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[Brandon F]

Whew...10 hours into FC and only just wrapped up the Prologue chapter. I suppose this is going to be a mighty long game...

Edit: And crap...just reached Bose and the final Guild quest in the starter city tasked me to deliver a letter here, but I didn't realize I had to go to the church and actually GET the letter, thus the quest is now failed. I guess I shouldn't have expected to get everything done on a blind first play anyway. But not like this...I had that quest in mind as I was travelling!

 

[zakujanai]

Those two being playable makes the most sense and I'm surprised it didn't happen in cs2.

I live in hope, though I'll be crushed when they leave halfway thorough and I'm forced to just use class VII (still not over having

Spoiler

Toval

taken from me)

I'd only really care about Estelle, Joshua, and Kloe, but I'm generally happy with what I got out of them already. I'm just worried about class vii at this point

I see a lot of people liking Kloe, always seemed very bland to me. She could obviously add an interesting element to CS3 though as a (minor FC spoiler)

Spoiler

Royal

representative to the Empire.

My number one desire is to see Josette return.

Agate would be awesome, too, although I'm not sure what would lead him to showing up in Erebonia. But I guess they could always come up with something.

Yeah it won't be him will it, he just has no reason to be there. The Capuas however definitely do, I'd be very ok with them returning to the Empire.

Returning Liberl characters is an easy wish for me.

I want Schera back. As a fan of the Olivier x Schera dynamic from Sky, I'd like to see more of their interaction, especially one where his capacity as a prince is more overt than not. Also, Schera and Sara would make a lovely drinking pair <3

And of course, Anelace for the potential dynamic with Rean, and maybe Laura/Jusis. If there's one thing I wished Cold Steel explored more, it was the whole "those with the path of sword" vibe thing that is only explored in Laura's route more so than others, and I'd love for another Eight Leaves to come in and shake things up. Also, Anelace is <3

A looooong shot would a small cameo by Aina just so we can see Schera, Sara, Thomas, Aina as the Alcohol Monster Brigade or something. And Olivier/Anton liver destruction Part II.

I love all of these ideas, the Schera and Olivier dynamic is something I'd very much enjoy seeing renewed (love the scene with Aina in Abend late in SC), especially with Sara and Thomas added to the mix.

I forgot about Anelace, an 8 leaves club reunion would be good, nice excuse to get Cassius in the too.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

My number one desire is to see Josette return.

Agate would be awesome, too, although I'm not sure what would lead him to showing up in Erebonia. But I guess they could always come up with something.

Josette can only return if Estelle is too.

"That voice...THAT VOICE."

 

[omgfloofy]

I agree with the speculation that

Spoiler

the backwards reflection isn't crow

that being said I still believe

Spoiler

Crow will be back, this series already established with Osborne that getting fucking sniped in the heart at worst is a minor set back. Heck I wouldn't be surprised if part of the reason Rean is working with Osborne is to discover the secret of his revival

Spoiler

You don't write a death scene like that only to revive the character. That would be really cheap. Osborne wasn't even confirmed to be dead in CS1, and it was always obvious that he would be back.

I think the truth might be somewhere in the middle. (CS2 spoiler)

Spoiler

Rean is undoubtedly interested in the secret of resurrection, a concept he's been confronted with twice now. He might look for it, and maybe he finds it and discovers what the cost for resurrection is.

(The 3rd spoiler)

Spoiler

The cost for resurrection is great since the Church, who lost their most valuable and talented Knight, accepted her loss since they got a Dominion in return.

I'm in the same boat with Guan on this one, in terms of belief of what will happen.

CS2 End Spoilers

Spoiler

I think Rean will be looking for a way to resurrect Crow, except I don't think he'll actually take it. I think that he'll either figure out that he can't make the risk that it takes, or someone else makes him realize what he's going to be doing.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

I'm in the same boat with Guan on this one, in terms of belief of what will happen.

CS2 End Spoilers

Spoiler

I think Rean will be looking for a way to resurrect Crow, except I don't think he'll actually take it. I think that he'll either figure out that he can't make the risk that it takes, or someone else makes him realize what he's going to be doing.

Yeah, I can see that happening.

