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[Bebpo]

Sen 2

Story question:

Spoiler

Every time the cast is in Yumir from the very start until where I am in Chapter 1-3, they keep talking about the time they were there "two months ago" and how they had a thing with Blublanc up where you keep your mecha next to the magic stone. This is the school trip time in Sen 1 where they say "we went on a trip, but that's another story for another time"

It feels really weird that everyone keeps talking about it in the game but we never saw it. Will the game flashback and explain what happened on this event 2 months ago later on? Or was this some kind of weird radio-drama side thing they sold as a separate "canon" story event or something?

Also Falcom's biggest problem with themselves are structural repetition. Almost every Kiseki game has suffered from chapters that are structurally the same thing over and over, whether it's Sora FC town of the chapter, or Sora SC's mystery experiment of the chapter, Sen 1's school -> dungeon -> field trip of the chapter, or Sen 2's stuff I'm seeing now

Spoiler

(Go grab 3 characters -> Story stuff -> quests & elemental dungeon -> Fight one of the B-group bosses and almost win -> Turns out the boss was holding back and get into a pinch -> call super robo and save the day -> head back to Yumir and chat with everyone -> repeat next chapter)

-> . Between that and all the copy & paste in their dungeons it's like Falcom really loves to repeat stuff over and over and over and over.

I think that's why at this point I'm still liking Ao the best because it's the only game so far that really doesn't do that. Every chapter is unique and you can't tell how the chapter is gonna play out because there's not a formula in place like every other Kiseki game. Keeps you on your toes and is a lot more exciting imo. Zero is sort of like that too, but it's still a bit of each Chapter go and explore this new point on the map and do quests there. Ao is just unpredictable and it's great.

 

[Gu4n]

That was, indeed, on the drama CD that shipped with Sen no Kiseki's limited edition.

Good job at, eh, recognising patterns that are really quite obvious. As for plausible explanations behind them: for FC and SC Falcom were very much looking for a new format, largely sticking to what had worked in previous Legend of Heroes games (e.g. White Witch was also one nation per chapter). They already started drafting Zero by the time they worked on The 3rd, allowing Zero and Ao to become this meticulously crafted RPG that ended up exactly as they had initially planned over the course of four years. With Sen -- merely two years later already -- they had to make the transition to 3D, and decided to stick to FC/SC's systematic approach in order to introduce the enormous empire to the player. In the end, they ran into development problems and cut the final chapter, shipping Sen with an awkward ending and padding Sen II as the final chapter with additional content, and did a great job on that.

 

[Famassu]

It's more of the same.

I blatantly cheated my way through the game, TiTS has quite possibly one of the most boring battle systems I've seen in an otherwise enjoyable JRPG.

The battle system is pretty good, but it is slow, so normal battles do get a bit boring if you do a lot of it. Still, the system has the potential to offer some really fun fights that offer some challenge or at least can require some thinking instead of just mashing attack, attack, attack. I thought the treasure chest monsters, some bosses & optional fights were really fun thanks to offering some real challenge, though I wasn't one to try to cheese my way through the game with some optimal quartz setups (I put some thought into them, but didn't try to make some unstoppable killing machines). If some fights seem to take forever, that can mean that you are using inefficient strategies where you have to be too much on the defensive instead of dishing out good damage consistently.

My advice would be to skip most all normal battles and just run around a majority of enemies you see on the overworld when/if possible. Once you get to a new area/region, try out each new enemy type you see on the map to see if you can beat them without too much trouble and if they do seem a bit hard, maybe fight the occasional fight until you get 2-3 levels, but otherwise just stick to mandatory story-related battles & optional harder battles (treasure chest monsters, side-quest monsters). That should avoid most of the boredom, though if you don't fight at all, you might be a bit underleveled at some of the tougher fights. That should be nothing that a 20-30 minute grind can't help with.

Still, I feel equipment & quartz setups are somewhat more important than levels. If you're somehow so severely underleveled that you can't get forward no matter what kind of strategies & how good quartz you have, that should mean that you'll get level ups quite quickly, so you won't ever run into a situation where you'd have to grind for 5 hours. If you're not underleveled (as in, enemies don't really give you meaningful amounts of exp), then you/your character builds/your tactics just suck and you need to rethink your strategies.

 

[Thud]

I blazed through the battles in FC on Normal. The only hard one is winning against

Spoiler

Lorence

, which is an optional battle.

SC has a few more of those. The endgame can be pretty brutal as well.

Anyway I played them on Normal to enjoy the story. The combat is fun in small bursts, music is a lot more varied in SC as well. For NG+ I would consider playing on Hard.

 

[TR_]

Sen 2

Story question:

Spoiler

Every time the cast is in Yumir from the very start until where I am in Chapter 1-3, they keep talking about the time they were there "two months ago" and how they had a thing with Blublanc up where you keep your mecha next to the magic stone. This is the school trip time in Sen 1 where they say "we went on a trip, but that's another story for another time"

It feels really weird that everyone keeps talking about it in the game but we never saw it. Will the game flashback and explain what happened on this event 2 months ago later on? Or was this some kind of weird radio-drama side thing they sold as a separate "canon" story event or something?

