Zero Punctuation: I Am Setsuna

[WeepingAngels]

I always had an issue with that 'female protagonist' tag. Why does that even exist?

To get the attention of losers who play games one-handed, and the deviantart types who then provide the aforementioned with extra wank material.

Don't forget the SJWs.

Can't take anyone seriously who uses stupid terms like that.

Well what am I supposed to call them, then?

SJW's is fine but for those who object, you could simply call them Social Justice Warriors.

 

[WeepingAngels]

I keep reading the title as "I Am Satsuma" ...a crappier breed of orange. Which is kindof apt for this game, as Satsumas are smaller, pithier, drier, looser...all round generally just a cheap knock-off orange. It's also coincidentally a regular family Christmas addition, making me wonder if this game should really be called "I Am A Satsuma: But I dream to be an orange"
Oh damn, Am hungry now. 😕

You know mandarins are the original orange, right? Modern oranges were created by cross breeding mandarins with pomelos to create a new fruit.

I never implied oranges were the oranginal original, only that they were manderinally marginally better at their job. Of...satisfying the consumer.

Oh gods, it hurts... xD


It's a shame, I liked the look of the game and I was thinking about buying it. Now I am not so sure it's worth it.

It doesn't look like a $40 game, it looks like a $20 game at most. I guess you call it a game that might run on a PS1. It's kinda slow (which is something Chrono Trigger was not) and it has an unnecessarily complicated tech system. I think you have to collect materials to sell so you can buy techs, then they have to be assigned and the slots are limited so you can't have them all equipped at once. With Chrono Trigger, you simply learn new techs as you battle and you don't to worry about slots.

That's not to say it's all bad, there is a timed trigger system that is also convoluted that can increase damage. You can charge the trigger by not selecting commands right away. You can't use the timed trigger without first charging it.

Now look, I am no fan of collecting materials and I am no fan of crafting systems (this game doesn't really have a crafting system, you collect materials to sell them) so if you like that sort of thing, it may be more to your liking. I am also not a fan of battle systems that are unnecessarily complicated for the sake of being complicated. Some people call it depth, I do not.

 

[babinro]

Seriously? It's that bad? Awww.

I was totally expecting the protagonist to be Setsuna as a pack of warriors from your village basically escort/threaten you all the way to the end at which point you can choose to follow through with the whole thing, or just sod off.

I was expecting pretty decently balanced combat, and a great story, and apparently all of that is for naught.

...Well fine. Less money spent, I guess. Time to get back to making my own RPGs which by the accounts of this review are actually better somehow. XD

You have to remember that Yahtzee isn't a big fan of the genre in current age as he said himself. You also have to keep in mind that the nature of his show means that he often makes things sound worse than they are for dramatic effect or humour.

I've not played I am Setsuna but it has received reasonably solid scores from many reviewers (mid 7's) so maybe Yahtzee's thoughts on it won't be your best source for a final decision.

It does sound a lot like a lesser Final Fantasy X meets Tales of Symphonia. I'm intrigued by it personally but it's not the type of game I'd drop full price on. I may pick this up when it's part of a humblebundle or below $10.00 on Steam.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

'It's not a successor to Chrono Trigger without the princess butt spank animation'

Ah, Marle... Because of your awesomeness, I don't care if Provoke hardly ever works.

I see someone already mentioned Tales of Symphonia, which already took all the hard cash from FFX's wallet and invested it quite well, leaving nothing for this game to take.

Now games can't even be bothered to balance class roles anymore... sigh.

 

[sXeth]

I keep reading the title as "I Am Satsuma" ...a crappier breed of orange. Which is kindof apt for this game, as Satsumas are smaller, pithier, drier, looser...all round generally just a cheap knock-off orange. It's also coincidentally a regular family Christmas addition, making me wonder if this game should really be called "I Am A Satsuma: But I dream to be an orange"
Oh damn, Am hungry now. 😕

You know mandarins are the original orange, right? Modern oranges were created by cross breeding mandarins with pomelos to create a new fruit.

I never implied oranges were the oranginal original, only that they were manderinally marginally better at their job. Of...satisfying the consumer.

Oh gods, it hurts... xD


It's a shame, I liked the look of the game and I was thinking about buying it. Now I am not so sure it's worth it.

It doesn't look like a $40 game, it looks like a $20 game at most. I guess you call it a game that might run on a PS1. It's kinda slow (which is something Chrono Trigger was not) and it has an unnecessarily complicated tech system. I think you have to collect materials to sell so you can buy techs, then they have to be assigned and the slots are limited so you can't have them all equipped at once. With Chrono Trigger, you simply learn new techs as you battle and you don't to worry about slots.

That's not to say it's all bad, there is a timed trigger system that is also convoluted that can increase damage. You can charge the trigger by not selecting commands right away. You can't use the timed trigger without first charging it.

Now look, I am no fan of collecting materials and I am no fan of crafting systems (this game doesn't really have a crafting system, you collect materials to sell them) so if you like that sort of thing, it may be more to your liking. I am also not a fan of battle systems that are unnecessarily complicated for the sake of being complicated. Some people call it depth, I do not.

