ShadowSoldier89
Member
an open mind led me to do a 180 on my opinion on Millium, so anything can happenWill keep an open mind.
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The Kiseki / Trails (of the Sky/Zero/Ao/Sen/Etc) Community Thread: SPOILERTAGS OR DIE
- Thread starter Bebpo
- Start date
Last page went fast, wew.
Time for The 3rd localization mini-update! Or blurb, as it's being called.
EDIT:
unknown if Trails-related, but lol
Time for The 3rd localization mini-update! Or blurb, as it's being called.
EDIT:
unknown if Trails-related, but lol
Glitter and Gold
Banned
Millium is great. Highly recommend everyone do one or two of her later bonding events in CS2, if not all of them.
Her ones pre and post Celdic raid setup a nice character moment in the ending for her that the main story doesn't really touch on
It's been a while, but I finally picked up TiTS again. After reaching Bose (and realizing I couldn't go back, what the heck?) I really just had to stop and take in the atmosphere. The music and city layout were great, but I especially dug the shopping center. It was totally reminiscent of the Grand Market from Cold Steel (lol). It seems we'll be meeting with the extended cast in the various upcoming cities, which is just plain great. Cold Steel nailed world building, and it's nice to see that even in their first entry they were phenomenal at it. It looks like Bose is my new base of operations for now, which is cool but also kind of disappointing because I don't get to visit, dear, sweet, beautiful Aina anymore after finishing a quest! Having to run back to the guild with this looker waiting for me seriously takes away the wind beneath my sails, you know? Gameplay wise, my crew is super strong now. Keeping your equipment up to date makes them invincible in combat, but apparently arts take up sepith when you use them?!? Plot progression is simple, but enough to keep me marginally interested, the characters and colorful and endearing but MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL...!
Oli...Olivier has made his appearance, and man he's just amazing here. What an endlessly entertaining character. He's goofy and silly, but oozes intrigue and has a way of talking that sort of commands attention and respect. Like, he doesn't seem like a pure joke character, which is especially impressive since he's bisexual and the game is surprisingly progressive about it? Like, Estelle calls him a weirdo but she's a sheltered dumbass and she ends up wanting his attention anyway, and he's not really there to be made fun of. It's legit progressive for a JRPG made in the early 2000s.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
Glitter and Gold
Banned
Are you looking in the spell book and are confused what it means?
I'm not really sure how you came to the conclusion that Arts consume Quartz
I'm not really sure how you came to the conclusion that Arts consume Quartz
Oh, no. That just means you need a Wind Quartz value of 4 on a single line in your Orbment to be able to cast that spell. Clearly since it's in your Artes list you have the required amount to cast it.
I meant sepith, my bad haha
But i'm using 4 wind sepith here, right?
Other arts require multiple values from different types of quatz. You can look up how much is needed in your Bracer Notebook's artes section.
As for Sepith, I think it *is* possible to lose some during battle if you get struck by an enemy on a Bonus Sepith turn (you can see bits of 'em falling out from your party member).
Once you get more quartz, it's well worth it to familiarize yourself with the orbment customization system. The way quartz grant arts is really neat and fun to tinker with.
Glitter and Gold
Banned
Yeah it's probably confusing coming from CS where Arts had their own individual Quartz
But the old system is really really fun. I'd like to see them reconcile it with the advantages CS gives multi line users. (FC/SC system kinda sucks for non caster archetype characters)
But the old system is really really fun. I'd like to see them reconcile it with the advantages CS gives multi line users. (FC/SC system kinda sucks for non caster archetype characters)
Isn't it?!
Discovering arts like Aerial and Lightning was a genuinely pleasant experinece, and i'm looking forward to unlocking even more awesome arts. My only obstacle is the orbments are locked down pretty hard on Joshua and Estelle and I've only unlocked 1-2 slots for them. Hopefully I can pick up Fire sepith again...
Definitely unlock Josh's orbment - he's a pretty good caster as well as being a great physical attacker.
Is this the first game you've played in the series, by the way?
I absolutely love TitS's line-based orbment system. It took me ages to really understand what was going on with it at all (my own dumb and illiterate fault in fairness) but once it clicked, it became one of my favourite customization systems ever. Especially when you start seeing the smart little things it does with the slots to push characters in certain directions without feeling too oppressive about it.
It took me to CS1 to truly appreciate how well-designed it was, though.
