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.
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.
tbd
If Tokyo RPG Factory’s goal was to create a sad, stirring adventure that evokes memories of the past without feeling too antiquated, they nailed it, with big assists from Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy X, and even a little Xenogears at the very end. If this is the type of story we’ll continue to get from the Tokyo RPG Factory, then hey, maybe RPG assembly lines aren’t so bad.
10
Love this game unique story and combat if you love old school final fantasy this is for you
5
This is the only game where I've gotten to the very end and didn't want to beat it. Not because I didn't want it to be over, but because I just didn't really want to play it. This game is extremely mid. Not good, not bad, it just exists. Music is very simple and it can get repetitive. There are some nice pieces but they arent played very much. Characters and gameplay is ok. Story is sort of boring. Visuals are nice but there isn't much variety.
5
Felt like a basic JRPG, nothing memorable enough for me to have it stand out from anything else I've played
I Am Setsuna
Released On:
Jul 19, 2016
Metascore
Mixed or Average
74
User score
Mixed or Average
7.2
My Score
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All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
74
60% Positive
43 Reviews
43 Reviews
40% Mixed
29 Reviews
29 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jul 19, 2016
100
What really impressed me about I Am Setsuna is the way that the various systems layered on top of one another to reinforce and complement the intense, powerful themes that sit at the core of the game.
Jul 18, 2016
85
Neither original nor groundbreaking, but if you’re one of those people who want a 90s style JRPG on home systems, then I Am Setsuna is the game for you.
User score
Mixed or Average
7.2
62% Positive
134 Ratings
134 Ratings
23% Mixed
49 Ratings
49 Ratings
16% Negative
34 Ratings
34 Ratings
Nov 17, 2025
10
Love this game unique story and combat if you love old school final fantasy this is for you
Dec 17, 2017
10
While not flawless this game hits all of the niches it intends to hit. It feels very traditional and true to it's 90s roots while still being accessible to newer players of the genre. The battling is where the game really shines. It uses the ATB battle system along with a combo system. This combo system is based on the spiritnite (abilities) you have equipped. They'll give you access to different combos if another party member has an equipped spiritnite with the same combo. The story was enjoyable if not a tad generic. Those who have played similar types of games will definitely notice some tropes being repeated. The ending is debated but in my opinion it is a good way to end the game. No spoilers but you'll understand when you play it. The world design is beautiful and it really gives off the feel of traveling through a snowy wasteland with pockets of people spread throughout. Finally the music is absolutely incredible. The all piano soundtrack works wonderfully for this game and I found myself on numerous occasions just sitting there listening to it. Overall the game hits every element one would want in this type of game. It may not be advancing the genre but it is a very welcome entry in it.
Jul 20, 2016
80
As far as old-style RPGs go, I Am Setsuna was worth looking forward to after the showing at E3 this year, and just as worth playing.
Jul 20, 2016
75
A lack of balance robs the combat of much of its fun and renders many of the more interesting gameplay systems moot, but it didn’t dampen the emotional impact of I Am Setsuna’s heartfelt message for me.
Aug 1, 2016
70
It has a few too many flaws to be considered a classic, but I Am Setsuna does enough right to make it worth a play through - especially for fans of old-school RPGs.
Jul 27, 2016
65
It could have – and should have – been far better than it is. Held back by a lack of ambition and never daring to crawl from the shadow of better games, I Am Setsuna stops itself being something special...But at least it’s not garbage, and I sincerely hope Tokyo RPG Factory has something bigger in the pipeline, because I see a hell of a lot of promise.
Jul 18, 2016
50
Who would have thought a game with a snowy setting such as this would look so dull? There’s some good to be discovered in I Am Setsuna, but it’s overshadowed by its sheer unoriginality and repetitiveness.
Aug 9, 2016
10
I love this game because it is the first jrpg in ages that I was able to play and really enjoy. It's not that I haven't tried to play other jrpgs recently but I found them to be boring or, worst case, annoying. I assumed that JRPGs were just a genre I couldn't enjoy anymore.
Apr 12, 2023
7
Enjoyable, but frustratingly unambitious genre piece Recommend if you have a high tolerance for melancholic piano music
Mar 16, 2022
7
I am Setsuna is a brief, but fun RPG with clear influences from classics such as Chrono Trigger. It features a rather robust combat system, though its simplistic story and characters keep it from reaching the lofty heights it desires.
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 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?
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 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.
SummaryInspired by Chrono Trigger, I am Setsuna is an homage to the JRPG masterpieces of yesteryear. Journey with Setsuna as she prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice and save the people of her land.
Rated E +10for Everyone +10
Platforms:
- PlayStation 4
- PlayStation Vita
- PC
- Nintendo Switch
Initial Release Date:Jul 19, 2016
Developer:
Publisher:
