Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE

 Wii U
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 410 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 314 out of 410
  2. Mixed: 33 out of 410
  3. Negative: 63 out of 410
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  1. Goodnightmoon
    Jun 7, 2021
    10
    This is a wonderful game that deserves way more recognition. While it may be a little too cheesy and it has some annoying anime tropes, TMS is a very special game.
    The setting and story are pretty unique, the characters are trying to make their way into the Japanese show business and along the way they have to fight with the obstacles of the industry and their own personal demons, this is    This is a wonderful game that deserves way more recognition. While it may be a little too cheesy and it has some annoying anime tropes, TMS is a very special game.
    The setting and story are pretty unique, the characters are trying to make their way into the Japanese show business and along the way they have to fight with the obstacles of the industry and their own personal demons, this is represented with demons and dungeons in a similar style as Persona.
    The gameplay is fantastic, one of the best combat systems of any JRPG ever, its addictive, accesible but deep and very eye-candy. The presentation of the game as a whole is really good, very vibrant and colorful with a ton of style. The music, while not my style, its really well produced and fitting with the game, its high quality J-pop for the most part.
    The whole vibe of the game is quite light-hearted, maybe a bit too much for a Shin Megami Tensei spin-off but its really charming and quite engaging.
    An absolute gem, a game that always makes me happy, great gameplay, great presentation, likeable characters, unique story, its just really good.    … Expand
  2. Galix
    Jun 10, 2020
    8
    Un jrpg que muchos pasarán por alto por no estar traducido y por girar en torno a la cultura idol de Japón pero que sin duda agradará a todos aquellos amantes del género que estén dispuestos a darle una oportunidad.

    Lo bueno: - Gran sistema de combate, entretenido y dinámico. - Muy buenos personajes. - Buen apartado artístico en cuanto a diseño. - Bastante largo, incluso yendo solo    Un jrpg que muchos pasarán por alto por no estar traducido y por girar en torno a la cultura idol de Japón pero que sin duda agradará a todos aquellos amantes del género que estén dispuestos a darle una oportunidad.

    Lo bueno:
    - Gran sistema de combate, entretenido y dinámico.
    - Muy buenos personajes.
    - Buen apartado artístico en cuanto a diseño.
    - Bastante largo, incluso yendo solo a por la historia.

    Lo malo:
    - Historia muy mediocre.
    - Textos en inglés que, si bien no son difíciles de entender para quien sepa un poco el idioma, echarán para atrás a más de uno.
    - La participación de la saga Fire Emblem es más bien anecdótica.    … Expand
  3. LoganWayne
    Apr 1, 2020
    10
    Underrated game. This is the one of the best RPG I have played. This is the closest game to Persona series that Nintendo console owners can have.

    Other people might have concerns with the censorship when Atlus ported it outside Japan, but it did not affect the gameplay at all. I'm not mad that Atlus adapted the gameplay of Persona more than Fire Emblem or Shin Megami Tensei, I'm    Underrated game. This is the one of the best RPG I have played. This is the closest game to Persona series that Nintendo console owners can have.

    Other people might have concerns with the censorship when Atlus ported it outside Japan, but it did not affect the gameplay at all. I'm not mad that Atlus adapted the gameplay of Persona more than Fire Emblem or Shin Megami Tensei, I'm actually surprised and happy!

    Battle system is the best part of this game. I don't have a problem with the story being corny at times or that the protagonists aspire to be superstars. I don't. This game still deserves a 10 for me.

    I hope Atlus continues to support more games to Nintendo consoles.    … Expand
  4. gaboblack
    Jan 30, 2020
    10
    Un gran JRPG! Muy divertido, su banda sonora es excelente y su sistema de combate es brillante.
  5. gui789
    Jun 22, 2019
    10
    Um jogo grandioso, capaz de entreter por dezenas de horas, enredo
  6. TheCoffeeTalker
    Jan 6, 2019
    8
    Amazing! The gameplay mixed with the beautiful graphics combined with the wonderful story makes this the perfect JRPG for the Wii U! And if you are looking for a good JRPG that has plenty of things to do and includes large amounts of gameplay, well jackpot!
  7. XV_
    Sep 30, 2018
    8
    (More like a 7.7). For a game with a lot of personality as TMS#FE its main characters don't have a lot of it, but somehow or kind of #FE manages for you to feel for them, in the end, I kinda had a rush of nostalgia true the epilogue, like saying goodbye to true friends.

