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.
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.
Setsuna's battle system has been lifted almost wholesale from Chrono Trigger. Character use the ATB 2.0 that CT had utilized and the characters have the ability to perform dual and triple attacks with X-Strike already being confirmed for the game. Spells and abilities will also utilize CT's spatial targeting system, meaning that abilities can attack all targets within a line, area of effect and so forth.
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.
System and release info:
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.
Also, check out the official website, if for anything, just to listen to two of the game's gorgeous OST Tracks. There is some great piano work in this title.
12-18-2015, 01:05 AM
Pumpkin
I AM VERY EXCITE ABOUT THIS
SO MANY GOOD GAMES IN 2016
12-18-2015, 01:08 AM
VeloZer0
A game where you play a healing & selfless female escorted by a swordsman who serves as the players avatar along with an experienced gruff guardian who has served as a guard for previous successful pilgrimages.
I'm glad we have this new RPG studio to come up with all these original ideas.
12-18-2015, 01:10 AM
Pumpkin
Yeah I was thinking FFX when I read it BUT I liked FFX and I am excite for new RPG anyway
12-18-2015, 01:52 AM
fat_moogle
They should have called her SetsYuna :p
But seriously, this looks like a nice little game. The story might sound a bit "been-there-done-that", but the battle system looks fun and I quite like the graphical style! It's like a prettier Bravely Default (which I haven't played). It's nice to see SE acknowledging the Vita with new IP.
12-18-2015, 04:02 AM
Wolf Kanno
Quote:
Originally Posted by VeloZer0
A game where you play a healing & selfless female escorted by a swordsman who serves as the players avatar along with an experienced gruff guardian who has served as a guard for previous successful pilgrimages.
I'm glad we have this new RPG studio to come up with all these original ideas.
Yeah, the main difference being this one seems to lack the bulltrout and poor design decisions the other one had. That and it plays like Chrono Trigger. ;)
12-18-2015, 04:09 AM
Ayen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno
it plays like Chrono Trigger. ;)
........................
TAKE MY MONEY NOW OMG!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm cool. I'm calm. It's all good.
12-18-2015, 04:52 AM
Wolf Kanno
I am addicted to this game's soundtrack and wish I knew who composed it. I listened to it off of the website while writing the opening piece and even now I have the website up to listen to it again. It's so soothing yet melancholic. Whether the game is good or not, I know the OST is going to be amazing.
12-18-2015, 09:56 AM
Fynn
Yeah, it does sound like FFX, but I really hope the concept is done well this time around. It's not like FFX wasn't derivative of other stories anyway :p *cough*legendoforochi*cough*grandia2*cough*
Anyway, really interested about this. Reminds me a bit of Radiant Historia when it comes to style and tone. I really wish they went with sprites though. It kind of seems to have the same thing that bothered me a bit about A Link Between Worlds. A top-down perspective with 3D models makes you look at the top of the characters' heads instead of the whole thing as with sprites. But yeah, a minor gripe.
12-18-2015, 10:36 AM
fat_moogle
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ayen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno
it plays like Chrono Trigger. ;)
........................
TAKE MY MONEY NOW OMG!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm cool. I'm calm. It's all good.
I've never played it :(
12-18-2015, 10:58 AM
Rin Heartilly
Oooooh I wanna play this sooo bad :x Definitely has that bravely default/4 heroes of light art feel, I'm most excited about the battle system ^^
I wonder when or if it'll arrive in Australia though :/ If the US gets it in 2016, It probably wont arrive here until 2017 -___-
12-18-2015, 02:35 PM
Freya
Oh yeah, it reminds me of Chrono! That's exciting.
12-18-2015, 05:52 PM
Wolf Kanno
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fynn
Yeah, it does sound like FFX, but I really hope the concept is done well this time around. It's not like FFX wasn't derivative of other stories anyway :p *cough*legendoforochi*cough*grandia2*cough*
To be fair, I really enjoy the Tale of the Orochi as a story so having a game based on it is not a bad idea. I just wish FFX had actually done something with it besides add a cliche evil church and an airhead jock. At least the tone fits better. Setsuna's world is still gorgeous, but the winter weather fits better for this type of story than exotic tropical beaches.
After doing the article, I can honestly say I'm more excited for this game than anything else coming out of Squenix at the moment.
12-18-2015, 06:56 PM
Ayen
Quote:
Originally Posted by fat_moogle
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ayen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno
it plays like Chrono Trigger. ;)
........................
TAKE MY MONEY NOW OMG!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm cool. I'm calm. It's all good.
I've never played it :(
What you waiting for an invitation? GO PLAY IT!
12-19-2015, 08:24 AM
VeloZer0
What gets me isn't so much the similarity to FF10's story, but the fact that I like games that have plot lines that evolve as you go through the story rather than ones that have the end goal laid out for you at the beginning. It would be nice to see a classic return to form, but I'm so jaded an cynical towards SE nowadays it is difficult to get excited.
12-19-2015, 08:45 AM
Wolf Kanno
Quote:
Originally Posted by VeloZer0
What gets me isn't so much the similarity to FF10's story, but the fact that I like games that have plot lines that evolve as you go through the story rather than ones that have the end goal laid out for you at the beginning. It would be nice to see a classic return to form, but I'm so jaded an cynical towards SE nowadays it is difficult to get excited.
