Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is just as censored as the international Nintendo Wii U version of the game, which resulted in a controversy in Japan when Nintendo misrepresented the game in promotional material. Nintendo used to be known for censoring its games, but the company has relaxed its policies over time and is now looser than Sony when it comes to content.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is a JRPG developed by Atlus that mixes the stylish action of the Persona series with characters from Fire Emblem. The Atlus style of gameplay has become more popular in recent years, thanks to the mainstream success of Persona 5, so Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore has a better chance of finding an audience now than the original did on the Wii U back in 2015. The Phantom Thieves might not appear in Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore, but their spirit lives in the game in the form of new costumes based on the group.
Nintendo has been promoting Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore as one of the biggest Switch games in the first half of 2020, yet there are some people in Japan who won't be purchasing the game based on its content. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is different in a lot of ways from the original game, as content was changed and cut for the international version of the game and those changes stuck for the remaster.
What Was Cut From Tokyo Mirage Sessions?
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE on the Wii U had paid DLC, which included new costumes and dungeons that made it easier for the player to acquire experience points, money, and items. One of the DLC packs that never made its way into the international version of the game involved swimsuit costumes for the party members and a scene involving the characters visiting a hot spring. Titillating DLC is hardly anything new and Nintendo hasn't shied away from it in the past (just look at the DLC in Fire Emblem Awakening), but it seems that the provocative nature of the costumes and scenes kept the DLC out of the international versions of the game.
What Was Changed in Tokyo Mirage Sessions?
It wasn't just the swimsuit DLC that was changed, as Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE underwent significant changes for its international release. The ages of the teenage cast members were increased, which led to a lot of the Japanese dialogue being rerecorded to accommodate for the different ages, even though the vast majority of the players wouldn't recognize the change.
Some of the costumes worn by the female characters were lengthened or altered to show less skin, while all of the skirts in the game added black voids to obscure any underwear shots. A boss monster with an ample bosom had its chest covered with an obvious and distracting smoke effect, while an entire dungeon that was centered around bikini modeling was completely reworked, with all of the suggestive outfits being replaced with more modest clothes.
It's surprising that Atlus/Nintendo put so much effort into censoring Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, due to its already limited appeal and the fact that it was appearing on a system with such a small audience. It might have made more financial sense to release the game with a higher age rating than sinking a lot of money and time into changing it in such a way that might alienate its core audience.
The Nintendo Switch Pre-Order Controversy
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE has been remastered for the Nintendo Switch as Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore. The game was announced during the September 2019 Direct and fans quickly noticed that the footage appeared to show the censored female boss. This same footage appeared in the Japanese version of the trailer, but the official website for the game used screenshots from the uncensored original version of the game, so fans in Japan were unclear as to what version they would be getting.
It turned out that Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore was based on the international version of the game, which meant that it would be censored. Nintendo of Japan issued an apology to its fans for misleading them and offered refunds to anyone who purchased the game on either the Nintendo Store or the Nintendo eShop. The screenshots on the official website were updated and it was made clear that the Japanese version of the game would be censored.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE was cruelly overlooked on the Nintendo Wii U and it's doubtful that showing some extra skin would have helped the game's chances. We can only hope that the censorship of the game doesn't detract from the game's second chance at success, especially as all of the censored content is easily found online for those who are curious as to what was cut.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is available for Nintendo Switch.