I Am Setsuna Reviews

I Am Setsuna is ranked in the 60th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Recommended
Jan 2, 2020

I Am Setsuna is a beautiful, peaceful game that oozes nostalgia in most ways, with some sharp flaws.

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9 / 10.0
Dec 14, 2021

I Am Setsuna is RPG made by RPG fans in Tokyo RPG Factory. The battles are good, the music is good, the characters are well designed, decently developed, and the setting is very melancholic. There may be some balance issues for some as the rift between normal battles and special/ boss battles is larger than some but that is to be expected in most games in my opinion. It has been a few years since Tokyo RPG Factory, the company responsible for I Am Setsuna has released a game which is a sad thing for old-school RPG lovers. I Am Setsuna is a classic game in my opinion and should be checked out by classic RPG lovers if you haven't already. I kind of hoped there would have been a little more to the ending or even a sequel of sorts.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 26, 2016

I Am Setsuna does a great job of reminding us what we loved about the genre and what it was like to play a JRPG back when the genre was at its best. There’s enough here to make the experience feel fresh and new, without changing too much of the core gameplay. If you’ve been in the mood for a classic adventure on your PS4, then this is the game for you

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50 / 100
Nov 9, 2020

If you lived in the era of SNES JRPGs and truly understand the definition of how classic games were meant to be played, the detailed stories and music will at least shield you through most of the ‘stuff you had to endure’ back then.

Review in Korean | Read full review

Aug 5, 2016

Egal ob alt oder neu: I Am Setsuna verfolgt zwar einen spannenden Ansatz, konnte mich allerdings nicht über die komplette Spielzeit fesseln. Die inhaltsarme Welt sowie die über Strecken unnötig gezogene Story haben es mir schwergemacht, am Ball zu bleiben. Weiterhin hat mich das Balancing der Kämpfe gestört. Während die Zwischengegner fast immer mit nur einem Schlag erledigt gewesen sind, fahren die Bossgegner eine unausgewogene Stärke auf, welcher man nur mit Grinden entgegnen kann. Der Piano-Soundtrack ist stimmig und die Grafik nett anzuschauen. Dennoch hätte ich mir mehr Abwechslung im tristen Alltag der Welt gewünscht, welche mich immer und immer wieder an die gleichen Orte geführt hat. Hier wäre sicher mehr drin gewesen. Gleichwohl ist I Am Setsuna für alle Fans von RPG-Spielen der 90er Jahre mit Einschränkungen zu empfehlen. Das Spiel ist teilweise schwere Kost und die schwermütigen Piano-Sounds sowie das gewollt altbackene Gameplay könnte euch schnell vor den Bildschirmen einschlafen lassen. Wenn das nicht stört, gibt es immerhin solide Unterhaltung, welche selbst auf schwachbrüstigen PC-Systemen erstaunlich gut läuft.

Review in German | Read full review

3.4 / 5.0
Mar 9, 2017

I am Setsuna is an enjoyable and more than competent JRPG, which while weak in story more than makes up for this with a strong combat system and fantastic presentation.

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76%
Jul 25, 2016

I am Setsuna is a wonderful game. The game has excellent characters and it has a very strong emotional story. That being said this game is very short and loading times can be long and repetitive.

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8 / 10
Jul 19, 2016

I am Setsuna is a beautiful, snow-filled love letter to former JRPGs. While the lack of variety may strike some players as boring, it sticks to its aesthetic and presents us with bits and pieces of what we loved from older JRPGs years ago.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 8, 2016

I am Setsuna is a wonderful tribute to the SNES era. Even with all the familiarity from the older titles that it pays homage to it doesn’t come across as a copy paste and instead is capable of standing on its own even with the heavy nostalgic feel. Graphically and audibly beautiful sounding this RPG is more than worth the time in the snow covered reaches that are traversed.

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78 / 100
Jul 29, 2016

I Am Setsuna does pay off on its promises to hearken back to the old days of JRPGs, but it gets a bit too old school for its own good.

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6.3 / 10.0
Aug 2, 2016

If I am Setsuna stands as an example of what developers would accomplish if they more frequently looked back toward the golden age of RPGs, I enthusiastically urge the industry to continue pressing forward in further modernizing the genre.

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Sep 4, 2016

I love a beautiful piano piece in games, don't you? Well upon launching the game, configuring the pre launch settings, going through the usual splash screens, you arive at the title screen and I honestly just sat there for a few minutes.

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92%
Aug 1, 2016

Honestly, I am Setsuna may be the best RPG I play this year (Trails of Cold Steel is excluded because it released last year). With its simple title, emotional story (try to get through it without feeling something), perfect soundtrack, enjoyable battle system, and pretty aesthetics, I am Setsuna is an admittedly short title with a few flaws that, on the whole, succeeds.

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4 / 5.0
Aug 1, 2016

Despite minor frustrations and a predictable plot, I Am Setsuna contains enough charm and entertainment to please players nostalgic for the classic era of JRPGs.

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88 / 100
Jul 21, 2016
I am Setsuna - Quick Game Review video thumbnail
7 / 10.0
Aug 3, 2016

Each nod to a title of JRPG yore is an acknowledgment of sampling from something fantastic. I am Setsuna is the sampler platter at your favorite restaurant. Not the one that gives you three tiny mozzarella sticks and a soggy onion ring – no, the place that puts a heaping of one of your favorite dishes in the center and surrounds them with generous quantities of the best of the menu. You know, the $20 appetizer tray that everyone can eat from. It’s not the full meal, but you can experience a taste of everything fantastic the chef has to offer.

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Evan Norris
Top Critic
Unscored
Aug 21, 2016

It suffers a bit from recycled ideas and mechanics, but in terms of music, art direction, and combat it carves out a corner all its own.

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Aug 7, 2016

With a story that delicately balances sadness and beauty, yet never tries to be anything other than a callback to classic games, I am Setsuna lands among the stars of the JRPG genre.

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Aug 6, 2016

Overall, I Am Setsuna is a compelling experience that all RPG fans should try, just be aware that it’s a more personal and linear experience, as opposed to an epic adventure around the world.

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80%
Jul 24, 2016

I am Setsuna features one of the most heartfelt and meaningful narratives.

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