Well you'll be happy to know that SE is kind of only working as a publisher for this game. Tokyo RPG Factory has maybe one guy on staff that has worked on other Final Fantasy titles (Final Fantasy Explorer's Director) and it's apparently composed largely of new, though veteran game designers. The nature of the company is a bit weird from what I've read. SE is bankrolling the team but they are working independent from the company but SE is the publisher... so yeah.
12-19-2015, 10:21 PM
YoshioKST
I don't even know how to feel about this game...
12-21-2015, 06:39 PM
Wolf Kanno
"Newish" trailer focusing on new characters and the combat system. If you look at the last scene in the uper right hand corner, you'll get a glimpse of the game's airship.
12-21-2015, 07:44 PM
Skyblade
Did someone say "Chrono Trigger with Limit Breaks"?
Where do I send my money?
12-21-2015, 07:54 PM
Ayen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyblade
Did someone say "Chrono Trigger with Limit Breaks"?
Where do I send my money?
To my Paypal account. I'll forward it to Square.
12-21-2015, 08:52 PM
Fynn
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ayen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyblade
Did someone say "Chrono Trigger with Limit Breaks"?
Where do I send my money?
To my Paypal account. I'll forward it to Square.
How about no?
I'm excited to play this, but idk why, but I'm just not that wild about it. I hope my subdued excitement will let me be pleasantly surprised when this comes out.
12-21-2015, 09:14 PM
Skyblade
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fynn
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ayen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyblade
Did someone say "Chrono Trigger with Limit Breaks"?
Where do I send my money?
To my Paypal account. I'll forward it to Square.
How about no?
I'm excited to play this, but idk why, but I'm just not that wild about it. I hope my subdued excitement will let me be pleasantly surprised when this comes out.
You're just used to Square being disappointing when it comes to console releases lately (like, ever since FFXII :D). But, remember, they're really only bankrolling the studio!
12-21-2015, 09:26 PM
Wolf Kanno
I'm willing to give TRF a chance to surprise me. While I'm aware this game is simply a grab at my nostalgia, it's not a bad combination. I'm with Skyblade with the idea this is the most interesting title SE has announced lately. The fact it's a new IP alone makes it interesting.
12-21-2015, 10:03 PM
Fynn
It's not that, really. I'm actually more excited for FFXV and KHIII, and I did have a blast playing Bravely Default. And I'll have you know I beat XIII only recently and XII is my favorite :p
I guess I'm just not that impressed by the presentation, but I see this sounds promising. I've always been kinda resistant to pandering to nostalgia, so I never saw the appeal of modern 8-bit games, and hell, I wasn't even that excited for BD. And I'm actually happy to be so reserved about it. It makes me less likely to read about spoilers and I can just get excited once I have a hands-on reason to get excited.
12-22-2015, 07:00 AM
Ayen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fynn
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ayen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyblade
Did someone say "Chrono Trigger with Limit Breaks"?
Where do I send my money?
To my Paypal account. I'll forward it to Square.
How about no?
-looks at username- I'm sorry, you are not Skyblade. Are you confused?
12-22-2015, 07:06 AM
Fynn
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ayen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fynn
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ayen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyblade
Did someone say "Chrono Trigger with Limit Breaks"?
Where do I send my money?
To my Paypal account. I'll forward it to Square.
How about no?
-looks at username- I'm sorry, you are not Skyblade. Are you confused?
I happen to be Skyblade's... Accountant :cool:
12-25-2015, 06:58 AM
theundeadhero
I will be buying this on day one.
12-26-2015, 05:13 PM
Vyk
I hope this has cross-buy lol It'll fit perfectly in my Vita collection, but it'll probably be way prettier on PS4
It's funny, I'm sure I've seen those combat attacks before, but not until I watched that trailer did I realize that was very Chrono Trigger. But that's probably because I just finally watched ProJared's review of the game, and then I read Wolf's article and sure enough, that's exactly what they're going for
It is interesting that a Square team is using a story so similar to FFX, but I hated FFX, and maybe these guys won't ruin it. I don't have a lot of faith in the main body of Square, but I do have some faith in the Bravely Default team. And these guys. I will remain optimistic, and will likely buy this immediately
12-26-2015, 08:05 PM
Formalhaut
I'm still confusing the title of this game as "Kenie to Yuki no Satsuma.
01-04-2016, 12:35 PM
Fynn
Quote:
Originally Posted by Formalhaut
I'm still confusing the title of this game as "Kenie to Yuki no Satsuma.
And, uh... Is that something dirty or what?
02-04-2016, 03:48 AM
theundeadhero
Keeping this thread relevant to remind myself to buy it in two weeks :)
02-05-2016, 04:08 AM
Vyk
Agreed. Maybe I've missed it, but I'm surprised it's not releasing more info with its release coming up so soon
Though if I'm not mistaken, the upcoming release date is Japan-only? Unless it's getting a world-wide simultaneous release or something. I don't know. There's never any word floating around in the open. And I'm always too lazy to dig for my curiosity on these sorts of things..
02-05-2016, 06:54 AM
theundeadhero
I never considered that, but I did wonder why there wasn't an english title yet.