It took me to CS1 to truly appreciate how well-designed it was, though.
Oh no—I've gone through both Cold Steel 1 & 2, which makes the entire experience incredibly amusing.
Catching all of these callbacks(callforwards?) is fun. Wonder if i'll see my boy Osborne~
Ah, I see...
theclaw135
Banned
I have to say, at this point (sorry I'm years behind) it feels like
Professor Alba's speech at the end of FC was a letdown. A random NPC turning whacko at the drop of a hat, infodumping SC spoilers was not what I had in mind. But most likely they'll turn it awesome after further elaboration.
Glitter and Gold
Banned
FC Spoilers:
It's not random at all though. It's heavily foreshadowed throughout the game. Pay attention to Joshua's reactions every time he shows up. That's what makes it such a good twist.
There's another thing, too:
One of Alba's expressions is a super creepy evil glare, and he usually drops it when the subject matter is related to one of his plans
hosannainexcelsis
Member
And also:
While Alba ends up requesting Estelle's escort out of the towers on multiple occasions, he never seems to be harmed by the monsters swarming the towers despite being seemingly powerless. He really is hiding in plain sight.
I know I definitely fell victim to thinking they were a walking trope.
theclaw135
Banned
Wow, thanks. That clears up quite a bit. I guess sometimes the writing is so masterful it goes over my head.
Not that I know everyone has the time for it, but these games really lend themselves to second playthroughs. The amount of stuff that you can re-contextualize with information you learn as you beat the games is almost mind-boggling in this series.
theclaw135
Banned
This coming from someone whose public library is gracious enough to stock the OVA and books.
Really. http://catalog.sno-isle.org/polaris/search/searchresults.aspx?ctx=1.1033.0.0.6&type=Keyword&term=legend%20of%20heroes&by=KW&sort=RELEVANCE&limit=TOM=*&query=&page=0&searchid=8
Really. http://catalog.sno-isle.org/polaris/search/searchresults.aspx?ctx=1.1033.0.0.6&type=Keyword&term=legend%20of%20heroes&by=KW&sort=RELEVANCE&limit=TOM=*&query=&page=0&searchid=8
BassForever
Member
The only thing that twist needed was a quick flash back montage to show you all the little moments that hinted at this.
Scrooge McDuck
Member
I'm in two minds about whether this is actually a hint or not. [Sky FC + SC]
After all, there is the general understanding in RPGs that the amount of enemies we encounter in gameplay do not really reflect the number of enemies the characters defeat story-wise.
Furthermore, Estelle specifically asked how Alba got there and he answered that he's just good at hiding and running away, an explanation that's just accepted by everyone - even the veteran bracer in party. With the gameplay and story segregation in mind, we don't really have reasons to question it. After all, Dorothy did pretty much the same thing!
Or alternatively, Dorothy is the Grandmaster confirmed.
Furthermore, Estelle specifically asked how Alba got there and he answered that he's just good at hiding and running away, an explanation that's just accepted by everyone - even the veteran bracer in party. With the gameplay and story segregation in mind, we don't really have reasons to question it. After all, Dorothy did pretty much the same thing!
Or alternatively, Dorothy is the Grandmaster confirmed.
I think it's the way those elements are presented and then subverted that make the stories in these games so much fun. And I really do think they did all those "hints" intentionally; it's like a series staple. I was looking through some screenshots I took of Cold Steel 1 the other day, and the amount of setup for the later things that happen is ridiculous.
Young Magus
Junior Member
like wut?
Two off the top of my head (about to go to sleep):
CS1 End/CS2 Spoilers:
Crow's entire arc has hints dropped almost everywhere, from where he is, to why he goes to places, to how he lies about being at places or having talked to people. Almost everything he's done or said throughout the entire game after you find out what he's about, you can see what he was really doing at the time. From the school, to helping Rean with the trial, to betting on the horse races to use as cover for going to Heimdallr, and some other stuff I can't remember, you can see what his real goals were once you get the info from the ending. He comes off as that goofy/slick senpai character that's good at what he does when he has to do it, but he's ultimately a slacker who doesn't let the trivialities of life get to him. He's able to keep up that facade the whole game.
