Still great despite run-of-the-mill Switch Encore

Five years after its original release in Japan, an expanded port of Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE Encore was released last month. For those who don’t know, Tokyo Mirage Sessions is described as a bubblegum-pop mash-up of Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei for the Wii U.

The Switch port includes new story content and additional party members, along with new music.

It comes with all of the original DLC, as well as new content like a handful of small EX stories and some new outfits. For those who loved the original but no longer have it in their gaming collection, there’s enough to warrant getting it on the Switch. But, in truth, not enough to justify it if you already own one of the original versions even with the added bonus of playing on handheld.

There are no groundbreaking improvements in graphics, so everything feels a touch lacking.

But this does not detract from what is still one of my favourite -–and most surprising – titles of the last few years and, as an avid Switch gamer, it is all the better for having Encore as part of its games catalogue. Performance-art battles are the crowning achievement here, and faster loading times are probably the best enhancement in the Switch version.

Another cool addition is the ability to speed up session skill animations. So it eases the grind of taking down a throng of bad guys.

Like a lot of games, Tokyo Mirage Sessions fails to do enough to earn recognition as a classic. A run-of-the-mill story and forgettable leading character are chiefly to blame for that.

Best-in-class world-building and super-addictive gameplay are the USP, though, and the Switch version is a must for those into the genre who somehow missed the game when it graced the Wii U.