I also noticed that rather than addressing Trigger's issue of positional based attacks in a game where you have no control of positioning, they doubled down and had the party get shuffled all over the battle with no recourse as well.

(There is one move that pulls enemies together, thats about it)

 

[DefunctTheory]

Damn, I was really looking forward to this game. It it seems to be an on rails, by the numbers RPG?

It's a shame when a game mugs two greats, Tales of Symphonia and Chrono Trigger, but only takes the cash and leaves the plastic - Enjoyable characters and open gameplay.

Well, at least I have a reason to see if they fixed the PC port of Tales enough to make it worth playing, or if I have to dig my Gamecube discs out of who knows where...

 

[darkrage6]

I always had an issue with that 'female protagonist' tag. Why does that even exist?

To get the attention of losers who play games one-handed, and the deviantart types who then provide the aforementioned with extra wank material.

Don't forget the SJWs.

Can't take anyone seriously who uses stupid terms like that.

Well what am I supposed to call them, then?

How about extremists?

 

[darkrage6]

I always had an issue with that 'female protagonist' tag. Why does that even exist?

To get the attention of losers who play games one-handed, and the deviantart types who then provide the aforementioned with extra wank material.

Don't forget the SJWs.

Can't take anyone seriously who uses stupid terms like that.

Well what am I supposed to call them, then?

SJW's is fine but for those who object, you could simply call them Social Justice Warriors.

Or just ya know extremists, which is an actual word and not some made up bullshit.

 

[Silvanus]

Or just ya know extremists, which is an actual word and not some made up bullshit.

Someone has to be an extremist to want to play a game with a female protagonist?

I... bloody hell, the bar is so low nowadays. Maybe people should institute a "Male Protagonist" tag so that we true and righteous gamers can avoid falling into the trap, eh?

I was coming in here to make some lighthearted comment about the video, but it's turned into another fucking two-minutes' hate about "SJWs" again. My giddy aunt.

 

[Darth_Payn]

Sounds like the worst escort mission ever. And the title's a lie! You're not Setsuna at all!

 

[darkrage6]

Or just ya know extremists, which is an actual word and not some made up bullshit.

Someone has to be an extremist to want to play a game with a female protagonist?

I... bloody hell, the bar is so low nowadays. Maybe people should institute a "Male Protagonist" tag so that we true and righteous gamers can avoid falling into the trap, eh?

I was coming in here to make some lighthearted comment about the video, but it's turned into another fucking two-minutes' hate about "SJWs" again. My giddy aunt.

Never said anything like that, don't put words in my mouth.

 

[Silvanus]

Never said anything like that, don't put words in my mouth.

Well, someone asked what to call people who would use the "female protagonist" tag on Steam, and you suggested "extremists" in response. I might have misunderstood, but I'm not terribly sure how.

 

[JamesStone]

Never said anything like that, don't put words in my mouth.

Well, someone asked what to call people who would use the "female protagonist" tag on Steam, and you suggested "extremists" in response. I might have misunderstood, but I'm not terribly sure how.

You're a victim of the telegraph game, or however the hell they call that thing when you whisper a message in another dude's ear and so forth until it's so distorted nothing can be properly distinguished anymore.

The "extremist" response was to a different designation of SJW, which nowadays indicates an extremist. Someone who takes a civil discussion which conclusions could improve the lives of many and take an aggressive, vindicative stance as if it was an actual battlefield and end up causing more harm than good.

The person suggesting the alternative term was merely referencing the "SJW" as a whole, not in this particular example.


Personally, I think the tag is stupid as all fuck, as the gender of the protagonist shouldn't be a defining factor in whenever you buy a damned game, movie or book or not, unless it's some kind of exploration of gender type. Wouldn't go as far as calling people who buy games just because the protagonist as a penis or a vagina as SJWs (I have other, Escapist-suspendable names for them), but that's difference of opinions for ya.

 

[Silvanus]

You're a victim of the telegraph game, or however the hell they call that thing when you whisper a message in another dude's ear and so forth until it's so distorted nothing can be properly distinguished anymore.

The "extremist" response was to a different designation of SJW, which nowadays indicates an extremist. Someone who takes a civil discussion which conclusions could improve the lives of many and take an aggressive, vindicative stance as if it was an actual battlefield and end up causing more harm than good.

The person suggesting the alternative term was merely referencing the "SJW" as a whole, not in this particular example.


Personally, I think the tag is stupid as all fuck, as the gender of the protagonist shouldn't be a defining factor in whenever you buy a damned game, movie or book or not, unless it's some kind of exploration of gender type. Wouldn't go as far as calling people who buy games just because the protagonist as a penis or a vagina as SJWs (I have other, Escapist-suspendable names for them), but that's difference of opinions for ya.

That's not necessarily what tags are for, though. They give an overview of various elements, and people can judge on the combination of them. It would be similarly ridiculous for someone to buy a game purely on it having a great soundtrack, but that's a tag. But if three or four tags are things you'd like...? Go ahead, perfectly reasonable!

