I Am Setsuna

There was a real risk that I Am Setsuna would be crushed under the weight of expectation. As a spiritual successor to Chrono Trigger, with various nods to Final Fantasy and then finally published under the Square Enix label, Setsuna had a lot to live up to. Despite a few teething issues, Setsuna manages to bring together classic JRPG elements and twist them into something that feels unique, with heart befitting the small studio in which it was developed, Tokyo RPG Factory.

Before continuing to read, I encourage you to hit play on the soundtrack below.

The world is under attack from monsters. The only thing that can quell the ever-expanding onslaught is a human sacrifice made once a decade, which restores the world to a state of relative peace. The sacrifice this time around is Setsuna, the titular character, although surprisingly not the main protagonist. Those honours go to a masked mercenary named Endir (all characters’ names can be changed upon joining your party). You take control of Endir just as he finds out that his latest job is to murder Setsuna.

Setsuna features a soundtrack which consists entirely of original piano pieces. I simply don’t remember the last time I have found a game soundtrack that has been so skillfully arranged. Although the two and a half hours of music playtime will mean some repetition, you won’t be disappointed at all by this, such is the quality. Special credit must be given to composer and pianist Tomoki Miyoshi, who has put together a soundtrack which is entirely worth the purchase price of the game on its own.

All of these pieces bring together the theme of a sorrowful, if not purposeful journey quite deftly. Even the name Setsuna in Japanese carries the dual meaning of “sadness” and “a moment in time”, which definitely encapsulates the spirit of the situation our heroes find themselves in. If I had one criticism of the narrative it would have to be that Setsuna herself, as well as her loyal guard, seem almost too ready to accept the cyclical nature of the sacrifice and it’s necessity. This is explored in depth in similar games, so I wonder whether there was a time constraint on this aspect of the story, as this is a comparatively brief JRPG of only 20 hours length.

On the gameplay side of the JRPG coin, things function broadly as you would expect. Setsuna uses an Active Time Battle system that will be very familiar to many by now, most especially previous Chrono Trigger players. It’s a perfectly good, if not groundbreaking combat option which strikes a balance between long strategy and quick thinking.

Layered on top of the standard ATB system is a variety of other mechanics for the player to manage. Abilities are managed through “Spritnite” which are created using materials dropped by defeated monsters. Each Spritnite allows your character to use a different Tech once equipped. Certain Techs combo with other Techs held by other party members, allowing for some fun all-in abilities.

Up until here the system is quite intuitive and prompts the player to be curious and experiment with all of the different Spritnites to see what works best. Then things get a little bit out of hand. Momentum is kind of like a 3rd resource which increases the power of Techs the longer you have been in battle. Flux bonuses have something to do with momentum, but involve pressing buttons at the right time in the midst of battle to get a benefit. Singularities are another mechanic which give you random bonuses at random times.