    If you like RPGs and Idols or at least anime style idols i think this combination is a made in heaven, but if you    (More like a 7.7). For a game with a lot of personality as TMS#FE its main characters don't have a lot of it, but somehow or kind of #FE manages for you to feel for them, in the end, I kinda had a rush of nostalgia true the epilogue, like saying goodbye to true friends.

    If you like RPGs and Idols or at least anime style idols i think this combination is a made in heaven, but if you dislike at least one of those you better stay away. The story is as generic as a lot of the modern FE stories but what truly shines is the combat, is so addictive till it gets old at the very end, the customization of skills is pretty deep and you will invest a lot of time on this system (for the better or the worse), the thing is that this part of the game is clunky as hell, picture yourself in a dungeon then grind a lot, then go back to the main hub to upgrade your skills, then go to the dungeon and grind, then repeat, it would be great that you could do that on the go but no. There's a lot of grinding so if you mind that kind of thing also stay away, also the music was a hit or miss for me, not my kind of music but some tunes were really cool. As for the things that invested me aside of the combat system where the sidequests, every sidequest has a cinematic reward with like a performance about one of the main characters and some of them are amazing or hilarious, also the presentation is amazing, but I can see a lot of people hating it or loving it. In the end, it was a very fun RPG with some interesting turns on the combat formula and presentation but not much on the story and character department to really shine like a star.    … Expand
  8. Kenmei
    Aug 17, 2017
    9
    After having gone back and played this after completing Persona 5, I've got a new appreciation for this title. While still not on the level of any of the recent Persona games, there's clearly a certain charm here with this game. Everything here seems simplified from Persona 4 and there's some things here that clearly influenced some of what Persona 5 used when it was released. Things areAfter having gone back and played this after completing Persona 5, I've got a new appreciation for this title. While still not on the level of any of the recent Persona games, there's clearly a certain charm here with this game. Everything here seems simplified from Persona 4 and there's some things here that clearly influenced some of what Persona 5 used when it was released. Things are cool and flashy, nowhere near how cool Persona 5 was and still is but there's alot to love here with this game. And while the story can be very hard for western audiences to relate too, the characters here usually do a solid job of making things interesting, even if everything is in Japanese subtitled. It's a very good game for a system that desperately needed them. I wouldn't call it great but I can see how they used this game and some of the features as a stepping stone for stuff that came later with Persona 5 so I've got a better appreciation for the things this does. JRPG fans who own the Wii U should give this a go. I'd recommend playing and beating Persona 4 and 5 first but this is a solid entry level game for people looking to get into the main Persona series later on.… Expand
  9. IvyPace
    Mar 9, 2017
    9
    Oh I love this game so much ! It's so fun, so bubbly, colorful, cute, full of nice songs. The combat is fluid and fun, but after some grinding you can get somewhat bored of it. Also the censures from the oriental version to the occidental version are totally pointless. There was no need for that :( Besides this is an incredible game and must for those who really like JRPGS, Cute stuff orOh I love this game so much ! It's so fun, so bubbly, colorful, cute, full of nice songs. The combat is fluid and fun, but after some grinding you can get somewhat bored of it. Also the censures from the oriental version to the occidental version are totally pointless. There was no need for that :( Besides this is an incredible game and must for those who really like JRPGS, Cute stuff or simple RPGs like me… Expand
  10. CVegaOrtega
    Oct 28, 2016
    10
    Excellent game. I had my doubts about it, because it seemed too anime for my liking, but the characters are charming and the history is good. The greatest thing about the game it's the gameplay, hands down the best combat system i've seen in a rpg, it's a great mesh between Fire Emblem system and the SMT system. The upgrade for the weapons are great, and the soundtrack its too. Like,Excellent game. I had my doubts about it, because it seemed too anime for my liking, but the characters are charming and the history is good. The greatest thing about the game it's the gameplay, hands down the best combat system i've seen in a rpg, it's a great mesh between Fire Emblem system and the SMT system. The upgrade for the weapons are great, and the soundtrack its too. Like, seriously, first rpg that i don't want to skip the common enemies.… Expand
  11. Afenger
    Oct 8, 2016
    9
    Um rpg indispensável para fãs de persona, a utilização dos personagens do fire emblem traz boa recordacoes quando se ganha skills no jogo. Ficou interessante vale a pena ser jogado um modo de batalha classico e facil de se entender.
  12. pixiejoe7
    Aug 25, 2016
    10
    This game is really good. The gameplay/combat is easily the best thing it has going for it, better than SMT titles. The characters are likable. The music is catchy. The story is your standard jrpg stuff. Only real complaint would be that it could've used mirages from more FE games. One of the best jrpg's to come out in a long time.
  13. GoombaJMR
    Aug 25, 2016
    9
    Excellent game from Atlus (and Nintendo) that combines our favorite franchises (SMT & Fire Emblem) together for a very strange and unique experience. The music in this game is kind of interesting, with songs that you'll either like or dislike (not much in the middle) and excellent battle themes overall. Boss and mid-boss themes are very Persona-like, with Shoji Meguro style guitar riffsExcellent game from Atlus (and Nintendo) that combines our favorite franchises (SMT & Fire Emblem) together for a very strange and unique experience. The music in this game is kind of interesting, with songs that you'll either like or dislike (not much in the middle) and excellent battle themes overall. Boss and mid-boss themes are very Persona-like, with Shoji Meguro style guitar riffs and solos, while final boss and certain other themes are a mix of FE orchestrated goodness and some good electronic beats that actually don't hinder the melody of the music. Some of my favorites (search these on Youtube for a spoiler-less listen) include Quest Battle, Final Dungeon (no name spoiling), Boss Battle, Extra Battle, Shibuya, and the Final Boss theme of course ;). The idol songs were actually mostly catchy too, with my favorites being Black Rain, Reincarnation, Dream Catcher, and Raindrop Memories (or something like that).

