I Am Setsuna
Sometimes looking back on our past is more important than moving forward. I Am Setsuna runs with this idea, hoping to be a homage to the golden era of JRPGs in the 90’s. The developer, Tokyo RPG Factory, was created by Square Enix in order to make original RPGs. They’ve cited games like Chrono Trigger and the older Final Fantasies as their inspirations.
I Am Setsuna takes place on a snowy island with a cast of three main characters, and Setsuna’s central theme to its story is sadness. The game wants to use this theme to evoke the emotional feelings that JRPGs used to, with their characters and stories. Games like Final Fantasy 6 built their characters through interaction, and memorable events like the Opera scene. Even the soundtrack of Setsuna is recorded almost entirely on a solo piano, only adding to the somber feeling.
Setsuna’s battle system is directly inspired by Chrono Trigger, with players controlling their characters from an angled top-down perspective.Battles take place directly where the player runs into enemies, and an Active Time Battle System is implemented similarly to what’s found in the Final Fantasy series.
I Am Setsuna may not reinvent the wheel, but it looks back at the ways JRPGs used to be and tries to recapture that magic. Everything about it is a throwback to beloved classic role-playing games, and anyone who has a soft spot for 90’s JRPGs should give it a chance.