What really impressed me about I Am Setsuna is the way that the various systems layered on top of one another to reinforce and complement the intense, powerful themes that sit at the core of the game.
Neither original nor groundbreaking, but if you’re one of those people who want a 90s style JRPG on home systems, then I Am Setsuna is the game for you.
While not flawless this game hits all of the niches it intends to hit. It feels very traditional and true to it's 90s roots while still being accessible to newer players of the genre. The battling is where the game really shines. It uses the ATB battle system along with a combo system. This combo system is based on the spiritnite (abilities) you have equipped. They'll give you access to different combos if another party member has an equipped spiritnite with the same combo. The story was enjoyable if not a tad generic. Those who have played similar types of games will definitely notice some tropes being repeated. The ending is debated but in my opinion it is a good way to end the game. No spoilers but you'll understand when you play it. The world design is beautiful and it really gives off the feel of traveling through a snowy wasteland with pockets of people spread throughout. Finally the music is absolutely incredible. The all piano soundtrack works wonderfully for this game and I found myself on numerous occasions just sitting there listening to it. Overall the game hits every element one would want in this type of game. It may not be advancing the genre but it is a very welcome entry in it.
I love this game because it is the first jrpg in ages that I was able to play and really enjoy. It's not that I haven't tried to play other jrpgs recently but I found them to be boring or, worst case, annoying. I assumed that JRPGs were just a genre I couldn't enjoy anymore.
A lack of balance robs the combat of much of its fun and renders many of the more interesting gameplay systems moot, but it didn’t dampen the emotional impact of I Am Setsuna’s heartfelt message for me.
It has a few too many flaws to be considered a classic, but I Am Setsuna does enough right to make it worth a play through - especially for fans of old-school RPGs.
It could have – and should have – been far better than it is. Held back by a lack of ambition and never daring to crawl from the shadow of better games, I Am Setsuna stops itself being something special...But at least it’s not garbage, and I sincerely hope Tokyo RPG Factory has something bigger in the pipeline, because I see a hell of a lot of promise.
Who would have thought a game with a snowy setting such as this would look so dull? There’s some good to be discovered in I Am Setsuna, but it’s overshadowed by its sheer unoriginality and repetitiveness.
I am writing this just to put the game “I Am Setsuna” into perspective.
It is based around PS1 era role playing games (RPGs). During that period of time (Golden Age of RPGs) the story lines of those games (FF7, FF9, Xenogears) were original and comparable to the best books and movies ever made.
The graphics are superior in current popular games but RPGs are not based on looks, they are based on interactive gameplay, story and strategic battles.
However the resolution of the animation in this game is excellent.
As for the actual story, battle system, and gameplay, I cannot really comment on that because I have not played the game.
It may or may not be suitable for kids being introduced to RPGs. If you are looking for that sort of game you may want to check out World Of Fantasy.
If you enjoyed games such as FF7, FF9, Xenogears, etc; when you were younger, then you will probably enjoy this game.
There is also another important consideration when reading any reviews, if reviews are written almost immediately after a game is released, chances are the critics/users likely have not played the game at all and/or rushed through them.
I am Setsuna is a brief, but fun RPG with clear influences from classics such as Chrono Trigger. It features a rather robust combat system, though its simplistic story and characters keep it from reaching the lofty heights it desires.
I'm probably 1/3 through the game (according to my stats) and as the title states, I'm very disappointed in this game so far. The story is just a mash up pof Dragon Quest 4 + FF10, so much so that I joke and call each character by a ff10 one. The game is plain old boring so far. Super linear, go to point A and then you cant go to point C unless you hit point B, complete some mundane task to save the town and hit the next zone.... EVERYTHING IS SNOW. When I heard at e3 how impressed people were with snow I was like ok... little did they know thats basically the entire game. I'm about to get my 6th character but what's the point when the game is so easy I never need to use more than the first 3 anyway. Weapon upgrades seem typical and boring, and the whole put one locked box in every single zone so im forced to rerun the map later thing... they did this with star ocean 5 too, it's a little overdone.
PLEASE TELL ME THE GAME GETS BETTER?
I'm estimating I'm pretty close to the ending of this game and sadly it disappointed me very much. It's so clear to me how Square just grabbed a classic rpg formula and created a completely generic game from it.
The scenarios are just snow. Snow, snow and snow. The villages all look the same. The characters are the cliches you always see in JRPG's, the silent knight, the loving sweet girl, the sassy girl, the bigger guy with a giant sword, etc, they have no depth at all. The story has absolutely nothing new and the game is awfully linear to the point that they don't even pretend to give you proper sidequests. The soundtrack is full of good compositions but there is no instrumentation at all, it's all on piano and you get tired after some time.
I'm giving it a 3 because of the art and music quality, even though they're repetitive. The rest is disposable.
SummaryInspired by Chrono Trigger, I am Setsuna is an homage to the JRPG masterpieces of yesteryear. Journey with Setsuna as she prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice and save the people of her land.