Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE

Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE is a collaborative title developed by Atlus and Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd., and published by for the Wii U console. It is a crossover between Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei franchise and Nintendo's series, deriving from elements of both properties in an otherwise original story and world.
On September 4, 2019, an enhanced port/remake Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore was announced for the Nintendo Switch, and released January 17, 2020.
==Plot==
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE opens five years prior to the game's main events: at an opera attended by a young Tsubasa and Yashiro, everyone apart from Tsubasa vanishes without a trace. In the present, Itsuki encounters Tsubasa at the One of Millennium talent audition event, where she is hoping to begin her career as an idol. The MC for the event is possessed by a hostile Mirage, and everyone in the building apart from Itsuki and Tsubasa are stripped of their Performa, while Tsubasa is taken into the Idolasphere dimension. Itsuki follows, and both are attacked by hostile Mirages. Awakening to their Performa, they use it to cleanse the Mirages: their attackers are revealed to be Chrom and Caeda, who ally respectively with Itsuki and Tsubasa. With help from Touma, who is the Mirage Master of Cain, the party free the MC from the hostile Mirage's control, restoring order. Leaving the Idolasphere, they encounter Maiko, who offers them positions alongside Touma in Fortuna Entertainment so they can both forward their entertainment careers and help fight Mirage attacks alongside Kiria and her Mirage Tharja. They are aided by Tiki, who is suffering from amnesia similar to the other allied Mirages.
Further attacks follow at multiple locations throughout Tokyo, each focusing on leading entertainment and media figureheads being possessed by hostile Mirages: these Mirages are revealed to be merely servants of a greater power. During one mission, the group rescue producer Yatsufusa Hatanaka, who later keeps a close watch on them. They also gather new allies in the form of Eleonora and her partner Virion, and Mamori and her partner Draug, who was the former partner of and initially possessed Barry. On many missions, Yashiro and his partner Navarre watch and sometimes act as an antagonistic force, before Itsuki's leadership and strength persuade him that he can help him avenge his father, the lead singer who vanished five years before. The group finds an item called a Dragonstone, which restores some of Tiki's memories. She reveals that she and the other friendly Mirages unsuccessfully attempted to stop the dark mage Gharnef summoning the Shadow Dragon Medeus into their native realm with a ceremony called the Opera of Shadows. Tiki was banished into the Idolasphere, which acted as an intermediate dimension between the real world and her world, and she was instrumental in preventing Gharnef from performing the Opera of Shadows a second time to enter the real world as his native realm had become drained of artistic energy. His attempt sparked the mass disappearance of five years before, and Tiki shielded both Tsubasa and Yashiro at the cost of her memories.
After this, the Cosmic Egg Stadium is consumed by an Idolasphere portal. Heading to the Cosmic Egg, the party are stopped by Hatanaka, who reveals himself to be the willing Mirage Master of Gharnef: the two are planning to perform the Opera of Shadows, summoning Medeus to consume the real world's Performa. The group recovers Dragonstones from the conquered Idolasphere realms and restore Tiki's memory: she reveals that they must find the pieces of the Fire Emblem and perform the Opera of Light to summon the power of the Divine Dragon Naga, the only force capable of stopping Medeus. Collecting the Fire Emblem pieces, they learn the story of the Hero-King Marth, a warrior from ancient times who bested and sealed away Gharnef and Medeus. The group encounter and defeat Hatanaka and Gharnef, but their sacrifice coupled with the offering of the Hero-King Marth's soul completes the Opera of Shadows and summons Medeus. Traveling to the final Idolasphere realm, Itsuki is fatally injured by Medeus, but the Fire Emblem gems free Marth's soul, which saves Itsuki and allows the group to perform the Opera of Light and defeat Medeus. The Mirages, with their memories restored and Medeus gone forever, return with Tiki to their native realm.
