Tokyo RPG Factory ( I am Setsuna, Lost Sphear and Oninaki ) are underrated and Overlooked

[DKeygo]

My fiancée and I really loved I Am Setsuna. They weren't brought up on older games so unfortunately they don't have any appreciation for spritework and such. They couldn't get enough of Setsuna but haven't been able to give Chrono Trigger/Cross because of this. So I appreciate that Tokyo RPG Factory were trying to emulate older games with their first couple releases.

Lost Sphear we haven't had time to really delve in yet. I am enjoying it so far. They aren't enjoying it as much since its "not as cute." (Ah the limitations of a graphics snob.) I wish they didn't nerf Momentum as much as they did, but again I'm pretty early on.

Oninaki I don't think I'll get until a sale. I liked the demo but the music was gone. The turn based mechanics were gone. I appreciate that TRF were trying something different but it just felt like it needed polish. I've seen gameplay segments from later on in the game and it didn't look like the team strayed much from what they gave us in the demo.

I hope they stick around and continue honing their craft but I think they really need to find their own identity in regards to what they want to do with games.

 

[TeHi & BuSp]

 

[Derkon]

Their games are rated appropriately.

 

[Cloud-Strife]

Generic is the definition for this games.. I can't gree OP

 

[The Praiseworthy]

I'm surprised to see so many disliking these games ( or not even willing to give the rest a chance after disliking one of them ).

Oh well at less there are few that feels the same as me about them.

I really liked all three of them and can't wait for another game from the team, and as usual I will be there day 1.

 

[Spaltazar]

I'm surprised to see so many disliking these games ( or not even willing to give the rest a chance after disliking one of them ).

Oh well at less there are few that feels the same as me about them.

I really liked all three of them and can't wait for another game from the team, and as usual I will be there day 1.

Click to shrink...

You are pretty optimistic about their future... does anyone know how many copies Oninaki moved? I think the numbers are probably abysmal ( €: turns out mabye not as bad as i thought) .. the game currently has 150 reviews on steam which doesn't tell you the whole picture but can be at least somekind of indicator on what kind of ballpark this game sold on pc at least

I wonder how patient square is gonna be with them. is it three strikes and they are out or do they get another chance?

€: looks like in japan it sold about 14k on ps4 and 12k on switch (August Numbers) - depending on how it sold in other regions at full price it might just be enough to keep their lights on depending on their budgets

 

[Discokuningas]

Setsuna is pretty good. Great atmosphere, okey story and pretty good battle system. I think it is underrated. Only played demos of other two and I think they lost the atmospehere at least. And after that there just doesn't seem to be enough.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Sorry OP but id like them more if they didn't charge so God damn much for their games. They made the choice to charge so much so I largely keep away. I am Setsuna was not worth the entry price I paid so I've kept away since.

 

[Kaivan]

Why would I appreciate mediocre yet overpriced games?

 

[Shepherd]

Their games are just not that good.

 

[skeezx]

love everything these guys are about, but... man setsuna and sphear were so meh. i think i actually would like oninaki but i feel like i got burned twice already so i'm in no rush to play it

i just don't understand why they're applying the square tax to this stuff. i didn't even complain about Octopath PC full price but these need to be clocking in $30 max. ... however SE is still giving them the greenlight, so it's working i guess?

 

[Tohsaka]

I liked I am Setsuna and Lost Sphear, but couldn't really get into Oninaki. Didn't end up finishing it, which is really rare for me when it comes to RPGs.

 

[Hu3]

They are the most vanilla cookie cutter rpg. I liked setsuna bought the ost to this day still listen to it. But they are simple games.

 

[Deleted member 49319]

No, their games are mediocre.

 

[Gles]

Setsuna was a little boring for me, that's why I haven't play the other 2.

 

[Zaber]

I Am Setsuna was decent. A rough gem, if you will.

I tried the demos for Lost Sphear and Oninaki, and I feel like they didn't make me interested in buying the full games.

Their games feel very by-the-numbers to me.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Tokyo RPG Factory keep invoking Chrono Trigger and memories of classic golden age JRPGs, yet their games are pale copies of their models

 

[Cronogear]

One of the few developers whose name perfectly encapsulates what their games are. Safe, vanilla, and boring. Like they were created on an assembly line.

 

[Warukyure]

I really don't understand this company. This is a division formed by S-E right? How is it that S-E can make things like bravely default and octopath and then go and up make these...

 

[DiipuSurotu]

I really don't understand this company. This is a division formed by S-E right? How is it that S-E can make things like bravely default and octopath and then go and up make these...

Click to shrink...

It's technically a different company but owned by SE. And the employees are mostly newly hired, it's why the games feel different than SE. It's not employees imported from the main SE office, it's brand new recruits.

 

[Deleted member 49535]

They make incredibly generic RPGs. But I guess it must be worth it for SE if they keep making them.

 

[denpanosekai]

Sorry but I am a huge jrpg fan and all their titles were trash.

 

[Watershed]

Really? Wholly? As in the piano soundtrack for I am Setsuna was unremarkable? I'd say that even the most unimpressed play would at least admit the musical score, if only for it's stylistic choice, was remarkable.

Click to shrink...

The solo piano soundtrack is pleasant but overly simple and repetitive. Pleasant, simplistic, repetitive = unremarkable.

