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Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE |OT| Do You Remember MegaTen?

Dimmle

Member
I wasn't ready for Tsubasa's
surprise hip hop outfit
at the end of Chapter 2. It's like she escaped from an episode of Nickelodeon's Roundhouse.
 

Whizkid7

Member
Chapter 4 mid boss is wrecking me; whole party's 36 but he's hitting every one like a truck and most of them have updated armor accessories too. Think this might be the first time I have to grind a bit. That or turn it down to Normal.
 

Dimmle

Member
Any tips for a new player? Picked this up on the weekend.

1. If you're familiar with Fire Emblem's weapon triangle (and other Fire Emblem weaknesses like the vulnerabilities of flying units, mounted units, etc.), you can intuit enemy weaknesses just by studying their appearance and what weapons they're holding.

2. Play on Hard if you're familiar with SMT or Persona games for a similar experience. Save often if you choose Hard because it is surprisingly easy to get sideswiped by an enemy encounter and completely wrecked because...

3. ...enemies can use the Session system as well, so be aware of your own party members' weaknesses. If you walk into a bad situation against four enemies and one of your party members' weakness is exploited, they will be attacked up to four times and you'll most likely suffer a KO, so...

4. ...buy a lot of revive items.
 

Thud

Member
1. If you're familiar with Fire Emblem's weapon triangle (and other Fire Emblem weaknesses like the vulnerabilities of flying units, mounted units, etc.), you can intuit enemy weaknesses just by studying their appearance and what weapons they're holding.

2. Play on Hard if you're familiar with SMT or Persona games for a similar experience. Save often if you choose Hard because it is surprisingly easy to get sideswiped by an enemy encounter and completely wrecked because...

3. ...enemies can use the Session system as well, so be aware of your own party members' weaknesses. If you walk into a bad situation against four enemies and one of your party members' weakness is exploited, they will be attacked up to four times and you'll most likely suffer a KO, so...

4. ...buy a lot of revive items.

Very accurate. To add something always use the vending machine if you go back to bloom palace.

Being fully healed is a must.

Anyone got a quick explanation of the arena?

Arena fights are done in bulk 5 consecutive fights with your main cast on three difficulties (beginner, intermediate, advanced). If your party dies in the arena it's game over, so save beforehand. Winning arena fights gives you arena coins (I don't know if you can use does for something). There's also the daily fights which is one random fight. Don't forget there's a healing space behind the counter. Talk to the troll for more info I might have missed.

Chapter 4 mid boss is wrecking me; whole party's 36 but he's hitting every one like a truck and most of them have updated armor accessories too. Think this might be the first time I have to grind a bit. That or turn it down to Normal.

I grinded a fair bit there as well. Itsuki was 44 after the dungeon.
 

Doorman

Member
I wasn't ready for Tsubasa's
surprise hip hop outfit
at the end of Chapter 2. It's like she escaped from an episode of Nickelodeon's Roundhouse.

...Not the time I ever would have expected to see that show referenced again, but bravo. Roundhouse was the shit from what I can recall.

But yeah, the tonal shift for that entire chapter definitely ends up feeling kind of hilarious and bizarre compared to how it worked in Japan, all things given. Now it's less creepy but more just...kind of nonsensical. :p
 

Ryne

Member
1. If you're familiar with Fire Emblem's weapon triangle (and other Fire Emblem weaknesses like the vulnerabilities of flying units, mounted units, etc.), you can intuit enemy weaknesses just by studying their appearance and what weapons they're holding.

2. Play on Hard if you're familiar with SMT or Persona games for a similar experience. Save often if you choose Hard because it is surprisingly easy to get sideswiped by an enemy encounter and completely wrecked because...

3. ...enemies can use the Session system as well, so be aware of your own party members' weaknesses. If you walk into a bad situation against four enemies and one of your party members' weakness is exploited, they will be attacked up to four times and you'll most likely suffer a KO, so...

4. ...buy a lot of revive items.
I don't know why I found this funny, but I did. And thanks!

The game is so full of colour, I love it. Not that deep into it so far (just the prologue) and it tickles something in me I thought was long lost.
 

Dimmle

Member
...Not the time I ever would have expected to see that show referenced again, but bravo. Roundhouse was the shit from what I can recall.

