I am Setsuna

I am Setsuna
N/A
Metacritic
71
Steam
69.648
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$39.99
Release date
19 July 2016
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
71 (1 349 votes)

Inspired by the timeless classic Chrono Trigger, I am Setsuna is a great 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.

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I am Setsuna system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10
  • Processor: Core i3 2GHz and above
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GeForce GTS250 / Radeon HD5750 or better
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Hariman
Hariman

This is a good game. It's not perfect, but the combat system is enjoyable, and I like most of the party.

«Riniel»
«Riniel»

Mixed review. I thought the game was ok but not as good as I expected. The graphics are nice. They are very similar to the PS1 era but are way more polished. The music was repetitive, I wasn't in love with it. The story was emotional and the characters were mostly interesting. The ATB battle system was good. It kept you engaged to activate it at the right moment.
This game is definitely not for JRPG beginners at all. You collect ingredients from shining spots and materials from battles. You sell these as your primary means to make money. This stuff also turns into food once you get the recipes from NPCs and Spritnite stones that you use to get your techs. There is a crazy amount of customization in this game. Way more weapons and techs than you will ever use. The Fluxation system was complicated and again too many options.
Now for the points that I didn't like about this game:
-The main story was short. I went slow and finished it in under 15 hours.
-There is no map anywhere in this game!
-The walking was super slow on the overworld. You didn't get the airship until near the end.
-There were no inns! You had to heal up using items, techs or from levelling up.
-There was no skipping cutscenes, so if you died you had to fast press the button to get through all the text again.
-The food only worked for one battle, so unless you knew what you were getting into, you could potentially waste it.
-The few dialogue choices didn't make any difference to the story.
-It wasn't necessary to change your party members except for a few instances when some became unavailable for a bit. Then a new character was added right before the end which seemed pretty pointless.
-The side quests were not mentioned at all! You only knew they were there by looking at the achievement list. They were very hard to come across yourself unless you are someone who spends hours talking to every NPC multiple times and switched out your lead character to do this.

So overall this game is recommended for Square Enix lovers. I was so hyped when it came out because I loved so many of their games. Sadly this game doesn't pull me to replay it though like the Final Fantasy games did.

QuiDaM
QuiDaM

This Game Is Very Nice. Good Old retro RPG with nice graphics. The Soundtrack is Beautiful , Good Story.
Took Me a While To Fully Understand All The Combat Mecanics But i Enjoyed Them. Honestly i Wouldnt Buy it Full Price But As Soon as You see a Sale and IIf You liked Final Fantasy / Chrono trigger etc Just Grab it You Will Enjoy it. I Guess The Only Cons imo are (i wished the story was a bit longer and to create new spells You Need to Kill Monsters with a certain attack type so it forces You to come back to some areas and Kill those monsters with needed attack type wich can be a bit annoying but not Game Breaking at all) Highly Recommend it When On Sale

Orbister
Orbister

If you want to load a previous save state you have to either die or exit the game completely to the desktop and re-launch it to load.

Fooly the Cooly
Fooly the Cooly

Emotional journey of self discovery where you and the boys help someone die.

Very good and nostalgic rpg

jaydimase
jaydimase

Intuitive game play, perfect for someone reminiscing about Chronotrigger, Secret Of Mana, and the like. Perfect music and soundtrack for the story, which is engrossing and emotionally gripping.

DoktorFaustus
DoktorFaustus

20~ hours for some oldschool jrpg fun.
However whoever was responsible for the default keyboard controls must have been on crack. I recommend you change them asap.

<Corn
<Corn

The kill system is very interesting, but the exact kill mechanic is one of the most frustrating things I've encountered in a game.
You have to figure out the enemy hp, the right damage weapon and the right skill(s) to use to get within x% of the enemie's hp. After spending an hour trying to get an exact kill on a Flapper enemy, I realized how poor of a system this is.
There are many items gated behind getting exact kills on enemies.

cody.jackson080689
cody.jackson080689

This was a decent jrpg. I played and beat it on the steamdeck. There is nothing ground breaking in the game and the story is very similar to Tales of Symphonia. i would only buy this if its on sale, the game is roughly around 20-30 hours long for the main story. The game is beautiful and the music is actually really good. Its worth a try if your into turn based old school jrpgs. Im glad i picked this up.

Awe
Awe

Great game, the atmosphere and characters are very well written, is not a long game, nor difficult so if you are looking to start on what could be your fist "old school" Rpg i highly recommend it.

Dasfiter
Dasfiter

Good classic style RPG. I really am enjoying the ability to remix the abilities of my party. Even with the same team members with different talismans can give you a lot of variety!! Very fun, the battles aren't super drawn out like Octotraveler.

Neogamer64
Neogamer64

This is a hidden gem of an RPG. It is inspired by Chrono Trigger and has a similar battle system so if you ever wanted to play a modern style Chrono Trigger, this is the game. The snowy landscape is a nice and beautiful aesthetic, giving the game a charm that is all its own. The music too is wonderful and very atmospheric. The game overall has a melancholy feel to it. The story, similar to FFX, focuses on the pilgrimage of Setsuna who as the sacrifice sets out on a journey of salvation. You meet other characters with their own goals and backgrounds. Its a small game but that is what I really like about it. It dosen't try to do too much. I thoroughly enjoyed I am Setsuna, its story, the characters, the music and think it deserves more recognition.

lol
lol

Classic JRPG,everything is good,i think 7/10 is very fair.
The combat has interesting mechanic and great combo.

Flowers
Flowers

The game is mediocre and I personally do not like the way they wrote the ending. Not that I am a professional in this in any way but I do not recommend playing this game due to the conclusion of its story.

Took me 14 hours of play time from start to finish.

I have 24 hours as I'd played this 3 times prior in the previous years but always stopped at a certain point in story due to boredom. Since I want my memory of the story and gameplay to be refreshed, I always start a new game with me now finally finishing it and hoping that I actually didn't.

Little Ian
Little Ian

Utterly generic and unmemorable. Played for about a dozen hours before giving up in boredom. I grew up on 8/16-bit era Final Fantasy games. I think I'm supposed to be the target audience for this game, it's just not good.

Flawless|EmilFLarsen
Flawless|EmilFLarsen

My absolute favorite J-RPG. The only thing i dislike is the fact that you can't skip dialogue. But it's fine.

Jing
Jing

I recommend it if you can get it for $10 or less, if not, then don't bother. It's okay at best.

It has nice music and a pleasant atmosphere, but the gameplay and story are very shallow.

I was contemplating on whether to recommend this or not, and I decided not to because if given a simple "yes or no" without any explanation, I have to say no.

Cid Raines
Cid Raines

I'm barely recommending this. It's not a bad game but it is very mediocre.

feyith
feyith

Buy this game while it's on sale. It's a great indie labor of love type thing, but not worth full price. The story and characters are charming but basically combinations of crowd favorites from every FF game + CT's combat system. There are many things I wish I knew earlier in the game, such as all the different types of kills you can do affecting drops, which affects which skills you can buy. The artwork and music are beautiful and it's nice to play something new yet familiar. I'd definitely recommended it for anyone on a retro J-RPG kick.

rewata
rewata

I felt like it was worth my time, just wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Pro:
Soundtrack is great, really helps complement the mood/tone of the game.
Setting is good, also complements the mood/tone of the game.
Art and character designs are good.

Con:
Overpriced by far at 40 dollars. 20 dollars is fine, but 10 dollars is probably best.
Extremely short, unless you do the side content.
Endir one shots everyone with the first skill he gets if you surprise enemies.
Special encounters looked similar enough to normal encounters where I'd walk into them without realizing it, which would wipe my party.
The only thing I really used gold on was weapons. They have this food system you can spend gold on, but I don't even know anything about it because I already beat the game. I think I had like 3 recipes that I never used? I think I thought about buying consumables once, but then the game ended.

I enjoyed the game and found it to be a relaxing experience overall, running around in snow while some guy plays a piano and Setsuna talks about how all life is precious. It's definitely lacking in a lot of ways, so I can't really say I recommend it to anyone, definitely not for 40 dollars. If it's true that I am Setsuna Is A Love Letter To Classic Japanese RPGs, as I've heard stated so many times prior, it is a love letter that sounds sweet on its surface but is ultimately lacking in any real substance.

