I Am Setsuna

Genre: Turn-Based JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

I Am Setsuna is a JRPG that very clearly tries to imitate the style and overall feel of classic games in the genre like Chrono Trigger, while making use of what more modern consoles can do. Largely, it seems to have succeeded.

Okay, before even getting started, try not to let the opening tutorial bring down your impression of the game. Once the game gets to the opening credits, things pick up tremendously.

Once you get to that point, the presentation of I Am Setsuna is absolutely beautiful. While not as detailed and impressive as more ambitious games like the latest Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest titles, I Am Setsuna makes use of some really beautifully detailed environments, a lovely piano soundtrack, and some nice character design to give a really warm feel to the game, which is ironic since so much of it takes place in cold, snowy locales, and features a bleak story about a girl designated to be a human sacrifice upon coming of age, and a mercenary sent on a quest to kill her.

The game’s story, while definitely bearing the mark of a classical-style JRPG, nevertheless ends up being one of the main draws here. Who hired this mercenary and why do they want the girl dead? Do these human sacrifices really stop the monsters from becoming more violent? Just why has the environment become so hostile? It’s questions like these, and the endearing characters, that drive the game forward.

However, where the game really shows its similarity to Chrono Trigger is in its gameplay. There are no random battles, all the enemies are walking around on the same map you are, and the menu-based battles take place on the same screen when you engage an enemy. In these battles, you have an ATB system just like Chrono Trigger and the old Final Fantasy games, and just as in those games, you can get multiple characters to join together in combo attacks.

Playing this game brought back all sorts of warm fuzzies from the 16-bit era JRPGs, though it wasn’t without its issues. The environments are a bit repetitive, and it would have been nice if the gameplay had evolved a bit from the 16-bit era. Oh, the game introduces some unique systems of its own, but none seems to really make its mark.

Still, these feel like minor quibbles. It’s been ages since a game last came along that gave me that same warm feeling those classic 16-bit JRPGs had, and many have tried. I Am Setsuna is perfect for those looking for a new RPG that feels like it carries the spirit of those older games. Fans of the genre should definitely look it up.

tl;dr – I Am Setsuna is a JRPG that looks to recreate the magic of old-school titles in the genre, specifically Chrono Trigger, and it largely succeeds. The presentation is beautiful, the story and characters are charming, and the gameplay seems like a natural extension of Chrono Trigger’s. While it doesn’t quite reach that game’s heights, it is nevertheless a wonderful game that fans of the genre really should try out.

Grade: A-

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