I Am Setsuna

I am Setsuna lends itself perfectly to on the go gaming, making the Switch the ideal console to experience this unique RPG.

Still, these drawbacks feel like nit-picking in a game that set out to revitalize the traditional JRPG and wholeheartedly succeeded. I Am Setsuna might not be the most innovative or technologically demanding game released this year - or even in the past five - but it is one of the most complete, and it offers an experience that near-perfectly blends incredible visuals, a music score that rivals some of Nobuo Uematsu's best, and superb, polished gameplay into one of the best JRPGs released in years. I Am Setsuna is a must-have for already enfranchised fans of the genre, and a wonderful introduc...

Fall in love with a game that bestows upon the player a strong sense of warmth and contentment.

This is almost certainly the fanboy in me talking but I Am Setsuna deserves more. In 1995 Square brought together five top artists in the industry and gave them whatever they needed to produce the greatest game ever made. Two decades later their legacy is being used to timidly test fan nostalgia when, perhaps, another dream team left to its own devices, unfettered by the weight of a cultural and artistic behemoth is what’s really needed. God, I want another Chrono Trigger so much and I Am Setsuna comes as close as any attempt possibly could, but, of course, it’s only an echo. An imperfect real...

New Square Enix studio Tokyo RPG Factory releases its first effort I AM SETSUNA in the west this week. Read on for Rob’s review of this throwback RPG.

Micro-rants aside, I Am Setsuna has it where it counts. Despite the cracks that give a small peak at the shortcomings of an old formula, its well-told story, fun characters, and addictive combat win the day. Much credit also goes to the absolutely gorgeous soundtrack  by Tomoki Miyoshi (I’m listening to it right now on Spotify). Done entirely in piano, it perfectly captures the tone of the story and world and truly draws you in that much further. As a huge fan of gaming soundtracks, I would say Mr. Miyoshi’s work here rivals that of Uematsu. As a huge fan of RPGs, I cannot express the joy I fe...

Nostalgia is very likely one of the most overused sales tactics in the world. It’s employed to sell everything from movie tickets to toys and almost anything else you can think of. Not surprisingly, it’s also used to sell games and if we’re being honest we all know it doesn’t always work out. The tactic of grabbing a nostalgic license and making a garbage game is alive and well (we’re looking at you TMNT and Ghostbusters). Also alive and kicking is the ‘inspired by’ tactic to which I Am Setsuna was prescribed. Touted as ‘inspired by Chrono Trigger‘, that is a lofty goal to meet. One of gaming’...

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. Few story-driven RPGs are so thematically focused or so gleefully disinterested with being “entertaining” or “fun.” To say it attempts to stand on the backs of giants is disingenuous really. I Am Setsuna isn’t a “Chrono Trigger-like;” it’s just a game that might easily have existed in the same time, if a creator with different storytelling sensibilities had been around. Its strength comes not f...

Those golden-era JRPGs are beloved because they were packed with memorable locations, characters, and combat. I Am Setsuna unfortunately falls short on all three counts, and instead delivers an average and forgettable adventure, albeit one with wonderful music.

I actually quite like the adherence to nostalgia, as Square is only giving fans with they want after years of complaints that projects like Final Fantasy XIII strayed too far. But by the same token of goodwill, it plays it a little too safe in regards to its at times predictable story, and doesn’t really do anything new that moves the genre forward in any way. Still, if old school is what you want, you’ll get it.

A well-crafted homage to Chrono Trigger, which isn’t scared to add its own ideas – ensuring this is far more than just a nostalgic novelty.

Coming off the E3 show floor, amid all the flashy bits and games vying for presence, a little RPG from Square Enix's Tokyo RPG Factory commanded a lot of attention. Now, on the other side of the twenty-or-so-hour game, it seems as though those cursory comparisons were a bit misleading over the long haul.