I Am Setsuna Review

INTRO:

I Am Setsuna aims to bring the classic JRPG back from the dead. It’s a lofty goal, but if anyone can do it, it’s Square Enix. The Japanese company have proven time and time again they’re unwilling to let the genre fade into obscurity or irrelevance, and I for one couldn’t be happier. With I Am Setsuna they’ve promised the return of a very specific breed of role-playing-game, a lineage that will be incredibly tough to live up to. Are Square Enix and the gang at Tokyo RPG Factory up to the task?

Story:

I Am Setsuna tells a melancholy story about a girl on a journey to sacrifice herself to maintain peace. That girl’s name is Setsuna, and you are tasked with accompanying her on this journey. It’s a decent set up that’s been used far too many times, but unlike similar titles (Tales of Symphonia, Broken Age) I Am Setsuna sticks to its sombre guns and doesn’t let up.

It’s a powerful affair that is quite affecting, especially when paired with the beautiful visuals and music. It’s purposefully sparse at times and often surprisingly thoughtful, and the entire piece works well to spin a different kind of story. Whether or not the rest of the package hooks you, it’s a story worth experiencing, and a welcome change to the usual over-the-top, uncomfortably saccharin stuff we’re seeing from contemporary peers.

Gameplay:

If you’ve been following I Am Setsuna in any way you’ll have heard the endless comparisons to Square’s previous JRPGs. It’s true – they’re tapping into a vein of game that has, for the longest time, gone untapped. There are echoes of past glories here, but the most impressive thing about I Am Setsuna isn’t how well it apes Square’s past successes, but how they simply use them as a jumping off point to create something fresh.

What’s similar are Setsuna’s design philosophies, atmosphere and classic storytelling. When it comes to its gameplay mechanics – its active battle system and its unique approach to character progression – Setsuna is intent on doing its own thing, crafting its own lineage. Like Squeenix’s own Bravely Default, and Ubisoft’s Child of Light, I Am Setsuna isn’t afraid to mess around with the formula in unconventional ways whilst also sticking to it elsewhere.

Battles are engaging and fun – though sometimes they can feel a little unbalanced or easy – and a new risk/reward system that tasks you to hold out with certain characters so they can build momentum (and dish out even deadlier attacks) works as a radical gear shift to most ATB games I’ve played in the past. Well thought out tactics aren’t as necessary as I would have liked, however, as player skill and choice doesn’t make a huge amount of difference in most fights.