Alongside the main narrative are side stories connected to various members of Fortuna Entertainment, which Itsuki can help as he learns experience from working in various sectors of the agency's business. These quests' storylines include Tsubasa working to create her idol persona; Touma's wish to become an inspirational actor; Kiria's discomfort with her softer side, which clashes with her professional identity; Eleanora's attempts to polish her abilities as an actor in preparation for a hoped-for Hollywood career; Mamori pushing to expand her professional range beyond her cooking host role; the often-tipsy Maiko's efforts to maintain Fortuna's public and private functions; Barry's antics and his growing insecurity after losing his Mirage Master abilities; Yashiro breaking out of his self-imposed personal and professional isolation; and Tiki wanting the chance to experience the real world. If all the side stories are completed, a post-credits scene is unlocked where Maiko returns to modeling and makes Itsuki the new president of Fortuna Entertainment.
==Gameplay==
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE is an RPG focused around the exploration of dungeons and turn-based party combat. When not in dungeons, the player explores familiar locations in the city of Tokyo and can interact with NPCs and visit shops. Dungeons take the form of multi-level labyrinths with light puzzle-solving and generally share a theme with the location they're found. Within these dungeons are hostile Mirages that when touched trigger combat. The player character Itsuki is armed with a rapier while exploring the dungeon and the player can gain the initiative by stunning Mirages with a well-timed strike before starting battle.
Combat is turn-based and predicated on discovering and exploiting enemy weaknesses. As in both Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem, enemies are weak to specific element (Fire, Ice, Electric, Force, Expel, and Death) or weapon types (Sword, Lance, Axe and Bow). The player can also trigger Session Attack combos where the other party members follow up the attacking character's blow with strikes of their own. As party members gain affinity, they can also learn team attacks where pairs of characters can combine their strength for powerful attacks.
Dual Arts, which are powerful special attacks that can be performed by specific pairs of party members, are gradually unlocked as side stories are completed. It is not required that both party members involved in a Dual Art be in the active three-person party in order to use it.
During battles, if you trigger a Session Attack (a chain attack) with an artist (a playable character), eventually the artist's "Stage Rank" will increase. As the character's Stage Rank increases, they will be faced with a wall that needs surmounting–and thus a side story is born. Each side story is a quest that players can attempt at any time.
In addition, playable characters can be equipped with various costumes in combat.
Mirages, much like in Fire Emblem, can class change and choose between two advanced classes. For example, Caeda can be promoted to either a Falcon Knight or a Wyvern Knight. Weapons can also be made to replace the current weapon by collecting materials from enemy Mirages.
==Characters==
See also: List of Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Characters
=== Playable Characters ===
*Itsuki Aoi: A high school student and the main protagonist. He assumes the Lord class.
*Tsubasa Oribe: A high school student and a member of the party. She takes the guise of the Pegasus Knight class. Her debut song is "Feel," which is played in the game's third trailer.
*Touma Akagi: A young man that works at a hero stage show, able to assume the Cavalier class.
*Kiria Kurono: A singer and playable character. She uses a microphone stand in battle and is the singer "Reincarnation," which is played in the first trailer for the game. Kiria assumes the Mage class.
*Eleonora Yumizuru: A Mirage Master and a successful actress who assumes the Archer class.
*Mamori Minamoto: An elementary school student and entertainer who also works at Fortuna Entertainment. She prefers old-fashioned clothing from the Showa Period. She assumes the Armor Knight class.
*Yashiro Tsurugi: An idol as well as a Mirage Master. He assumes the Myrmidon class.
===Mirage World Characters===
*Chrom (): A prince from another dimension, Chrom is a "Lord" Mirage who has lost his memories. He is courageous and has a strong sense of justice. In combat, he changes into a sword for his Mirage Master Itsuki. Chrom was one of the corrupted Mirages until Itsuki freed him and made a pact with him. He regains his memories when Medeus is defeated, and returns to his own world eventually.
*Caeda (): A "Pegasus Knight" Mirage, and Tsubasa's partner. Similar to Chrom, she's a visitor from another dimension and has no recollection of her memories. She has a tender-hearted personality, and is like an elder sister figure to the tomboyish Tsubasa. She lends her powers to Tsubasa by transforming into a spear in battle.
*Cain (Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light): He is Touma's "Cavalier" Mirage partner. Like Chrom, he's from another world and has lost his memories. Due to his similarities with Touma, they're like brothers who work well together. He transforms into a spear while in combat.
*Tharja (Fire Emblem Awakening): She is Kiria's "Dark Mage" Mirage partner. Similar to Chrom, she's from a different world and has lost her memories. She specializes in Dark Magic, and does everything she can to support Kiria, be it during in battle or for everyday life. She lends her strength to Kiria by transforming into a staff.