Also Falcom's biggest problem with themselves are structural repetition. Almost every Kiseki game has suffered from chapters that are structurally the same thing over and over, whether it's Sora FC town of the chapter, or Sora SC's mystery experiment of the chapter, Sen 1's school -> dungeon -> field trip of the chapter, or Sen 2's stuff I'm seeing now

Spoiler

(Go grab 3 characters -> Story stuff -> quests & elemental dungeon -> Fight one of the B-group bosses and almost win -> Turns out the boss was holding back and get into a pinch -> call super robo and save the day -> head back to Yumir and chat with everyone -> repeat next chapter)

-> . Between that and all the copy & paste in their dungeons it's like Falcom really loves to repeat stuff over and over and over and over.

I think that's why at this point I'm still liking Ao the best because it's the only game so far that really doesn't do that. Every chapter is unique and you can't tell how the chapter is gonna play out because there's not a formula in place like every other Kiseki game. Keeps you on your toes and is a lot more exciting imo. Zero is sort of like that too, but it's still a bit of each Chapter go and explore this new point on the map and do quests there. Ao is just unpredictable and it's great.

Thats another problem I have with sen 2. The way that they solve problems in this game basically just makes Rean do everything. The others characters felt like they don't really belong there.

 

[Bebpo]

That was, indeed, on the drama CD that shipped with Sen no Kiseki's limited edition..

I wonder how they're going to remedy that for the US release of Sen 2. I mean the game makes constant references to it and it's not even in the prestory tab. I don't remember if anyone's ever localized a drama cd before, but it'd be pretty neat if they did and included it with Sen 2 release.

Also considering that now there's a drama cd that's part of the main canon/lore and soon Akatsuki phone game that's gonna be part of the main canon/lore, I do wonder if the series is gonna get too spread out for itself, to the point where in main games they're constantly referencing stuff that players won't have played.

 

[Shouta]

That was, indeed, on the drama CD that shipped with Sen no Kiseki's limited edition.

Good job at, eh, recognising patterns that are really quite obvious. As for plausible explanations behind them: for FC and SC Falcom were very much looking for a new format, largely sticking to what had worked in previous Legend of Heroes games (e.g. White Witch was also one nation per chapter). They already started drafting Zero by the time they worked on The 3rd, allowing Zero and Ao to become this meticulously crafted RPG that ended up exactly as they had initially planned over the course of four years. With Sen -- merely two years later already -- they had to make the transition to 3D, and decided to stick to FC/SC's systematic approach in order to introduce the enormous empire to the player. In the end, they ran into development problems and cut the final chapter, shipping Sen with an awkward ending and padding Sen II as the final chapter with additional content, and did a great job on that.

Yep, Zero and Ao also is very small and only has a handful of key locations (excluding dungeons/fields) and a smaller cast. So once introductions were out of the way, they had a lot more freedom to craft the chapters into what they were. Both Sora and Sen are much larger in scale and so introducing that was also a part of the chapter. It's harder to sitback and enjoy that stuff when you have to digest that, character development, and story all at the same time as well.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

The battle system is pretty good, but it is slow, so normal battles do get a bit boring if you do a lot of it. Still, the system has the potential to offer some really fun fights that offer some challenge or at least can require some thinking instead of just mashing attack, attack, attack. I thought the treasure chest monsters, some bosses & optional fights were really fun thanks to offering some real challenge, though I wasn't one to try to cheese my way through the game with some optimal quartz setups (I put some thought into them, but didn't try to make some unstoppable killing machines). If some fights seem to take forever, that can mean that you are using inefficient strategies where you have to be too much on the defensive instead of dishing out good damage consistently.

My advice would be to skip most all normal battles and just run around a majority of enemies you see on the overworld when/if possible. Once you get to a new area/region, try out each new enemy type you see on the map to see if you can beat them without too much trouble and if they do seem a bit hard, maybe fight the occasional fight until you get 2-3 levels, but otherwise just stick to mandatory story-related battles & optional harder battles (treasure chest monsters, side-quest monsters). That should avoid most of the boredom, though if you don't fight at all, you might be a bit underleveled at some of the tougher fights. That should be nothing that a 20-30 minute grind can't help with.

Still, I feel equipment & quartz setups are somewhat more important than levels. If you're somehow so severely underleveled that you can't get forward no matter what kind of strategies & how good quartz you have, that should mean that you'll get level ups quite quickly, so you won't ever run into a situation where you'd have to grind for 5 hours. If you're not underleveled (as in, enemies don't really give you meaningful amounts of exp), then you/your character builds/your tactics just suck and you need to rethink your strategies.

This is one of the reasons I don't put CS up above FC/SC/3rd(?) on "quality of fightin'": the catch up + Shining Pom shenanigans + Haze Quartz means much of the solid-but-not-spectacular battling was much less mandatory and catch up was lightning quick. the Suikoden fan in me beamed.

 

[desmax]

So, I went in and brough a bunch of clothes DLC for Trails of Cold Steel

Do they export for the second game?

 

[Psxphile]

So, I went in and brough a bunch of clothes DLC for Trails of Cold Steel

Do they export for the second game?

I think someone verified earlier in the OT that they *do* carry over.

 

[omgfloofy]

So, I went in and brough a bunch of clothes DLC for Trails of Cold Steel

Do they export for the second game?

I think someone verified earlier in the OT that they *do* carry over.

I can confirm that this is the case. Costumes purchased for CS1 carry over to CS2.

