There’s really nothing quite like Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem.
It has recognizable elements from both series yet in many ways it really is its own thing.
And this is something that Nintendo made sure to point out during its Treehouse presentation
during E3.
It was the first real look that we’ve gotten on the game and we discovered a lot.
So much that we’ve actually had to split up the analysis just to keep it manageable.
So let’s shine a spotlight on the old Analysis Machine as we search for all of the secrets
and hidden details that we can find on the setting and characters from the latest footage.
Of course, be sure to watch our previous analysis on the reveal trailer as we’ll be referring
back to it throughout.
With that said, we’ll start with the world of this unique crossover.
As we discovered in the reveal trailer, the game will take place in Tokyo and reflects
the real world as much as possible.
In fact, the developers have said that they took reference photos of each area that would
appear in the game to match it as closely as possible.
Now naturally, they made some changes to better fit a game setting, but it really does feel
like they’ve captured the spirit of these places.
And the first that we see is Shibuya, specifically Shibuya Station.
Right from the outset, players will be able to see ads everywhere.
Some are for cigarettes, new phones, and plenty of other stores.
But we wonder if they’ll simply be window dressing to draw players into the world or
if each billboard is connected to some aspect of the game.
Though it’s likely the former since it feels unlikely that characters would smoke cigarettes
in a Nintendo game.
More interesting is that markers show places that can either be examined or entered once
the player is close enough.
It’s common enough in RPGs, but it’s the store that can be entered that has us curious.
It looks to be a bookstore called Shibooks.
As we’ll see, all of the places that the player can enter are important for one reason
or another.
So what is the importance of the bookstore?
Will we learn new abilities inside?
Is this where spells can be purchased providing a link to tomes in Fire Emblem?
Or is it simply a place that eventually holds story significance?
It’s impossible to say at this point.
But Shibuya isn’t a continuous place to walk around in.
It seems to be broken into various sections that must be traversed simply by approaching
streets and crossing.
Doing so in the Treehouse footage is how the player reaches Shibuya proper.
And it’s here that we see more ads and places that we’ll be able to visit in the full
game.
One of these places is a building called Uzume which is described as a Lesson Studio underneath
the sign.
Like the bookstore, we wonder what the purpose of this place could be.
Is it simply plot related?
Could you strengthen the characters’ skills here?
Or could we even be able to create our own dance choreography for the characters’ shows?
There are a lot of possibilities.
Nearby, we can see Tsubasa, but we’ll talk about her more in depth later on.
It’s near her though that we see a rare sight, a non-outlined NPC.
This detail, as we see more of later in the Treehouse demo, means that the player can
actually talk to them and get some details on what’s happening.
They don’t at this point, but we assume it’ll be something about Kiria’s upcoming
concert.
But there’s another show being advertised nearby.
It shows some kind of superhero or, more accurately, a sentai-type show.
This is likely part of the same stage show that we saw Toma take part in during the previous
trailer.
In fact, during the Treehouse presentation, it’s said that the world will change as
players progress through the story.
The example they provided was of Tsubasa’s debut singles and the posters of her.
But the sentai poster might change as well to show Toma’s gradual breakthrough into
the world of acting.
Just what other ways could the world change to show these kids’ rise to fame?
Finally, we enter one of the stores in Shibuya, the Hee Haw Mart that we saw before.
Jack Frost is the mascot of course and there’s actually a bit of Engrish happening here.
The setting actually translates to Hiho Mart which, as the Treehouse stated, is Jack Frost’s
Japanese name.
HeeHaw seems be a bit of mistranslation though we’re not sure if it’s intentional or
not.
The convenience store itself is fully stocked and other items can be easily seen.
There are newspapers, magazines with what appear to be real actresses, models, or pop
stars on the covers, cleaning supplies, snacks, and both fresh and frozen food.
In other words, it’s exactly like a real convenience store.
You can even examine the food on display if you wish.
But it stops being quite so typical when you talk to the girl behind the counter.
The Treehouse states that the girl is an homage to Anna from Fire Emblem who pops up in many
of the games as a merchant.
So it’s appropriate that she runs a shop.
What’s interesting though is that the girl is only ever referred to as a convenience
store clerk and she never does Anna’s trademark finger poses against her cheek, instead doing
a polite bow.
This is explained away though by stating that she is not Anna, just an homage.
It still feels like a slight missed opportunity though to really drive the connection to hardcore
fans.
Around her, it’s possible to see more cigarettes and some hot food to buy.
She simply says, “Welcome to Hiho Mart,” before the options come up.