But yeah, the tonal shift for that entire chapter definitely ends up feeling kind of hilarious and bizarre compared to how it worked in Japan, all things given. Now it's less creepy but more just...kind of nonsensical. :p

Knowing that it was a US alteration makes a lot of sense. The camera pan across her bust was a little jarring. I'm a little afraid to see the original version given how absurd and amazing the localized outfit is. That would change the tone of the scene significantly, I imagine.

I don't know why I found this funny, but I did. And thanks!

The game is so full of colour, I love it. Not that deep into it so far (just the prologue) and it tickles something in me I thought was long lost.

I feel the same way about this game. The colors, the energy, the positivity all coalesce into something truly infectious and rare in video games today.
 

Vhalyar

Member
For people in chapter 4+, how are you planning out your session skills?

With the new cast member, out-of-cast sessions, and Itsuki having all his slots full with them now, it feels... kind of overwhelming? As in, if I were to get another one I honestly have no idea what I'd try to replace.
 

Razmos

Member
Trying to farm 4-star prestige in the chapter 4 intermission, and the drop rate is so low, eurgh. Even with 10+ sessions :(
 
I'm finding that Riberama and Attracter Spray are way more effective at summoning rare enemies than Riberaon despite Riberaon supposedly making Savage and Rare enemies appear more frequently.

Edit: Seriously, 6 UFOs in under 5 minutes with Riberama compared to 1 UFO in the same time frame with Riberaon.
 

lt519

Member
People who were turned off by the idol-elements really are missing out.

I'm just 4 hours in, but it's absolutely amazing so far.

I actually turned the voice volume down to one and skip the cinematic cutscenes, it's not my kind of thing, but it doesn't hurt the story or take away from the cool soundtrack if you want to do that.
 
A question about a story choice before the final boss of chapter 4:

Are there any consequences to the choice of kissing Tsubasa or not? I'm much more interested in Ellie so I wouldn't want to be locked out of a romance option with her by kissing Tsubasa!
 

Lumination

'enry 'ollins
Does anyone know how experience sharing works? I know the subcast gets some exp, but how much of it? The numbers go by too fast for me to compare. Also does switching in battle affect the exp share a member gets?
 

FluxWaveZ

Member
A question about a story choice before the final boss of chapter 4:

Are there any consequences to the choice of kissing Tsubasa or not? I'm much more interested in Ellie so I wouldn't want to be locked out of a romance option with her by kissing Tsubasa!

There are no romance options; whatever you do will result in naught.

However, certain dialogue choices with Tsubasa will affect whether you gain access to a late game Duo Art or not.
 

vareon

Member
Any tips on grinding Stage Rank? I'm on Chapter 2 intermission. The laptop said I'll get a new sidequest for Tsubasa and Kiria if their level was enough, but I just finished Tsubasa's second sidequest and she just leveled up her Stage Rank. Is it necessary to grind now? There's no sign of how many battles I need to fight to level up, too, so I don't know how long it'll take.
 
There are no romance options; whatever you do will result in naught.

However, certain dialogue choices with Tsubasa will affect whether you gain access to a late game Duo Art or not.

Thanks for crushing my dreams ;)
Actually, while I was pretty sure there were no romance options in the game, the conversation leading up to that boss kind of threw me off guard as it seemed to imply a choice between Tsubasa or Eli. Oh well...
 

Makonero

Member
Any tips on grinding Stage Rank? I'm on Chapter 2 intermission. The laptop said I'll get a new sidequest for Tsubasa and Kiria if their level was enough, but I just finished Tsubasa's second sidequest and she just leveled up her Stage Rank. Is it necessary to grind now? There's no sign of how many battles I need to fight to level up, too, so I don't know how long it'll take.

Stage ranks go up based on participation in battle, including sessions. The more sessions, the better.

And there's no rush for sidequests, you can do them all the way up to the final boss.
 

Dimmle

Member
Here's a fun contrast: watch Satoshi Kon's pitch black idol horror Perfect Blue and compare it to the sugary, merit-based version of Japanese show business that #FE presents.

Edit: I say this having just finished chapter 2, please don't correct me if the story does actually go to some darker places.
 

Lumination

'enry 'ollins
And there's no rush for sidequests, you can do them all the way up to the final boss.
Whew. I'm doing Kiria's first side story at the beginning of ch2 and all of the places I have to go to coincide with the main quest, so my side story triggers have been overridden haha.
 

FluxWaveZ

Member
Here's a fun contrast: watch Satoshi Kon's pitch black idol horror Perfect Blue and compare it to the sugary, merit-based version of Japanese show business that #FE presents.