Same thing here. A female protagonist might appeal, and that's perfectly normal (we all have preferances for who or what we'll be controlling for 10-30 hours, which is why hundreds of RPGs allow extensive customisation).

Edit: Oh, and I've always heard it called "Chinese whispers".

 

[Veylon]

So they tried to be Chrono Trigger, but only managed to be Chrono Cross. Poor bastards.

Chrono Cross had least had good music.

 

[JamesStone]

You're a victim of the telegraph game, or however the hell they call that thing when you whisper a message in another dude's ear and so forth until it's so distorted nothing can be properly distinguished anymore.

The "extremist" response was to a different designation of SJW, which nowadays indicates an extremist. Someone who takes a civil discussion which conclusions could improve the lives of many and take an aggressive, vindicative stance as if it was an actual battlefield and end up causing more harm than good.

The person suggesting the alternative term was merely referencing the "SJW" as a whole, not in this particular example.


Personally, I think the tag is stupid as all fuck, as the gender of the protagonist shouldn't be a defining factor in whenever you buy a damned game, movie or book or not, unless it's some kind of exploration of gender type. Wouldn't go as far as calling people who buy games just because the protagonist as a penis or a vagina as SJWs (I have other, Escapist-suspendable names for them), but that's difference of opinions for ya.

That's not necessarily what tags are for, though. They give an overview of various elements, and people can judge on the combination of them. It would be similarly ridiculous for someone to buy a game purely on it having a great soundtrack, but that's a tag. But if three or four tags are things you'd like...? Go ahead, perfectly reasonable!

Same thing here. A female protagonist might appeal, and that's perfectly normal (we all have preferances for who or what we'll be controlling for 10-30 hours, which is why hundreds of RPGs allow extensive customisation).

Edit: Oh, and I've always heard it called "Chinese whispers".

Yeh, you're right I guess. I'm personally not affected by whatever bits the protagonist has, unless it's something which absolutely requires it (An exploration on hetero or homosexuality for example), but I can see why it could affect people.



Still, I'm perfectly fine defining someone who buys a game simply because it has a protagonist of a specific gender as an "extremist", considering the ideal, I think, should be equality, not promoting what amounts to a personal gender war. Of course, such a person is very unlikely to exist, and probably merely a strawman for others to project their beliefs unto.

 

[Ishigami]

Soooo....its Tales of Symphonia with no relatable characters, no real interesting plot moments and worse combat.

Sooooo... it is Tales of Symphonia!

 

[NPC009]

As soon as he said I am Setsuna was inspired by Chrono Trigger, I wanted to bounce about with nostalgic joy until he said it only took the combat and party mechanics. What a bummer. It does sound like a knock off of Tales of Symphonia too like everyone else is saying. So you know what I'll just replay Chrono Trigger and Tales of Symphonia when I find the time. Much better option.

It's funny because there's a game that came out earlier this year, Evoland 2, that is much closer to Chrono Trigger, both with the Time period jumping and a specific part of the game that plays exactly like Chrono Trigger. It also has the interesting idea that the different time periods correlate to different eras in console gaming, with the past being 8-bit, the present being 16-bit and the future being 3D(32/64-bit), with different sections using the gameplay of classic games(A street Fighter battle, a bomberman area in a mine, etc).

The only big issue with the game is that the end kind of peters out, with a fair number of questions being left unanswered. That and some parts of the game are nearly impossible to complete without a gamepad of some kind.

What I liked about Evoland 2 is that is managed to maintain that bright-eyed enthousiasm found in games from the 90s despite pulling a nostalgia chart. It's so obvious the creators had a great time making it and are proud of the end result.

I am Setsuna feels more like a game that looks nice but is just going through the motions. They might as well called it Sad Chrono Trigger in Snow.

(And Evoland 2 costs like $20, even less when it's on sale. I am Setsuna seems too expensive compared to that.)

 

[Dalisclock]

Seriously? It's that bad? Awww.

I was totally expecting the protagonist to be Setsuna as a pack of warriors from your village basically escort/threaten you all the way to the end at which point you can choose to follow through with the whole thing, or just sod off.

I was expecting pretty decently balanced combat, and a great story, and apparently all of that is for naught.

...Well fine. Less money spent, I guess. Time to get back to making my own RPGs which by the accounts of this review are actually better somehow. XD

You have to remember that Yahtzee isn't a big fan of the genre in current age as he said himself. You also have to keep in mind that the nature of his show means that he often makes things sound worse than they are for dramatic effect or humour.

I've not played I am Setsuna but it has received reasonably solid scores from many reviewers (mid 7's) so maybe Yahtzee's thoughts on it won't be your best source for a final decision.

Yathzee's review pretty much echoed the reviews I had read about it over the previous week, some of which are pretty I generally agree with on a regular basis. Solid but nothing particularly special. Comparing it Chrono Trigger really isn't doing it any favors, but rather making people think of a game that almost everyone likes where this game just comes up lacking in comparison.

Not unlike Chrono Cross, ironically. Chrono Cross at least had the excuse of trying to be a proper sequel, even if it ended up falling headlong up it's own ass in the attempt.