Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna or Setsuna of Sacrifice and Snow is a new project being developed by Tokyo RPG Factory, a new development studio owned by Square-Enix whose goal is to create games that herald back to the genres "Golden Age" of gaming from the 90s. This is there first title, so hopes are high to see if these designers can recapture the style and feelings that made many of us fall in love with this genre. Due to information being so piecemeal style with bigger games like FFXV and a certain remake getting all of the JRPG news attention, I have decided to compile a list of everything we know about this game.
Setting and Story:
The game takes place on a snowbound island that is constantly under attack by demons. To placate the demons, the islanders offer up a human sacrifice. The maiden Setsuna is the new chosen sacrifice and the player plays a nameless mercenary who must accompany her to the Ritual site on the other side of the world. The themes of the game are Sadness, Snow, and Sorrow.
Characters:
Setsuna is the main heroine, chosen to be a sacrifice by her village, she travels with her companions to the lands of Distant End. She is an honest and pure person who worries more about her guardians than her own fate. She is not bothered to be named a sacrifice and is happy to be able to protect her homeland by doing so. She is a mage character specializing in healing magic.
The Nameless Mercenary came to Setsuna's island on another mission when he first meets her. He is then hired to transport her to the island's land of the dead. On the journey he will come to terms with his destiny. He is offensive focused obviously and most likely a silent protagonist that serves as the player's avatar.
Yomi is an experienced swordsman who has protected many sacrifices before Setsuna. He is overly cheerful and carefree despite the grim circumstances of the mission but his experience is highly valued and he makes protecting Setsuna his primary duty.
Kuon was a mysterious traveler who came to the island long before Setsuna was chosen. She has since then endeared herself to the villagers who look at her with respect. She is a surrogate sister to Setsuna and is the most determined to make sure the journey succeeds no matter what. She is headstrong and responsible who has issues with the mercenary, as she can't read him very well.
Keele is a young a boy hailing from the mountains and a mysterious family. While he was raised by a kind-hearted village, he grew envious of the outside world and set off one day to see the world beyond the secluded mountains. His primary trait is his strong sense of hope, and he is always a positive force in the group. He is also one of the game's strongest mages with a preference for fire.
Julion is the descendant of an old royal family, though her looks and personality sometime give the impression she is hiding something. When she becomes fixated on something, she will stubbornly follow it through to the end. She is a powerful knight who can use lances and ice magic.
Battle System:
New to the system is the obviously titles Setsuna System, where the player can time certain moves and abilities to change the effect of the ability. The system works a bit like Limit Breaks with the Setsuna bar filling up as you take actions, get damaged or let the ATB Gauge sit at MAX for awhile. Once the bar is filled it can be used with certain moves. Attacks can do more damage, spells with have secondary effects and some abilities will be used twice in a row. This system gives battle a more tactical edge and lots of options when combined with the returning Dual and Triple tech system of CT.
Battle work like Chrono Trigger, with seamless transitions into battle and there are no random encounters, enemies are seen on the map or appear, when triggering an event much like Chrono Trigger.
The game is for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, and will be released in February 18th 2016. Below is the TGS 2015 Video showing off the game in action with commentary.
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