Weepboop
Weepboop

Drawing plot elements from Final Fantasy X and the best of the gameplay elements from Chrono Trigger (Tech system, world saves, shared exp, deep characters,) I am Setsuna is a refreshing quick take on the JRPG's of yore. The story is captivating, the cast playing off eachother well, the soundtrack phenomenally minimal. Though the game is fast, easy, and the narrative not expanded too deep, Tokyo RPG Factory's I am Setsuna was a stellar experience I wish I could rexperience.

theerthone
theerthone

A classic throwback to Chrono Trigger . The game looks great and feels great to an RPG lover. Though at times the game may feel like it wasn't fully developed there is still easily 50 hours of gameplay involved in completing the game at the 80-90% bracket

Skye
Skye

A great little JRPG that combines elements from many of the popular RPG's of the 90's and 2000's, especially Chrono Trigger.Roughly 20/30 hours worth of content from start to finish, excluding the post game side quests. I would wholeheartedly recommend this game for people who enjoyed the old school Square/Enix rpg's.

The game is very linear, with almost no side-quests throughout the main story, this is a pro and a con as the story moves at a decent pace but there is little else to do to break away from that. The story is rather straight forward, it's good but nothing amazing. Characters are interesting but it definitely needed more length to flesh them out as without more substance they are your standard cookie cutter jrpg character tropes.

The combat system and customisation is great, however the game is laughably easy. With a little experimentation early on you will find combinations that one shot battles and this is only exacerbated the further you get into the game. With no challenging side content spread throughout the game it was almost a struggle to continue the journey at some points.

The Soundtrack is this games biggest asset. It's a full piano score with some of the most beautiful tracks I've heard in an rpg before. Absolutely phenomenal albeit repetitive at times. The score really carries the game and is the emotional heart of the game imo.

Jiveturkey
Jiveturkey

Pros:
It was pretty.
Gameplay was ok.

Cons:
You had to go through the each dungeon a few times, repetitive and boring.

The dungeons were also pretty annoying, you could end up going the wrong way for several minutes. So, if you want to find all the treasures and whatnot, you may end up accidentally going the way to advance the plot then have to backtrack for 5 minutes because you went left instead of right. Also, despite having to do each dungeon multiple times, it's always the same path to advance. So, once you've cleared the dungeon once (gotten all the treasures and whatnot) you can still get lost on the side paths for waaaay too long only to realize you took a wrong turn. Give us a map!

Same 10 or so enemies throughout the game just with different colors.

Randomly unbeatable enemies.

I was like 3/4 of the way through the game before some of the mechanics started making any sense and once they did, I realized how little they actually changed anything. (Flux)

I would not recommend it because I found myself annoyed having to go through each dungeon so many times and constantly getting lost in them because they are soo windy with sooo many long off chutes.

Not Hanna Montana
Not Hanna Montana

Cute but fille with tropes, very similar to ffx

snarkyfish
snarkyfish

Final Fantasy X if Tidus decided to assassinate Yuna right off the bat.

Shadowbane
Shadowbane

TLDR:

Terrible Story editing and sense making, lacks choices and when it does let you chose something like swing your sword to kill someone still don't do it for no apparent reason.

The Good

Music and Ambiance is stellar, when I first turned it on and heard the winter wind and the crunch of the snow I felt nostalgia and immersion of which I haven't felt in a long while.

GFX looks great and are exactly what you would want for a new age RPG

The Bad

Story Story Story, it's just bad and makes no sense half the time. The dialog is broken and doesn't make sense 40% of the time. Characters are introduced and you all team up when you don't have any real reason to. Your person is some hard core merc who just decides to be a good guy without any development at all. It's like they got the story wrote and then never had a English writer and editor go over it to make sure it's translated well. Also they use the same tired tropes as every old school game you played except even more unrealistic. I mean how many RPG's have the ship go down these days and days past???? The difference is in this one it's the middle of crazy winter with ice and snow blowing everywhere. Even if you made it to shore somehow you would be frozen solid and the story never addressees anything like that. It's rather sad they paid no attention to the details. Choices are also vague and once chosen mean nothing. You can decide to kill the main character and you just put your sword away for no reason so what was the point of the choice at all.

UI, saving, Selling, equipment, inventory system

Pretty bad tbh, tried playing with a keyboard but it's super easy to close the game with two button presses. I would up doing it by accident twice before switching to a controller and with the manual save system I was more than a little irritated. Keyboard default layout is terrible as well. Game is much better with a controller.

The selling system to the magic consortium is absolute garbage. You have to go in and select each one item to sale/trade and it doesn't tell you how many you have of said item until you go to the third window. This is a pain in the azz since you need to trade this stuff in for better materia/elementz/what ever name they gave their stuff.

You only equip three things, your tech skills, your accessory, and your weapon. This is piss poor and bare bones. Characters have a lot of overlap in the tech equipment so they don't feel unique. The lack of equip-able armor is just sad for an RPG as well

argodaemon
argodaemon

I have had 3 occurrences where I "saved" the game, but it didn't actually save. Has led to replaying of multiple hours of content. The frustration this causes is not worth it anymore. The issue was reported years ago and is still an issue now.

techy
techy

I was a big fan of Chrono Trigger and I was coming from a high from FFXV so I was super excited to try this game.
I keep pushing myself to play this game and to like it, but it is just not happening.
Somehow even though this is very similar to Chrono Trigger, it fell flat IMHO.
I don't know what I am supposed to do next at any given time, it is hard to spot random items that they litter everywhere, this feels oddly dated somehow, they didn't bother with english voice overs but they left the original, and the combat becomes very tedious, very quickly.
If what you are looking for is a Chrono Trigger clone or a clone of one of the old FF games, this should be decent IMO, but apparently my taste has changed.

復讐
復讐

Great Game with nice Graphic and a beautiful Soundtrack

Nemo
Nemo

Great music, pretty art, well-done graphics, pretty rewarding turn-based combat. If you play like I do, however, you're gonna have to grind a little bit. It can be easy to get lost sometimes, adding a bit to playtime if you have a skull as thick as mine, but you'll get the hang of it. Again, the music is really well put together.

RedBellJay
RedBellJay

Charming, if short jrpg. I'll try to make this review rather short as well.

With most if not all of the ost made on the piano, The game is wonderful. The universe is great, the story has some twists we can see a mile away, but we still hurt when they happen.

That is all I'll say on that point. To the gameplay: An interesting turn-by-turn system with some active QTE-like events to make some attacks stronger. I personaly enjoy it.

Characters are for most forgettable, only two might be engraved in your mind... YOu'll see.

Atom
Atom

I had to buy this because of how reminiscent it is of Chrono Cross, one of my favorite RPG's of all time. I really wish Square Enix would sell it on Steam so they could show all the Chrono Trigger fans out there just how much of a hidden gem the steam community is missing out on. I am Setsuna brings out some of that nostalgia, and just like with Chrono Cross the soundtrack that comes with it is just as impressive as the game.

Beans
Beans

This game is very short for a SE game. Though it is very story rich with a great progression with character development. Each character has a unique tie in that leads all paths to the same destination.
It is easy to immerse yourself into the storyline and become invested in these characters.
It is an emotional roller coaster that truly takes it's audience for a ride while finely accompanied with a soundtrack that let's you feel the moment.
I highly recommend this game to those that enjoy these aspects. A true return to the jrpg genre that will make you nostalgic for the original SE style we all grew up with.

Faruel
Faruel

To be honest I'm probably not qualified to write a review but I'm doing so anyway.
I purchased this game on sale because I love old school JRPGs but I returned this game ASAP. The game could have been brilliant but the very fact that the key binding for the controller was wrong and the keyboard layout had no explanation let me decide it wasn't worth playing. If they can't even be bothered getting the keys correct or at least explaining what keys to use, it continuously said to press X when X did nothing, then I'm not wasting my time.

Shuffles
Shuffles

The game is FF10 and Chrono Trigger combined. Corny dialog and all! Pretty fun throwback, but there is unfortunately a game-breaking bug which I'm on the fence about recommending this game or not. Possible spoiler but important to know if you're going to play----In order to not get screwed by it after you get your airship keep a backup save before you enter any zone and don't override it, otherwise you risk the chance of it disappearing forever! Some people got lucky reloading 8+ times, but I haven't been so lucky :\.. Fun game otherwise. Goodluck!

Avatar of Frost
Avatar of Frost

Odd story, terrible controls, confusing combat and gameplay mechanics, and early enemies that can petrify you and cause an instant game-over. I really expected more of Square Enix. Bought on sale and was still a big waste of money.

solitarysumire
solitarysumire

I wanted to love this game so badly. The music is amazing, the graphics look lovely, and I'm a huge fan of the genre. Unfortunately, I think this is a case where the title is just too similar to some really big games that in my opinion are better done. FFX is one of my favorites, so it was a huge bummer to me that the story was really similar, because I don't think you can top FFX. The keyboard controls were bizarre to me, but I do admit I did not try the controller, so that might be more successful. There is not necessarily anything wrong with this game. But it's just so much like stuff you've probably already played if you're a fan, and without anything truly unique to set it apart, especially at this price point.

