![]() ![]() However, there’s also a lot to digest here for players and it can feel overwhelming at times as you wade through a plethora of skills and magic stones and try to figure out which combination works best with what. It’s a mechanic that makes things more interesting compared to a cut-and-dry turn-based system. Doing so can lead to Momentum bonuses that can add effects to your arts including more damage, team heals or curing status afflictions. While moving quickly is usually the way to go in a classic turn-based system, I am Setsuna adds a bit of a wrinkle by adding a special gauge that fills up while waiting instead, giving you access to more souped-up versions of your moves. You have the option to pause fights while you go through menus or increase the challenge by letting time run normally regardless. The combat itself is fun and uses a re-imagined version of the classic, turn-based “Active Time Battle” or ATB system popularized by Squaresoft back in its heyday. There’s also a glaring lack of a “New Game Plus” mode, made even more unfortunate by the plethora of skills you can unlock in the game but might not have time to really get into in one playthrough. One is its lack of side quests, which was something that was well executed in Chrono Trigger. At the same time, this also raises expectations to a high level and puts even more of a spotlight on the game’s faults. I remember smiling, for example, the first time I saw the X-Strike combination attack pop up in my battle menu. ![]() The music alone certainly leans toward sentimentality but the Tokyo RPG Factory development team also has no compunctions about being compared to the Super NES classic “Chrono Trigger,” which can be both good and bad. Nostalgia definitely plays heavily in this game almost to a fault. Ultimately, the game’s various plot points amalgamate into a singular theme about being the master of your own destiny and being responsible for your own choices. Then you have beings who are neither human nor monster but something in between - beings who find themselves suffering the brunt of unwanted attention from both sides. Monsters, which typically serve as battle fodder in JRPGs, aren’t all entirely malicious and sometimes find themselves on the wrong end of injustices as well. At their best, these details amplify the harsh, unforgiving world of I Am Setsuna where good people suffer and mankind appears to be in the final throes of a losing battle against a growing force of monsters.Īt the same time, I Am Setsuna also makes you ask questions about things you normally take for granted in a JRPG. At times, clumps of snow also fall from tree branches with a familiar whoosh as they fall to the ground. Characters also leave trails as they walk through the snow, which some leaving bigger lines than others depending on a character’s size. It’s a tool that the game wields to great effect, featuring detailed individual snowflakes that gently fall on screen before building up to a violent, chilly crescendo during snowstorms. One way I Am Setsuna does this is by painting a cold, snow-filled setting that permeates through the game’s bones and seeps all the way to its players’ thoughts.
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