*Virion (Fire Emblem Awakening): He is Eleonora's "Archer" Mirage partner. Like Chrom, he's also from a different world and lost his memories. He's an aristocratic-type character with respect and dignity, but this often leads to some arguments with Eleonora, who can be a bit of a shrew.
*Draug (Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light): He is Mamori's "Knight" Mirage partner. Similar to Chrom, he comes from a different world and has lost his memories. He's a heavy-armored soldier that prides himself in his absolute defense and being able to support allies. He transforms into an axe in battle and lends his strength to Mamori.
* Navarre (Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light): He is Yashiro's "Myrmidon" Mirage partner. He's lost his memories and doesn't speak a whole lot. A swordsman, he looks for a stoic strength in his partner, which ties him to Yashiro.
===Supporting Characters===
*Tiki: The key visual character of a vocal software called " TiKi" that is currently a huge hit among Internet users. Her song is "Beastie Game" that is played in the second trailer.
*Maiko Shimazaki: The president of the production company Fortuna Entertainment that recruits Mirage Masters.
*Barry Goodman: A foreigner and former pop music star that moved to Japan and currently works at Fortuna Entertainment as a trainer. He's attracted to Japan's otaku culture.
==DownloadableContent ==
On September 10, 2015, Nintendo announced that in Japan, the game will launch with codes for downloadable costumes based on characters from other Atlus titles. New costumes were announced for the game's enhanced port/remake Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore. These DLC costumes include:
*Protagonist (Devil Survivor 2): Itsuki
*Walter (Shin Megami Tensei IV): Touma
*Rei (Persona Q): Tsubasa
*Princess (): Kiria
*Joker (Persona 5): Itsuki (Encore exclusive)
*Garreg Mach Monastery Uniform (): Mamori (Encore exclusive)
*Hero Class (): Eleonora (Encore exclusive)
*Demonica (Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey): Yashiro (Encore exclusive)
The game's original release launched with a special "Fortissimo Edition" that offered download codes for original alternate costumes including a "Fashion show" set and swimsuit sets for both the male and female characters. A Famitsu article also has some details about the downloadable content.
Tokyo Millennium Collection
*Also known as Fashion Show Set
*Special cosplay costumes for the female characters
Go to the Secret Hot Spring!
*Also known as the swimsuit sets
*Separate boy/girl sets
*A special program where the characters (talents and idols) bathe in the hot spring while wearing swimsuits
Mirage Hunter
*Extra support quests
*Made by Tiki to help grind things up
*3 quests available here
*Experience part: increases character experience and level
*Proficiency part: Get items to increase weapon proficiency
*Wild Festival: Lots of strong enemies appear which will drop stat-raising items
==Shin Megami Tensei characters==
The following Shin Megami Tensei characters appeared in the 2013 teaser trailer only.
*Protagonist: Shin Megami Tensei
*Heroine: Shin Megami Tensei
*Aleph: Shin Megami Tensei II
*Hiroko: Shin Megami Tensei II
*Protagonist (Male and Female): Shin Megami Tensei: if...
*Demi-fiend: Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
*Chiaki Hayasaka: Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
*Flynn: Shin Megami Tensei IV
*Isabeau: Shin Megami Tensei IV
==Development==
During a brief interview with Famitsu in August 2012, Katsura Hashino teased an announcement saying he had a collaboration that would surprise everyone. Months later, on January 23, 2013, the game was officially announced via a teaser trailer that premiered during a Nintendo Direct presentation. On July 9, 2013, Atlus and Nintendo announced a special deal on the Nintendo eShop, in which, if players register both Shin Megami Tensei IV and to Club Nintendo, they will get $30 credit on the eShop for 3DS.
Official word on the development of Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE was mostly silent following the initial reveal. The following year, on June 11, 2014, Nintendo producer Hitoshi Yamagami stated during a press appearance at E3 2014 that the game was "on schedule" but didn't elaborate any further.