    The art by toi8 is excellent, and I hope to see more from him/her (he has recently also worked on I Am Setsuna, which I have yet to try). The 3D models are detailed and the animation is fluid in and out of battle. The enemy design may not strike everyone as excellent due to them looking kind of crazy and not FE or SMT like. Either way, after playing for 20 hours, the enemy design started to grow on me and I started to like them a lot. This includes the cute cleric, cuter ghost thing, the horses on wheels, and the pegasus fliers. The mirages that are on your team (there are 7) are spectacularly designed too, and I spent a great deal of time using the SP skills (special) to watch them kick some serious a--.

    The game may seem a bit plain and FE-less in the beginning, but more elements are added throughout the game (particularly past the 15 hour mark for me), including the use of Master Seals (awesome!), weapon strengthening, and unique field skills that make our life much more pleasant. I played the entire game on normal and rarely had trouble with the difficulty (though I have played a lot of SMT AND FE), with the exception of bosses every once and a while. Sometimes you'll bring the most incompatible party members with you to a fight and get demolished when the boss goes first or second (and moves twice). For example, I would bring two lance users and those two would get targeted like crazy by a boss that uses axe attacks (axe beats lance), while almost always ignoring my sword user. So the battle system is great, the music for it is crazy good, animations and models right on target, decorations and backgrounds are colorful, and effects are just brilliant.

    The story isn't very strong and focused, which is similar to the recent FE games, but all story segments are fully voiced in Japanese (excellent job) and your attachment to the characters will naturally grow from hanging out with them during intermissions (and even the main story). Because I kind of rushed the playthrough of this game (got around 55% of play records and didn't really clear many requests) due to me moving to LA for college and not being able to take the Wii U with me (siblings..), I really am looking forward to playing through the game again to see more dialogue between my favorite characters and mirages. Anyways, buy this game if you have a Wii U - even if you don't like J-Pop and stuff, the excellent battle system and great bonds you can make in the game can open your scope (in a more direct way and not 'I heard it's about this' way) to two excellent franchises that currently reside among the top of JRPG franchises!

