/performances, and the real-world locations are painstakingly recreated in digital form (like the Shibuya 109 department store).
The game’s aesthetic is wonderfully bright and cheerful, something you don’t often see taken to the extremes it is here. Along with that cheerful aesthetic comes an equally upbeat soundtrack.
Big moments in the story are highlighted by pop songs, as you’re main characters are all working to become idols. It’s all energetic bubblegummy music, which is a perfect fit.
Intuitive Combat System Combining SMT and Fire Emblem
Tokyo Mirage Sessions is the unlikely fusion of Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem, both of which are known for having dynamic combat systems. Tokyo Mirage Sessions is no different, and it somehow manages to effectively combine elements of both series.
Battle are turn-based, and enemies sport weaknesses that you need to exploit. Weapon attacks follow the weapon triangle of Fire Emblem (swords->axes->spears->swords), while magic and elemental attacks use the same weaknesses found in SMT or Persona.
The game also introduces a unique system called Session Attacks, where party members can follow up if they have the right attacks or you exploit weaknesses correctly. It’s much faster-paced than your typical turn-based system and there’s a lot to keep track of, but boy does it get fun fast and introduce new wrinkles later on.
Fire Emblem Characters are Basically Personas
Tokyo Mirage Sessions has much more in common with Persona than it does the mainline SMT series, and that comes right down to Persona-like creatures called Mirages.
Mirages are ethereal beings that feed on the creative energy of humans, but there are also friendly ones that joining you and are inspired by famous Fire Emblem characters, like Chrom (pictured above) or Caeda. On top of this, the Manaket Tiki plays a vital part in the story.
While Tokyo Mirage Sessions certainly resembles a Persona game more than anything, it has some neat ways of intertwining Fire Emblem into the mix.
If you’re a fan of either franchise, there are some fun nods and elements to uncover.
Lighthearted Story With Persona-esque Elements
Persona games are well known for the dark and mature themes that they can sometimes deal with, and while Tokyo Mirage Sessions never gets too dark its story is presented in much the same way.
The game is essentially split into two sections; story segments in the real world where you can explore, and otherworldly dungeons known as Idolaspheres, very similar to the TV world in Persona 4 or the Palaces in Persona 5.
Characters are a major focus in Tokyo Mirage Sessions, and you can take on inside stories to learn more about your party members. The characters even communicate via text message using plenty of slang and emojis in the process.
The story may end up being a bit silly, but it’s full of charming characters that are generally well-developed.
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