what do you feel has been spoiled regarding Ao? All the game does is show some things without any explanation whatsoever i feel. Except for a character outright saying they travel between them.
But Ao certainly spoils more, actually the Ao spoils the whole ending twist.
Since you're already here I'll leave a short description of what Ao actually spoils for CS1 and 2.
The trade conference takes place, though Towa is nowhere to be found and a nameless terrorist who presumably is Gideon dies. Some time later Erebonia decides to nuke Crossbell for their bank freeze. They actually decide to fire on the city for real with the guns (after CS1 ch5) and had their shots blocked by Crossbell's weapons. Then Garrelia gets hit. Then the story continues until the tree shows up and vanishes and in the very end of the game the ending narration spoils that Osborne is alive, the nobles lost, Crossbell gets invaded, and gives a date for its liberation with some motivating shots of the cast covertly fighting against the empire.
All in all it's not much that gets spoiled but then again CS2 doesn't have many real spoilers.
How much of Crossbell declaring independence and then the President getting arrested was important to the story of Zero/Ao? It felt very major reading about Crossbell from the news and having that plotline referenced a lot toward the end of CS2. Not much of the Azure Tree stuff feels spoiled in CS2 other than Ouroboros being behind it and the tree going away by the end.
Unfortunately didn't follow any of this news until I just saw it now. I figured it wouldn't be Kiseki but you know how keeping realistic expectations goes. :P
I have problems with Cold Steel (the first one) hard locking my PC (steam), seemingly totally randomly
Anybody had this problem? Is there maybe a known solution to it?
Pretty sure I stopped right before the final boss of CS1 last night. Was 1:45am by the time I hit that point and I had to be up at 5:00am for work, so I made the hard call of saving it for tonight BUT
Even though Crow was my first guess to be C and I eventually had it spoiled, they still did a really good of making him so likable that it made me anxious all throughout Ch6 when he got stuck in the "cave-in", thinking they would reveal it then. Even by the time they show you in the final chapter I was still pretty bummed about it. The game really takes a hard turn at the end of the festival and as it's my first game in the series, I really wasn't expecting it to become so dark and uncertain so fast. I mean, obviously the boxart for CS2 looks pretty war ridden and I was curious what would lead up to that but I still wasn't ready. ALSO WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THIS WAS A SECRET MECH GAME?
Either way I'll wrap it up tonight and hopefully jump right into CS2!
Also as someone with an uninformed opinion. Lloyd is definitely the cutest protagonist aesthetically. Change My Mind.
Although I'm terrible with avoiding spoilers, the entire ending of CS1 completely floored me. C is Crow?! Osborne is dead?! Misty is Vita is from Ouroboros?!?!
Yet even among all those the mech thing made actually made my jaw drop.
Also, my uninformed speculation also tells me that Lloyd is gonna sail through the rankings once more people (like me) get their hands on Zero/Ao.
It was great beating up Rean lol. Very interesting making Rean be the enemy for the chapter.
How much of Crossbell declaring independence and then the President getting arrested was important to the story of Zero/Ao? It felt very major reading about Crossbell from the news and having that plotline referenced a lot toward the end of CS2. Not much of the Azure Tree stuff feels spoiled in CS2 other than Ouroboros being behind it and the tree going away by the end.
actually i have to retract my earlier post, i replayed the divertissement earlier today and that part definitely spoils a bit too much. Up till then it isn't that bad a i feel but then the introduction is a bit too detailed for people that haven't been able to play crossbell i feel.
It was great beating up Rean lol. Very interesting making Rean be the enemy for the chapter.
How much of Crossbell declaring independence and then the President getting arrested was important to the story of Zero/Ao? It felt very major reading about Crossbell from the news and having that plotline referenced a lot toward the end of CS2. Not much of the Azure Tree stuff feels spoiled in CS2 other than Ouroboros being behind it and the tree going away by the end.
Crossbell declaring independence is a rather large spoiler and the President getting arrested is a footnote in the ending sequence though Ao has plenty of other big ones up its sleeve for you to find out. It's definitely the most impactful Kiseki game I've played. (haven't played CS3 yet)
So I was wondering about something said by one of the villains in Cold Steel II
I think it was Blueblanc who said that only people who have some "darkness" to them (I'm guessing some previous trauma) are able to be become Enforcers. From the Enforcers we know of, almost all of them have had tragic past events. But what about Blueblanc himself? He apparently hails from Erebonia which makes sense as he is a noble, but if I remember correctly his origin story was revealed in Sky TC, where he became a thief because he was a bored noble with too much time on his hands. And given his general demeanor he doesn't appear to show any effects of heavy trauma.
Is his backstory touched upon at all in CS3?
Also is there a similar requirement to being an Anguis, or is it just swear fealty to the Grandmaster?
