For those who grew up with the Super Nintendo, seeing this video instantly harkens back to the days of some of the best JRPGs video gaming has ever offered. Distinctively an old school RPG with 1990’s stylization, Ikeni to Yuki No Setsuna is Square Enix’s homage to the past, described at TGS 2015 as a “pure fantasy, true role-playing video game.” Based on the roots of both Square and Enix, then this is something that all gamers can look forward to, especially those who love epic stories, indelible piano music, and the polish games of that era shared.
Taking place on a snow-bound island, immediately one can perceive that the theme of Ikeni To Yuki No Sestuna is intended to be sadness – the title literally means Setsuna of Sacrifice and Snow. According to ancient customs, a maiden must be sacrificed as appeasement, to demons; the game sets off with a cast of characters who accompany Setsuna, the chosen one, to the edges of the known world for her own sacrifice. How this concludes, though – we have all yet to discover.
It’s interesting to point out that the battle system is a modern combination of both Square Enix’s famous ATB (Active Time Battle System) and the upgraded ATB 2.0 of one of the most famous JRPGs of all time: Chrono Trigger. As such, battles take place not in the overworld, but through dungeons (similar to CT) and depending on the position of the player party, different move sets can activate, so long as a character’s ATB gauge is filled up.
There’s also a separate limit break type mechanic called the Setsuna gauge; with each action taken or when the ATB gauges is allowed to fill, a special power boost is given to the characters resulting in battle changing events like new attacks, health recovery, or massive critical attacks to the enemies.
So far, Ikeni To Yuki No Sestuna is looking to be a fantastic addition to the pantheon of Square Enix RPGs, and it’s something we can all look forward to: revisiting the pure JRPG in February.
PS4 & PSVita [JRPG] Release – Feb 18, 2016
Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna (PlayStation 4™, JPN)
US$ 39.99
Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna (PlayStation Vita, JPN)
US$ 39.99
Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna (Japanese) (PlayStation 4™, ASIA)
US$ 36.99
Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna (Japanese) (PlayStation Vita, ASIA)
US$ 36.99