 

[Aters]

Sen 2

Story question:

Spoiler

Every time the cast is in Yumir from the very start until where I am in Chapter 1-3, they keep talking about the time they were there "two months ago" and how they had a thing with Blublanc up where you keep your mecha next to the magic stone. This is the school trip time in Sen 1 where they say "we went on a trip, but that's another story for another time"

It feels really weird that everyone keeps talking about it in the game but we never saw it. Will the game flashback and explain what happened on this event 2 months ago later on? Or was this some kind of weird radio-drama side thing they sold as a separate "canon" story event or something?

Also Falcom's biggest problem with themselves are structural repetition. Almost every Kiseki game has suffered from chapters that are structurally the same thing over and over, whether it's Sora FC town of the chapter, or Sora SC's mystery experiment of the chapter, Sen 1's school -> dungeon -> field trip of the chapter, or Sen 2's stuff I'm seeing now

Spoiler

(Go grab 3 characters -> Story stuff -> quests & elemental dungeon -> Fight one of the B-group bosses and almost win -> Turns out the boss was holding back and get into a pinch -> call super robo and save the day -> head back to Yumir and chat with everyone -> repeat next chapter)

-> . Between that and all the copy & paste in their dungeons it's like Falcom really loves to repeat stuff over and over and over and over.

I think that's why at this point I'm still liking Ao the best because it's the only game so far that really doesn't do that. Every chapter is unique and you can't tell how the chapter is gonna play out because there's not a formula in place like every other Kiseki game. Keeps you on your toes and is a lot more exciting imo. Zero is sort of like that too, but it's still a bit of each Chapter go and explore this new point on the map and do quests there. Ao is just unpredictable and it's great.

Not just the main story, Ao's side quest design is also top-notch. Most of them are unique and meaningful. The game really benefits from its smaller scale.

 

[coredecepts]

That's a good point about fighting in Trails FC/SC versus Cold Steel. I'm nearing the end of Cold Steel, and I've definitely fought way more battles than I did in FC or SC. But then I'm playing Cold Steel very differently than I did FC/SC. I barely talked to NPCs in FC/SC, but this time around, I'm talking to everyone on campus every time the NPC text refreshes.

I avoided almost all trash mobs in SC and got along just fine. Only a few times did I run into a fight that smeared me, which made me want to go back and grind a few levels before trying it again.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I'm a little over 20 hours into FC now (

Spoiler

I'm in the middle of the tournament in Grancel

). It's... really good. The charm is there in spades, obviously, and there's a rhythm to the game that just compels me to keep playing it. I'm glad I didn't start the game until after SC came out in the US, because I love the idea of just having this massive journey I can take on without any interruptions.

That said, I don't like it as much as Cold Steel. There's definitely stuff brewing in the background, but the game's hooks just haven't grabbed me as soundly as Cold Steel's did. And the soundtrack is nowhere near as good, though I suppose I already knew that going into the game. Even so, I'm still really enjoying the game. Seems Kiseki, just generally, really is a damn good series.

 

[Thud]

I'm a little over 20 hours into FC now (

Spoiler

I'm in the middle of the tournament in Grancel

). It's... really good. The charm is there in spades, obviously, and there's a rhythm to the game that just compels me to keep playing it. I'm glad I didn't start the game until after SC came out in the US, because I love the idea of just having this massive journey I can take on without any interruptions.

That said, I don't like it as much as Cold Steel. There's definitely stuff brewing in the background, but the game's hooks just haven't grabbed me as soundly as Cold Steel's did. And the soundtrack is nowhere near as good, though I suppose I already knew that going into the game. Even so, I'm still really enjoying the game. Seems Kiseki, just generally, really is a damn good series.

That's pretty fast. Did you skip sidequests?

Glad you're enjoying it either way.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

That's pretty fast. Did you skip sidequests?

Glad you're enjoying it either way.

No, I've done close to all of them. Errr, I think. Outside of the guild stuff, I only did one side quest that an NPC gave me.

 

[Bebpo]

Sen 2

Just about finished with part 1 of the game. The quests:main story ratio/pacing is perfect in this game. Would like about the same amount of optional quests in future kiseki games. Still, gotta waste a quest on another find my lost cat...lol, the quests aren't all that much better than Sen 1, but at least there's way fewer of them

Story-wise, this game has a billion characters, which is cool, but it's also soooooo many characters. So either the remaining parts of Sen 2 are gonna be very awesome happenings, or some of these characters aren't gonna shine until Sen 3.

Also

Spoiler

I've resolved myself to the fact that Sen 2 is not the game/story I wanted coming from The 3rd and Ao. I thought Sen 1-2 was going to be about Olivert vs Osborn, an epic battle war between the best character from Sora and the best antagonist in Kiseki. Was looking forward playing the story where the cast find out Osborn's been playing everyone and takes him down.

But I've resolved myself to the fact Sen 1 is setup, Sen 2 is about party vs. the Evil Nobles & the 2nd half of Oroboros' plan from Ao, and Sen 3 is gonna be party vs. Osborn. So at this point I'm just enjoying the ride. It's a lot of fun, and the pace is solid, but yeah, not expecting the main Kiseki plot to move forward a whole ton because timeline-wise it seems like the entire game of Sen 2 is going to take place during the final chapter of Ao.

Of course maybe I'm wrong since I'm only 20 hours in and Sen 2 will go very interesting places by the last 1/3rd of the plot. Would be cool, but keeping expectations in check and saving them for Sen 3.

