I Am Setsuna: How to Use Momentum

I Am Setsuna, despite being an awesome classic-style JRPG, has a few flaws. One of those flaws is how it fails to explain clearly some of its most important features, especially when it comes to combat. If you’re here reading this, you’re probably feeling that right about now.

Momentum is especially important in I Am Setsuna because your attacks and techs can be dramatically enhanced and altered by using it. In I Am Setsuna’s most difficult fights, if you don’t use momentum, you might have a hard time. So if you didn’t quite get the game’s original explanation of it, you might be lost on how it actually works and how to use it properly. Luckily, it’s not all that confusing once you know what to do and how it works.

Unlike most games that feature an ATB style-combat (active time battle), there’s actually a good reason to wait around when your ATB bar is full in I Am Setsuna.

In battle each character has a circular momentum (SP or Setsuna Points) bar on their individual UI that quickly fills up while the character is idle with their ATB bar full. When that bar fills up, that character will get one stack of momentum, signified by a distinctive *ding* and marked by a white snowflake/star-like symbol on the SP bar.

Once you have at least one stack of momentum, you can then use it to alter/enhance your normal attacks and tech. In order to use your momentum, you need to press Square just before your attack is complete. It’s best not to spam click Square, and it works a lot better if you just time it out and hit it once, you have a pretty forgiving window.

Using momentum is extremely important because the enhancements you get are so significant, that they can greatly speed up battles aganist common enemies, and be the difference between losing and winning in tougher ones. For example, Drain, when used normally only steals HP from the enemy and returns it back to the user. However, when used with momentum, the same thing will happen plus the rest of the party will get healed as well. Also, using momentum to score kills can trigger Flux and Singularity, as well triggering certain item drops from enemies.

There’s really no reason to ever not use it, so make sure you don’t forget, even on easy battles! Remember, hit Square just before the attack lands and watch as your regular attacks becoming powerful area of effect maneuvers and certain techs and spells take on new powerful traits in addition to their normal effects.