Gameplay
I Am Setsuna is a
role-playing video game in which players take control of a party of characters, navigating environments from an angled top-down perspective. Locations such as towns and dungeons are reached by navigating the game's overworld. In towns, the party can talk with villagers to reveal plot elements, and find treasure chests containing useful items. Various items such as healing potions or "Mistone" items for escaping from battle are sold in shops in towns and across the world.
Enemies are represented by icons: contact with the icons initiates a battle. Battles take place in the environments where the enemy is encountered rather than shifting to a specific battle arena. Characters' health and magic meter are respectively represented by HP and MP. Characters fight using a version of the
Active Time Battle System featured in games such as entries in the
Final Fantasy series: after each action is taken by a character in battle, an ATB gauge must fill again before another action is taken. Actions by the party include attacking, using magic, or using an item. When all ATB gauges are full, the order of characters' actions can be selected. Each time an action is taken, or the ATB gauge is allowed to fill a separate "Setsuna" gauge is filled: when full, actions are granted power boosts if using specifically timed actions when activating an ability. These boosts can be dealing multiple versions of the attack, recovering health, or dealing critical damage to an enemy.
Premise
The game begins on a snow-bound island, which is regularly beset by angry demons. According to an ancient custom, a maiden is sacrificed to appease the demons. The demons grow restless once again, and the girl Setsuna is chosen as the sacrifice. Together with a nameless mercenary, a former traveler named Kuon, and a carefree veteran soldier named Yomi, Setsuna begins her journey to the ritual site on the edges of the known world where the sacrifice will take place.
, unless it's very expensive.
