I don't think this is a bad game by any means, and if it had been released ten years ago I might have loved it. Sadly, I have played so many similar RPGs now that none of the good qualities of the game stood out for me. Instead, the things I noticed most were negatives. Anyone who has played Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy X, and various other Square titles will immediately recognize the tropes this game is constantly referencing. (and trying to paint deadly serious) The game almost has no identity of its own. That alone would not have ruined the game for me, but the slow pace combined with a soundtrack entirely composed of soft piano music and a blinding white color palette made I am Setsuna very soporific for me. I think in the final session I played, I was literally starting to fall asleep before deciding to call it quits for good. I'll give this title props for trying to expand on the combo system in CT a little, but the inclusion of many questionable elements common in more recent RPGs dragged things down. Monster loot, cooking, etc. It all felt tacked on and insignificant.
One of the things I loved about Chrono Trigger is how quickly and stylishly it plays and presents itself; one could argue the game was too simplistic, but this simplicity made the experience engaging. In comparison, Setsuna tries to be bleak and moody and misses the appeal of the game it is trying so hard to resemble. In fact, after I dropped this game I actually played through Chrono Trigger again to see if I was just dead wrong. After all this time and so many replays, I was still so engaged I finished CT, including all its sidequests, in 2 days. I feel like modern imitation-classic RPGs want to have their cake and eat it too: they try to appeal to our nostalgia for a simpler time, but also want to seem deep and edgy like modern indie games. It's actually a mistake I made in designing my last game (Motrya). There's a tough balance here that is hard to hit.
At any rate, I'm rambling. The short version is some people might dig this game, but I was bored.
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