This review contains spoilers
I Am Setsuna is a homage to the classic JRPGs of the past, like the original Final Fantasy games. The story is bleak, but hopeful as you play as a mercenary who is tasked with killing a young woman who is on a pilgrimage to stop a growing threat of monsters by becoming a human sacrifice. The story introduces multiple characters from across the snow covered world and each has interesting back stories and personalities.
The gameplay focuses on a Momentum system and ATB gauge. You attack when your ATB is filled and if you wait until your Momentum is also filled, you will get bonuses to your attacks such as additional damage or status effects.
The combat is entertaining enough but the enemy types are repeated using various colors or slight design changes as you become stronger in new areas.
I finished both versions of the final boss and completed the side missions to get all the characters' ultimate abilities, but ended up passing on getting 100% database entries such as enemy drops and items.
It's a solid RPG with a bit of some grindy gameplay, but the story is where is shines the most IMO.
The gameplay focuses on a Momentum system and ATB gauge. You attack when your ATB is filled and if you wait until your Momentum is also filled, you will get bonuses to your attacks such as additional damage or status effects.
The combat is entertaining enough but the enemy types are repeated using various colors or slight design changes as you become stronger in new areas.
I finished both versions of the final boss and completed the side missions to get all the characters' ultimate abilities, but ended up passing on getting 100% database entries such as enemy drops and items.
It's a solid RPG with a bit of some grindy gameplay, but the story is where is shines the most IMO.
Nah, I can see why this might be popular amongst retro-gamers, but to me this didn't look or feel like the SNES classic did. I gave in at the boss fight right before you get the airship, probably under leveled because he could wipe out my whole party even though I had two who could cast healing spells. And grinding as a game mechanic to be at the "right" level is not a function I miss from the old days.
For the cold and occasionally snowy month of February, I chose to play I Am Setsuna, and I’m so glad I did. This is a spoiler free review.
I Am Setsuna is the first game by Square Enix’s Tokyo RPG Factory, a studio made of just ten core employees whose goal was to recreate the magic of the SNES era roleplaying games. The influence of the “old masters” of the JRPG is not simply something felt throughout- it is the air the game breathes. This can be considered both the greatest strength and the most crushing weakness of I Am Setsuna. The game with the greatest influence on Setsuna is Chrono Trigger- something insurmountable to live up to. Maybe it’s because I haven’t gotten around to playing Chrono Trigger yet, and I don’t feel compelled to compare the two, that I found Setsuna so striking.
Every location in this game has two constants; it is covered in an unmelting blanket of snow, and it’s scored by a lone piano. These two choices are extremely controversial among players and critics, but I truly can’t imagine this game being nearly as successful artistically without this unwavering commitment to this direction. It was absolutely the correct choice.
The combat system is interesting, and one I disliked quite a bit at first. One of the reasons I like JRPGs as a genre so much is the focus on strategy rather than quick execution in gameplay. The common turn-based combat of JRPGs clicks with me, but Setsuna has a sort of hybrid- the ATB, or active time battle system. It did grow on me, eventually. I found longer battles to be very rhythmic, and if I needed some time to think, I could always dive into a safe menu to find my bearings.
The basis of Setsuna’s systems are fantastic on paper. Defeating common enemies rewards you with unique materials. You can sell these materials for money, and selling enough of a specific material also grants you the ability to use it to create skills called Spritnite that can be equipped. This creates a cycle; use your skills to kill enemies for drops, use those drops to create stronger skills, rinse and repeat. It’s a bit more complex than my simple explanation makes it seem, but the foundation is rock solid. The implementation is where this system can become a bit shaky.
The game also has combo attacks achieved by equipping two characters with compatible Spritnite. I made sure to equip Endir and Nidr with the Shock and Provoke skills respectively to create the Blowbeat combo. This is where I discovered the true way to play I Am Setsuna: find one OP combo and, using Setsuna’s support on the side for HP and MP management, coast through the rest of the game. Flattening every combat encounter was something I appreciated more than not. It made things easy, but finding and using a build that worked so smoothly was satisfying. This didn’t trivialize the entire rest of the game though- the bosses could still be quite tough, as they’re all massive damage sponges. All of this comes together to create a combat system that really clicked with me, and I even found it addictive at times.
You travel the eternal winter with six people, all of different backgrounds, with different stories to tell. These characters all have their own simple narrative, each with a fun twist, that ties thematically back to the main ideas of the game. Though they’re not complex, they don’t need to be. It strikes a lovely balance. The story is truly what makes this game so special. Like the rest of the experience it’s simple, a bit underdeveloped, and merely echoes the great masters before it, but these are all things I love about it. Its brevity is a strength, its ability to exist in the shadows of great stories without being a mere copy is a wonderful thing, and its confidence to keep the story simple is refreshing, especially within the context of its genre. It does exactly what it needs to, in a quiet and elegant manner. This winter journey’s tale ties together the identity of the game to create a serene, melancholic journey.