Also if Joshua and Estelle don't show up by the end of Sen 2, they better be in Sen 3. The lack of cameo appearances was a pretty big letdown in Sen 1, coming from Zero and Ao. The cameo stuff really ties the chapters all together and is a ton of fun seeing old faces actively being involved in the new plot. Zero & Ao had so many cameo characters from previous games I'm spoiled. And I feel like Joshua & Estelle have to cameo at least once in every chapter of Kiseki since they're kind of the original leads. I've had it spoiled that Lloyd & Risha cameo in Sen 2, which is cool for sure, especially since Lloyd is a better character than every single character in Sen, so he'll instantly make Sen 2 better, although timeline-wise I'm not really sure how that make sense, but I'm sure they'll make it fit somehow.

Rean is still ok. He's a nice guy, but the silliest thing about him is his constant attitude in both Sen 1 & 2 of "Hey, I'm smart enough to acknowledge that there's something going on here! But oh well, we've got other things to do like finding lost cats, let's not try to figure it out so it can get explained 30 hours later in the plot"

 

[omgfloofy]

Spoiler

Also if Joshua and Estelle don't show up by the end of Sen 2, they better be in Sen 3. The lack of cameo appearances was a pretty big letdown in Sen 1, coming from Zero and Ao. The cameo stuff really ties the chapters all together and is a ton of fun seeing old faces actively being involved in the new plot.

Something to remember....

Spoiler

Sen and Sen 2 are taking place during Zero and Ao. Estelle and Joshua can't be in two places at the same time... And I'm going to guess that Kevin and Ries went to Calvard after all was said and done in Ao, too. So I doubt we'll see them in Erebonia, as well.

 

[Motooni]

Loving these games. Started FC after playing 35 hours of Cold Steel. I'm enjoying the dynamic between Joshua and Estelle so far.

Wanted to take a break from Cold Steel. Fantastic JRPG, but for a 70 hour game I didn't want to play it in one swoop, and I want to finish it closer to the release of the 2nd game, say 2-3 months before.

 

[Bebpo]

Sen 2 and Ao spoilers

Something to remember....

Spoiler

Sen and Sen 2 are taking place during Zero and Ao. Estelle and Joshua can't be in two places at the same time... And I'm going to guess that Kevin and Ries went to Calvard after all was said and done in Ao, too. So I doubt we'll see them in Erebonia, as well.

Spoiler

Well, you could say the same thing for Lloyd and somehow he's still gonna show up later in Sen 2.

I don't mind if Kevin/Reiss don't show up in other chapters, since Ao showed that other holy Knights can be just as interesting. But Joshua/Estelle/Ren really should show up in Sen 3 imo.

Either way, it'd just be nice if Sen 3 had a lot of returning cameos since Sen 1 & 2 don't so far. I mean in Ao you had:

Lector
Kirika
Olviert
Mueller
Chloe
Chloe's bodyguard captain person from Sora
Osborn
Kevin
Reiss
Joshua
Estelle
Ren
and green haired oroboro magician agent
And blublanc sorta

...on top of a fantastic cast or original characters.

Like I said, Ao is so good with cameos that bring all the games in the series together to that point, that it's tough for Sen to live up to it. But even if Sen 2 doesn't have a ton of cameos coming up, there's still Sen 3 to pull the Sora/Crossbell/Erebonia games together more, and I'm fine with Falcom's doing it in Sen 3 since it's usually the final entry in a chapter that goes overboard with the good stuff.

 

[psynergylover]

beat FC the other day and fairly enjoyed it! took awhile for the main plot and all it characters to fall in line but enjoyed it greatly, and that ending was just shocking! after playinh Trails of Cold Steel 1 and now this, you can't trust no one!!!


my only gripes of FC was that fact the main story took so long to biuld up, when I got to chapter 3 I was almost about to take a break from it and then t

Spoiler

he professor got kidnapped and everything finally started coming together

and sadly that the last bit of the chapter and the was the penultimate chaper, chapter 4 was pretty long but playing an RPG for like 25-30 hours with really no plot/main objective was somewhat alarrming(though I did enjoy the events of chapter 2)

also the party consisted of only Joshua and Estelle for like 70%(maybe i'm exaggerating) the battle were completely manageable but it was just a little boring with just two and their really was no character development with any other characters because of how frequent they came and went,

Spoiler

It was nice when they all come together at the last dungeon so you can finally build you ultimate team

but it was just too late imo..

and lastly, not really a gripe but Cassius Bright character seems almost superhuman!!! the fact he has done all these feats that are mentioned throughout the game is pretty cool! my only gripe is

Spoiler

when he saves Joshua and Estelle and company from the final boss and kinda manhandles it like it was nothing...true the boss was severly beaten but Cassius made it seem like it was a toy and exactly what was he doing these 6 months? I just started SC and I'm not sure what he was doing, was it to twart Oroborous plans?

that being said I'm currently playing SC(just finished the prologue) and enjoying it as well, shame I won't be able to carry over my save data towards the Third Chapter as I'm playing on my vita

 

[Kalor]

beat FC the other day and fairly enjoyed it! took awhile for the main plot and all it characters to fall in line but enjoyed it greatly, and that ending was just shocking! after playinh Trails of Cold Steel 1 and now this, you can't trust no one!!!


my only gripes of FC was that fact the main story took so long to biuld up, when I got to chapter 3 I was almost about to take a break from it and then t

Spoiler

he professor got kidnapped and everything finally started coming together

and sadly that the last bit of the chapter and the was the penultimate chaper, chapter 4 was pretty long but playing an RPG for like 25-30 hours with really no plot/main objective was somewhat alarrming(though I did enjoy the events of chapter 2)

also the party consisted of only Joshua and Estelle for like 70%(maybe i'm exaggerating) the battle were completely manageable but it was just a little boring with just two and their really was no character development with any other characters because of how frequent they came and went,