That soundtrack though.

cardboard
cardboard

It's pretty good, not great. The best part of the game is the genuine emotional weight that comes with a lot of the characters and their internal conflicts, the interactions between Setsuna and Endir being the best of the bunch in my opinion, but a lot of the other characters get impactful story arcs of their own. The world is fairly interesting, but is very similar to other classic JRPG worlds, most notably final fantasy, down to the magitek and everything so there's not much new to see there. I wasn't very motivated to explore every inch of the setting. I also believe there were way too many different crafting type mechanics, most of which seemed like fluff and a few I ignored completely with no penalty to my combat performance. The ending was also a bit disappointing due to the fact that there's only one despite the many choices you're asked to make throughout the game, and it also feels very anticlimactic and fails to defy any expectations. You can kind of see it coming a mile away. Finally, this game has way too few save points, especially in the Last Lands. I lost all my progress a few times because of one annoying enemy that got a few too many criticals. You can save in the overworld in the menu, but if you're not moving into any overworld sections, you're screwed. All that complaining aside, there's something to this game that makes it worth a playthrough. Just maybe not a second one..

Clinnger E.
Clinnger E.

TL;DR: Skip I Am Setsuna if you crave a JRPG, as it does so many errorneous things such as basic leveling, looting, story, grinding, and even the price of the game...

Notice: I have not finished I Am Setsuna, due to its monotenous nature, implicit descriptions, horrible level system, and terrible loot management, and more.
I Am Setsuna (IAS for short) is... at first a beautiful game with overall good soundtrack. For a while.

IAS is really tiresome due to how Tokyo RPG Factory handled this game... IAS sets up to a simple art style, with some rather beautiful scenery, although it gets really fast, despite me being from snowy origin.
IAS doesn't set anything new or groundbreaking, but instead plays it safe, which is its largest detriment with the following:

    • Choices given to you bear no meaning, they are just illusion of choice, and it's very obvious
    • Leveling system bears no significant role other than just increasing your hp and mp
    • Loot is handled by how the enemies are killed, such as link killing, killing enemies with debuffs, and so on...
    • No descriptions for what debuffs do, or are just vague like "sap", makes me think of juice of a fruit and no poison or venom
    • Grinding is nigh useless, only time I found grinding useful, was when beatblow which is just shouting enemies to death, does not make a lick of sense anyway
    • Overall uninteresting story alongside some rather boring characters
    • Boss battles are tiresome and are just mentally draining, as such it resorts to you to actually cheese them
    • Save points are few and far between, the only time you can actually save are out in the open map
    • Price of the game is way too high for what IAS offers

Overall, just avoid I Am Setsuna, it's just a bad call from the old days of JRPGs, and I don't even have a lot of experience of old JRPGs, this is just a bad first attempt of the studio to make a JRPG, as it does so many things bad. Perhaps its price could've been tempered rather nicely if its default price was max €20.

NebulaRose
NebulaRose

I wish there was a 'meh' option, simply for the fact that this game is just that. While the gameplay was great, the dialogue often felt bland, which in turn, made the storyline feel the same way. It's not a BAD game, by any means, I just feel it could've been better.

sideways
sideways

Loved it. Once you get the hang of things its alot of fun

Sister Sizrobe Dislozeck
Sister Sizrobe…

I don't think I can recommend this game. I put 10 hours into it and then bounced off of it, then came back later and put in another 21 and got to the end game this time.

I really wasn't a fan of the game's aesthetics. The entire game is snow themed and all of the music is solo piano. This feels unique to begin with, but when every single town looks exactly the same, and every combat area is either an ice cave or some snowy woods, it gets old fast.

Mechanically it feels like it wants to be the spiritual successor to Chrono Trigger but doesn't pull it off. You have a series of techs that combine with each other like in Chrono Trigger, but you have to craft them from item drops and equip them like materia. The problem is that this means that if you want good techs, you have to farm item drops over and over through the entire game.

The game also feels unbalanced. There's one aoe dual-tech that confuses and stuns in addition to dealing heavy damage that you can get very early in the game, and another high damage aoe that maximizes item drops, so for most of the game you're using the identical party composition and the same two techs.

All an all, not worth the time I put into it.

Bacon
Bacon

too short people also claim that it is the next chrono trigger and yet it was nothing like trigger at all

Astral
Astral

Incredible music, good combat system and a good story.
Some fun Square Enix easet eggs for those who have played some Final Fantasy games.
9.5/10

moradew
moradew

Relatively short game, but still fun and the dungeons are of normal difficulty to navigate around, it doesnt drives you crazy.

princess_daphie
princess_daphie

Very good JRPG reminiscent game. A little too much customization available too fast makes it a bit of a puzzle for a player like me who prefers playing without needing to consult strategy guides or spend tons of hours trying to micro-manage every aspect of combat. Save points in dungeons are a bit too scarce, making the progress less and less fun as you get deeper in any dungeon, because the effect of dying means redoing so much... But good story, good graphics, good music (although piano only is kind of unique, sometimes it would've been cool to have a bit more instruments, i.e. panic theme).

ae_palmer
ae_palmer

A good JRPG. Buy it on sale. Wants to be a spiritual successor to Chrono Trigger, but it doesn't come close. Still, a fun attempt.

GravityGem
GravityGem

I Am Setsuna gets a lot more credit than it deserves. I would say the game is fine, maybe even a cut above the standard cookie cutter jrpgs. But the crazy comparisons to some of the greatest rpgs to exist is something I genuinely can't understand. The gameplay of Setsuna is ATB and for almost the entire game it's fairly easy. As long as you fight your way through the dungeons you won't have to really grind and none of the bosses are a struggle up until the very end. Hell you could even use the starter spells and any character combination without any repercussions. However the last parts of Setsuna really start to drain on you as you instantly hit a wall. The final boss is extremely limited on what spells you need and what party members you can use. Not to mention the game throws you into the worst possible way to get end game gear and consumables. Near the end you are supplied an airship and a key to go back and open all the locked chests that you found during the beginning that were locked. These chests greatly help the final sections of the game and is the most shitty forced backtracking experience I have experienced in a long time. It really feels like they just wanted to extend the game by a few more hours rather than just wrapping things up nicely. As far as writing goes it's a weird mix. You have a lot of heavy themes that should be impactful to you as a player but all the emotional problems each character faces gets solved within the next 3 speech bubbles where they are told to move on and act like it never happened. Only during the final boss do you get to see the characters once more go over their traumas and within seconds they are fixed instantaneously. It's extremely jaring especially when each member of your party (except Setsuna and Endir) carry some very weighty themes as well as depressing backstories. If anything it feels rushed or the focus wasn't directed properly. The protagonists of the game are probably the overall least enjoyable part. Your character Endir is a blank slate where none of your multiple choice questions have a different outcome. Then you have Setsuna who is in turn a wet napkin Mary Sue who is such a good wholesome person that can do absolutely nothing wrong. Not to mention for someone who's being sacrificed you'd think she would have some more development and a pallet of emotional turmoil. But let's sort of end on the positives of the game. The villains and their character development is really well done. Especially the final boss and the monster disguised as a human were some really well done villains. Kirs village was a really well done concept with a lot of good heavy themes about life and death. The game looks great albeit gets a little bit stale looking at the snow landscape for 20 hours. Lastly the melancholy piano is nice to listen to and while it's supposed to insite depression it really just makes you feel a sense of calmness. Overall it's a decent jrpg and I would say it's worth playing if you pick it up on sale.

A.BinMelieh
A.BinMelieh

Gorgeous game with extremely nice music and a wonderfully written narrative. Highly recommend it!

MrBubbles
MrBubbles

It's a boring game, the story is at best try hard meh. The claims that this game is in the spirit of Chrono Trigger are misleading at best. On a side note, the snowy landscapes and piano tracks get old very quickly. The best thing to be said is that it's gameplay has good jrpg mechanics.

Dishwasher Safe Puppy
Dishwasher Saf…

I had fun.

There is a point you reach that the battles are just for testing your spiritnite abilities and your characters turn into EXP sponges just to level for the boss fights, but I don't think the battles are the point of the game.

You won't have a good time if you think your choices affect the game play, might even be upsetting to you if you get invested. The game tells you outright from the beginning how it ends, the journey is what matters.

Regardless, it has a good story. If you're in it to experience the characters and this one moment leading towards your woeful errand, then you'll have a good time too.

ɾყᥙടԋᥙɾҽι
ɾყᥙടԋᥙɾҽι

A somber yet sweet nostalgia journey...

In Japan, they have a word called せつない “setsunai,” a term that describes a powerful emotion that can be painful, heartrending and, at times, bittersweet. With that being said‚ you know that this is a game that heavily draws from the player’s own sentimental feelings whether it be through its sorrowful story or the fact that it ascribes to a gameplay style from a bygone era.

