I am Setsuna

Like 'Bravely Default' before it, 'Setsuna' does a great job with the limitations placed upon it. While the game clearly has a low budget, the developers hide this using the absolutely gorgeous art direction. The snowy aesthetic can at times feel repetitive, but it lends the game a striking look and feel, and the first time I saw snow falling off a tree, revealing the color of its leaves, it was utterly charming. Character models are extremely simple, but they animate surprisingly well and feel endearing, rather than simply cheap. There's a pleasant, painterly style to it all that I ended up stopping to appreciate on quite a few occasions. There's some unfortunate jagginess and stuttering during certain visual effects and spells, but it does ultimately feel minor, and never inhibits the gameplay.

'Setsuna' has such a lovely, low-key soundtrack that works so incredibly well with the game on a thematic level while still providing some really catchy tracks. Every single song uses nothing but the piano, yet there isn't a single one that doesn't feel ultimately distinct. It's absolutely beautiful in its greatest moments, and sticking to a single instrument has led to prioritizing memorable, interesting melodies over simple walls of sound. It's an absolute joy just to stop and listen to the game, and the music greatly enhances the somber tone it often strives for without feeling overbearingly sad. There's some extremely light voicework in battles only, which I understand, given the era the developers are trying to evoke, but it does feel like a bit of a shame. That said, the soundwork outside of that, from the beautiful score to the effects that make the game sound as cold as it looks, are absolutely wonderful outside of that.

A lovely little low-key JRPG that feels like the work of a small, passionate indie developer that just wants to pay homage to the classics it looks up to. 'I Am Setsuna' isn't a revolutionary game or a rebirth of the genre, as the marketing seems to imply. What 'I Am Setsuna' ultimately ends up being is a remarkably well-made, charming game that's endlessly endearing and entirely devoid of cynicism. While some small gripes certainly sting a little, this is a terrific debut for Tokyo RPG Factory, and I absolutely can't wait to see what they make next. For anyone who misses the SNES era, it's a great throwback, but in its own right, it's a fantastic game that absolutely shouldn't be ignored.