I Am Setsuna is a game that has received much criticism. It is not a JRPG darling like the classics it exists to emulate. It is certainly flawed, in many ways, but that doesn’t keep Setsuna from being a very special game. I think so many people are so focused on where Setsuna draws its inspirations, that they are unable to experience it for the game it is. It’s true that every step of the development was inspired by games of the past. But that doesn’t mean Setsuna should exist within the confines of those expectations. This game is truly something special when removed from the preconceptions placed on it, and I hope more people will be able to approach it with a perspective similar to mine. I think those people will have a very meaningful experience.
___ this was adapted from a full review written for my blog
I Am Setsuna is the first game by Square Enix’s Tokyo RPG Factory, a studio made of just ten core employees whose goal was to recreate the magic of the SNES era roleplaying games. The influence of the “old masters” of the JRPG is not simply something felt throughout- it is the air the game breathes. This can be considered both the greatest strength and the most crushing weakness of I Am Setsuna. The game with the greatest influence on Setsuna is Chrono Trigger- something insurmountable to live up to. Maybe it’s because I haven’t gotten around to playing Chrono Trigger yet, and I don’t feel compelled to compare the two, that I found Setsuna so striking.
Every location in this game has two constants; it is covered in an unmelting blanket of snow, and it’s scored by a lone piano. These two choices are extremely controversial among players and critics, but I truly can’t imagine this game being nearly as successful artistically without this unwavering commitment to this direction. It was absolutely the correct choice.
The combat system is interesting, and one I disliked quite a bit at first. One of the reasons I like JRPGs as a genre so much is the focus on strategy rather than quick execution in gameplay. The common turn-based combat of JRPGs clicks with me, but Setsuna has a sort of hybrid- the ATB, or active time battle system. It did grow on me, eventually. I found longer battles to be very rhythmic, and if I needed some time to think, I could always dive into a safe menu to find my bearings.
The basis of Setsuna’s systems are fantastic on paper. Defeating common enemies rewards you with unique materials. You can sell these materials for money, and selling enough of a specific material also grants you the ability to use it to create skills called Spritnite that can be equipped. This creates a cycle; use your skills to kill enemies for drops, use those drops to create stronger skills, rinse and repeat. It’s a bit more complex than my simple explanation makes it seem, but the foundation is rock solid. The implementation is where this system can become a bit shaky.
The game also has combo attacks achieved by equipping two characters with compatible Spritnite. I made sure to equip Endir and Nidr with the Shock and Provoke skills respectively to create the Blowbeat combo. This is where I discovered the true way to play I Am Setsuna: find one OP combo and, using Setsuna’s support on the side for HP and MP management, coast through the rest of the game. Flattening every combat encounter was something I appreciated more than not. It made things easy, but finding and using a build that worked so smoothly was satisfying. This didn’t trivialize the entire rest of the game though- the bosses could still be quite tough, as they’re all massive damage sponges. All of this comes together to create a combat system that really clicked with me, and I even found it addictive at times.
You travel the eternal winter with six people, all of different backgrounds, with different stories to tell. These characters all have their own simple narrative, each with a fun twist, that ties thematically back to the main ideas of the game. Though they’re not complex, they don’t need to be. It strikes a lovely balance. The story is truly what makes this game so special. Like the rest of the experience it’s simple, a bit underdeveloped, and merely echoes the great masters before it, but these are all things I love about it. Its brevity is a strength, its ability to exist in the shadows of great stories without being a mere copy is a wonderful thing, and its confidence to keep the story simple is refreshing, especially within the context of its genre. It does exactly what it needs to, in a quiet and elegant manner. This winter journey’s tale ties together the identity of the game to create a serene, melancholic journey.
I Am Setsuna is a game that has received much criticism. It is not a JRPG darling like the classics it exists to emulate. It is certainly flawed, in many ways, but that doesn’t keep Setsuna from being a very special game. I think so many people are so focused on where Setsuna draws its inspirations, that they are unable to experience it for the game it is. It’s true that every step of the development was inspired by games of the past. But that doesn’t mean Setsuna should exist within the confines of those expectations. This game is truly something special when removed from the preconceptions placed on it, and I hope more people will be able to approach it with a perspective similar to mine. I think those people will have a very meaningful experience.
___ this was adapted from a full review written for my blog