Spoiler

I feel very strongly that Crow being brought back to life would not make any narrative/thematic sense based on the finality of his demise. But Rean looking for a way to bring him back is certainly a direction that would make sense for him to explore. It's just not something that he could ever actually achieve.

 

[omgfloofy]

Yeah, I can see that happening.

Spoiler

I feel very strongly that Crow being brought back to life would not make any narrative/thematic sense based on the finality of his demise. But Rean looking for a way to bring him back is certainly a direction that would make sense for him to explore. It's just not something that he could ever actually achieve.

From what I've seen of this series, they're pretty good at that subject.

SC and CS2 spoilers:

Spoiler

We have yet to see sign of them wanting to bring Loewe back, for example, despite how popular he was and everything. The impact ofo the scene with Crow's death was very finalizing and hard hitting- and I doubt Falcom is going to really undermine the emotional feel to it.

But I do see Falcom doing lots of little things, the 'I'll Remember You' in CS2 after the end of the Epilogue, and even the fact that Rean was also startled at the mention that Zephyr's planning to resurrect their leader- not just Fie. So that seed has been put into his head. Rean's not an idiot- he can easily start putting those pieces together.

 

[DXLelouch153]

Whew...10 hours into FC and only just wrapped up the Prologue chapter. I suppose this is going to be a mighty long game...

Edit: And crap...just reached Bose and the final Guild quest in the starter city tasked me to deliver a letter here, but I didn't realize I had to go to the church and actually GET the letter, thus the quest is now failed. I guess I shouldn't have expected to get everything done on a blind first play anyway. But not like this...I had that quest in mind as I was travelling!

late replay(i was getting a Christmas ham with mom) but yes The Trails games are notoriously long so set aside 2 weeks minimum if you plan on doing everything

 

[BassForever]

From what I've seen of this series, they're pretty good at that subject.

SC and CS2 spoilers:

Spoiler

We have yet to see sign of them wanting to bring Loewe back, for example, despite how popular he was and everything. The impact ofo the scene with Crow's death was very finalizing and hard hitting- and I doubt Falcom is going to really undermine the emotional feel to it.

But I do see Falcom doing lots of little things, the 'I'll Remember You' in CS2 after the end of the Epilogue, and even the fact that Rean was also startled at the mention that Zephyr's planning to resurrect their leader- not just Fie. So that seed has been put into his head. Rean's not an idiot- he can easily start putting those pieces together.

See I can already invision the rean minsdet in cs3

Spoiler

my life means nothing compared to crows so I'll gladly give mine so that he has a second chance and I can fufill my promise to the others

 

[Taruranto]

Spoiler

Do not resuscitate terrorists.

 

[Soran]

From what I've seen of this series, they're pretty good at that subject.

SC and CS2 spoilers:

Spoiler

We have yet to see sign of them wanting to bring Loewe back, for example, despite how popular he was and everything. The impact ofo the scene with Crow's death was very finalizing and hard hitting- and I doubt Falcom is going to really undermine the emotional feel to it.

But I do see Falcom doing lots of little things, the 'I'll Remember You' in CS2 after the end of the Epilogue, and even the fact that Rean was also startled at the mention that Zephyr's planning to resurrect their leader- not just Fie. So that seed has been put into his head. Rean's not an idiot- he can easily start putting those pieces together.

Spoiler

It would be cool if Rean desire to bring Crow back put a strain between him and his other classmates. I think Rean see Crow different from the rest of his classmates since he was able to challenge him and his worldview instead of blindly following him as a the leader

 

[DXLelouch153]

See I can already invision the rean minsdet in cs3

Spoiler

my life means nothing compared to crows so I'll gladly give mine so that he has a second chance and I can fufill my promise to the others

then Laura bitchslaps him

Spoiler

in my playthrough anyways

 

[Brandon F]

In Chapter 1 of FC and man the missables are even worse than I thought!

So there is a Bose sidequest to kill a monster near a small town called Ravennue. Problem is that if you hold off on visiting Ravennue until the game naturally tasks you to visit, that quest is queued to fail. Like literally as soon as you finish the cutscene where everyone decides to visit this little burg for progression, it fails in your notebook. What is that horseshit??

Oh and I also found out there are hidden sidequests that aren't posted on the job board that you will never know exist unless you actively just wander aimlessly into dangerous territory to stumble upon them(completely opposite direction of your task in hand).

