First gameplay details for Genei Ibun Roku #FE (SMT x FE)
Kicking off Day 2 of Nintendo's Treehouse live stream, Atlus director Shinjiro Takada (Devil Survivor series) joined the crew to give a live gameplay demo for Genei Ibun Roku #FE (Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem).
The demonstration started out on the streets of Tokyo, where the player can roam around and visit shops to buy items and equipment. One of the shops is run by Anna from the Fire Emblem series. If the trailers weren't any indication, the themes of the game revolve around music. One of the Treehouse representatives jokingly called the title a "J-Pop RPG".
Every person in the game an an inner spirit or energy of some sort called their "Performa". However, creatures from an 'other' world, known as Mirages, are draining the Performa from people plunging them into despair. The main cast of the game, known as Mirage Masters, utilize the power gained from friendly Mirages, based on characters from the Fire Emblem series, to vanquish their foes.
You can check out the fact-sheet here for more details on the premise and setting, as well as the E3 trailer and screens.
Today's demo gave us our first look at live, uncut gameplay for Genei Ibun Roku #FE. Dungeons are not randomly generated and the player controls main character Itsuki through various floors and rooms. Enemy icons are seen on the map, and as one might expect, you can gain an advantage in battle by hitting them before they can come into contact with you. These preemptive strikes open the battle with a flashy introduction.
Also, unlike Persona 3 or Persona 4, these dungeons have puzzle elements, where navigating the various rooms may involve switches and other contraptions. In the demo, various levels of the dungeon were given access to based on the arm position of a giant maid outfit. Some rooms and areas may be unavailable the first time through, so players can choose to revisit previous dungeons once their exploration abilities has been upgraded.
We also got our first in-depth look at combat. The game is turn-based, with the action order displayed at the top of the screen in a bar that somewhat resembles something out of the Grandia series. Battles incorporate both a weakness system like those in the SMT series, as well as a weapon triangle mechanic found in Fire Emblem.
The "Main Cast" party consists of three main characters; in the demo, Itsuki, Tsubasa, and Toma were shown off. These characters can use regular attacks and elemental abilities, like in Persona.
Players can also execute 'Sessions' consisting of combination attacks that allow characters to team up for a devastating chain attack pattern.
Later in the demo, a "Sub Cast" character, Eleonora, was shown teaming up with three heroes and showcased the Dual Attack feature twice; once with Tsubasa to slaughter foes with an idol duet and once with Toma which found enemies in the crossfire of a heating argument between them.
The demo also showed a messaging system, where other characters in the game can send texts to one another. This system can be read on the Wii U Gamepad as players explore around the city. It's unclear at the moment what this system incorporates into the rest of the title.
Finally, the extensive gameplay demonstration ended off with the heroes facing off against Gangrel from the Fire Emblem series. Other notable Fire Emblem antagonists, and maybe even some from the Shin Megami Tensei series, may also stand in the way of the heroes in the final game.
Here's a recording of the livestream.