Unlike any other typical story, you are not a bright-eyed young man who is looking for adventure, or even saving the world; you are a heartless mercenary who is escorting a young woman to her inevitable death. You might think that you already know these characters based on how superficial similarities between them and the characters from your favorite Final Fantasies of old, but trust me, none of this cast is what they seem. Don’t expect any massive, mind-bending twists, but each of them do have a story to tell, and I Am Setsuna does a great job of setting them up, developing them, and letting them have their moments without bogging things down with heavy exposition or draggy-long cutscenes. It never feels overly dour or self-indulgent either, which is something of a feat given how heavy the themes are.

Maybe it’s because most of the denizens of I Am Setsuna’s world have long since given up hope or struggle. Their resignation to their circumstances is part of what makes it such a heartbreaking tale, but it also lends a certain serenity to the proceedings. There is no melodrama here, just surrender to circumstance; as sad as that sounds, it makes every character’s personal struggle and their resolve to see Setsuna to her end all the more poignant.

At the same time, the game also makes you questions about things you normally take for granted. Monsters which typically serve as battle fodder, aren’t all entirely malicious and sometimes find themselves on the wrong end of injustices as well. Then you have beings who are neither human nor monster but something in between — beings who find themselves suffering the brunt of unwanted attention from both sides. Ultimately, the game’s various plot points amalgamate into a singular theme about being the master of your own destiny and being responsible for your own choices.

In term of visual, the cold and wintery art direction really does set the mood. It is aesthetically pleasing, and at the same time, doing a great job of complementing its more somber and melancholic tone. There is also a surprising amount of attention to detail, with characters leaving trails in the snow whenever they walk, as well as warm air visibly emanating from their mouths when they breathe. These effects may be relatively minor, but they do an effective job of providing the game with some sort of a basis in reality.

The soundtrack, too, is particularly noteworthy. The beautiful piano composition manages to consistently sound breathtakingly yet melancholic at the same time. Nostalgia definitely plays heavily in this game. The music alone certainly leans toward sentimentality. They are extremely well-suited to the game’s overall atmosphere.

Overall, I Am Setsuna is a beautifully peaceful game that oozes nostalgia in most ways. You will care about its characters and world as you progress through the story. I don’t think the story ever does anything unique or wild with its somewhat predictable structure, but there are a few little twists along the way. However, the character development ends up being very good, with each of your party members coming from a distinct background and history. You will care about them and their relationships all the way to the end.

Texas
Texas

.Introdução:
JRPG oldschool, por combate por turnos e sistema ATB muito similar ao Chrono Trigger, com a utilização de dual e triple techs. RPG padrão, com uma história OK em um mundo melancólico, alguns personagens interessantes, trilha sonora toda feita em piano com algumas faixas bem legais, e gráficos bonitinhos para um mundo frio e coberto de neve. Porém, todos os aspectos acima tem pontos positivos e negativos, deixando o jogo com um sentimento de desapontamento ao terminá-lo:

.Pontos Positivos:
- Combate com mecânica original (e não tão simples) de Momentum e Flux, proporcionando customização das habilidades do personagem (mais dano, menos MP consumido, mais ATB, etc), além da utilização de dual e triple techs, já consagrada no Chrono Trigger;
- Trilha Sonora toda em piano, algo que contribui para a ambientação do jogo. Tem algumas faixas bem legais;
- Ambientação melancólica, em um mundo sofrido e temas sérios acontecendo;
- Alguns personagens com desenvolvimento ao longo da jornada;
- Belas homenagem aos jrpgs antigos da Square, como CT e Final Fantasy.

.Pontos Negativos:
- Combate desnecessariamente complexo para um jogo curto, principalmente pela mecânica de customização de habilidades por Flux ter uma probabilidade muito baixa de ocorrer, e a necessidade constante de troca de talismãs (além da aleatoriedade caso haja mais de um flux naquele talismã);
- Agravando o ponto acima, a limitação de habilidades equipadas ao personagem pelo sistema de Spritnites, somado ao aparecimento constante de habilidades novas e mais poderosas, faz com que os personagens sempre fiquem com aquela sensação de limitação de suas habilidades, com dual/triple techs não habilitadas, habilidades novas sem nenhum Flux na reta final do jogo, e diversas habilidades deixadas na gaveta por limitação de slots, sejam ativas ou passivas;
- Alguns menus e sistemas do jogo poderiam ser melhor explicados/informados;
- Algumas faixas da trilha sonora usadas à exaustão, chegando ao ponto risível de utilizarem a mesma faixa da derrota do primeiro boss para a derrota do Final Boss. Anticlimático, para dizer o mínimo;
- Além de algumas faixas, diversos assets do jogo foram demasiadamente repetidos, como cidades e dungeons. O jogo já tem um aspecto uniforme, que é um mundo coberto de neve, portanto os desenvolvedores poderiam ter caprichado um pouco mais neste quesito de forma a deixar os cenários menos repetitivos;
- Diversos personagens unidimensionais e diálogos rasos em diversas ocasiões, chegando ao ponto de prejudicar o final do jogo (para mim, o pior defeito desse jogo, que me fez mudar a avaliação deste jogo).

.Conclusão:
Apesar de defeitos consideráveis, o jogo consegue ainda ser mediano, com uma ambientação jamais vista em um jrpg. O jogo começa muito bem, mas do meio para o final, na hora de demonstrar a grandeza do jogo, ele se perde em clichês, personagens rasos, diálogos sem inspiração e final bem aquém do esperado. O combate prende os jogadores com um freio de mão, onde diversas habilidades e dual/triple techs são deixadas de lado em um sistema original de Momentum/Flux mal implementado, porém mesmo assim o combate é ainda satisfatório.
Aguardei até os créditos finais para ter uma surpresa positiva no fim do jogo, porém a própria unilatelarização dos personagens conseguiu prejudicar o final. Sinceramente, afirmo que foi prepotência dos desenvolvedores e da mídia "especializada" comparar I Am Setsuna como sucessor espiritual de Chrono Trigger. Sensação de propaganda enganosa.

Comprem este jogo apenas se estiver em uma promoção boa ou se for extremamente saudosista por jrpg das antigas.

Dartag
Dartag

This game lacks anything close to a satisfying story, and it felt like an attempt to grab attention using older titles as a draw, but without sticking to any of the strengths of those titles. Overall just sort of bland in a lot of ways. It is visually and musically passable. Play Octopath Traveler instead.

Vesmic
Vesmic

Pathetic and disgusting. This game is horrible and the lowest quality shit that exists on steam. This should not be sold to anyone ever.

Delixcroix
Delixcroix

This games great and feels great untill you get to the end and realize you have to do a 10 hour grind or use a cheats. I used cheats. I am reviewing this under the assumption you are not going to cheat. If you do think you would cheat? Try it out! Fun 12 hour narrative thats worth playing! If you aren't gonna cheat? The random battle grind at the end simply isn't worth your time. Octopath Traveler has similar issues in endgame come to think.

Narrative is good enough but not good enough to justify the endgame grind.

Ceaseless Duality
Ceaseless Duality

TL;DR – This game is far too mediocre for all its hype and praise.

Comparisons to Chrono Trigger & Final Fantasy X
Clarification: The dev/publisher advertised the game as Chrono Trigger-like. Various reviewers described the plot as FFX-like.
Where to start? How about the claim that it’s similar to Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy X? Okay then, this game doesn’t hold a candle to either of those games. Not even close.
Chrono Trigger? Not even aesthetically, but definitely not in gameplay or story.
FFX? I am Setsuna has a Messianic Archetype character: Setsuna. But the devs didn’t do anything unique with this. Yuna was a woman willing to sacrifice herself for the good of Spira. Setsuna is a woman willing to sacrifice herself for the good of the world. They’re similar, yes, but this game’s reason is far more boring than the explanation in FFX. I don’t actually care about people “ripping off” ideas, because we’re just at that stage in human history where entirely unique ideas are rare now. “It’s all been done,” if you will. But unless you put your own unique spin on the idea that was borrowed, it just looks like you’re riding the coattails of FFX’s legacy or trying to appeal to its fanbase to get sales.
Oh, speaking of fanbase, it’s not any wonder that this bland, generic RPG has so many reviews. It was published by Square-Enix. With their brand on the game, a lot more casual gamers surely looked into it. If it had been reviewed only by JRPG “veterans” who actually remember what Chrono Trigger and FFX was like, this game would not have the absurd amount of praise that it does.