Edit: I say this having just finished chapter 2, please don't correct me if the story does actually go to some darker places.

That goes without saying, though. The developers have commented on how optimistic and positive #FE's tone is. Even Persona 4: Dancing All Night had a far darker take on the idol industry, which could actually be compared to Perfect Blue.
 
Here's a fun contrast: watch Satoshi Kon's pitch black idol horror Perfect Blue and compare it to the sugary, merit-based version of Japanese show business that #FE presents.

Edit: I say this having just finished chapter 2, please don't correct me if the story does actually go to some darker places.

Ah, thanks for reminding me of that movie, it's been years since I've seen it but I'm gonna try to watch it tonight if I can find it streaming somewhere. You can actually draw a lot of parallels between Kon's movies and Tokyo Mirage Sessions. Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress and Paprika all touch on aspects of japanese culture and entertainment that are approached in a much lighter way in TMS.
 

Vena

Member
Thanks for crushing my dreams ;)
Actually, while I was pretty sure there were no romance options in the game, the conversation leading up to that boss kind of threw me off guard as it seemed to imply a choice between Tsubasa or Eli. Oh well...

Nah, I don't think that was meant at all. And given Itsuki's mental state, he didn't view it that way at all either much to Tsubasa's dismay, haha.

You never make any choice through the whole game, and its all anime status quo. You can headcannon your way into any pairing as all of the girls (his age) show interest in Itsuki. I'd say Ellie shows the least all in all, given where Kiria and Tsubasa stand. There's enough there to end your own headcannon in Kiria+Tsubasa, and Touma+Itsuki if you wanted.
 

Dimmle

Member
That goes without saying, though. The developers have commented on how optimistic and positive #FE's tone is. Even Persona 4: Dancing All Night had a far darker take on the idol industry, which could actually be compared to Perfect Blue.
I love the optimistic tone of the game but certain, slightly more lurid aspects of the business are glorified in a way that feels socially reductive (for a westerner like me). I feel that the game could benefit from more self reflection in this area. But it's not that kind of game, I guess.
 

vareon

Member
Phew, so no rushing for sidequests then!

Here's a fun contrast: watch Satoshi Kon's pitch black idol horror Perfect Blue and compare it to the sugary, merit-based version of Japanese show business that #FE presents.

Edit: I say this having just finished chapter 2, please don't correct me if the story does actually go to some darker places.

I just finished Chapter 2, too. If I might say, the _very_ happy and optimistic tone is kind of a weakness in the game, though I hesitate to call it weakness. In, say, Persona 4, the upbeat and happy tone was balanced by the darker sides of the midnight channel, where one finally embraces his or her worst inner desires to accept themselves. So far in TMS, we charged on everything with the power of smiles and friendship.

It leans heavily to a very dreamy world of idols. Structurally it's about the same as a sports shonen story, where it's all about the characters trying to be the best at what they do. It's really fun if seen that way.
 
I can appreciate the lighthearted, bubbly tone of TMS to a degree, but the writing and pacing simply aren't strong enough to channel such overwhelming positivity without coming across as naive a lot of the time.

I wouldn't want to see a sequel become "darker" to balance things out, but I'd like to see it linger a little (a lot) longer on the characters' struggles and avoid resolving them so quickly. With the way things are currently, the game seems more interested in shilling for the idol industry than depicting genuine character growth.
 

Mupod

Member
whoa, Kiria's 'confuse everybody' for 1 SP ability is insanely good for savage enemies (and mid bosses). I was able to beat some level 37 savage things with myself at 29-30, without it they could basically wipe me in one round (I am on hard though).
 

artsi

Member
I love the optimistic tone of the game but certain, slightly more lurid aspects of the business are glorified in a way that feels socially reductive (for a westerner like me). I feel that the game could benefit from more self reflection in this area. But it's not that kind of game, I guess.

Yeah, but I doubt that will happen as long as Avex Group is involved with the series.
 

Shin-chan

Member
I've got to say I'm not enjoying most of the soundtrack. There's a few good tracks but it feels mostly forgettable up to Chapter 3.

They should have Meguro to do it.
 

TwoDurans

"Never said I wasn't a hypocrite."
I'm at the end of chapter 5 and need to level up a certain character to finish the boss. I can go to the DLC dungeon but I've just heard there is an arena. Where is it?
 

Robin64

Member
Got to Chapter 6 and
beat the first boss trial thingy
, only to have to my Wii U hard lock on me. Good times!
 
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