Spoiler

It was nice when they all come together at the last dungeon so you can finally build you ultimate team

but it was just too late imo..

and lastly, not really a gripe but Cassius Bright character seems almost superhuman!!! the fact he has done all these feats that are mentioned throughout the game is pretty cool! my only gripe is

Spoiler

when he saves Joshua and Estelle and company from the final boss and kinda manhandles it like it was nothing...true the boss was severly beaten but Cassius made it seem like it was a toy and exactly what was he doing these 6 months? I just started SC and I'm not sure what he was doing, was it to twart Oroborous plans?

that being said I'm currently playing SC(just finished the prologue) and enjoying it as well, shame I won't be able to carry over my save data towards the Third Chapter as I'm playing on my vita

Spoiler

Your question about Cassius is answered in SC.

 

[omgfloofy]

Sen 2 and Ao spoilers

Spoiler

Well, you could say the same thing for Lloyd and somehow he's still gonna show up later in Sen 2.

Same spoilers:

Spoiler

You haven't even gotten to Lloyd to be able to judge how he's involved. lol

Trust me, it makes sense when you get there.

 

[Famassu]

Spoiler

Your question about Cassius is answered in SC.

The 3rd gives an even more detailed account on that subject. One of the Translation Tuesday vids is about his adventures, actually, and it directly connects to Trails of Cold Steel's premise.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I finished Trails in the Sky FC. That was quicker than I thought -- I clocked in at a little over 30 hours. I did most of the side quests (enough to get 1st rank, at least), so it was actually a shorter game than I was expecting. At least, based on how massive Trails of Cold Steel was. I can't imagine how painful that cliffhanger must've been for people who played the game on PSP back in 2011. Wow. Doesn't really seem fair that I can just roll into SC anytime I want now.

Anyway, general thoughts and what I kinda hope to get from SC:

- I like that this game felt like a journey. And that it was charming as hell. And that it felt like a PS1 game.

- The music. What was Falcom thinking? I mean, the soundtrack wasn't bad, but there was nowhere near enough music, and most of it was pretty middling. And the boss battle theme is clown music. It belongs in a circus. There were a few standouts, like the final dungeon theme, and one of the final boss themes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rIegfs7c3E&list=PLzFTGYa_evXjMh3jdjNmXFIgYEBAKcnK8&index=49). Actually, that boss theme is incredible. One of the best I've ever heard. Also loved this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7dJK_kbs8c&list=PLzFTGYa_evXjMh3jdjNmXFIgYEBAKcnK8&index=55. It's moody as hell. Reminds me of some of the music from FFX, actually. The point is, though, that I want better music -- stuff more like the examples I posted -- from SC.

- The biggest issue I have with FC is that there's not enough scope, and the stakes aren't high enough. What I absolutely loved about Cold Steel was that there was this massive plot with tons of characters and plenty of political machinations. FC was comparatively podunk. A lot of that's probably because it's the first game in the series, but almost everything happening in the game felt so small scale. If they cut the game 10 minutes short, they could've wrapped up the entirety of it with minimal plot threads left hanging. That was a bit disappointing. Cold Steel was just brimming with crazy shit going on, and I felt like this didn't give me as much to dig into.

What I want from SC is... well, more machinations. A lot more. And I'd like some more grandeur in the places you go. Fewer roads between towns, more crazy dungeons with some sort of interesting context.

Overall, though, I really liked the game. I think knowing that SC exists boosts my opinion of it, because I can look at FC as a really long prologue. Taken on its own, though? It's a really enjoyable game with great characters and a solid plot, but falls short of being spectacular.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

FC's boss music is good spice! I won't have it maligned!

It's very eclectic, rustic and sophisticated in equal measure. It's very "un-Falcom" as I've heard it called, but it's too melodic and varied at that to hate.

But yeah, you'll get you some of that in SC.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

FC's boss music is good spice! I won't have it maligned!

It's very eclectic, rustic and sophisticated in equal measure. It's very "un-Falcom" as I've heard it called, but it's too melodic and varied at that to hate.

But yeah, you'll get you some of that in SC.

Good to know.

I'd totally start on it tonight, but I figure I should probably cool it for a few hours before diving into part 2.

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

- The biggest issue I have with FC is that there's not enough scope, and the stakes aren't high enough. What I absolutely loved about Cold Steel was that there was this massive plot with tons of characters and plenty of political machinations. FC was comparatively podunk. A lot of that's probably because it's the first game in the series, but almost everything happening in the game felt so small scale. If they cut the game 10 minutes short, they could've wrapped up the entirety of it with minimal plot threads left hanging. That was a bit disappointing. Cold Steel was just brimming with crazy shit going on, and I felt like this didn't give me as much to dig into.

I've only finished the second chapter of Cold Steel, and this is also the impression I got. I like Sky FC just fine, but more in a relaxing, I-just-love-to-watch-these-characters-do-anything kind of way. Even during these early chapters, Cold Steel certainly does a better job at maintaining the sense that something really big is bubbling and it leaves me always wanting to know what would happen next. Hopefully that would persist till the end.

About the music, variations aside, I feel like I'm in the minority in actually preferring the Sky ones to Cold Steel. I guess I just like them melodic.

