I Am Setsuna

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 193 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 128 out of 193
  2. Mixed: 36 out of 193
  3. Negative: 29 out of 193
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  1. phoenix_shade
    Jul 24, 2016
    4
    I'm probably 1/3 through the game (according to my stats) and as the title states, I'm very disappointed in this game so far. The story is just a mash up pof Dragon Quest 4 + FF10, so much so that I joke and call each character by a ff10 one. The game is plain old boring so far. Super linear, go to point A and then you cant go to point C unless you hit point B, complete some mundane taskI'm probably 1/3 through the game (according to my stats) and as the title states, I'm very disappointed in this game so far. The story is just a mash up pof Dragon Quest 4 + FF10, so much so that I joke and call each character by a ff10 one. The game is plain old boring so far. Super linear, go to point A and then you cant go to point C unless you hit point B, complete some mundane task to save the town and hit the next zone.... EVERYTHING IS SNOW. When I heard at e3 how impressed people were with snow I was like ok... little did they know thats basically the entire game. I'm about to get my 6th character but what's the point when the game is so easy I never need to use more than the first 3 anyway. Weapon upgrades seem typical and boring, and the whole put one locked box in every single zone so im forced to rerun the map later thing... they did this with star ocean 5 too, it's a little overdone.

    PLEASE TELL ME THE GAME GETS BETTER?    … Expand
  2. Renzokuken
    Jul 24, 2016
    3
    I am Setsuna attempts to replicate the JRPG's of yore and unfortunately falls flat. Scores on this site are inflated mostly by nostalgia goggles. What I am Setsuna brings to the table falls unfortunately flat when compared to the games it's attempting to imitate. The art style is beautiful but horrendously repetitive, snow caverns, snow forests and snow mountains are pretty much thisI am Setsuna attempts to replicate the JRPG's of yore and unfortunately falls flat. Scores on this site are inflated mostly by nostalgia goggles. What I am Setsuna brings to the table falls unfortunately flat when compared to the games it's attempting to imitate. The art style is beautiful but horrendously repetitive, snow caverns, snow forests and snow mountains are pretty much this entire game. Towns all consist of the same style wooden huts arranged in snowy fields. The art looks great, but there's only so long you can stare at the same Picasso before you long for some variation. The music suffers from this as well, wall to wall piano for the entire soundtrack gets old extremely quickly. Combat is essentially Chrono Trigger with a system for pressing square for bonus damage. The upgrade system is a convoluted and extremely annoying take on FFVII's materia system with awful explanations and grinding for drops. Save points are mostly non-existent with all the towns not having them and most of the dungeons only featuring them at the end. This is extremely frustrating considering the complete rollercoaster in terms of difficulty with some enemies hitting you for 1 damage at one point and half your HP at another. The story is ripped straight from FFX, copied and pasted in a slightly different order.

    I am setsuna hides a Lazy attempt at an old school JRPG beneath it's slick outer veneer.    … Expand
  3. gmgiacomini
    Sep 9, 2016
    3
    I'm estimating I'm pretty close to the ending of this game and sadly it disappointed me very much. It's so clear to me how Square just grabbed a classic rpg formula and created a completely generic game from it.

    The scenarios are just snow. Snow, snow and snow. The villages all look the same. The characters are the cliches you always see in JRPG's, the silent knight, the loving sweet    I'm estimating I'm pretty close to the ending of this game and sadly it disappointed me very much. It's so clear to me how Square just grabbed a classic rpg formula and created a completely generic game from it.

    The scenarios are just snow. Snow, snow and snow. The villages all look the same. The characters are the cliches you always see in JRPG's, the silent knight, the loving sweet girl, the sassy girl, the bigger guy with a giant sword, etc, they have no depth at all. The story has absolutely nothing new and the game is awfully linear to the point that they don't even pretend to give you proper sidequests. The soundtrack is full of good compositions but there is no instrumentation at all, it's all on piano and you get tired after some time.

    I'm giving it a 3 because of the art and music quality, even though they're repetitive. The rest is disposable.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

97
#97 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2016
71
#71 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 72 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 72
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 72
  3. Negative: 0 out of 72
  1. The Sydney Morning Herald
    Dec 29, 2016
    60
    The relaxed, largely goal-free nature of the game has the potential to wear thin, but personally I found the controls fun enough, the environments and music beautiful enough, the various animals smile-inducing enough that even after the three hours it took to reach the end I was happy to dive back in, ready to search for more clues and uncover what it was all about.
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  2. Easy Allies
    Dec 1, 2016
    80
    Tokyo RPG Factory has done a fine job of capturing the spirit of classic JRPGs with I am Setsuna. It feels like returning home after a long journey. Its superb soundtrack and solid gameplay bring nostalgic feelings of joy and comfort. Even though a lack of balance holds back the creativity of its combat, it never extinguishes the emotional tone and engaging story of the game. It may not be the next classic, but it does an excellent job of honoring its heritage.
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  3. RPGamer
    Sep 19, 2016
    60
    In short bursts of play, I Am Setsuna ticks all the boxes one could want from a modern JRPG designed as a callback to the classics: a seemingly emotionally involving story, stirring music, pretty visuals, and a battle system that offers up nuggets of nostalgia like "ATB" and "tech combos".
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