    PS: I have read about the censorship and found it to be no big deal (though I would have LOVED the hot springs DLC). I think it would be a better idea not to censor things, but it's not like they deleted a dungeon or did anything that would really limit our playtime (unless one would like to stare at pictures in a dungeon for hours). I also think that the people who are complaining about this like crazy are making it a bigger deal than it is and are ruining it for themselves. This is an excellent gaming experience and I feel that just some censorship will not (and did not for me) have a significant impact on the actual gameplay for this. Another reviewer commented on a dangerous bug regarding the Artists menu from mid to endgame, but I did not run into this issue despite clicking the artists menu quite often to check my progress on character side quests.

    Gameplay: 9.5/10
    Story: 8/10
    Music: 9/10
    Presentation: 9.5/10
    Length: 9/10
    Overall: 9/10    … Expand
  14. vanou
    Aug 19, 2016
    10
    Very fun game, not so difficult but challenging enough. Great graphics, amazing music, but you have to like japanese culture. A must have for the fans.
  15. yiric4
    Aug 18, 2016
    8
    dont care about censorship **** off

    battle sequences take forever after u get every a talent and lets them get an attack in even when not in your party
    text messaging app on gamepad sucks
    not a fan of ****
    music is okay
    still good rpg
  16. drew95gt
    Aug 10, 2016
    9
    This game is GREAT! Don't listen to all of the negative reviews as most of them are complaining about the (very mild) censorship with the localization. If you like Persona, you will more than likely enjoy this game as it is VERY similar in feel. The Fire Emblem content is kinda limited to the Performa and some late game elements...not going to be specific as I don't want to spoilThis game is GREAT! Don't listen to all of the negative reviews as most of them are complaining about the (very mild) censorship with the localization. If you like Persona, you will more than likely enjoy this game as it is VERY similar in feel. The Fire Emblem content is kinda limited to the Performa and some late game elements...not going to be specific as I don't want to spoil anything. Seriously though, this is probably my favorite game since Persona 4 Golden. This game will truly end up being an underrated classic down the line, do yourself a favor and pick it up.… Expand
  17. Lone_Wolf_Sones
    Aug 7, 2016
    8
    For the sake of providing context I have never touched a SMT or a Persona game. I am a fan of Fire Emblem however and it is arguably the aspect that drew me to the game more than any other. I was surprised by how much I have enjoyed my time with it so far.

    One of my initial concerns from watching the trailers up until release was the j-pop and how battles would play out. I never really    For the sake of providing context I have never touched a SMT or a Persona game. I am a fan of Fire Emblem however and it is arguably the aspect that drew me to the game more than any other. I was surprised by how much I have enjoyed my time with it so far.

    One of my initial concerns from watching the trailers up until release was the j-pop and how battles would play out. I never really felt they did a good job of explaining just how the game functioned in terms of its battle system other than that you entered dungeons and that these Fire Emblem characters were a bit like summons. This game was announced in 2013 at E3 and here we are 3 years later with it finally in hand. Though it needs to be said the game was actually in development for 5 years (according to the artbook, more on this later).

    As I said I was unsure of the j-pop and general premise of the game. I was concerned whether the music would resonate with me since I don't speak or know Japanese. I was pleasantly surprised though as the music is actually quite good. I guess the best way I can describe it is that the music complements the tone and themes of the game. American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow claimed "Music is the universal language of mankind." I think its an apt description for the music in TMS. The vocals are able to convey the emotion a particular character may feel. You don't need to understand what they are saying to enjoy the music (or the story) and appreciate it. It may even be for the best that they retained the original voice work as English dubs can be of questionable quality. (There are English subtitles).

    The battle system definitely has roots in traditional turn based JRPG's. What I found so interesting is the way you can chain attacks together and the fact that as you level; the weapons you use also level which give your characters new abilities. These abilities when used to exploit enemy weaknesses can chain with others in your party. This can lead to some incredible moments where you perform an overkill on a challenging enemy.

    The visuals may not be the best the WiiU has to offer but they are very pretty to look at and the game has a nice visual style that extends not only to the menu and UI but the beautiful animated cutscenes. Then there are the designs of the Fire Emblem characters themselves and they just look awesome. There were some censorship choices made which can be jarring but I don't want to belabor that point and detract from what is an otherwise enjoyable game.