I need to stop glancing at a guide and just play naturally. They clearly don't wish for me to experience some content.

 

[Holundrian]

In Chapter 1 of FC and man the missables are even worse than I thought!

So there is a Bose sidequest to kill a monster near a small town called Ravennue. Problem is that if you hold off on visiting Ravennue until the game naturally tasks you to visit, that quest is queued to fail. Like literally as soon as you finish the cutscene where everyone decides to visit this little burg for progression, it fails in your notebook. What is that horseshit??

Oh and I also found out there are hidden sidequests that aren't posted on the job board that you will never know exist unless you actively just wander aimlessly into dangerous territory to stumble upon them(completely opposite direction of your task in hand).

I need to stop glancing at a guide and just play naturally. They clearly don't wish for me to experience some content.

They do you're encouraged to do something that is usually excessively boring in most games which is explore and obsessively talk to any and all NPCs(Even if you're just doing all the quest per guide you're going to miss on quite a few interesting things without talking to non quest related NPCs).
Of course if you can't see yourself enjoying that at all just play the way that suits you best . But the devs put a lot of care into that aspect of the game(having evolving NPCs with cool stories) so I think they kind of design things in a way that makes people maybe slow down and keep pushing the main quest until the very last moment.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

In Chapter 1 of FC and man the missables are even worse than I thought!

So there is a Bose sidequest to kill a monster near a small town called Ravennue. Problem is that if you hold off on visiting Ravennue until the game naturally tasks you to visit, that quest is queued to fail. Like literally as soon as you finish the cutscene where everyone decides to visit this little burg for progression, it fails in your notebook. What is that horseshit??

Oh and I also found out there are hidden sidequests that aren't posted on the job board that you will never know exist unless you actively just wander aimlessly into dangerous territory to stumble upon them(completely opposite direction of your task in hand).

I need to stop glancing at a guide and just play naturally. They clearly don't wish for me to experience some content.

This is why you always talk to every NPC after every story event. (Well, that and because the NPC dialogue is fantastic)

The games are definitely made so that seeing everything on one playthrough is difficult (or even impossible in some games where story scenes will play out differently depending on who is in your party at the time). So try not to worry too hard about that stuff.

 

[Brandon F]

They do you're encouraged to do something that is usually excessively boring in most games which is explore and obsessively talk to any and all NPCs(Even if you're just doing all the quest per guide you're going to miss on quite a few interesting things without talking to non quest related NPCs).
Of course if you can't see yourself enjoying that at all just play the way that suits you best . But the devs put a lot of care into that aspect of the game(having evolving NPCs with cool stories) so I think they kind of design things in a way that makes people maybe slow down and keep pushing the main quest until the very last moment.

This is why you always talk to every NPC after every story event. (Well, that and because the NPC dialogue is fantastic)

The games are definitely made so that seeing everything on one playthrough is difficult (or even impossible in some games where story scenes will play out differently depending on who is in your party at the time). So try not to worry too hard about that stuff.

I think the Ravennue monster quest irritates me the most. Only because that demands you literally jump forward in progression completely out of sync, visiting an area that you are hinted will be coming up at the time. It is just completely harsh for them to expect that of the player to visit ahead of schedule.

I'm actually fine with taking detours and being rewarded for discovery for bonus conversations and hidden sidequests, certainly for players that want to squeeze as much out of this sponge as possible(and will play via a faq). But I am just REALLY annoyed at the timing of that one quest by far. I mean its logical to do that quest when you are naturally going to be in that area already!

Nitpick done. Still really enjoying the game.

 

[Eylos]

The boss that i hated in fc is the pinguin, fuck that pinguin

 

[Mister Wolf]

10 hours into Trails of the Sky FC. I bought it off steam because of all the good things ive heard on this board about it. I can wholeheartedly say its as good as advertised. I would go as far as to say I'm enjoying much more than Final Fantasy XV graphics be damned. The tactical rpg battle system and character dialogue are very enjoyable.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

I think the Ravennue monster quest irritates me the most. Only because that demands you literally jump forward in progression completely out of sync, visiting an area that you are hinted will be coming up at the time. It is just completely harsh for them to expect that of the player to visit ahead of schedule.