It is possible to both buy and sell items here though like a typical RPG.
Then there are the items.
First up is the soft drink that recovers 80HP for a single character.
Below that we have some very rough translations.
One says it’s an energy drink that recovers all HP for a single character while the next
is an icepack that recovers 80HP for the entire party.
Obviously, we’re not sure if the names are actually correct, but it shows the continued
use of real world items for healing.
Next up is the Spicy Food which revives fallen characters at half health and finally Oolong
Tea which is only listed as some kind of treat.
This could mean either another rough translation or that players can buy items simply as gifts
for the other characters.
Then there are the weapons that you can somehow buy at a convenience store.
The lance is referred to as a Hand Lance and can be considered a weaker javelin.
The axe is the hand axe from Fire Emblem while the bow weapon is referred to as a set of
darts.
Each item also has a different amount that can be held at any one time.
We’re not sure why they’re not all at 99, but it might be a slight callback to the
item limitations in Fire Emblem.
Or it could simply be a way to balance the more powerful items with the weaker ones.
Either way, we have to wonder if the game will actually explain how these weapons are
able to be purchased.
Perhaps the convenience store girl really is the Mirage of Anna but stays hidden for
one reason or another.
It would make for a fun reveal.
But we don’t think the convenience store is the only place to buy items.
As the player rounds the corner, we see a familiar backstreet as well as two vending
machines.
There’s an option to interact with them so we imagine that they could be used as a
way to quickly grab healing items.
The rest of this area looks the same as we saw before except that there’s an opening
that we can either inspect or enter.
However, it’s impossible to see what this building is for or what Itsuki could do inside.
But there’s much more to discover in Shibuya.
After all, during one of the scenes in the E3 trailer, we can see the famous statue of
Hachiko behind Eleanora.
So it looks like every notable place within each of the explorable Tokyo districts will
be represented.
And it will be multiple districts since later in the Treehouse footage, they show off Harajuku.
Harajuku, for those who aren’t aware, is another popular center for youth culture and
fashion.
It’s mainly known for its huge selection of small shops and places where people can
gather over common interests.
The part of Harajuku that we get to see has a different feel from Shibuya as it mainly
sticks to a profile view to show off all of the buildings.
But the only one we see that can be explored isn’t clearly marked.
We can even see a NPC standing near the stairs.
Harajuku does have some notoriety as being a center for fitness as well so it could be
some kind of gymnasium.
Another place of note is the crepe store that Itsuki passes.
There, we can spot two detailed NPCs and Tsubasa.
Despite this, there doesn’t seem to be an option to actually shop there.
Itsuki actually talks to the male NPC who’s described simply as a high school boy.
Like we suspected, he’s only there to offer dialog fluff, as he tries to decide what flavor
of crepe he should get.
But this store also hides another small wink to Shin Megami Tensei.
It’s called the Crepes Dia and Dia is the basic healing spell from that series.
Essentially it’s saying these crepes are so good that they’ll completely refresh
you.
Anyone else hungry?
Otherwise, nearby we can see another crepes store and a gym called Fine Body though we
can’t actually explore it.
Then there’s the entrance to a dungeon.
We’ll talk about the dungeons in depth later, but for now it seems like each one is designed
around that district’s most well-known quality.
For Shibuya, it was the 106 building and the theme of fashion.
But Harajuku has a similar theme so at first we thought it might be café-based.
And then we remembered the reveal trailer of the dungeon near some kind of temple or
park.
We think it’s actually Yoyogi Park which takes up a large portion of the district.
We can even see a park setting in the background.
It would make sense.
There are some neat touches though when it comes to exploring Tokyo.
In Harajuku, we noticed that there was general music when walking the streets.
However, if Itsuki got close to a store, it would naturally transition to one of the pop
hits.
So it gives a feeling of a living, breathing world.
And it could be another small way that the world changes over time with new songs by
the characters being shuffled into the playlist.
Finally, one small thing to note is that the green barriers that we see aren’t actually
walls to the demo.
Instead it’s a barrier that marks the entrance to a different location.
In some cases, this seems to be a train to another district.
The E3 trailer also provided a few more unique looks at some places that we’ll be visiting.
One shows Itsuki in what appears to be a dungeon though we can’t say for sure which it is.
We believe it’s somewhat new as a waterfall has never been shown before.
Directly after that is a scene where Itsuki and Tsubasa are high above the city on what
we can assume is a skyscraper.
The design on the edge of the map is somewhat similar to what we saw before.
