Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE for Nintendo Switch is so great but so weird

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE officially released for Nintendo Switch last week and it’s both incredibly amazing and embarrassingly weird.

Little about me; I’m a big fan of the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei games. I’m also a big fan of the Fire Emblem series. So finding out that there’s a Shin Megami Tensei-inspired game with Fire Emblem characters mixed in was like chocolate in my peanut butter. I’m talking about Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, which released for Nintendo Switch last week.

For the most part, the game is exactly what I want. It’s over the top, and the battle system is satisfying and complex without being complicated. The art is stunning, right down to its menus. But, my god, that weirdness hits you right out of the gate — before you even start playing.

When I sat down with my wife and started this game, it gives you the normal options like “start/load” and “game difficulty”. But after that it hits you; it warns you that the main female character in the game has glasses and asks you if you’d like her to remove them.

If you hover over the option to have her remove them it says, “For those that like her as she is.” If you hover over the option to let her keep them it says, “For glasses connoisseurs.” Out of the gate, I was presented with a choice to either let her wear what I’m sure is something she needs to see or just go ahead and put myself down as a fetishist. Oh, and if you can’t make the choice, there’s a weird third option where it randomly picks for you.

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Once you get into the game it’s your standard RPG madness. An evil presents itself, you realize how awesome the battle system is, and you get introduced to god-like versions of Fire Emblem characters Chrom and Caeda. Everything is awesome.

Then you get taken to the heroes’ base of operation where you’re introduced to this game’s version of Fire Emblem mainstay Tiki. Except in this game, she’s a floating little girl who makes money as a Hatsune Miku-esque virtual idol. One of the first things you can do with her is to decide whether or not you want her to call you “big brother”. Oof.

But this is what the game is and it’s a roller coaster. Half of the time you’re engaged in incredible battles and taking in the amazing enemy and costume design, and you want to show everybody. But then the other half of the time you want to close the curtains for fear that your neighbors will judge you. It’s a shame, too, because the game performs beautifully in handheld mode but I’m afraid to leave the house with it.

Have you played Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE on Nintendo Switch? Share your thoughts below!