I'm actually fine with taking detours and being rewarded for discovery for bonus conversations and hidden sidequests, certainly for players that want to squeeze as much out of this sponge as possible(and will play via a faq). But I am just REALLY annoyed at the timing of that one quest by far. I mean its logical to do that quest when you are naturally going to be in that area already!

Nitpick done. Still really enjoying the game.

Pro-tip: Generally try to finish quests as soon as possible.

Pretty much every quest will have the time requirement listed in the notebook.

Long = finish by the end of the Chapter
Short = do this right away or forever hold your peace
Medium = fuck if I know, so probably don't dawdle too much

Get in the habit of checking the board/notebook to see how much time you have when you accept a quest.

 

[BassForever]

If you don't want to miss anything in a trails game accept having a guide open at all times

 

[PK Gaming]

In Chapter 1 of FC and man the missables are even worse than I thought!

So there is a Bose sidequest to kill a monster near a small town called Ravennue. Problem is that if you hold off on visiting Ravennue until the game naturally tasks you to visit, that quest is queued to fail. Like literally as soon as you finish the cutscene where everyone decides to visit this little burg for progression, it fails in your notebook. What is that horseshit??

Oh and I also found out there are hidden sidequests that aren't posted on the job board that you will never know exist unless you actively just wander aimlessly into dangerous territory to stumble upon them(completely opposite direction of your task in hand).

I need to stop glancing at a guide and just play naturally. They clearly don't wish for me to experience some content.

Ah no way man

I loved how Ravennue Village was this out of the way area that you had to explore

I'm so goddamn used to barriers and such, but having to rely on the map and find the damn place was one of the most rewarding and memorable moments in my playthrough so far

 

[Brandon F]

Ah no way man

I loved how Ravennue Village was this out of the way area that you had to explore

I'm so goddamn used to barriers and such, but having to rely on the map and find the damn place was one of the most rewarding and memorable moments in my playthrough so far

Hmm...not really the argument I am making.

I do like the lack of waypoint markers for sure though. (Also don't confuse my irritation at that illogical quest expiration as a condemnation for the game everyone! I am thoroughly enjoying it, which burns me even more when something like my example goes awry).

 

[PK Gaming]

Hmm...not really the argument I am making.

I do like the lack of waypoint markers for sure though. (Also don't confuse my irritation at that illogical quest expiration as a condemnation for the game everyone! I am thoroughly enjoying it, which burns me even more when something like my example goes awry).

Oh uh... I completely misread your post.

Anyway, the quest expiring when you reach the village makes sense in context. When you visit the village before the main plot, the elder alerts you to a monster that's been lurking outside of the village. He's been preventing people from leaving the village until it's taken care of. When you kill it, he thanks your group for taking care of it before things could get out of hand. Obviously he can't do this when you visit him during the main plot (presumably because someone else dealt with it?).

 

[Glitter and Gold]

Oh uh... I completely misread your post.

Anyway, the quest expiring when you reach the village makes sense in context. When you visit the village before the main plot, the elder alerts you to a monster that's been lurking outside of the village. He's been preventing people from leaving the village until it's taken care of. When you kill it, he thanks your group for taking care of it before things could get out of hand. Obviously he can't do this when you visit him during the main plot (presumably because someone else dealt with it?).

That's exactly it in that specific case actually.

Spoiler

You come across Agate coming back from the Village when you head up there for the story quest. At this point he has taken care of the monster while up there for his visit. If you complete the quest yourself the dialogue changes as he acknowledges that

I can understand your frustration but I think that's actually one of the cooler uses of the quest time limit in the series. because

Spoiler

of how taking you up there earlier gives you a neat bit of Agate foreshadowing. Prior to the story sequence if you go to the gravesite in the village there will be nothing, but after going up there for story reasons and passing Agate on the way up there will be a bouquet of flowers on top. Hinting at that being the reason for his visit at a time when you know little to nothing about him

 

[Brandon F]

That's exactly it in that specific case actually.