Boring, Underdeveloped Characters
The characters have minimal character development. No depth. No real personality. Vague backgrounds. The player isn’t given any opportunity to become emotionally attached to the main characters. Setsuna could’ve thrown herself upon a spike and bled out, and I wouldn’t have felt anything.
In the menu, there are character pages one can look at to read a bit about the main characters, but they don’t really elaborate on the things that are missing from character development. Even if they were, that’s something that should be shown, not told.
I guess they were attempting character development with character sidequests, but all of them were very short and unsatisfying.

Watered-Down FFX Plot, With Nothing Unique/Interesting To Add
The story is about a mercenary who is hired to kill Setsuna, but doesn’t because … I don’t know. I guess it’s up to the player’s interpretation as to why he hesitates? He isn’t given dialogue options, just whether to raise his sword or not. Then, it turns out Setsuna is supposed to sacrifice herself to keep monsters at bay, to protect the world. They even call it a pilgrimage. And this is the part where they were supposed to make it unique in some way or more interesting or maybe an even more surprising plot twist for the end, but nah. It turns out that the sacrifice is not all that it seems to be!
Oh my gosh, no way! I can’t believe it! Who would’ve thought that sacrificing an innocent person could somehow not be the way things are supposed to be! /sarcasm

Restricted Gameplay
No real exploration for most of the game. Places are closed off/inaccessible until you’ve finished the current task/mission. Yeah, you can roam around the world map, but you don’t actually get to go anywhere unless the game dictates it. There are small areas that the player can enter, but there’s nothing to them. Pointless NPCs reside there, or sometimes, nothing at all.
Upon getting the airship, just before the final dungeon, is when you can finally explore freely. That’s about 15 hours in. Most people don’t wait for the ending to see if it gets interesting. Most people will give up on a game if it doesn’t hold their interest 1-3 hours in.

How Is It Like Chrono Trigger Again? WTF Are You Talking About?
Earlier I said that this game doesn’t have Chrono Trigger-like gameplay, and that includes the battle system. Honestly, the battle system resembles Grandia’s more than Chrono Trigger’s. The characters move around the battle area based on where they landed a blow to an enemy or if they needed to move closer to an enemy to be within range for a magic spell. Meanwhile, in Chrono Trigger, characters stay in place, three in a row; there isn’t movement around the battle area. For instance, if Crono needs to rush forward with an attack, he bounces right back into place where he started at the beginning of battle. When the characters in move in I am Setsuna, there isn’t a set place for them to return to automatically; they can end up in very different positions on the battle area than how they started.
Why does it matter? Well, with the party members and the enemies being able to move around, it affects what attacks the player can use. Sometimes attacks are based on the character’s location and sometimes based on the enemy’s location. Furthermore, the player can try to get enemies huddled together in attempt to hit them all.
Overall, the battle system isn’t bad, but it’s nothing to be excited about either. Turn-based. Basic attacks. Tech attacks. Combo attacks. Battle effects that can trigger based on what happens. It’s nothing unique.
If this isn’t clear, watch YouTube videos of these games for comparison.

Praises?
Good points? Pretty environments. Very pretty music. The character sprites change when changing weapons. You get an airship eventually.
To be fair, the ending was better written than the rest of the game, so it actually managed to elicit a tiny bit of emotion from me.
That doesn’t really save the game for me though (no pun intended).

Conclusion
If I had come across this game without all the hype and it was from some little indie dev, I’d be like “Eh, it was a nice effort at least, I’ll give them that. They could’ve done way more with this, but I understand that budgets can get tight.” But that’s not the case. Tokyo RPG Factory is a subsidiary of Square-Enix, and they’re worth millions. For a dev to advertise their game as a spiritual successor to a game like Chrono Trigger, and then, it be practically nothing like Chrono Trigger other than that it’s a turn-based JRPG, is just an unethical cash grab opportunity. Chrono Trigger was released in 1995; if that’s when you first played it, maybe you forgot what it was actually like, because if you somehow draw parallels with it and this game, you’re just wrong.
There was no reason for this mediocrity of a game. They could’ve made something better. They made something lacking substance, then labeled it otherwise.

Look, if you feel I’m being too harsh … maybe I am? If you don’t mind a mediocre game, then by all means, play it. It isn’t a total failure. A lot of work went into it despite its short-comings. … Its several short-comings.

coke2code
coke2code

The game lives up to its sales pitch of paying homage to the old school JRPGs, however I do not feel it is worth their asking price.
I would only consider buying it it it was on sale (which I did)

LIKES
- OST
- Art direction

Dislikes
- Combat: it may feel like there is a lot of things going on, but midway through the game, i felt that there is a lot of unnecessary padding and most of the time, certain combination make the battles just plain broken
- Story: I wanted to believe that this game has a "open ended-ness with enough bait to get you hook" story but in the end I felt it was more like "just plain convoluted and not enough bait to catch anything"

Summary: This game feels like a badly condensed version of FFX

Imprismed
Imprismed

I agree with the other reviews that this game isn't worth your time. It's not a bad game in the sense that it's broken, but it's inferior in every way to the classics it tries to emulate. The entire world is covered in snow, so there is little visual variety, and the 3D models of characters/monsters look like a DS/PSP game. The plot basically apes Final Fantasy X but without giving the same context to the world or background of the characters in your party. The battle system is mildly interesting with the Momentum system, but it's poorly explained and is held back by an overly-complicated gear system that involves you getting and selling hundreds of unique monster drops in order to be allowed to get a crystal with a character move or passive effect.

I beat the game in 14 hours, which included roughly an hour and a half of grinding for experience because some boss fights are dramatically more difficult than the monsters around them. Plus there were a few moments where I had to go back because the game has infrequent save points and requires you to load from your last save if you die, which was tolerable in the 90s but is no longer something I'm willing to put up with.

I Am Setsuna comes across as a hollow imitation of classic JRPGs that doesn't recreate the things that made the classics so popular. Everything the game does well, such as the battle system or soundtrack, is done better by another game you could replay instead. If you are looking at this game because the battle system seems like Chrono Trigger, you will probably have a better time replaying Chrono Trigger, or playing a different JRPG like Dragon Quest XI. This game has some interesting ideas but ultimately fails to execute on them.

Fenix
Fenix

I thoroughly enjoyed this game. It pays very good homage to classic SNES & Playstation jrpgs. The main one being Chrono Trigger in play style.
It is not a terribly long game and gets straight to the point throughout most of the story. It is a simple type of story and is enjoyable if you can appreciate it's simplicity.
I loved the music on this game. Pretty much all of it is on piano, and while I dont agree with some of it for some scenarios, i still found it very enjoyable to listen to.
I did not encounter any bugs or glitches while playing. For the most part it is a complete game straight out the box without any need of DLC to complete it. (Ya know, a thing alot of game producers are grabbing for these days).

I enjoyed this game from a nostalgia standpoint because I used to play and enjoy many classics on the SNES and Playstation, Playstation 2. The game gets alot of it's characteristics from Chrono Trigger (SNES).

Overall, this game is good. If you are like me and can enjoy the old stuff, then this is a good opportunity to do something new in an old style.

final.flash
final.flash

I enjoyed this game quite a bit. It can be very sad. Overall a good experience, but I dont see myself doing a second play through. Highly recommend giving it a try however.

bookwormbabe29
bookwormbabe29

Great game. I picked it up on sale and did not play it for a while, yet even now the game holds up. It feels a blend of a lot of classic games, from Chrono Trigger to FFX to Legend of Dragoon, yet still being it's own game. The game here was better than I expected it to be from a quick glance at screenshots. If you have the time, it's worth taking a chance on.

yeahright
yeahright

It's a nice throwback to the golden age of JRPGs from my childhood. (Late 90s to Mid 2000s era).

♡Tenma♡
♡Tenma♡

randomly, 4 hours into the game they just stop giving you save points so you have to redo hours of progress if you die just once due to bad RNG. This completely crushed any enjoyment I had playing this game, I've wasted the past 3 hours of my life having to replay really boring encounters just to get fucked by some seal fucks while looking for a savepoint that I don't have to spend 40 minutes walking back and forth from just to continue the game

YosieSama
YosieSama

Love it, 10/10 recommend. I'm actually replaying the game again as we speak

パンダビ
パンダビ

pretty jrpg. i like the turn-based gameplay. although, if you're playing with a keyboard, they're not very helpful with what the controls are.
music is topnotch (reminds me a lot of dewprism, also from square enix)

TheDeluxeTux
TheDeluxeTux

It's been several years since I have played I Am Setsuna. Looking back, I recall a serviceable story that bore many similarities with FFX, a serviceable battle system that plays a bit like a simplified Chrono Trigger, and a game that overall scratched my JRPG itch with a nice manageable ~40 hour playtime to complete.

