I Am Setsuna (Nintendo Switch) Review

I Am Setsuna is set in an ever-present poignant winter, and the vast majority of the settings in here portray a cold, blustery, ethereal world. The plot is primarily focused on monsters that continuously ravage the rather sparse and sheltered towns, and, to placate the situation, a sacrifice is made every 10 years to help the world remain harmonious. It all begins with Endir, a masked bounty hunter who has been hired to stop the sacrifice, but, needless to say, an early plot twist means that Endir accompanies this 'sacrifice' on her 25+ hour journey.

The writing allows the plot to develop and further explore elements of loneliness, regret, ostracisation, self-empowerment, and self-preservation, among many other engaging moments that are not seen in other RPGs, making this journey all the more unique to experience. Anyone new to the genre might be a bit overwhelmed by the number of systems that are dumped on the player from the get-go, though. The game starts off introducing the battle mechanics; mechanics similar to Chrono Trigger and early Final Fantasy releases.

The Active-Time Battle system is the primary meter on the battle screen, and once the ATB gauge fills up, it allows the character to attack or use an item. A secondary meter, known as the Momentum gauge, only fills up when the ATB meter is full and allows for a boosted attack. Finally, attacks can be crafted out of 'spritnites' known as 'Techs,' which can be purchased from local merchants to add special moves to each character's selected attack list. As the adventure progresses, more slots are made available for stronger and comprehensive combo attacks.

Rather than introducing people gradually, I Am Setsuna allows one to dive right in the deep end. Unfortunately, beginners may need a guide to fully understand the deep mechanics that are poorly explained in the basic tutorial on offer. However, this generally doesn't matter as most of the enemies that are encountered can be defeated with relative ease, as it will only be the boss battles that will pose any real threat. It's at this part of the game where knowing the systems, techs, weapons, talismans, and spritnites becomes essential, as taking down bosses without them is nigh impossible.

A battle party can be comprised of three members, and while initially the game will only have three main characters, as you make progress, three additional ones will be added to the roster, each with their own unique traits and abilities. Moreover, all have their reasons for joining the pilgrimage; reasons that are fleshed out within the story itself, immersing the player into every character.

I Am Setsuna uses a wide sprawling world map, which is only used to traverse from one town to another town, cave or mountain pass. Once entering this area, those in control will see the environment is either filled with NPCs or enemies (and in some cases both). Approaching the enemies will automatically start the battle rather than a static battle screen such as those presented in the earlier Final Fantasy titles.

Aside from a select few, most enemies and NPCs are rather blandly designed, which is somewhat of a disappointment compared to other elements. Furthermore, repetitive battles with the same enemies start to feel like players are forced to grind, although there are options to run from the battle. NPCs fare no better as many of them offer only a few lines of throw-away text that while it builds on the sombre tone of the game, it also doesn't provide much purpose.

Graphically, I Am Setsuna is a wonderful, yet simple, masterpiece that fits well with the style and tone of the journey, but towns and areas are notoriously empty, while others lack any distinctive landmarks to distinguish between one and another. The soundtrack is also worthy of note; a beautiful melancholic sublime piece of art, keeping in congruity with the stoic themes of sadness, loneliness, and sacrifice.