Spoiler

You come across Agate coming back from the Village when you head up there for the story quest. At this point he has taken care of the monster while up there for his visit. If you complete the quest yourself the dialogue changes as he acknowledges that

I can understand your frustration but I think that's actually one of the cooler uses of the quest time limit in the series. because

Spoiler

of how taking you up there earlier gives you a neat bit of Agate foreshadowing. Prior to the story sequence if you go to the gravesite in the village there will be nothing, but after going up there for story reasons and passing Agate on the way up there will be a bouquet of flowers on top. Hinting at that being the reason for his visit at a time when you know little to nothing about him

Ah! Very cool on both counts. I did reload my save(fortunately had one) and went to do that fight.

Spoiler

Agate indeed made a throwaway comment about my party handling the job fight.

. Nice detail.

 

[R_thanatos]

So i just finished FC 30 mins ago .

Well i was expecting something and i certainly got something

SC already started because i can't stop at this cliffanger

 

[zakujanai]

So i just finished FC 30 mins ago .

Well i was expecting something and i certainly got something

SC already started because i can't stop at this cliffanger

Serious envy, can't imagine being able to continue on straight into SC.

 

[BassForever]

So i just finished FC 30 mins ago .

Well i was expecting something and i certainly got something

SC already started because i can't stop at this cliffanger

True experience you need to wait at least 1 year ideally 4

 

[Psxphile]

Someone hack R_thanatos's steam account and time-lock SC for a year or two.

ideally 4

Let's not go nuts. We aren't monsters.

 

[Holundrian]

Took a few hours out today to chill and play Zero and finished the prologue.

Not that spoilery honestly just a few first impression but I'll tag it just to be safe.

Spoiler

Playing Zero kind of reinforces the feeling that the team really struggled with Cold Steel. I can't quite put my finger on what it exactly is but I was sucked into the game really almost instantly compared to Cold Steel which are still fun but in many ways made me warm up to them.

I love Crossbell, spending the start of the game just exploring and talking to different people and finding lots of cutscenes was super fun. I even met Rixia two times(the theater and city hall) not sure if there was a third time somewhere that I missed. It's really interesting although Crossbell can't compare in size to AAA RPG cities it just feels so much more alive and coherent than most of them.

As for the characters. Lloyd seems to be somewhat standard so far but he is weirdly charismatic. I like how the game treats his deduction skills. Normally it would feel like the game is stroking the players ego a bit too much but it feels balanced cause it's established super early where everyone's specialties are. Randy with combat, Tio with technology, Elie with her negotiation skills.

My experience with Zero as far as Kanji are concerned, it's been comfortably challenging. There are always stretches where I need to note a few new words down in quick succession and then stretches where there just isn't much of anything new.
I think the hardest thing about it for me is the font isn't always super readable for Kanji so for complex once I haven't seen it's a bit of guess work until I track it down in the dictionary. The one thing I wish was there is a repeat line function for the voiced parts.

There's much more probably to mention but those are just a few immediate thoughts.

 

[Gu4n]

Crossbell's development is said to have started after SC, but put on hold to develop The 3rd as some sort of bridge. Even after The 3rd of still took another three year before Zero hit shelves. Erebonia was largely developed throughout Cold Steel's five predecessors, but making the jump to full 3D on a new engine in two years meant the creative direction suffered under the technical direction. Then Cold Steel II was released in the year after to finish what they couldn't the year before. It's been a messy development cycle for Erebonia, so the three year gap for the next game will do the series justice again, I'm sure.

 

[Holundrian]

Crossbell's development is said to have started after SC, but put on hold to develop The 3rd as some sort of bridge. Even after The 3rd of still took another three year before Zero hit shelves. Erebonia was largely developed throughout Cold Steel's five predecessors, but making the jump to full 3D on a new engine in two years meant the creative direction suffered under the technical direction. Then Cold Steel II was released in the year after to finish what they couldn't the year before. It's been a messy development cycle for Erebonia, so the three year gap for the next game will do the series justice again, I'm sure.

Damn, hype levels for Sen III getting out of control.
-----
Also wanted to add most of my comments are often more in context to the kiseki series. So while I often criticize the Sen games it's really cause I'm comparing to the other games in the series. If we're talking about games in general what Falcom is doing with this series and in general on what seems to be a modest budget is extremely impressive to me.

Also makes me more aware that you don't need that fancy Mass Effect style safe import/consequences for what you did in the first game(although this is not meant to take away from ME being its own achievement in certain ways) to make a world feel like it's evolving. You can do that with far less resources just by having good writing really convey a bigger world. Michelle quizzing me on events like Phantom B or the peace treaty had so much gravity to it for me while being almost throw away in nature for a callback.