Two things really stick with me though. The first is the beautiful, intricate, all-piano soundtrack, which I get is cheaper than a full orchestra, but it really *really* works. The second is that the whole game takes place in various icy, snowy environments. Far from being monotonous or samey, this bold choice really sets this game apart for me as a fond, cozy memory.

I am not sure when, but this is a game I will revisit.

Nostalginaut
Nostalginaut

I Am Setsuna is NOT "a spiritual successor to Chrono Trigger" in the way people have been saying it is for years.

There're absolutely similarities and little bits that scratch that itch, but it's not that thing. The visuals are mostly-good, and the music builds a strong atmosphere for the game's thematic elements, but don't expect the game that Chrono Cross was not.

It's a fantastic game in itself, but play and keep playing it on its own merits - a good story with good characters and environments with a vague callback to JRPGs of yore.

Cell 🌈
Cell 🌈

Best Final Fantasy X (storywise) + Chrono Trigger (gameplaywise) crossover 10/10

structuredmayhem
structuredmayhem

This game is not "inspired by " Anything, other than my local trash heap

It has 1/4 the party members Chorno Trigger does, 1/4 the magical combos,1/4 of the explorable buildings inside every town, 1/4 of the NPCs in each town 1/4 of the NPCs in each town 1/4 of the destinations in the world map, 1/4 of the intriguing "Sealed by a mysterious force" future finds, 1/4 of the enemies on every battlefield 1/4 of the talent working in the Pure Hollywood Reject Script and characters.

About the only thing They get right compared to Chrono Trigger Is having the same unskippable curscenes, and the exact same lack of save points,

Whats the point of having twenty years of progress when the best you can do is a Stale half-heareted Repeat? I paid too much for this game at %50 off!

Kay526
Kay526

game is meh its not bad but not good. it rushes the storyline imo and no char development so u really do not like any of the ppl get on sale :)

Jashiin
Jashiin

I absolutely fell in love with this game
I adore its stylistic visuals and story I 100% recommend

strongarmedkevin
strongarmedkevin

If you love JRPGs with a strong story and would like better graphics. This is the game you want. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't make some dialog choices. For example, at the beginning of the game you are hired as a mercenary to kill a child, but when you get to that point, it gives you an option to "kill the child" or "spare the child", yet you can't "kill the child" if you wanted to.

mauro6006
mauro6006

It's an OK game. It's not very memorable and all the maps look the same, but it's playable.
The story is way too close to Final Fantasy X.
Don't pay full price, not worth it.

Scribbles707
Scribbles707

To be honest, Chrono Trigger is my favorite game of all time and I love JRPG's. But this game was SO predictable it really took away from the story. The gameplay was fine with the techs/skills, but Setsuna's character was annoying the whole campaign all the way until the very end. Not very memorable characters. Haven't purchased The Lost Sphear by the same studio because of this game.

bleekout009
bleekout009

decent game but too linear. No sides quests at all

redpinky
redpinky

I would describe this in one word; GENERIC.

Striped down barren JRPG that mixes all of the major tropes of the genre.

For a $40 game, this game is a cash grab feeding on fans of classic JRPG that offers much too little to be desired for.

The piano is nice for the first few hours, but if you hear just a single instrument for all of the BGMs through the whole game, I started to feel like I am listening to a piano cover on a youtube playlist over and over again.

Enemy type is also hurting this game a LOT. On level 30 I am still fighting snowball riding squirrels, bear, snakes, birds, lady foxes, gorillas, walrus, and they called this cute animals MONSTERS? Talk about lack of imagination.

Dungeons and Towns is pathetic, they all the look and feel the same. Just a recycled of the first town/village/dungeon you've come across. THERE IS NO VARIETY whatsoever.

No Map.

The only thing that I like about this game is a flux system.

adam
adam

Honestly, skip this one. It's a very generic RPG that felt like it went on too long despite being under 20 hours. The last few hours of this game dragged on and on especially. Just play something else tbh.

Dominus
Dominus

Turn based that I have to act and think fast, that was a refreshing gameplay. Also, I think I'm almost half way there, the story seems to be straight to the point, but unique, but at the same time I'm feeling a great plot twist that will happen. I love this game, you'll just feel it.

Hish007
Hish007

The music and sounds were perfect final fantasy style. Atmosphere and general visual aesthetic and was amazing. I liked the characters and their interactions.

There was no voice acting at all. If it was indie that would be fine but it's published by Square Enix!

The story was extremely disappointing. It reminded me of Tales of Symphonia a lot, but it was the budget indie version of it with 1/50th of the content and much more boring plot and much more repetitive world.

Combat and min maxing was fun at the start but I got bored of it after a while and used the same broken combo every battle to get through the long battles. There was one boss that was ridiculously hard (insane difficulty spike). Everytime I died I would have to mash a 1000 times to get through the dialog and fight the boss again. Needs better checkpoints or a skip dialog option.

Worth it? Not for the prices they're charging. I recommend buying it on heavy discount. This is a 25 dollar indie game. Not a $40 game!

There are much better jrpg games to play like Xenoblade, Tales of Series, the older final fantasy games, Chrono trigger, Nier, etc.

EmailFail
EmailFail

Never heard of this game until recently. It's not a terribly long or challenging game. However, it is a fantastic JRPG. Something about the soft music and snow theme of the game makes for a relaxing experience. Solid story and an interesting economy system make for a complete package.

irreverentium
irreverentium

One of the very few jrpgs that gives off that old school psx era vibe. No cheesy anime things yet despite a bit of an anime style. A serious and interesting story. Only 3hrs in, but I think I may actually finish this one !! For fans of jrpgs that can't find pleasure in most titles released post ff9 or 10.

iSyntaXis
iSyntaXis

Please keep in mind that I'm not familiar with this type of games (Chrono Trigger-like).
At first I didn't like it, because the combat was really hard for me, but after getting used to it, it was kinda nice.
However, I personally think that starting with Rhydderch (closer to the end of the story) the game is unbalanced beyond any imagination, I don't even know how much grinding average player is expected to perform, given I had like level 30-32 characters with a plethora of items and upgrades which was more than enough to make it through the dungeon (I used trainer from this point on to finish the game).

Pros:
+ Can run on basically anything (played the beginning on 2007 laptor with integrated Intel GPU with -force-d3d9 command line option);
+ Looks decent;
+ Engaging story & combat;
+ Plenty of upgrades;
+ Mostly cool bosses (visually);

Cons:
- Unskippable cutscenes and dialogs (it's not fun, you know, watching and skipping the same thing after 3 times, especially given that some of them are 3+ minutes long);
- Your choices don't matter in 99% of the cases. As far as I am aware, there are exactly 4 dialogs that actually matter (3 of these dialogs lead you to Rhydderch and keep you from progressing + final sacrificial choice) in the story. It's basically either "Oh no, Endir, I knew you're bad" option or "Well, Endir, you're not so bad after all" option;
- Lazy monsters & dungeons design after 75% of the game. Too many reskins. Although it can be somewhat justified by the story;
- Fair amount of backtracking (you can't open half of the chests until almost the very end);
- No hands-on world map and no proper backlog of dialogs. It can be confusing to find the next story point sometimes.

With a heavy heart I give it 5.5/10, hope you'd enjoy it more than me.

Larnen
Larnen

This game gets a lot of hate from some quarters, partly because it gets compared to Chrono Trigger a lot. Chrono was a masterpiece, while this is ....good. So while its a good game, it is set up to fail by the comparison. This is a shame as I Am Setsuna does a lot of things right.

Graphically the game is a mixed bag. The environments are beautiful and the character animations great, but when you get into caves and in particular dungeons the reused tiles start to become noticeable. This is only a real issue in the actual dungeons, but it is forgivable. The overall snowy aesthetic works well and there are lots of subtle little touches when you pay attention.

The music is superb - even if its basically one guy with a piano 90% of the time. It fits the environments perfectly, and rises from sad to angry to dramatic at all the right times. I'm not sure if its an OST I'd listen to extensively on its own, but in the context of the game its very good.

Gameplay is basically drawn from that chrono trigger style (thus the comparisons) and as someone who loved that game it is similar enough to be a big plus. Indeed its lovely to play this style of combat again. It does mix things up though with Spiritnite as collectable material that unlocks active and passive commands and effects. You can only equip a certain amount, and while I did most of the game with a similar build, there were some bosses that I ran a special spec for, and for end game trash its possible to speed it up immensely with the right combos. Food is available by collecting sparkly dots on the map and when you have the right mats on you and you speak to an (otherwise unmarked) npc in each region she will give you the recipe for the item. Food only lasts 1 fight, so generally it is used to buff before a hard boss only as it is also expensive.