 

[kubricks]

Rean is still ok. He's a nice guy, but the silliest thing about him is his constant attitude in both Sen 1 & 2 of "Hey, I'm smart enough to acknowledge that there's something going on here! But oh well, we've got other things to do like finding lost cats, let's not try to figure it out so it can get explained 30 hours later in the plot"

Although it's all speculation, I hope

Spoiler

the true identity of Rean revealed at the end of

Sen 2 is going to move him out of his comfort zone and start to develop his own character in Sen 3. Going into international conflict because "you guys hurt our friends" is a pretty shallow take and uninteresting on the grand scheme of things.

 

[BassForever]

Although it's all speculation, I hope

Spoiler

the true identity of Rean revealed at the end of

Sen 2 is going to move him out of his comfort zone and start to develop his own character in Sen 3. Going into international conflict because "you guys hurt our friends" is a pretty shallow take and uninteresting on the grand scheme of things.

Hey please put the game you're spoiling before the spoiler tag not after :[ !

Edit: Guess that's a bit of my own fault for not fully reading the post above. At least sen 2

Spoiler

what you mean by that wasn't spoiled for me

 

[Arizato]

I actually need some general advice on this series and I didn't think this warranted starting a new thread. So here goes:

Did anyone else here have a hard time getting into Trails In the Sky?

I have read so much positive stuff about the first Trails in the Sky. I remember coming across a best PSP RPG list a few years ago, which listed Trails in The Sky as the second best RPG for the PSP, the only thing beating it was Persona 3, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite games. Needless to say, my expectations were pretty high. So I bought the steam release a couple of years ago and decided to start playing it now.

I have played until the second town

Spoiler

currently investigating the missing airship

and I just have a hard time finding the appeal. For example: I like the character's personalities and their portrait designs, but I find the 3D models so unappealing, especially when they are basically 2D cutouts of small 3D models, the same goes for the enemies, none of them really look unique. There is just something about the actual in-game designs (besides the portraits and artwork) which just don't do it for me.

The progression system and combat feels pretty barebones and it doesn't feel the characters are getting any better, despite unlocking Orbal slots and buying new quartz to increase my power. I have read around and form what I understand the first game in the series is starting off really slowly but finishes on an awesome note.

I am not here to crap on the game, so I'll stop now. But should I force myself to carry on? You see, I have also bought Trails of Cold Steel on the Vita and from what I read it spoils something that happens in Trails of The Sky SC. So should I just jump on to Cold Steel or bare with TiTS a while longer?

tl;dr: I have a hard time getting into Trails In The Sky, but I also bought Cold Steel. Should I stay with Trails in the Sky longer or just move on to Cold Steel, even though it might spoil Trails in The Sky SC for me?

 

[Se7enSword]

I actually need some general advice on this series and I didn't think this warranted starting a new thread. So here goes:

Did anyone else here have a hard time getting into Trails In the Sky?

I have read so much positive stuff about the first Trails in the Sky. I remember coming across a best PSP RPG list a few years ago, which listed Trails in The Sky as the second best RPG for the PSP, the only thing beating it was Persona 3, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite games. Needless to say, my expectations were pretty high. So I bought the steam release a couple of years ago and decided to start playing it now.

I have played until the second town

Spoiler

currently investigating the missing airship

and I just have a hard time finding the appeal. For example: I like the character's personalities and their portrait designs, but I find the 3D models so unappealing, especially when they are basically 2D cutouts of small 3D models, the same goes for the enemies, none of them really look unique. There is just something about the actual in-game designs (besides the portraits and artwork) which just don't do it for me.

The progression system and combat feels pretty barebones and it doesn't feel the characters are getting any better, despite unlocking Orbal slots and buying new quartz to increase my power. I have read around and form what I understand the first game in the series is starting off really slowly but finishes on an awesome note.

I am not here to crap on the game, so I'll stop now. But should I force myself to carry on? You see, I have also bought Trails of Cold Steel on the Vita and from what I read it spoils something that happens in Trails of The Sky SC. So should I just jump on to Cold Steel or bare with TiTS a while longer?

tl;dr: I have a hard time getting into Trails In The Sky, but I also bought Cold Steel. Should I stay with Trails in the Sky longer or just move on to Cold Steel, even though it might spoil Trails in The Sky SC for me?

Yes, it does spoil certain events of Trails in the Sky SC.

Carry on with Trails in the Sky. You'll find it improving a lot around Chapter 3.

You are free to play Cold Steel instead, if you like, but I would still recommend that you carry on with Trails in the Sky.

 

[Gu4n]

tl;dr: I have a hard time getting into Trails In The Sky, but I also bought Cold Steel. Should I stay with Trails in the Sky longer or just move on to Cold Steel, even though it might spoil Trails in The Sky SC for me?

I've sailed this ship before: coming from Persona 3, not being able to get into FC, thinking the characters are visually unappealing, et cetera. I've been there before and even in retrospect I think my (and -- of course -- your) perspective on the game was completely valid. However, I sticked with the game and discovered for myself that everything people said about the game was indeed true. It took me almost two years to work my way through FC; but once I was convinced, I played through its six sequels -- that is 500+ hours of adventure -- within a year. Even now, I can pick up FC and enjoy it's early hours like I couldn't during my first playthrough. The charm, the vast amount of details, the subtleties -- Trails offered me an coherent experience like no other JRPG ever had -- I got Persona 4 Golden for Vita, but ended up playing FC Evo instead.