 

[Brandon F]

So i just finished FC 30 mins ago .

Well i was expecting something and i certainly got something

SC already started because i can't stop at this cliffanger

Been playing FC all week.

Somewhere in the middle of Act 2 currently("Help with a play" quest-line currently). Still kind of waiting for this game to pick up. It has to soon I imagine!

 

[PK Gaming]

So I finally finished chapter 1

And well? It wasn't really a good experience...

It was a great experience. You're given the freedom to do pretty much whatever you want, with the main plot barely keeping a leash on you. The sidequests are inventive and enjoyable, exploring the Bose region was a blast, and character building is a thing now (already unlocked all of Estelle's slots). But absolutely none of that compares to how enjoyable the main narrative was. I mean christ, character development, world building and even the dungeon design was so on point here. You get thrown in jail, you spend time at some fishing resort, infiltrate several areas and it actually feels like you're there. The sky bandits are like the most Saturday morning cartoon villains ever but in the best way. Dungeon design as I mentioned earlier was particularly great; the hideout has all of these empty rooms in them, which doesn't really make sense on your initial run through... until you're forced to go back to the beginning, frantically chasing after the Sky Bandits. And the cap off to that entire chapter was just. so. damn. sweet.

Standout characters were Olivier for his charm, humor, intrigue and general shenanigans and Schera, who seemed rather one note at first but quickly developed into a really strong teacher type character. I really love how the characters aren't always travelling together too; really lends itself to the idea that the world is massive.

I seriously can't believe there's more to go from here.

 

[zakujanai]

So I finally finished chapter 1



And well? It wasn't really a good experience...

It was a great experience. You're given the freedom to do pretty much whatever you want, with the main plot barely keeping a leash on you. The sidequests are inventive and enjoyable, exploring the Bose region was a blast, and character building is a thing now (already unlocked all of Estelle's slots). But absolutely none of that compares to how enjoyable the main narrative was. I mean christ, character development, world building and even the dungeon design was so on point here. You get thrown in jail, you spend time at some fishing resort, infiltrate several areas and it actually feels like you're there. The sky bandits are like the most Saturday morning cartoon villains ever but in the best way. Dungeon design as I mentioned earlier was particularly great; the hideout has all of these empty rooms in them, which doesn't really make sense on your initial run through... until you're forced to go back to the beginning, frantically chasing after the Sky Bandits. And the cap off to that entire chapter was just. so. damn. sweet.

Standout characters were Olivier for his charm, humor, intrigue and general shenanigans and Schera, who seemed rather one note at first but quickly developed into a really strong teacher type character. I really love how the characters aren't always travelling together too; really lends itself to the idea that the world is massive.

I seriously can't believe there's more to go from here.

I loved this chapter too, possibly my favourite in FC. The next was a bit less interesting for me but mainly because of the goddamned

Spoiler

school stuff (Kloe is of no interest at all for me)

Get past that though and chapter 3 is another enjoyable little episode that starts to build the intrigue for the finale.

 

[R_thanatos]

Serious envy, can't imagine being able to continue on straight into SC.

Someone hack R_thanatos's steam account and time-lock SC for a year or two.

Let's not go nuts. We aren't monsters.

True experience you need to wait at least 1 year ideally 4

You guys are crazy...Anyway , i took my sweet time to finish FC ( thanks to being distracted by other games ) , gonna savor it at a snail pace since i need to do other things
( i haven't touched CS2 since i wanted to finish FC and SC first , hopefully i will be able to finish everything before TC launches .. )

Been playing FC all week.

Somewhere in the middle of Act 2 currently("Help with a play" quest-line currently). Still kind of waiting for this game to pick up. It has to soon I imagine!

Well i know that feeling

 

[Moonlight]

I loved this chapter too, possibly my favourite in FC. The next was a bit less interesting for me but mainly because of the goddamned

Spoiler

school stuff (Kloe is of no interest at all for me)

Get past that though and chapter 3 is another enjoyable little episode that starts to build the intrigue for the finale.