The characters are decent, but not outstanding. Setsuna is the obvious exception as she is well written, unbearably kind and someone I kept in my party just to have her around, even though there were better combat options. The rest are a bit less well rounded - Endir is basically the player so has no real personality which I can forgive, I took Aeternea most of the time who is ok. Kir and Ndir were ok, while Julienne wasn't too likable (but very strong).

The story is also a 'good' but not 'great'. In particular I did feel the game was DESPERATE for multiple endings, which as I understand it may have not happened due to time only. Overall its a well trodden path 'vulnerable person needs to make journey to sacrifice themself to save world'. It does subvert that near the end only to pull the rug out from you - definitely at least 2 endings needed here! I actually liked the story more than it probably deserved, again due to Setsuna being so adorable, but wasn't a fan of the VERY end. No spoilers but multiple endings would have solved that!

Overall you can look at this as a 'fairly decent but not great Chrono rip off' or as a homage to some of the Chrono style but going its own way. For me its the latter, and what stands out is that really this game is not about you, it is all about Setsuna and you are almost just along for the ride. That's not a criticism - you feel (mostly) that you are in control but the last hour of the game adds a new perspective.

So this game for me is a 'recommend'. Don't expect a masterpiece, but it has so many lovely touches - the graphics, the environments, the retro style ATB combat and Setsuna herself that it was an enjoyable experience. I get the haters, but I think a bit more generosity is needed to look beyond its flaws and cliches to a short story that is heart warming while also being enthused with poignant sadness. It's more enjoyable that it looks on paper, so pick it up in a sale and get ready for a trek through this snowy world.

wendy4547
wendy4547

I don't understand all the praise. Maybe my standard of a good JRPG game is just too damn high.

RyomaSJibenG
RyomaSJibenG

This is pretty much Final Fantasy lite.
Specifically Final Fantasy X lite

overall good game

estoria
estoria

This has both ignited my newfound love for turn-based jrpgs and also ingrained a deep hatred for squirrels. All and all, this game is the literal embodiment of "short and sweet" 10/10.

Pleinaira
Pleinaira

great story and good gameplay.
game is short and sweet, doesn't need much else going on. Enjoyable from start to finish.

kamasu89
kamasu89

Its just really not a good JRPG. I wanted to like it but it fell flat for me even at a discount. Sad

BabyCheetah
BabyCheetah

I think this is one of the experiments from Square Enix, clearly on a budget.

The battle system is okay. The Talisman and Spiritnite system don't really make too much difference once you get a best combination. The whole-piano soundtrack works most of time.

The plot has many holes and loose ends (see the discussion on GameFaqs). The ending is not satisfactory to many.

For a 30-hour or so game, the price is too high. Wait until it's on sale to buy it.

I still recommend this game, but just don't expect too much.

BOTxDOGE
BOTxDOGE

What can I say....I have been putting this game on a shelf for a very long time and atlast I played it through. Simply saying, the story itself is quite good but not very long. There are plot hole and it brings some questions with the information at the end that you receive.
Characters are interesting but I wish they had more interactions between each other.
Battle system is very controversial and may not be liked by many.
The art style of the game is pretty nice and the music does make it things (tho it may start to annoy you with time as there aren't many tracks, so you will hear it on repeat)

I don't really know what to say...The game is not for everyone, so don't expect much of it

BandidoMuerto
BandidoMuerto

The controls are trash an not self explanatory I spent a whole 20 min trying to press every key to get passed the "Press Any Button" to even start the game and no key even did anything.

arcane_ether
arcane_ether

In my many years as a gamer, I have played a LOT of RPGs, both of the western type and Japanese, among others. "I Am Setsuna" is standard fair for the common JRPG - far too much so. I found this game incredibly boring.

I was recommended this game by many other JRPG fans because "the combat is like Chrono Trigger". Chrono Trigger, being one of the best JRPGs ever made, the comparison piqued my interest. Having actually played "I Am Setuna" now, I can see why the comparison is made.

Truly, the game is either Active or Wait ATB, like Chrono Trigger, and each party member has unique abilities that can combine into Double or Triple Combos. But that's about where the similarities end (aside from a good number of spell names reused from Chrono Trigger).

In Chrono Trigger, every possible combination of two party members, except for the optional member, Magus, had exactly three Double Combos each. Every possible combination of three party members that included the lead character, Crono, had exactly one Triple Combo. Then a handful of special "Rock" items unlocked some super-powerful Triple Combos not including Crono in the party (with two including Magus).

The system was simple, elegant, and easily trackable, revealing which Combos you had found and making finding new ones relatively uncomplicated. "I Am Setsuna's" Combo system is needlessly complex. There appears to be no rhyme or reason as to why any two abilities combine or what the outcome will be. I didn't even unlock my third Double Combo until far after I had earned the game's final party member, Julienne.

Tracking which Double and Triple combos you have found is nearly impossible. The menu shows when an ability contributes to Combo, but does NOT show WHO that ability belongs to; the sorting algorithm is By Combo, not By Member. Without a chart, extensive notes, or inhuman levels of rote memory, you'd never know which party set belongs to which Combo.

Combo power levels also make no sense. Late in the game, I had found Combos where the contributing Techs were high-power, but the Combo itself output extremely weak damage, and vice versa. The very second Combo I found was "Blowbeat", between Endir and Nidr. It was so ridiculously overpowered that I leaned on that spell for the majority of the game.

None of this concerns the game’s plot and narrative. The first three or four hours of the game are virtually a beat-for-beat plagiarism of Final Fantasy X – a sacrificial maiden going on a pilgrimage to stop a great evil, know that she will die at the end, protected by her entourage of guardians, the lead character being unknowingly roped into becoming a guardian. The real difference is that you're told Setsuna will die at the end right at the start, instead of keeping that close to the chest as with Yuna.

“Plagiarism” may be too strong of a word, considering that “I Am Setsuna” is a Squeenix game after all. But the fact that the plot reuses so many elements from Final Fantasy X just results in a weak retelling of a story already told.

The areas the player explores in “I Am Setsuna” are just as boring as the combat and story as well – because there are exactly three; icy mountain forest, icy cavern, ruins. And that’s it. Every single dungeon in the game is exactly one of these three and nothing more. I am pleased that the game does offer a classic airship late in the game, as many modern JRPGs have stopped using that, but it comes as a pleasantry far too little, too late.

Then there is the power system, how characters learn new spells. The player must loot items from enemies in the game, sell them to a Magical Consortium NPC, then use that sold stock to trade for “Spritenite”, magical McGuffins that individually unlock Techs.

There is NO SIMPLE WAY to track which enemies drop which items from the either the Spritnite or shop menus. You have to fully close the Spritenite menu, then dig several pages deep into the game’s “Snow Chronicles”; a sort of compendium of in-game terms to find out any information concerning items or where to find them.

A secondary system in the game called “Flux” randomly applies additional, permanent buffs to individual Spritenite, based on what “Talisman” is equipped to the character. Despite being able to see which Talismans offer which Fluxes, there is ZERO description in the Spritenite menu as to what each Flux does! The only way to learn what any Flux does is to first unlock it on a Spritenite, a totally random occurrence mind you, then use that annoying Snow Chronicles to find the unlocked Flux and learn about it. This is information that should be gleamed from the Spritenite menu itself, not buried menus deep.

Further, although the game does tell you that each Spritenite can only have a finite number of Fluxes on it, there is NO METHOD of removing an earned Flux, so you cannot easily customize your Spritenites. The game also DOES NOT TELL YOU that certain Fluxes can be unlocked multiple times and stack on a single Spritenite or whether or not this contributes to that finite count. Since Blowbeat was destroying monsters so efficiently, I simply gave up on all things related to Flux by mid-game and didn't suffer for it at all. A wasted subsystem.

The game also has virtually no tutorial on how ANY of its systems work. Upon using any ability in battle, the player can active “Momentum” to add additional effects by consuming a point that recharges as the player stands idle in combat. Though the game does tell you this much, it does so by saying “Press THE button” and utterly fails to tell you WHICH button, or WHEN to press it (it’s Square on a PS4 controller by the way, and as soon as the Tech starts). You have to figure this out on your own.

If you’re in the mood for an extremely bog-standard JRPG with very little to offer, give the game a try. If you want a QUALITY JRPG, replay Chrono Trigger for the millionth time. Squeenix really disappointed me with “I Am Setsuna”.

[ALT]Shalt
[ALT]Shalt

I've rarely been moved by a video game, but in this case I think Tokyo RPG Factory should refund me all the kleenexes I've used. 100% a true masterpiece.

Nalarion
Nalarion

I feel obligated to do a review and warn people about this game.