 

[sinny]

Nah, i wanted to love Oninaki , i bouht it day one. Trash tier rpg.
The story is cool but it's a really bad game.

 

[Terraforce]

Can't speak for Oninaki beyond the demo, but the first two are the perfect examples of mediocre JRPGs imo. Not offensively terrible, but definitely not good. Weird item systems, music isn't great, characters are okay I guess, battle system is very run of the mill, etc. And for $50 at that? Hell no.

 

[Deleted member 21411]

They all have interesting ideas but flavor but no soul. They feel hollow but i can't explain what i mean well. I like how Japanese they are, like they really go in for a certain look but there's something untangable about them that just makes me lose appeal.

 

[AtomicShroom]

Their games are rated appropriately.

Click to shrink...

This.

 

[Rae]

Oninaki had messed up controllers scheme...

I thought the art/promo looked good but in reality, the demo was avg. I did find it funny how all the female characters were missing pants though.

 

[noyram23]

I bought Lost Sphear and Setsuna at $10 and honestly it wasn't worth it. They're boring and uninspired jrpgs, a waste of time to play

 

[F31 Leopard]

I thought Setsuna was ok. I really enjoyed Lost Sphear though. The combat was pretty fun and I liked using the Sakura Wars-esque Mechas during battles. Soundtrack was petty good too. I haven't bought Oninaki yet because there was no US physical. I plan on buying the JDM version later. I liked what I played from the Onimaki demo.

I really liked this boss theme from LS

 

[FormatCompatible]

The best thing about their games imo is their artworks.

 

[ILikeFeet]

I really don't understand this company. This is a division formed by S-E right? How is it that S-E can make things like bravely default and octopath and then go and up make these...

Click to shrink...

it's all about having the right people

 

[Kupo Kupopo]

The story was nicely told again, the soundtrack was really nice and the graphics was colorful and they tweaked the gameplay to a better version than the previous game...

Click to shrink...

unfortunately, you yourself've hit on my single biggest problem with tokyo rpg factory rpgs, in a word: they're overwhelmingly, tirelessly 'nice'...

 

[DiipuSurotu]

They're the "nice guys" of JRPGs

 

[justiceiro]

It may be that for people that are still playing lot of jrgps these days, these games fell forgetable and outdated, but for those of us who only payed jrpg until the ps1 era, it's a call back.

I mean,, this is just speculation on my part. I will try the demo op.

 

[Twig]

I Am Setsuna was decent.

Lost Sphear sucked.

I haven't played Oninaki.

 

[AuthenticM]

why is all of the OP centered?

 

[Strings]

I am Setsuna is pretty good, and I've liked what I've played of Oninaki a fair bit (though I haven't finished it yet / need to go back to it). Thought Lost Sphear was terrible though.

 

[Bitanator]

I was excited for the company and the mission they set out to do, however, I am not interested in the games they've released so far.

 

[BassForever]

They're the definition of like a 5/10 studio that makes 5/10 games. They're perfectly fine if you want average but there are much better out there.

 

[Don Fluffles]

Short answer:


Long answer: Their ambitions are good. Squeenix should have taken more design reference from Chrono Trigger for their future library from 95 onwards.
However, they just seemed underfunded and apparently lack the writing or design chops to make something of CT's caliber.

 

[Shizuka]

Nah, Square could end them and very few would miss them.

 

[Deleted member 11413]

I agree with you OP, I like their games. Oninaki was their best effort yet.

 

[Dezzy]

I played through I Am Setsuna, but I didn't find it very interesting, and after a while I just wanted it to end. Didn't give their later games a chance.

 

[Callibretto]

I only beat Setsuna till the end and play demo for sphear and oninaki. All their games felt like they're made with very limited budget and lack polish even in their limited ambition.

I actually enjoy Setsuna a lot, the story and characters feel like it need just a bit more pass to be great. Sphear, I couldn't even finish the demo, everything felt too slow and not fun. Oninaki demo I like quite a bit and I'm planning to play it at some time, even then there's a lot of small nitpick that I feel they could fix to make it a lot more fun and immersive, like a simple character portrait or art during dialog would have made the game a lot more immersive

 

[NeonBlack]

After finishing I am Setsuna and giving up on Lost Sphear, I can say that these games are the blandest JRPGS I've ever played.
Not good or not bad just kinda there.

 

[crazillo]

I've said it before. Tokyo RPG Factory produces games that feel like straight out of the factory assembly line. They are JRPGs, but soulless, never encapsulating the magic of the 90s - this being precisely their main goal. It's such a shame because I hoped for so much better games when the formation of this studio was announced. Can't agree, OP. And I'd argue people don't think the studio is underrated at all. Their games are just mediocore.

 

[Adulfzen]

while I never played those games (besides trying the oninaki demo a bit) it seems like for every single one of their release, they're given the benefit of the doubt and people are hoping they will finally nail it and they seemed to have failed any expectation every single time. It also doesn't help that they're charging 40/50 bucks for what's considered mediocre rpgs (and I rarely see them on sales).

 

[oni-link]

I've not played them because they never ever seem to go on sale, but I'd be willing to give them a shot for a tenner

I love 16/32 bit JRPGs and if these are anything like those, I'll probably enjoy them, even if the games are pretty middling

 

[fourfourfun]

They are really good at highlighting how archaic traditional jRPG structures are and a big case for abandoning them.