 

[BassForever]

This isn't a ffxiii situation when we say stick with it promise you it gets good, this is a stick with it because eventually it'll click why the game is paced the way it is and when you see how the story is building you'll be able to fully appreciate it.

 

[donutzsick]

This isn't a ffxiii situation when we say stick with it promise you it gets good, this is a stick with it because eventually it'll click why the game is paced the way it is and when you see how the story is building you'll be able to fully appreciate it.

Exactly. The series shines because of its attention to detail and it's characters. Clicking with the characters takes a different amount of time for different people but once it clicks...oh boy does it click! I'm in the last chapter of Sen 2 now after beating fc in winter 2014...thats 5 kiseki games over the last year and now the 6th and final one that is out since I beat fc!

 

[Arizato]

Yes, it does spoil certain events of Trails in the Sky SC.

Carry on with Trails in the Sky. You'll find it improving a lot around Chapter 3.

You are free to play Cold Steel instead, if you like, but I would still recommend that you carry on with Trails in the Sky.

I've sailed this ship before: coming from Persona 3, not being able to get into FC, thinking the characters are visually unappealing, et cetera. I've been there before and even in retrospect I think my (and -- of course -- your) perspective on the game was completely valid. However, I sticked with the game and discovered for myself that everything people said about the game was indeed true.

This isn't a ffxiii situation when we say stick with it promise you it gets good, this is a stick with it because eventually it'll click why the game is paced the way it is and when you see how the story is building you'll be able to fully appreciate it.

Exactly. The series shines because of its attention to detail and it's characters. Clicking with the characters takes a different amount of time for different people but once it clicks...oh boy does it click! I'm in the last chapter of Sen 2 now after beating fc in winter 2014...thats 5 kiseki games over the last year and now the 6th and final one that is out since I beat fc!

I'd better get my stuff together and continue on then. Thanks for all the great responses!

 

[Thud]

I also played FC after P3P and I remember getting some mixed signals. Then SC came out and I bought FC again for PC. Played through it again, loved every minute of it. SC was even better.

It takes time and the right state of mind to appreciate the effort that's put into these games. At this point I just want more and luckily more is coming.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I also played FC after P3P and I remember getting some mixed signals. Then SC came out and I bought FC again for PC. Played through it again, loved every minute of it. SC was even better.

It takes time and the right state of mind to appreciate the effort that's put into these games. At this point I just want more and luckily more is coming.

I'd agree that you have to be in the right state of mind for FC. I tried playing it a while back and couldn't really get into it. The game feels very light, especially at the start, and I wasn't convinced that it was actually going to deliver. I played Cold Steel a couple months ago, loved every minute of it, and that actually made it a lot easier to get into TitS. So maybe Cold Steel first would work for you, too.

So yeah, TitS FC is definitely a good game, but it's buried under a really slow pace upfront, and the weak soundtrack doesn't particularly help, either.

 

[Famassu]

Trails in the Sky FC's OST isn't weak. It could've maybe used a dozen or so more songs just so it wouldn't repeat so many songs in many situations (especially a few more occasionally changing battle themes), but all-in-all the music that IS in the game isn't weak in the least bit. Lots of memorable melodies. Jazzy battle themes, varied town themes fitting the towns they are tied to (mellow, warm, upbeat, more electronic, regal), adventurous exploration themes, foreboding sinister "shit ain't right" themes, moody night-time themes, blood-pumping story battle themes (especially later on in the game), funky military base tunes, epic final dungeon music etc. The tone is generally light-hearted for most of the game, but it fits the nature of the game perfectly. Estelle & Joshua's journey isn't deadly serious at first, so it fits that the music would represent a less serious adventure.

 

[Basileus777]

FC has disappointing battle themes and the OST isn't as strong as other games in the series, but I wouldn't call it weak in general.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Trails in the Sky FC's OST isn't weak. It could've maybe used a dozen or so more songs just so it wouldn't repeat so many songs in many situations (especially a few more occasionally changing battle themes), but all-in-all the music that IS in the game isn't weak in the least bit. Lots of memorable melodies. Jazzy battle themes, varied town themes fitting the towns they are tied to (mellow, warm, upbeat, more electronic, regal), adventurous exploration themes, foreboding sinister "shit ain't right" themes, moody night-time themes, blood-pumping story battle themes (especially later on in the game), funky military base tunes, epic final dungeon music etc. The tone is generally light-hearted for most of the game, but it fits the nature of the game perfectly. Estelle & Joshua's journey isn't deadly serious at first, so it fits that the music would represent a less serious adventure.

Can we at least agree it's not up to Falcom's usual standard?

 

[Thud]

FC has disappointing battle themes and the OST isn't as strong as other games in the series, but I wouldn't call it weak in general.

Yup, battle themes are way better in SC. Like from the first note.

 

[Joqu]

Guys, I'm REALLY enjoying my time with Trails in the Sky FC and I'm assuming I've only barely started. 14 hours in but I've only just now reached the start of the first chapter.

The attention to detail is insane, it's crazy how many lines all these NPCs get and how often they change. I love that kind of stuff, I can't believe I hadn't checked the series out until the sale and I'm sort of mad because I'll really struggle for time if I fall in love with yet another JRPG series. Probably doesn't help I'm being so obsessed with not missing out on any sidequests.

I've already ordered a Vita copy of Cold Steel and I'll pick up SC the minute it goes on sale again. Oh boy.