CS1 End Spoilers/CS2 End Spoilers:
The same goes for Rufus and his actions before and during the war, including his double-heel turn. From the Noble-Alliance role, to his eventual real plan, to the reveal at the end, you can see the way his progress was dictated. When you consider where and when he shows up, like being on the board of directors helping influence the field studies, taking charge of the Albarea family matters/leadership, the confrontation with the RMP at Roer, and ultimately the manipulation of Duke Albarea (preying on his insecurity) could all be attributed to his status as an Ironblood and the execution of that plan. They play him off as a cool, collected individual who is a rising star in the noble political world because of his blood, when really he's an insanely gifted mastermind who basically was responsible for executing the plans to stage a civil war and it's outcome while undermining and pissing off almost every faction involved in the process.
"The hardest falls are often the ones we don't see coming." At first that line was great because of the end of CS1, but when you take CS2 into account+the fact that he said it to Claire of all people made its meaning even more
"The hardest falls are often the ones we don't see coming." At first that line was great because of the end of CS1, but when you take CS2 into account+the fact that he said it to Claire of all people made its meaning even more
Mind you, these are basically the two biggest things that get unveiled across the games as far as characters go, but the way they managed to present, maintain, then subvert those things, and how going through the game a second time gives you a different set of lenses to interpret the actions and words of characters is just good. It makes for a fun game the first time around, but a fascinating game the second time. Something that seemed innocent the first time is suddenly malicious the second time around, or something a one-off NPC said is actually something extremely relevant, and so on.
I can't get my Vita upload assistant to work right now otherwise i'd upload 'em. Basically what I mentioned above is stuff I had screenshots of in some form or another.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Maybe in another RPG series I would believe it was unintentional, but Falcom goes to great lengths in the Kiseki series to justify everything and avoid gameplay/story segregation. For example, in the Sky games they eschew the normal RPG convention of monsters dropping money, because of course why would monsters be carrying around money. Then in the Cold Steel games, when Falcom wants to have the monsters drop money now, they come up with a recent scientific discovery involving a new kind of sepith whose only purpose for your party is to sell in stores. Falcom definitely thinks all these things through, which is why I believe all these circumstances are completely deliberate. Plus
remember Alba/Weissman has the power to brainwash and alter memories
Holundrian
Unconfirmed Member
Finally snacked me a deal on Zero and Ao(Evo versions) both new too. I'm super giddy going to stalk shipments the next few days O_O. As someone that doesn't celebrate Christmas what a nice way to celebrate Christmas
That's better than christmas. Zero and Ao Evo are just some of the best rpg I ever played.Finally snacked me a deal on Zero and Ao(Evo versions) both new too. I'm super giddy going to stalk shipments the next few days O_O. As someone that doesn't celebrate Christmas what a nice way to celebrate Christmas
Did you play them on PSP before or will it be the first time ?
Holundrian
Unconfirmed Member
First time. It's also the first time me making the switch to Japanese.
I've basically only played the stuff that was localized so far mostly because importing was really darn expensive and most offers have been for used game too.
Also I really liked the English translations(although I played with no voices).
Hope me missing out on 3rd for now isn't going to be a major issue.
You'll miss an important segment of a story arc that started in SC, but other than that you should be good to go. Also, people in this thread love to answers questions, so don't hesitate to ask anything that isn't clear.
Sharing your impressions, however, is a must.
Tonight in the US (23:30 in the New York time zone).
It might alter the way you see it on some details but overall it shouldn't lower your love while playing. Though if you finished Sen/Steel 1 and 2 before, that's a bigger difference in seeing the overall I'd say.
Having finished : Zero > Sen > Ao > Sen 2, I can't say how it's different exactly by doing Sen 2 before Ao.
I worte an entire translation/guide on Zero no Kiseki in French a while ago, with every scenes in the game summarized with details on some reactions and so on and began to do so for Ao, because I was amazed on how these games couldn't be localised yet.
Yes! Can't wait =D
BassForever
Member
Cool following you for this and future Trails stuff
Falcom's never live streamed their shareholder meetings. I don't expect it to change tonight- companies don't always do this, unless they have a lot of shareholders that can't actually make the meeting, and Falcom's an extremely conservative company in terms of their business operations and practices. I'm going to have to rely on other people who are actually at the event and tweeting about it.
Shouta
Member
Kinda figured. That's why I said If, lol
DXLelouch153
Banned
oh god if that twitter pic means what i think it means
Nightengale
Member
No clue. Probably new character.
DXLelouch153
Banned
those who have played Cold Steel 2 should know who that is(ill say no more)