A full debut trailer was revealed the following year in a Nintendo Direct on April 1, 2015, alongside its official Japanese title. The first public footage of the game in action, it depicted various Fire Emblem characters alongside a modern day Japanese style, as commonly seen in the Megami Tensei series. The trailer did not depict any Megami Tensei characters from previous titles, though certain Fire Emblem characters, specifically the villains Gangrel and Aversa from Awakening, were depicted as enemies with Megami Tensei-style demonic redesigns. The basic premise of the game as suggested by the trailer is that the modern world exists alongside a world of Fire Emblem fantasy similar in nature to how a demon world traditionally exists alongside or intersects with the human world in Megami Tensei titles. The trailer was set to the song "Reincarnation," which despite its upbeat tone features dark lyrics.
On July 7, 2015, an interview with the developers published in the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu revealed that Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE's main story will take about thirty hours to complete, with enough side content to double the full play length.
On September 25, 2015, an interview with the game's composer Yoshiaki Fujisawa was posted to the official website. In it, Fujisawa talked about the process he went through in creating music for the game, and how as primarily a composer for television he had to adapt in order to create music for a game. At the end of the interview, he revealed that a character based on his own appearance will appear in the game.
On March 3, 2016, the English title along with the release date for Europe and North America was announced. It was also announced that the game will be localized with English subtitles over the Japanese dub instead of an English dub. On April 21, 2016, it was announced that Atlus is localizing the game with oversight from Nintendo Treehouse. Some of the Japanese dialogue was rerecorded during the localization process in order to match the localized English script, such as references to character ages that had been increased from seventeen to eighteen. A subplot involving was rewritten and re-voiced to reference fashion models instead, with all relevant in-game art and images changed to reflect the adjustment, including a new, western-release exclusive costume for Tsubasa.
The possibility of a sequel was raised at the Genei Ibunroku♯FE Premium Live concert in May 2015: in addition to a rousing call from the audience, producer Hitoshi Yamagami said that he was working on the possibly of a new game.『幻影異聞録 FE』プレミアムライブ ～エンタキングダム Famitsu (May 24, 2016)幻影異聞録 FE : STAFF異聞録 : 「PREMIUM LIVE」を終えて Nintendo (May 19, 2016)
==Gallery==
==Videos==
	
Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem - Opening Movie Animation (1080p)|Opening
Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem Trailer - E3 2015|E3 Trailer
==In Other Languages==
Language 	Title 	Title
English 	Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE 	Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore
Japanese 	幻影異聞録♯FE (Gen'ei Ibunroku Shāpu Efu ī) 	幻影異聞録♯FE Encore (Gen'ei Ibunroku Shāpu Efu ī Ankōru)
Korean 	- 	도쿄 미라주 세션 #FE 앙코르
Traditional Chinese	- 	幻影異聞錄♯FE Encore
French 	- 	Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore
==Trivia==
*Demons appear in the game in different places.
**Jack Frost is the logo of the Hee Ho Mart located in Shibuya.
**Shio can be found wearing a Black Frost outfit in the store.
**Promotional posters can be found at Hee Ho Mart for the selling of five different flavor shaved ice, referencing the Frost Five.
**Decarabia is the mascot of Decarabia Jewelry.
**Anzu is the mascot of Anzu Tokyo Store.
**Cait Sith appears as manikin model inside of the Anzu Tokyo Store.
**Ame no Uzume is the possible logo for Uzume Lesson Studio.
**Some Mirages share their names with demons. This includes Cerberus, Inferno, Yomotsu-Shikome, Troll, and Worm.
**Mermaid appears as a logo for Cafe Seiren.
*Excluding Virtual Console releases, this is the first Megami Tensei title for a Nintendo home console since Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei on the Super Famicom.
*In the game's universe, there is a soft drink branded as Amrita. The drink takes its name from a status recovery spell that appears in some Megami Tensei games.
*The acronym for Tokyo Mirage Sessions, TMS, is SMT backwards.
*Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore is the first game in the series to have a simultaneous worldwide release.
*According to an interview with Hitoshi Yamagami, the game was originally envisioned to be a collaboration with instead of Shin Megami Tensei, but their offer was rejected as the developers of Pokémon have already made a proposal for , a crossover with .Tokyo Mirage Sessions Was Originally Going To Be A Pokémon Crossover
==References==
==External Links==
*Japanese Official Website
*English Official Website
*Section on the Fire Emblem Wikia
*Section on the Nintendo Wikia
Category:Games