    Perhaps the biggest take away from the game is just how much it immerses you in Japanese culture. Shibuya is an interesting place. While I have never set foot in Japan I appreciated that I was able to see a statue of Hachiko the dog even if it is in a virtual setting. Its a surprising level of authenticity that I really enjoyed.

    The authenticity extends to the approach they took designing the game. The art book in the special edition has 3 pages of commentary from three of the developers. In it they reveal that they actually consulted actual Japanese music producers. They also had a touching thank you to Satoru Iwata for creating the opportunity for the game to come into the world. Even after his passing Satoru Iwata has managed to help deliver a game that is just fun for everyone to play. The game does have the kind of cringe that comes with some japanese games. However you shouldn't let that dissuade you from giving it a shot. The battle system is great and you may just find yourself pleasantly surprised. I know I did.    … Expand
  18. nonchalantgamer
    Aug 2, 2016
    8
    Tokyo Mirage Sessions is a fun game with a lot of style, and a deep combat system.

    First off is the combat system which is very fun, and offers a lot of depth, and continually gets deeper as the game progresses. This progression allowed the combat to stay fresh throughout the 60 hrs, and is easily the best part of the game. Now the Story is one of J-pop, and initially this threw me    Tokyo Mirage Sessions is a fun game with a lot of style, and a deep combat system.

    First off is the combat system which is very fun, and offers a lot of depth, and continually gets deeper as the game progresses. This progression allowed the combat to stay fresh throughout the 60 hrs, and is easily the best part of the game.

    Now the Story is one of J-pop, and initially this threw me off, but once i got into it a really enjoyed it, and the side quests were fun, and offered up development for the characters. The Voice acting is on par, and the songs are played by real pop idols, and sound incredible.

    The visuals in-game are solid, with smooth animations. But where the game shines is in the cut-scenes, which look, and feel like an anime style show which i instantly fell in love with.

    TMS is a fun, unique game with a lot of style, and a deep combat system. If your a fan you Japanese culture, and anime you should give this game a shot.    … Expand
  19. vahn
    Jul 26, 2016
    9
    What a great game: after a long time of stale RPGs with boring button mashing combat system (don't get me wrong: some of these games are good), we finally get a good, old styled JRPGs with turn based system, a relatively good story with not much on it but definitely some cure behind it, a really colorful graphic that spits in the face of phorotorealistic games (I'm looking at you SquareWhat a great game: after a long time of stale RPGs with boring button mashing combat system (don't get me wrong: some of these games are good), we finally get a good, old styled JRPGs with turn based system, a relatively good story with not much on it but definitely some cure behind it, a really colorful graphic that spits in the face of phorotorealistic games (I'm looking at you Square Enix), and overall just a pretty good JRPG that has barely any flaws. I mean it: I had a hard time to find flaws in this game because every nitpick I might have in others just doesn't exist here.

    The story? It's there but it's also got sidestories. How do you know? The controller screen constantly updates you with new content to do, no matter where you are. Weapon can be only crafted but then how do i know which materials I need? Don't worry, the game has a list of items you need to pick, where to pick, from who to pick...and once you can craft it the game lets you know! The game will ALWAYS let you know when something can be done and where. YES they even tell you where to go, as in an actual map location! Everything is told to the player: you will NEVER be clueless on what to do, which is something that many other rpgs tend to do. TMS simply does not.

    What about the combat? It's simply amazing and while I'm usually biased toward turn based systems (action combat is simply button mashing), TMS does this extremely well. For starters you have 3 characters in the battlefield but no worries, you can switch everyone at any moment (except for Itsuki, which is a bit of a let down). On top of that, just like a SMT game would, there's weakness exploits to make but unlike the persona or SMT games where weaknesses grants you an additional turn, instead you get to perform combos called "Sessions". They're rather simple to do since you only need to learn a passive skill, but it's incredibly satisfying to do them and on top of that they grant you better rewards. At the beginning you can only do 2 chains at max (with all your current 3 characters) but eventually you'll be able to chain your entire team in a single, long chain of attacks! This is by no means originals but it's something that nowadays doesn't come in new RPGS, where it's usually just button mashing. In here? You actually need to exploit weakness and win by using them.

    However if I have to nitpick, the sessions can't be activate via normal basic attacks, rendering them useless.