I'm of the opposite opinion, haha. Chapter 2 was where I thought TitS really began to pick up, and I honestly really liked all the

Spoiler

school stuff (and Kloe! Wait, who doesn't like Kloe?)

.

 

[Thud]

The boss that i hated in fc is the pinguin, fuck that pinguin

He's worse in SC.

 

[BassForever]

Yeah chapter 2 for me was when Sky FC made me realize I was playing something really special.

I also like how in a post FC and SC being available world how many people I've seen plan to play other games between FC and SC throw that plan out the window when they finish FC

 

[Holundrian]

So I finally finished chapter 1
...

Every time a screenshot of Estelle is shared with her saying something I'm reminded how many funny lines she got. Keep them coming.

-------

Is there a trick to the casino in zero?(asking just in case cause you can cheat in so many jrpg casinos :-x)

 

[Brandon F]

I'm of the opposite opinion, haha. Chapter 2 was where I thought TitS really began to pick up, and I honestly really liked all the

Spoiler

school stuff (and Kloe! Wait, who doesn't like Kloe?)

.

Yeah chapter 2 for me was when Sky FC made me realize I was playing something really special.

I also like how in a post FC and SC being available world how many people I've seen plan to play other games between FC and SC throw that plan out the window when they finish FC

Eep. Gotta say, wrapping up Act 2 right now and I found it mostly a giant slog. I suppose its partially been a novelty to re-experience a Gamearts-esque gem such as this once again, but I'm also not really as engaged with these characters and events as many others seem to be. Act 2 was testing my patience quite a bit with barely any breadcrumbs surrounding the core mystery on offer.

I perked up at the end of Act 1 with some teases, but that momentum came to a halt as I divulged in Ruan's periphery affairs for almost 10 hours(though the play was very well portrayed with these sprites). Things are swinging back now at the climax of Act 2 now that has finally reignited my interest, but while I -like- this cast and the writing is very polished, can't say I'm really captivated. It's been a nice little jRPG, but the weight of this two game epic is really starting to question my ability as to whether I am truly able to see it through. Totally get why so many would fawn over it though.

 

[Holundrian]

Eep. Gotta say, wrapping up Act 2 right now and I found it mostly a giant slog. I suppose its partially been a novelty to re-experience a Gamearts-esque gem such as this once again, but I'm also not really as engaged with these characters and events as many others seem to be. Act 2 was testing my patience quite a bit with barely any breadcrumbs surrounding the core mystery on offer.

I perked up at the end of Act 1 with some teases, but that momentum came to a halt as I divulged in Ruan's periphery affairs for almost 10 hours(though the play was very well portrayed with these sprites). Things are swinging back now at the climax of Act 2 now that has finally reignited my interest, but while I -like- this cast and the writing is very polished, can't say I'm really captivated. It's been a nice little jRPG, but the weight of this two game epic is really starting to question my ability as to whether I am truly able to see it through. Totally get why so many would fawn over it though.

I can tell you now I don't think it's going to get better soon as far as the main plot stuff is concerned. That's also not quite the main appeal of the series.
When I played Trails in the Sky the very first time years ago I ended my playthrough on feeling like it was one of the most solid B rank JRPGs around. Just good, not outstanding.

Presently my opinions have changed because I didn't really know the series back then and I didn't understand the series to appreciate its true strengths and that is not to defend it's weaknesses like the slow pacing, it is slow absolutely, but the way you really get the most out of these games is to relish in the world and really take it in, especially because this very world is going to grow and evolve with each following game. I don't quite remember where act 2 ends but I believe at that point it's really more about getting into the groove of bracer life and any overarching plotpoints should have been sparse I think?
--------------------
I look back at all the JRPGs since 2010 and really you don't have a lot of them that really get their worlds right, or the characters, or the story not ending up an absolute trainwreck.

So I'm not going to tell you keep on cause Trails like Dark Souls, you have to be in the mood to commit(just a different typ of commitment) and see it through, and like Dark Souls you'll get incredibly rewarded but at the same time it's not for everyone/every mood. It's really like with any of the big fantasy epics, each book further you commit the more you'll get out of it until you're painfully waiting for winds of winter .

 

[BassForever]

Yeah for me the main plot of the trails games is kinda secondary to what makes the games special. Its how well written every npc is, how everyone you talk to every scene has new things to say feels like they're really alive. The school part was really where this became apparent when you're confined their for an extended period of time and all the npc students had more depth then some main characters in other games during your short stay there.