First off the writing is aweful, characters are never believable, the combat is janky and stale, the monsters are probably the most unimaginative in any game ive ever seen and all the monsters are reskins of some of the first monsters you see in the game. I think theres like maybe 15 monster models in total? Including the bosses. Ive seen slimes with more charisma than these weird penguin with teeth.

The game over explains everything thats not relevant, and spends zero time explaining almost all of the core mechanics, and the item and gear system that goes with it is incredibly messy and uninteuitive. Whats worse, hints towards some of these core mechanics only make them more confusing. "hey sometimes under rare unkown circumstances this weird thing happens that powers your spells based on some unknowable arcane text of a buff like boosting ATP or SP, none of which we're going to explain

Every zone looks like every other zone, it has the feel of a asset flipped game.

I could go on. I remember this part towards the end of the game in the 8bit town, one of the characters is talking from the developers perspective saying "its not a perfect game but its not bad either!". The story doesn't even make sense and the characters controdict themselves at different points in the game and the main protagonist Setsuna is re(dacted word) and gets rewarded for her silly and niave behavior all through the game. The game even makes a point about the folly of being naive in this whole "what it is to be a king" arc. So they surely recognize most of their premise is absurd.

No. Apparently your self aware enough to recognize its flawed, but this game is bad. Top ten most bland RPGs ever kinda bad.

Don't buy this if its on sale, just don't buy it. If you're still maybe interested after reading this, watch someone play the first hour of the game. Thats it thats the whole game, you'll get what its about after that. Save yourself the trouble, chances are you won't be engaged enough to actually sit through the first hour of the game.

I was going to give it a 2/5 but then the end sequence is another 30 min long drag, that isn't even nessisary. Nothing happens. Litterally. All the character models go from each one and they walk around and nod at each other, and I guess you're supposed to fill in the blanks what they are saying and this grande fanale of a game.

1/5, wouldn't bang with my thumbstick again, would only recommend to someone I secretly disliked and I didn't want them to know I hate them but I wanted to punish them somehow subtly. This game has Zero redeeming qualities. I think all the positive reviews must either be propoganda by the company to artifically boost its image and sales, or people who have never played RPG/JRPG's before and simply don't understand what a quality game looks like. This is no Breath of Fire III, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, or any competent nostolgic RPG game you can think of. Positive reviews that don't mention any of its numerous flaws are dubious at best

glossome
glossome

Overall a well-done game, but it would definitely benefit from a periodic auto-save. And after you pass a certain point, the game like to drop crazy-powerful encounters at specific spots where you may expect them to be (and good luck if you accidentally stumble into THAT mess (mumble mumble stupid forgotten shore birds). Save. Save often. Make a habit of it. Sucks to lose 6+ hours of gameplay 'cause "oops, that wasn't a normal enemy, I guess!"

Also, they seem very proud of the piano music for some reason. About an hour in, my wife asked me what was up with the amateur piano hour music she was hearing. She wasn't wrong. It's not ... bad, there's just nothing really special about it. You want good music, go play Gothic 3 (but I don't recommend playing that for any other reason unless you like being abused).

shinwee_ng
shinwee_ng

Finally finished Setsuna.
Is a very beautiful game with beautiful music and great characters design with a good story. At first i am quite lost in its overall design which i really dun understand why do you need so many talisman. Advice is you need to understand what talisman does and FLUX system in the game. There are too many weapons that i rarely used and i mean they made it that each weapon is unique with its specialty but of course you will go and take the next powerful one even though you liked the previous specialty of the previous weapon. Developers really need to rethink of this weapon design mechanics. Some battles can be hard which i didnt grind until the very end when i am trying to add FLUX. There are some nice secrets to the game which is a bonus. Overall i highly recommend playing this game. Kudos to the developers

LockDown
LockDown

So after a very long 65 hours, I'm ready to review "I Am Setsuna". Is it worth it? Absolutely. Read on.

The game takes inspiration from many classic titles. To start, the storyline is more or less a modified version of the one from Final Fantasy X. Your main character is a mercenary named Endir, who is tasked to kill a woman named Setsuna. Setsuna is a girl chosen to go on a pilgrimage to a distant land, accompanied by guardians, to stop an ancient evil. Sound familar? In this case, she makes a deal with Endir. If she suceeds in her pilgrimage, she dies anyway, so why not tag along? Against all logic, Endir accepts.

The map and the combat system are ripped right from Chrono Trigger. No lie, it's not much different. You navigate the map the same way, and battles happen on screen with a menu that pops up when you encounter an enemy on screen. You can get access to double and triple techniques as you progress, just like in Chrono Trigger.

The double and triple combos come from a rather unique system called "Spritnite", which is similar to FF7s materia. You sell monster materials, and get Spritnite, which you equip into talismans that activate the skills. If you have the right skills on the 3 party members, you get the double and triple techniques. There's also a number of passive skills available this way as well.

In battle, you have a momentum bar that fills when your ATB gauge is filled. When it's filled, you can activate it via a 'timed hit' akin to Super Mario RPG. This adds extra damage and other effects depending on what skill you used. As I said earlier, there's a lot of mechanics from older games that are tied into this one that work together very well.

A unique aspect of it, is that the entire soundtrack is on piano. Every track, in every town, every battle, it's all piano, and it's very nicely done as well. And while the graphics aren't groundbreaking, they fit the setting nicely.

It's pretty easy to get all of the achievements, although towards the end there's a few hours of grinding to be done to make the last few easier. The game, all together, is excellently made and anyone who likes the old school style of turn based JRPG combat, will feel right at home, and you will defintiely get your moneys worth out of this game.

OmniAegis
OmniAegis

Having just completed this game, I feel we should mention the Pros and Cons to this game. I will say off the bat one thing: don't compare the game to Chrono Trigger because no game should be compared to Chrono Trigger (or any other game for that matter).

Pros:
VERY engaging and interesting story.
Some very lovely ambience.
Each character has their own special place in the story.
Not grindy (unless you want it to be).
Allows for some skill and equipment customization without sacrificing game play.
A quick 20-40 hour play through.

Cons:
Can be real repetitive with the same environment (all snow), music (all hollow piano), and palette swapped creatures.
At the mercy of some RNG if you want to power up your skills.
No English voice over (but you can shut off voice acting if you want).
Can easily accidently run into a special creature which will promptly hand you your ass.
Pretty severe challenge spike at the last half of the game.
Some end game content is just there and doesn't go anywhere with the narrative or game play. Not really sure why some of those conversation characters are even there....

Ultimately, if you like SNES era JRPGs and have 20-40 hours to engage with an endearing story, I'd say go ahead and drop 30 bucks on this game. You'll be glad you did :)

あ| Araniark
あ| Araniark

I can only recommend this game if you wanted to scratch an itch playing a jrpg and/or you really enjoy piano music. There are other jrpg's I would more readily recommend such as Bravely Default or Final Fantasy. I purchased this on sale, it takes ~20 hours to beat, I don't regret the purchase, just don't think the game is going to be fun for most people.

[Lengthy review part]
Music for this game is phenomenal and fits perfectly with the theme. Story and writing is average and works well enough. The story is very similar to FFX, where the male protagonist accompanies a young lady on a pilgrimage to sacrifice herself to stop the cycle of 'evil monsters' threatening the world (not a spoiler, they tell you this in the first 5 minutes).

Three main reasons why I do not recommend:
1. Combat is poorly designed, slow, and shallow

- The momentum system (press a button again on start of character attack) is basically just some extra damage and is not vital to beating the game
- Flux (random attributes added to your skills), but since it's randomly applied, can just ignore and forget.
- Combo skills between characters....never found them worth using...(I could be wrong, but I beat the game without using them)
- Elemental resistance/weakness exists in this game, but is largely irrelevant and unable to be mitigated.
- There's like around 6 bosses total, and half of them require you to use a status ailment (specific character) to beat since you need to apply either stone/stop/paralyze.

2. UI/UX is more frustrating than helpful

- Does not tell you what button to press to trigger momentum
- Story quest log too general, does not remind you at all where you left off
- Every inventory menu is one long list where the 'sort' button doesn't even help
- No 'currently equipped item' to 'highlighted item' comparison
- No tooltip/description for any of the talisman flux bonuses and what they do

3. Level/environment design is bland

The entire game takes place during one season: Winter. This is actually OK! The problem is that every snowy forest looks like every other snowy forest. Every ruin you enter, looks like every other ruin. Every village basically looks like any other village, just with different layout. This is such a shame, because some of the building interiors are intricately decorated with unique items and assets, but you would only stay inside for 1 minute at a time.

[closing thoughts]
Honestly I would be able to thumb this up, had either 1. Combat, or 3. Environment Design been good. But when combat is not satisfying enough, and I was not looking forward to the next dungeon/zone, it's unfortunately going to be a 'No' for recommendation.