    So technicalities and gameplay are out, what about the story? Well...it's ok. I honestly appreciate the fact that the MC actually talks, unlike most of Atlus other games where the MC is usually silent. I like the character style - which is from Fire Emblem - while I definitely dig into the "fusion" thing about human and spirit The story isn't anything special by itself but it's the idol scenery behind that somewhat makes it quite fun and enjoyable, with lots of stuff based around that culture phenomenon: I really don't like that but I can see the appeal for fans of this stuff, but i can also see people shying away because of this. The characters themselves are decent: I can't really say they're good or bad because they're highly stereotyped, but not in a bad way: Itsuki is your usual dumbass who never understand when chicks want to get him laid, Touma is actually pretty enjoyable and relatively interesting and Kiria is basically your Tsundere but done in a sort of funny way. The rest felt boring, especially Tsubasa and Mamori - even if Mamori is relatively adorable.

    So, great gameplay, nice graphics, great character design, impressive detail with screen and other things and good japanese culture for those who like it...I was going to give this game a 10 because I really had a hard time to find troubles. Except for one, major thing: the censorship.

    Unfortunately, this game is heavily censored and despite dealing with it rather well, it still ruins the overall full experience that the devs wanted to deliver. And while some blame Atlus, I honestly blame Nintendo as they have this bad reputation of censoring for silly reasons (The last cash grab Fire Emblem fates has its minigame and lots of dialogue removed, on top of other many harmless things). I read that it was Atlus' idea but again, considering how tight Nintendo censorship is, I wouldn't be surprised if they did the censorship instead of Atlus. Plus, many Atlus games aren't really that censored to begin with (and If I may add, Etrian Odissey Untold had a DLC which allowed your avatars to be naked with steaming clouds: why a bikini is worse?)

    So yes, because of this censorship fiasco this game just doesn't get a 10 but I still highly recommend it: it's what JRPGs should strive today, which is easy yet fun stories and good combat. We don't need overcomplicated dramatic boring stories with overly action-based combat with only one button required: we want actual tactical fights with just simple, yet good stories.

    And TMS is basically that.    … Expand
  20. Torkon
    Jul 21, 2016
    8
    Not sure where all the negative reviews are coming from, probably because the whole censorship debacle. That issue aside, this is a good game. Looks good for a Wii U game. Lots of style, a really sleek UI, fun battle system and nice difficulty. The loading times are a bit of a drag but honestly that's my only complaint.
  21. Yaroste
    Jul 14, 2016
    10
    Bright and Sour Candy with Persona flavor. Tokyo Mirage Sessions deserve atleast 8, but i give it 10. "Slay monsters—and slay like a pop star—all at the same time, in this brand-new RPG from acclaimed developer Atlus."
  22. MadWolf84
    Jul 12, 2016
    10
    Buy it and then go ahead and play it with the uncensor patch. :P Combat is great and I think censorship is the only thing dragging it back, but for me it really wasn't a problem. (Thanks to the patch)
  23. Ahmy
    Jul 12, 2016
    10
    Are you looking for "so worth it Jrpg" if you do then you are right in front of it.
    You will hear many bad things about this game, and many awful lies.
    The game is censored at some part (Its true) the game story is not good (semi true) the game is one of the worst jrpg (Lie) Sadly some people are giving this game a low rating because of the censor, but the most sad thing is how some    Are you looking for "so worth it Jrpg" if you do then you are right in front of it.
    You will hear many bad things about this game, and many awful lies.

    The game is censored at some part (Its true) the game story is not good (semi true) the game is one of the worst jrpg (Lie)
    Sadly some people are giving this game a low rating because of the censor, but the most sad thing is how some tend to lie about the game for the sake of censor, because the game is censored i can tell you its a below average Jrpg?!

    Okay here a moment of truth, I didn't want to buy the game because I was ashamed of the censor and I got to hate Nintendo because of this game, and while they censor an outfit by removing it from the game yet you see the character wearing that outfit on a cut scene (weird is not it?) but again this is not the purpose of my review.
    My plan was to not buy this game, and for some reason I got the hype to buy (maybe because it was released a day or so after my salary day!), and I didn't regret buying it at all.
    The gameplay have a nice depth, the more you progress the more it improves.

