I Am Setsuna. Review (PS4)

I Am Setsuna. is an old-school inspired JRPG come to fruition from the joint efforts of Square Enix and developer Tokyo RPG Factory, and it’s an outstanding journey I won’t soon forget.
 
I Am Setsuna. is like comfort food, bringing a sense of relaxation and happiness that comes hand in hand with your long-time favourite things. I Am Setsuna. is a game that you can play on a cold Winter’s night, huddled up in a blanket with hot chocolate, as you experience the journey that Eldir, Setsuna and their friends are on. I got a great nostalgic feeling from this game, mostly in that it reminded me of Final Fantasy IX in music and Final Fantasy X in story with a touch of NieR, but it stands on its own two feet and has been one of the most engrossing games that I’ve played this year. Its chilly aesthetic only worked to warm me, and it helped to keep a smile on my face.
 
You can change the characters names and I changed Eldir’s as you’re able to speak for him and make choices, but I left the others intact – in a game called I Am Setsuna., I thought it would be odd to then change Setsuna’s name! If you’re looking for an old-school JRPG then look no further because this is it, but those who aren’t nearly as familiar with JRPG’s from a couple of decades ago will still be able to pick it up and enjoy it just as much. As Eldir, you’re hired to murder Setsuna but you’re captured by her friends at the last moment and held down by powerful, unbreakable magic. When Setsuna, the sacrifice, appeals to you to join her journey as she’ll die by sacrificing her life to keep monsters at bay for another decade or so, you decide to protect her until the very end, fulfilling both your job and hers. The narrative comes packed with more than a couple of emotional moments that brought me close to tears but also instilled me with an overwhelming sense of warmth, and I enjoyed every second of the magical, wonderful tale.
 
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I enjoyed every second of the magical, wonderful tale.

I Am Setsuna., unsurprisingly, plays like a traditional turn-based RPG with tense, challenging battles, a grand overworld and powerful weapons to kit your characters with. There aren’t many customisation options past which weapon, accessory and which abilities – known as Techs – you have equipped which range from physical and magical spells to passive support skills. To learn new skills you need to sell items (feel free to sell anything, holding onto things has no value) and then obtain the Spritnite from the Magic Consortium. Weapons and items you can buy, and the only way to get money is to sell items you find – Spritnite, thankfully, doesn’t cost you a penny!
 
The combat itself is engaging and exhilarating, making use of Square Enix’s trademark Active Time Battle system which sees battles happen in real-time – enemies won’t wait for you to decide what to do next, so you should always be thinking one step ahead. You level up by gaining experience in battle, of course, which improves your health but its your weapons that affect your attack and defense stats, so the act of sheer grinding isn’t quite as useful as it used to be but I enjoy this as I never really enjoyed being forced to grind for anything other than side-content. Enemies appear on the overworld and are relatively easy to avoid, although I don’t recommend it considering how some bosses can wipe characters out in a single hit. I had an issue that happened once against a late-game boss where the game refused to continue after I put in my commands, and I had to force restart and have no idea why but don’t let this put you off as it seems to be an extremely rare bug – and I was doing so well!
 
The story is a couple dozen of hours or so long and there’s not much to do outside of the main story with no grand goals or side-quests (although there are a couple of optional boss fights), and not much to explore in the mostly barren but gorgeously crafted world. You can cook too, but honestly I didn’t see the need for this mechanic at all. The story kept me coming back time and time again although some of the boss battles did test my patience, but overall it’s a fair but challenging game that I’d be happy to revisit in the future. I hope that I Am Setsuna. performs well for Square Enix and Tokyo RPG Factory because I’d love to have more of these experiences.
 
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The heart and passion that has clearly gone into composing the music for this game strongly resonated with me and it felt so intimate.

I Am Setsuna. does a great job in recreating an adventure from times past and bringing it into the modern age, and the art direction is superb. I’ve already spoken about how hauntingly beautiful the barren world is, but the character design is equally as captivating and, whilst they can become somewhat repetitive due to palette changes rather than new designs, I quite like the enemy design too. I Am Setsuna. takes place entirely in the snow and, as a lover of snow who yearns for it each year, this was something that helped me immerse myself in the world and I wouldn’t have it any other way – the desolated world and cold weather helps to make the cast come together not only to battle world-threatening powers, but also to battle something as simple as the cold. Sure, none of the characters actually complain about the weather, but I do feel that the world and weather help them to become closer friends.
 
There isn’t much in the way of voice-acting bar grunts and other noises in battle, but the piano-laden soundtrack has quickly become a favourite of mine and I’m already itching for the Square Enix EU store to stock the physical CD! The soundtrack is fully instrumental although the only instrument in play is the piano, but it perfectly fits the world and the heart and passion that has clearly gone into composing the music for this game strongly resonated with me and it felt so intimate.
 
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Square Enix has a fantastical way of creating games that are overflowing with magic and passion and I Am Setsuna. is no exception.

I Am Setsuna. quickly became one of my favourite games of the year and although Square Enix are pushing the JRPG genre forward with each installment of Final Fantasy, it’s lovely to see that they still help to create games such as this one and the Bravely series that tugs at our nostalgia whilst incorporating modern elements. Square Enix has a fantastical way of creating games that are overflowing with magic and passion and I Am Setsuna. is no exception. If you’re a fan of the genre and have yet to pick up I Am Setsuna., then please do your best to support the game as it truly deserves it.

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