So maybe they’re part of the same dungeon?
Even if they’re not, we believe this scene is part of the one from the reveal trailer
where Tsubasa spins and reveals her bikini.
It looks like Itsuki has to encourage her about something at this point.
But the strangest one is this gigantic concert hall with some kind of sphere in the center.
We’re just not sure if this is part of the real world, the other world, or some kind
of crazy setting for a battle.
The scene does change to show the sphere might unravel as time passes since it looks to be
in the same place but is obviously not a sphere anymore.
There are also people on top, but we can’t make out who they are exactly.
It just goes to show that there are plenty more places to visit in this crossover.
Let’s shift gears though and focus on the characters and what we know of the story so
far.
On the most basic level, it’s about a group of teenagers who have an ambition to enter
various parts of the Japanese entertainment industry.
However, they learn that every person has some level of an essence called Performa.
This is what drives people to follow their dreams.
But beings, known as Mirages, come from another world called the Idolosphere in order to harvest
the Performa for their own mysterious ends.
The characters we’ve come to meet, Itsuki, Tsubasa, and Toma, learn that they’re actually
Mirage Masters, people who are able to become partners with certain Mirages.
Together they must stop the invasion of the Idolosphere while pursuing their dreams in
the entertainment industry.
With that said, profiles for each of the characters we know so far have been released on the official
site.
In addition, the E3 trailer revealed that the character designs were done by an artist
known as Toihachi who previously did backgrounds on Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and the
character designs in .hack the Movie.
So first up is Itsuki himself who surprisingly has no interest becoming an entertainer.
It’s only because of a certain incident, which takes place during the sequence in the
dome with the triangles, that his abilities as a Mirage Master manifest.
He then joins the Fortuna Entertainment group at the request of his friends.
Despite his lack of interest, he’s more than willing to help his friends thanks to
his honesty and sense of responsibility though at times he can be quiet and unsociable.
His Mirage is Chrom from Fire Emblem Awakening but he has seen quite the redesign.
Like all of the partner Mirages, he has lost his memories.
His class is still a Lord though not much else is said about him.
He’s simply described as very brave.
It’s also worth noting that Chrom will be portrayed by the same voice actor as in Awakening.
So it seems likely that Chrom’s English voice actor will return as well.
Next is Tsubasa who is confirmed to be Itsuki’s childhood friend.
As we see in the E3 trailer, her powers as a Mirage Master awaken at the same time as
Itsuki’s.
She’s described as reckless which leads her to make many mistakes, but she can be
extremely focused and hard-working when it comes to her goals.
This leads her to becoming a new idol as part of Fortuna Entertainment.
Caeda, from the first Fire Emblem, is described as so kind that she acts like Tsubasa’s
older sister, always trying to help.
Obviously her class is a Pegasus Knight.
Then there’s Toma who is a classmate of Itsuki and Tsubasa.
His goal is to become the lead in a popular Sentai show, Masquerader.
He works at Fortuna in the hopes of making it happen.
To others he appears to act frivolously and he does have a habit of acting before thinking.
His Mirage is Cain, also from the original Fire Emblem.
Cain’s class is the Cavalier and he has a lot in common with Toma, to the point of
being kindred spirits.
Many times, it appears as if Cain is his older brother.
Kiria is different in that she’s already achieved her dream as a star.
And it seems that she’s been a Mirage Master for just as long.
She fits the cool beauty archetype though she keeps her true identity a secret from
fans.
As the existing member of Fortuna, it becomes her job to show Tsubasa the ropes of being
an idol.
We’ve yet to fully see her Mirage, but we believe we’ve discovered her class at the
very least.
During the E3 trailer, we discover that the Mirages are being designed by Hideo Manaba
who has worked on many Square games in the past including Final Fantasy 6 and 9, Parasite
Eve, and Super Mario RPG.
More importantly, we see the three Mirages we already know as well as three hidden in
shadow.
The one on the right is an Archer, in the middle is an axe-wielding Fighter, and then
on the left is either a Mage or a Cleric.
And since we’ve already seen Eleanora as an Archer and the Fighter is obviously male,
it looks like the Mage will be Kiria’s partner.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any real idea who the Mage will represent from Fire Emblem.
As we mentioned before, Eleanora is the Archer we saw during both the reveal trailer and
this most recent one.
Despite her young age, she is already an accomplished actress.
She also has a unique background in that she’s half Japanese and half Scandinavian.
Because she’s already been established, she likes to act as the senior of many of
the newer additions to Fortuna despite being younger.