    Story: 7.5
    gameplay: 9
    level design and character design: 8.5    … Expand
  24. VincentStoker
    Jul 7, 2016
    10
    I was unsure what to expect with this title as the game play and trailers shown were a little confusing. I honestly held the belief that Persona 4 was my favourite Atlus MegaTen game but I have been converted. This game has all of the best bits from P3 & P4, skill boosting from SMTIV and the introduction of a new mechanism during battle. I cannot get enough of this game, thee dungeonI was unsure what to expect with this title as the game play and trailers shown were a little confusing. I honestly held the belief that Persona 4 was my favourite Atlus MegaTen game but I have been converted. This game has all of the best bits from P3 & P4, skill boosting from SMTIV and the introduction of a new mechanism during battle. I cannot get enough of this game, thee dungeon exploring is spot on and the difficulty curve is about right too. If you have enjoyed P3/P4/SMT3/SMT4 then it's a safe bet you will enjoy this. It is a much cuter affair on the surface but don't let that put you off, this game has plenty of hooks and will have you smiling and laughing lots. I really couldn't wait for P5 next year but this has filled the gap and I'm not so bothered now. Do yourself a favour and jump in for a great dungeon exploring JRPG that ticks so many boxes.… Expand
  25. Freedumbdclxvi
    Jul 4, 2016
    9
    An incredibly fun fusion of the SMT and FE franchises, TMS brings a fun battle system together with amazing graphics and a story that examines the role pop culture plays in our lives. Fans of both franchises, JRPGs and or anyone looking for a exciting WIi U game would do well to check it out.
  26. KIrbyMaster
    Jul 4, 2016
    10
    Easily one of the best Wii U RPG's I've played since Xenoblade X. You've got to love the amount of love applied to Fire Emblem and SMT in the gameplay despite the J-Pop theme (which is out there). The story is actually light hearted and not as grim as what you'd expect from SMT to compensate, which may be a mixed bag to some. But overall, I found it sort of a feel good game that reallyEasily one of the best Wii U RPG's I've played since Xenoblade X. You've got to love the amount of love applied to Fire Emblem and SMT in the gameplay despite the J-Pop theme (which is out there). The story is actually light hearted and not as grim as what you'd expect from SMT to compensate, which may be a mixed bag to some. But overall, I found it sort of a feel good game that really makes you feel good when playing it everyday. I would recommend the to anyone who's a huge Atlus fan or those that don't mind the great style the game has going for it.… Expand
  27. colemak
    Jul 3, 2016
    10
    I am reminded once again that you can't judge a game by its cover. Of course, this is a pretty niche genre so it won't be a masterpiece in a sense that it caters to everyone. However, in terms of standard turn-based JRPG, this game **** nails it.

    Specifically in comparison to Persona 3 and 4 (I think it is fair to bring up these games since TMS is a lot closer to Persona than SMT,    I am reminded once again that you can't judge a game by its cover. Of course, this is a pretty niche genre so it won't be a masterpiece in a sense that it caters to everyone. However, in terms of standard turn-based JRPG, this game **** nails it.

    Specifically in comparison to Persona 3 and 4 (I think it is fair to bring up these games since TMS is a lot closer to Persona than SMT, though, Persona is a spin-off of SMT itself...), I feel like every aspect of the gameplay has been improved. Combat, weapon/equipment, side quest/community system... The magnitude of improvement varies for each of these things. But there isn't a single aspect that TMS falls behind P3/4 but minor/major improvements. It's simply an amazing game for P3/4 type game lovers. And makes expectation for P5 to grow insanely high.

    There has been a lot of criticism behind this game due to way it's presented/perceived. But I can guarantee you that this game is really good at what it tries to achieve. So whoever is considering this game, I wish best of my luck to you to not dismiss this game purely based on appearance, and try it out if you are a fan of JRPG or P3/P4. If this genre of game isn't your thing, that it's not worth your time.    … Expand
  28. PageWizard
    Jul 2, 2016
    10
    Really great game, fun story, and the battle system is superb. Something for the RPG fan that loves a good grind RPG with a great story and battle system. I love the characters, and especially the live session anime cutscenes. Highly recommended.
  29. Alfonz0
    Jul 2, 2016
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game have probably the best battle system ever! The session attacks make for "flow" in the battles and with lots of customisation which is required to optimize for the games secret last boss. If you think this game is a new fire emblem you gonna get disappointed though...… Expand
  30. LoneWolfSones
    Jul 1, 2016
    8
    For the sake of providing context I have never touched a SMT or a Persona game. I am a fan of Fire Emblem however and it is arguably the aspect that drew me to the game more than any other. I was surprised by how much I have enjoyed my time with it so far.