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

Eep. Gotta say, wrapping up Act 2 right now and I found it mostly a giant slog. I suppose its partially been a novelty to re-experience a Gamearts-esque gem such as this once again, but I'm also not really as engaged with these characters and events as many others seem to be. Act 2 was testing my patience quite a bit with barely any breadcrumbs surrounding the core mystery on offer.

I perked up at the end of Act 1 with some teases, but that momentum came to a halt as I divulged in Ruan's periphery affairs for almost 10 hours(though the play was very well portrayed with these sprites). Things are swinging back now at the climax of Act 2 now that has finally reignited my interest, but while I -like- this cast and the writing is very polished, can't say I'm really captivated. It's been a nice little jRPG, but the weight of this two game epic is really starting to question my ability as to whether I am truly able to see it through. Totally get why so many would fawn over it though.

Act 2 was the weakest for me for the exact reasons you listed, and my impression of the game after ending that act was similar to yours.

Looking back, I fell like the entire first game is sort of the "prologue" of the whole series. It's not until the game's very end that it laid bare everything the narrative has to offer, a culmination of slowly and meticulously building up the world for the entire game. At that point, either you're in for the whole ride or you're not. To me it's very much a game that requires huge investment but also gives huge rewards.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

I think it's the the quiet pace; the major focus of the previous two sections are done, but the two hanging threads

Spoiler

Cassius' whereabouts and the Black Orbment meant for him

hang around till Ch 3 to have one be touched upon. It makes the many subtle "wheels within wheels" storylines and themes that makes Trails so damn good be forgotten as the overarching plot takes a break other than "Get Ruan's reccomendation". I have seen SO many people drop it there, right before shit returns to hitting the fan.

Yes, even with the lunch scene. Man that scene was so damn good. Masterful writing.

And shit will hit the fan, Brandon. That "four year wait" was not lies. Oh no, and it wasn't in vain either, oh no no no no.

 

[Brandon F]

Thanks for the measured thoughts everyone. I'm definitely sticking with it, just had a bit of concern given the last several hours weren't exactly motivating me much. Despite that, I am looking forward to seeing this through and to witness the big reveals ahead of SC. Certainly very curious to see this whole saga play out eventually, including Cold Steel...potentially far into the future.

 

[kiriin]

Spoiler

My experience with Zero as far as Kanji are concerned, it's been comfortably challenging. There are always stretches where I need to note a few new words down in quick succession and then stretches where there just isn't much of anything new.
I think the hardest thing about it for me is the font isn't always super readable for Kanji so for complex once I haven't seen it's a bit of guess work until I track it down in the dictionary. The one thing I wish was there is a repeat line function for the voiced parts.

Im guessing you're playing the vita/evo version (?) which had some weird lowres font for ui/dialogue. Wasn't a problem in the psp version.

Spoiler

As for the characters. Lloyd seems to be somewhat standard so far but he is weirdly charismatic.

He had a great VA that match well with him. Maybe that why

 

[chaosblade]

Trails FC is a game that I think is a lot better on a second playthrough. I found it to just be pretty good the first time through, but enjoyed it a lot more the second time around when I was aware of everything and saw how all the little details played into the big picture. And it seems like that isn't only the case on an individual game basis, but also a full series one.

I also think a break between FC and SC is probably ideal, despite FC's ending/SC's opening. The games are structured very similarly and going through SC immediately afterward seems like it could leave a lot of people burnt out before the game manages to separate itself from FC.

 

[apd_ng]

Starting up the two Sky games after finishing the cold steel games

Are there any characters that make cameos? That i'll notice from cold > sky?

also

Spoiler

FeelsCrowMan

 

[Glitter and Gold]

Starting up the two Sky games after finishing the cold steel games

Are there any characters that make cameos? That i'll notice from cold > sky?

Yeah

 

[Psxphile]

Starting up the two Sky games after finishing the cold steel games

Are there any characters that make cameos? That i'll notice from cold > sky?

also

Spoiler

FeelsCrowMan

Two big ones, and two minor characters that I can recall off the top of my head.
EDIT: oop, and one more you won't see until well into SC