I know this thread's specifically about Trails but it's also reminding me I'm pretty sure I already own one of the original Legend of Heroes games on PSP although I haven't played it. I'm assuming they'll be quite different from Trails and I've heard plenty of bad things about the translations of those but I'm happy they're out there for me to play, although I do wish those had fancy PC versions.

So yeah, having played some Ys I had heard about the series before but I'm really happy about this discovery. So stoked to play more.

 

[Shahed]

Yeah in Sky FC the soundtrack wasn't brilliant. Sure it had Dancing with the Wind and Silver Will, but I preferred the soundtrack in Cold Steel. It's in SC where it really shines and I found it a lot better than Cold Steel. I loved the SC rendition of Dancing with the Wind and how it sets the tone, as well as the repeated leitmotif of Shine of Eidos. The general and normal boss battles were a lot better as was the exploration music.

Guys, I'm REALLY enjoying my time with Trails in the Sky FC and I'm assuming I've only barely started. 14 hours in but I've only just now reached the start of the first chapter.

The attention to detail is insane, it's crazy how many lines all these NPCs get and how often they change. I love that kind of stuff, I can't believe I hadn't checked the series out until the sale and I'm sort of mad because I'll really struggle for time if I fall in love with yet another JRPG series. Probably doesn't help I'm being so obsessed with not missing out on any sidequests.

I've already ordered a Vita copy of Cold Steel and I'll pick up SC the minute it goes on sale again. Oh boy.

I know this thread's specifically about Trails but it's also reminding me I'm pretty sure I already own one of the original Legend of Heroes games on PSP although I haven't played it. I'm assuming they'll be quite different from Trails and I've heard plenty of bad things about the translations of those but I'm happy they're out there for me to play, although I do wish those had fancy PC versions.

So yeah, having played some Ys I had heard about the series before but I'm really happy about this discovery. So stoked to play more.

The sale just ran out recently? Well good luck waiting on a sale for SC once you finish FC!

 

[Motooni]

Yep, 11 hours into FC now and I'm enjoying it. Not really having a problem with the slow opening here. Coming from Cold Steel I feel there's enough going on here to keep me interested.

I'm loving the nostalgic look, it's reminiscent of playstation and sega Saturn RPGs like Grandia. The doll house environments and characters full of charm, as has been said.

And a brilliant localisation. The writing is playful, humorous and emotive. It’s rare to see this kind of writing in a JRPG.

 

[aravuus]

I definitely prefer the CS soundtrack too, although that one (too) gets a lot more praise than I'd personally give it.

 

[Joqu]

The sale just ran out recently? Well good luck waiting on a sale for SC once you finish FC!

Surely it'll get a similar discount during the summer sale. That's soon...ish D:

I really do regret not picking it up alongside FC. By the time I was hooked the sale was already over.

But yeah depending on how long I take if I really can't wait once I've beaten FC I might just give in and buy it. I can already tell waiting's gonna be hard!

 

[Nyoro SF]

Oh man, I really loved FC's battle themes... Sophisticated Fight has the subdued feel and that excellent drum line, and Recapture is just hype incarnate; I was NOT expecting it to kick in when it did, given how easygoing and restrained the game and its tunes were up to that point. I have to also agree that the diversity of the game's music really is its shining point on top of its already excellent beats.

Yep, 11 hours into FC now and I'm enjoying it. Not really having a problem with the slow opening here. Coming from Cold Steel I feel there's enough going on here to keep me interested.

I'm loving the nostalgic look, it's reminiscent of playstation and sega Saturn RPGs like Grandia. The doll house environments and characters full of charm, as has been said.

And a brilliant localisation. The writing is playful, humorous and emotive. It’s rare to see this kind of writing in a JRPG.

Guys, I'm REALLY enjoying my time with Trails in the Sky FC and I'm assuming I've only barely started. 14 hours in but I've only just now reached the start of the first chapter.

The attention to detail is insane, it's crazy how many lines all these NPCs get and how often they change. I love that kind of stuff, I can't believe I hadn't checked the series out until the sale and I'm sort of mad because I'll really struggle for time if I fall in love with yet another JRPG series. Probably doesn't help I'm being so obsessed with not missing out on any sidequests.

I've already ordered a Vita copy of Cold Steel and I'll pick up SC the minute it goes on sale again. Oh boy.

I know this thread's specifically about Trails but it's also reminding me I'm pretty sure I already own one of the original Legend of Heroes games on PSP although I haven't played it. I'm assuming they'll be quite different from Trails and I've heard plenty of bad things about the translations of those but I'm happy they're out there for me to play, although I do wish those had fancy PC versions.

So yeah, having played some Ys I had heard about the series before but I'm really happy about this discovery. So stoked to play more.

Excellent.... excellent...

estelle_smug.jpg

 

[BassForever]

Surely it'll get a similar discount during the summer sale. That's soon...ish D:

I really do regret not picking it up alongside FC. By the time I was hooked the sale was already over.

But yeah depending on how long I take if I really can't wait once I've beaten FC I might just give in and buy it. I can already tell waiting's gonna be hard!

I'll be impressed if once you beat FC you don't cave and buy SC at full price instead of waiting for a possible summer sale. I know a few people who said they would play fc -> afew other games -> sc that turned into fc -> sc

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Can we at least agree it's not up to Falcom's usual standard?

Relatively speaking, their usual standard is exemplarily brain-melting, so perspective is of course, needed.

BTW: are you enjoying Estelle hitting Beast Mode in SC yet?