    One of my initial concerns from watching the trailers up until release was the j-pop and how battles would play out. I never really    For the sake of providing context I have never touched a SMT or a Persona game. I am a fan of Fire Emblem however and it is arguably the aspect that drew me to the game more than any other. I was surprised by how much I have enjoyed my time with it so far.

    One of my initial concerns from watching the trailers up until release was the j-pop and how battles would play out. I never really felt they did a good job of explaining just how the game functioned in terms of its battle system other than that you entered dungeons and that these Fire Emblem characters were a bit like summons. This game was announced in 2013 at E3 and here we are 3 years later with it finally in hand. Though it needs to be said the game was actually in development for 5 years (according to the artbook, more on this later).

    As I said I was unsure of the j-pop and general premise of the game. I was concerned whether the music would resonate with me since I don't speak or know Japanese. I was pleasantly surprised though as the music is actually quite good. I guess the best way I can describe it is that the music complements the tone and themes of the game. American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow claimed "Music is the universal language of mankind." I think its an apt description for the music in TMS. The vocals are able to convey the emotion a particular character may feel. You don't need to understand what they are saying to enjoy the music (or the story) and appreciate it. It may even be for the best that they retained the original voice work as English dubs can be of questionable quality. (There are English subtitles).

    The battle system definitely has roots in traditional turn based JRPG's. What I found so interesting is the way you can chain attacks together and the fact that as you level; the weapons you use also level which give your characters new abilities. These abilities when used to exploit enemy weaknesses can chain with others in your party. This can lead to some incredible moments where you perform an overkill on a challenging enemy.

    The visuals may not be the best the WiiU has to offer but they are very pretty to look at and the game has a nice visual style that extends not only to the menu and UI but the beautiful animated cutscenes. Then there are the designs of the Fire Emblem characters themselves and they just look awesome. There were some censorship choices made which can be jarring but I don't want to belabor that point and detract from what is an otherwise enjoyable game.

    Perhaps the biggest take away from the game is just how much it immerses you in Japanese culture. Shibuya is an interesting place. While I have never set foot in Japan I appreciated that I was able to see a statue of Hachiko the dog even if it is in a virtual setting. Its a surprising level of authenticity that I really enjoyed.

    The authenticity extends to the approach they took designing the game. The art book in the special edition has 3 pages of commentary from three of the developers. In it they reveal that they actually consulted actual Japanese music producers. They also had a touching thank you to Satoru Iwata for creating the opportunity for the game to come into the world. Even after his passing Satoru Iwata has managed to help deliver a game that is just fun for everyone to play. The game does have the kind of cringe that comes with some japanese games. However you shouldn't let that dissuade you from giving it a shot. The battle system is great and you may just find yourself pleasantly surprised. I know I did.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best Wii U Game of 2016
4
#4 Most Discussed Wii U Game of 2016
6
#6 Most Shared Wii U Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 62 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 62
  3. Negative: 0 out of 62
  1. CD-Action
    Oct 14, 2016
    70
    Atlus does not step outside safe territory charted by Persona. #FE will mostly be appreciated by people interested in the Japanese idol scene and those of you who need some more Persona right away. [10/2016, p.55]
  2. Games.cz
    Sep 19, 2016
    70
    Pop and RPG mixture. Certainly we cannot say that this game has no style ... and an incredible amount of fights.
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  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Aug 23, 2016
    78
    Story and setting were made with absolutely no pandering for western tastes. Not everyone will find such a dose of pure, undiluted anime to their liking, but RPG and fighting system make it worth a try. And for hardcore fans of Japanese culture Tokyo Mirage Sessions may very well become one of the best games this year. [Issue#211, p.66]
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