I am Setsuna – SNES-like role-player shows the old ways are still the best

As far as developer names go, new Square Enix studio Tokyo RPG Factory is the worst since Wet maker Artificial Mind & Movement decided it should be referred to as A2M. The word “Factory” is the issue: it conjures up images of chimney stacks belching smoke into the Japanese capital’s sky while, behind sweating brick walls, production lines of developers churn out new games as fast and as cheaply as possible. “Factory” suggests minimal quality control, workers chained to their desks and cookie cutter ideas. It most certainly doesn’t sound like a home capable of piecing together the most finessed, standout JRPG on PS4.

Yet that’s precisely what it is, going by the studio’s debut game, I Am Setsuna. A JRPG with its feet planted firmly in the SNES era, this is a lean adventure that feels like it’s just been salvaged from a time capsule buried 25 years ago. Chibi character models, world map movement, static save points, ATB gauges… its features should be instantly familiar to anyone with memories of early ’90s JRPGs such as Chrono Trigger or the pre-VII Final Fantasy titles.

Whereas Star Ocean (p107) offers an uneasy mix of old and new ideas, I Am Setsuna fully embraces classic systems to pay respect to the genre’s roots and fully pump nostalgia glands dry. Its Spiritnite magic system recalls FFVII’s Materia, the ATB-powered fighting has been transplanted from FFIV, and a sublime piano-only score sounds like lost sheets of Uematsu’s memorable music.

Sun’ To Be A Classic

One notable difference from JRPGs of old is the lack of grinding. Save for preparing for the Spiritnite creatures (there are no random battles, but these ultra-powerful mutations are hard to distinguish from regular foes), there’s little to stop you from forever pressing onwards. It’s as if a Haste spell has been cast over the entire quest; a chance to celebrate the past that doesn’t drag its heels.

So who is Setsuna? She’s the star of the piece: a young girl on a pilgrimage to the Last Lands who’s been picked to be a sacrifice to gods unknown in order to keep monsters at bay. But flanked by childhood friend Aeterna, mysterious masked mercenary Endir and a few disciples gathered along the way, her story ends up being more quaint than bleak, despite the obvious dark undercurrent.

Will I Am Setsuna remain standing tall once big hitters Final Fantasy XV and Persona 5 arrive? Maybe not. Its leanness hampers the total runtime, and clear design patterns (save points precede bosses, building designs are repeated and the snow-topped world isn’t exactly varied) emerge, though the purity on display may leave the rest with envious eyes. Still, if this is to be the beginning of a new wave of ‘classical’ JPRGs, let me be the first to call for more coal to be shovelled into the Factory’s furnace.

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http://www.accessibilityforum.org/setsuna-snes-like-role-player-shows-old-ways-still-best/