I AM SETSUNA has big shoes to fill. Newly-minted studio Tokyo RPG Factory are a big fan of the classics -- going so far as to proudly proclaim that they’d love to return to a bygone era of Japanese-style role-playing games.
Well, you don’t get more classic than Chrono Trigger, Squaresoft’s masterstroke from the 16-bit era that accrued a metric ton of accolades an insatiable hunger for more - even after quasi-sequel Chrono Cross, ephemeral Chrono Break, and a modest remaster for the Nintendo DS. Some even outside of the Square Enix ecosystem have even developed their own homages to a highly formative title for many in an older generation of RPG fans.
Tokyo RPG Factory isn’t the first to jump on the throwback train. I Am Setsuna is to Chrono Trigger is what Silicon Studio’s Bravely Default is to Final Fantasy V. Of the genre’s emerging trends, Setsuna falls under “what’s old is new again”, accompanied by “catching up to the West”, or “double down on Otaku”. Whatever stigma you attach to each is a conversation fit for another day; the important takeaway question here is whether Setsuna is a fitting homage and is also able to set its own image.
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