SMT X FE was initially a a turn-based strategy game, devs on FE characters and pop idol focus, more
Genei Ibun Roku # FE, the working title of the Fire Emblem/Shin Megami Tensei crossover project in development with Nintendo and Atlus (and loosely translated as “Mirage Spinoff # FE”) is the result of one woman’s passion for Fire Emblem.
In an interview at E3, Fire Emblem producer and Nintendo group manager Hitoshi Yamagami told GameSpot that a Nintendo employee who loved Atlus games initially came up with the idea.
Yamagami on how a Nintendo employee who loved Atlus games came up with the idea…
“In our team at Nintendo Co., Ltd, there’s a woman who really loves the Shin Megami Tensei series. This is how this all started. And when she started this conversation within the company, we were working with Atlus at the time on a purikura [decorative photography] program for DSi and 3DS. At the time she said, ‘Mr. Yamagami, there’s something I would like to do. I want to make a game that mixes Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei.’ And we said, that’s exciting, let’s give it a shot! But when we brought it to Atlus, they said, we’d like to but we can’t, we’re busy.”
– Nintendo abandoned the idea, until two years later
– Atlus approached them to revive the concept
“When they asked if I wanted to [work with Nintendo], I was heading the Devil Survivor series. So once that series finished, two years after that conversation, I said, let’s give this a shot.” – Takada
– Nintendo and Atlus started building a turn-based strategy game in the style of previous Fire Emblem games
– As pre-production wrapped up and concepts were starting to take shape, both developers realized it was the wrong approach for their collaborative project
“From Nintendo’s point of view, because it’s Fire Emblem, we thought, let’s make this a turn-based strategy game. In the beginning, even Atlus wanted to make it a turn-based strategy, but after finishing the concept for it, I said, no, don’t do this, if you do something like this, it’s something [Fire Emblem developer] Intelligent Systems could just make with the main series. Do something we can’t do. That’s when we decided to make it a JRPG set in modern Japan.” – Yamagami
– After this, initial designs were scrapped
– Atlus started over making a JRPG in their own company style
“If you’re going to be very strict about it, it is a Shin Megami Tensei game, but it’s only similar to it, it’s not exactly like Shin Megami Tensei. But we put Fire Emblem elements into that kind of framework.” – Takada
– Takada was careful to point out that the Fire Emblem characters we see in the game aren’t the same exact people that appear in other Fire Emblem games
– These are new versions of the characters created specifically for the crossover
“One of the reasons [we made Fire Emblem characters Mirages] is because since it’s an RPG in modern times, we can’t have a Pegasus Knight suddenly show up and have the player think that it all makes sense. Because Fire Emblem has its own world, we had to have these characters enter the modern world as visitors from a mirror dimension, called the Idolosphere. And as there are ally units like Chrom and Shiida who come from this world, there are also antagonists that come from that world as well and want to destroy our world.” – Yamagami
Why the game is so heavy on Japanese pop idol culture and why so many characters are shown singing…
“This is why the characters are all entertainers: in Japan, similar to Greek mythology, there’s the idea of the gods being connected to the arts. It’s a shamanistic element that’s been interpreted by Atlus. The idea is, Japanese priestesses would dance and the dancing would bring them closer to the gods. We wanted to spin this in an Atlus way, so all the characters in the game have some connection to the arts, and that connection and their ability to express themselves attracts the Mirages to them. People who are good at singing or dancing or acting have really strong bonds with Mirages.” – Takada
– The Fire Emblem triangle-model of weapon mastery is present
– The Shin Megami Tensei combat staple of having to identify and exploit an enemy’s weaknesses
– According to the developers, these two mechanics were a perfect fit together and easy to incorporate
– Yamagami suggested that players who have been with the series for a while will have a different, deeper understanding of the game than series newcomers
“What I’m most proud about this game is the fact that despite everything that we’ve said about it, as you play through the story, you’ll realize that, what happens happens for a reason, because this game is inspired by Fire Emblem. So as a Fire Emblem fan, you’ll recognize why things are happening; it’s happening because it’s Fire Emblem.” – Yamagami