She does care about everyone though her ultimate goal is to become a Hollywood actress.
As we just pointed out, her Mirage is an Archer from Fire Emblem but we actually get to see
a small picture of her.
Like the other Mirages, we can’t really see the face as it has some kind of guard
over it.
But there are features we can see, specifically a flowered cap and blond hair.
So far, the hair color for each Mirage has matched their original design.
We hoped that this might lead us to who she is from Fire Emblem but surprisingly few match
this description.
We asked on Twitter who this might be and the most common suggestions were Louise from
Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken, Igrene from The Binding Blade, and Briggid from Genealogy
of the Holy War.
The problem is that the developers have stated that most of the Fire Emblem characters would
be pulled from either the original game or Awakening and no character in either of those
games match.
However, Briggid did appear in Awakening as a Spotpass character.
Perhaps that’s enough to qualify her for the role, especially since she herself has
appeared in two different Fire Emblem games.
Next we have the woman who leads Fortuna Entertainment, Maiko.
As we’ve seen, it’s not only a place to foster new talent, but to gather Mirage Masters
as well.
She used to work as a gravure idol, basically an idol that not only appears on magazines
but in DVDs devoted to them.
Maiko is described as shrewd, quick-thinking, and a lover of alcohol yet very motherly to
the Mirage Masters.
It doesn’t appear as if she’s a Mirage Master herself though.
Yet she can still see them so if she was at one point, she’s not anymore.
Finally, there’s the most mysterious character of all, Tiki.
She’s actually described as a program called a Singaloid, at least that’s the most common
translation so far.
She’s basically this world’s version of a Vocaloid.
You know, like Hatsune Miku.
Like that character, Tiki is incredibly popular on the internet as a way to create and upload
new songs.
But the profile fails to give any more details beyond that.
Somehow, despite being a program, we’ve seen Itsuki interacting with her in this latest
trailer.
And every playable character has appeared at that altar from the first trailer.
We even see that she’s able to leave messages to Itsuki.
So is she a program or a different kind of Mirage from the Idolasphere.
We have no clue.
But there are two characters that we don’t quite see but are still worth talking about.
At one point in the E3 trailer, we see a quick cut of a male singer we’ve never seen before.
There’s been no indication on who he is, but we think it might be Yashiro Tsurugi from
the Shibuya 106 poster that we’ve seen before.
They’re not exactly the same but similar enough that this boy could be him in different
clothes.
And if that’s the case, could he be the sixth party member?
After all, we do know that there’s one more Mirage Master out there.
We’ve seen the Mirage.
And in fact, this trailer shows the sixth party member when they’re transformed.
We can’t see his face, but he is wearing gold armor and wielding an axe.
Again, we tried to use your help to pinpoint who the original Fire Emblem character could
be.
One suggestion is Halvan from Thracia 776 and the general colors do match.
But unfortunately, he’s never appeared since and isn’t from one of the games the developers
said they’d be using.
This leaves only Vaike from Awakening who doesn’t have this color armor and Basilio,
also from Awakening, who doesn’t quite match this look either.
Halvan matches the best at this point, but we have to keep in mind that this is the transformed
version of Mirage.
Just look at the difference between Chrom by himself and Chrom when joined with Itsuki.
Until we see the axe wielder’s normal look, we just won’t know for sure.
We learned more about the allied Mirages during the Treehouse event.
For one, they’re not actually the characters from Fire Emblem.
Their designs merely take influence from them and match their general personality.
But the Idolasphere is not the world of Fire Emblem.
And, taking a page from the Persona series, many of the ally Mirages will be hostile at
first so it looks like they’ll have to be beaten in order to use them in battle.
Finally, it’s been said that the main game will take around thirty hours to complete
with another thirty hours coming from sidequests.
It hasn’t been explained exactly what all of the sidequests are, but we do know one
type.
There’s a side story for each of the characters you meet.
And since all of them take part in some aspect of the Japanese entertainment industry, it
can become Itsuki’s job to help them reach their dreams.
This looks like it’s done by backing them up, improving your relationship with them,
and generally helping them get farther in their field.
So Itsuki’s role in Fortuna might just be as a manager of sorts.
Either way, extra depth can be obtained for each character.
And there is still much, much more to cover about Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem.
You can look forward to that very soon, but this is just a small taste of what the game
can offer.
Next time, we’re breaking down the story and seeing what we can find.
And trust us, there are some pretty intriguing things to be found.
Of course, let us know if we missed anything about the setting or characters in the comments.
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