When Nidr joins the party he brings the question of whether or not redemption is possible. Endir’s journey of guiding Setsuna to her inevitable death begs the question of what death means. Immediately you have interesting dynamics at play. Endir decides to escort Setsuna to the end of this task, mostly because Setsuna asks very nicely (it’s almost like asking nicely is her superpower). Things change when Endir is told that Setsuna is the Sacrifice, a girl who travels to a place called The Last Lands and is given to the monsters of the world in order to maintain the truce between people and monsters. He travels to said island and meets Setsuna, the girl he is supposed to kill. Endir is given an assignment to kill a girl on an island to the north. Players assume the role of Endir, a mercenary who wears a mask because it’s cool (this is a JRPG after all). Yet, at the same time it provides plenty of moments worth contemplation. It’s not that I am Setsuna wows you constantly with action and game-changing twists. While the characters might not have a lot of depth, the same can’t be said for the plot. The predictability of the characters allow us to brush past them and see to the tendrils of a story that they are wrapped in. We always know Setsuna is trying to do what is right, we always know Nidr (shamed soldier) is trying to make up for his sins of the past, we always know Kir (over-zealous youngster) is going to take crazy risks to show his headstrong attitude. We’re never unsure of a character’s motivation or their intention because it’s plastered all over of them. We don’t spend a lot of time wondering, “what’s that guy’s deal?” because we knew their deal from the second they entered the frame. Yet, one could argue that these digital clichés do service to the plot. The characters are so one-note, that anything out of ordinary clearly shows they’re being controlled by an outside entity (and that happens quite a bit). The fallen Captain Queen, Julienne, always takes the morally challenging path as she is beset by dark force overtaking her. ![]() Setsuna spends the whole game being so holier-than-thou, sometimes you want to throw her off a cliff (and you have ample opportunity). The player character, Endir, spends his time grunting his answers, revealing himself to be an alright guy at the end (the speed of the arch depends upon player-dialogue choices, but it gets there regardless). They’re all walking/talking tropes and the writing doesn’t help them break the mold. ![]() ![]() It has the silent anti-hero protagonist, the oh-so-pure heroine, the action girl, the shamed soldier, the over-zealous youngster, the troubled leader. I am Setsuna is just a-burstin’ with the tropes that make the JRPG genre tired for so many and so loveable for others.
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