I Am Setsuna Reviews
The first console I ever owned was a Super Nintendo Entertainment System, back in 1996. Occasionally, I’ll get it out and play it on an old CRT television, just to relive the memories of the countless RPGs played on it.
Everything from the length of the game (around 25 hours), the battle system, difficult, art, music, characters — this has proven to be a treat of an experience for me and one I would happily recommend to any Switch owner.
A brief, somber, and quietly beautiful journey that occasionally stumbles to resonate emotionally.
I Am Setsuna is a nostalgic JRPG: it takes Chrono Trigger's gameplay and put it into a fascinating setting. The adventure is brief but enthralling, and the game represents a great debut for the Tokyo RPG Factory, a little Team Square-Enix assembled to create old school game experiences.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I Am Setsuna is a mixture of beautiful, heartfelt, and depressing moments, one whose depth is unfortunately overshadowed by its over-abundant moments of shallowness. The worth in Setsuna may end up being not in what it did on its own, but the groundwork it provides for future projects.
It doesn't quite recapture the magic of Chrono Trigger, but I Am Setsuna has enough interesting mechanics to stand on its own without the crutch of nostalgia.
I Am Setsuna is the polar opposite of a subversive work it. It’s earnest and conventional but also alert to the vast scope of human fallibility and treachery.
In spite of its myriad frustrations, I Am Setsuna is far from a characterless husk, but its mechanical regurgitation of shallow tropes and the over-complication of a ready-made battle system manages to cast a dim light on its reserved tone and glacial atmosphere. Designed to be a reverential ode to cherished RPG classics, I Am Setsuna is a functional footnote rather than a sweeping fresh stanza.
Old school JRPG throwback I Am Setsuna tells an interesting story with a fittingly sombre tone, but features none of the combat oomph of its predecessors.
I Am Setsuna is an unabashed love letter to fans of classic JRPGs, featuring solid, turn-based combat and a beautiful snowy world that looks like a moving painting. It’s a tad on the short side for an RPG and the journey can feel rushed, especially with the lack of extra content. Overall, it feels like it's at the cusp of JRPG greatness but just needs that little extra something to reach its full potential. Still, if you’re looking for an old school-style JRPG fix, I Am Setsuna will hit the spot.
If you are looking for a classic JRPG experience, you will love I Am Setsuna. If you are looking for the second coming of Chrono Trigger, however, you will be disappointed.
While not as challenging as some of the JRPGs of the past (no Emerald Weapon here, sorry), I Am Setsuna makes it clear that someone is listening to all of those grumbly veteran gamers who miss the adventures that made them fans for life. They long for a story to care about, and that's what this game provides.
I Am Setsuna starts out on a strong footing: offering what seems to be the perfect game for every JRPG fan with too little time on their hands. However, something is lost along the way, too much is trimmed and outside of the excellent combat system, the plot and characters simply fail to maintain my attention, some struggle to remain likeable because of their incredibly annoying dialogue.
I Am Setsuna is bold in the way it explores its themes, and it immediately moved me with its soft art style and beautiful piano score. I also really enjoyed the battle system’s Momentum, Flux and Singularity elements, which added some much-needed variety to the otherwise standard turn-based combat. Unfortunately, a few major problems kept the game from remaining entirely enjoyable as the experience went on. Cheap deaths at the hands of superpowered enemies sent me back to a save point, losing me valuable time, on more than one occasion — an infuriating and needless flaw, given that other retro-fueled titles like Bravely Default include optional autosave. As I was getting to the end, I also started to feel like everything was blurring together, between the reused assets and the predictable structure. Overall, the cumulative effect of the game’s themes is still a very powerful one, and I enjoyed most of my time with it, but I can’t help but feel a little let down by the flaws that kept it from reaching its full potential.
Two years ago Square Enix announced it had created a new studio, Tokyo RPG Factory, to create RPGs in the image of those golden age games. In that time Tokyo RPG Factory managed to catch hold of the spirit of those games and pull it forward into 2016 with the release of I AM SETSUNA. Tokyo RPG Factory managed to not only tap into that nostalgia vein but crafted a solid game that stands on its own.
I Am Setsuna is a game from a different era in the best kind of way. For better or for worse, it borrows many of its mechanics from some of gaming’s classics. While its graphics are outdated and its story gives only the illusion of choice, the rest of the game is good enough to make up for it: the characters are likable, the story is engaging, and the gameplay is fun. RPG fans will find a lot to enjoy here, especially those who love games like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger.
I Am Setsuna does not reinvent the wheel of JRPGs and sticks to a formula which intends to put a smile on longtime fans of the genre by using several elements of the 16 and 32-bit era. That being said, it falls easily into a repetitiveness cycle, especially on its visual component and its plot and characters could really use more inspiration and magic, despite the quality of its combat system.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The Switch version of I am Setsuna looks good and feels great. It might be only 30FPS but that doesnt affect the overall experience. If you enjoyed the JRPGs from the 90s, you should not let it pass.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Though it's narratively, visually and aurally filled with anguish and sorrow, I Am Setsuna's charming personality has the strength and the warmth to melt all but the iciest of hearts, which couldn't make me happier.
Despite some minor hiccups, I Am Setsuna is still an incredibly enjoyable experience. Will I Am Setsuna change the JRPG landscape forever? Certainly not.