So I was wondering about something said by one of the villains in Cold Steel II
I think it was Blueblanc who said that only people who have some "darkness" to them (I'm guessing some previous trauma) are able to be become Enforcers. From the Enforcers we know of, almost all of them have had tragic past events. But what about Blueblanc himself? He apparently hails from Erebonia which makes sense as he is a noble, but if I remember correctly his origin story was revealed in Sky TC, where he became a thief because he was a bored noble with too much time on his hands. And given his general demeanor he doesn't appear to show any effects of heavy trauma.
Is his backstory touched upon at all in CS3?
Also is there a similar requirement to being an Anguis, or is it just swear fealty to the Grandmaster?
Some of his past is touched on in 3rd and it explains a bit if you figure out the right solution.
Edit: You do reference that, but IIRC there was a bit more to it.
I think the correct identity for him in 3rd was the one about being a poor non-noble that had to steal to live as a child. Then he fell in love with a noble woman and took up a false identity as a noble.
So I was wondering about something said by one of the villains in Cold Steel II
I think it was Blueblanc who said that only people who have some "darkness" to them (I'm guessing some previous trauma) are able to be become Enforcers. From the Enforcers we know of, almost all of them have had tragic past events. But what about Blueblanc himself? He apparently hails from Erebonia which makes sense as he is a noble, but if I remember correctly his origin story was revealed in Sky TC, where he became a thief because he was a bored noble with too much time on his hands. And given his general demeanor he doesn't appear to show any effects of heavy trauma.
Is his backstory touched upon at all in CS3?
Also is there a similar requirement to being an Anguis, or is it just swear fealty to the Grandmaster?
When we are in Nord trying to disable the orbal jammer and confront him he outright talks about his idea of beauty. He thinks seeing Nord burn to the ground would be one of the most beautiful scenes he could think of. It is a macabre idea of where beauty can be found at in my opinion. I think Bleublanc is the most ambiguous among the enforcers simply due to what his motivations are simply due to his motivation being to find beauty. Regarding the darkness that is further explained through Duvalie, which also is brought up in the game; she does not lack any skills whatsoever to become an Enforcer but she simply does not have the darkness. We do not even know if she has any knowledge of the GM for example. She already treats her master similar to have other people treat the GM as someone deserving strong loyalty. However, this is a sen4 expectation;
i expect Duvalie to be contested in her loyalty exactly due to her lack of darkness in sen4
Regarding the Anguis it is similar, they just hold a lot more vital positions in the planning of projects. Swearing fealty to the GM is something all members have in common. We do not know who she is but for her to have assembled such a potent group of people that are deeply loyal to her is saying a lot. It is one of the common reasons because assume she is Aidios after all.
Some of his past is touched on in 3rd and it explains a bit if you figure out the right solution.
Edit: You do reference that, but IIRC there was a bit more to it.
I think the correct identity for him in 3rd was the one about being a poor non-noble that had to steal to live as a child. Then he fell in love with a noble woman and took up a false identity as a noble.
Also I accidentally spoiled myself on Gaius in CS3 when going through the Kiseki wiki, but now i'm really interested in his development. I thought he was kinda "just there" in CS1 and 2, even if he did have a good reason to go to Thors.
I beat Cold Steel last night! First Falcom game I ever played and completed and it was enough for me to be all in on this franchise and try some of their other series. (Own a couple Ys games and bought Tokyo Xanadu eX+ recently).
Man, this game. It turned into Xenogears and then it just ENDS. If it wasn't like 12:30am by the time I beat it last night and I didn't have to be up at 5:00am I would have started CS2 immediately. The mech designs are super rad. I think those battles would get repetitive, but if you fleshed it out a tad more, I would super play a game all about the mechs lol. I'm super impressed with this game, probably up there with a lot of my favorites and I really look forward to experience the rest of the series. Man, I was ready for a cliffhanger, but not one that abrupt. Literally get's to it's most exciting point and the credits role.
Man, this game. It turned into Xenogears and then it just ENDS. If it wasn't like 12:30am by the time I beat it last night and I didn't have to be up at 5:00am I would have started CS2 immediately. The mech designs are super rad. I think those battles would get repetitive, but if you fleshed it out a tad more, I would super play a game all about the mechs lol. I'm super impressed with this game, probably up there with a lot of my favorites and I really look forward to experience the rest of the series. Man, I was ready for a cliffhanger, but not one that abrupt. Literally get's to it's most exciting point and the credits role.
Now he just needs to go out there and get his main course.
Crossbell declaring independence is a rather large spoiler and the President getting arrested is a footnote in the ending sequence though Ao has plenty of other big ones up its sleeve for you to find out. It's definitely the most impactful Kiseki game I've played. (haven't played CS3 yet)
She's probably my least favorite character in all of CS3. Nothing screams more than "character built around only Rean" save for Elise, hah. Granted there's more to her because of plot reasons, but what a terrible first impression.
She's probably my least favorite character in all of CS3. Nothing screams more than "character built around only Rean" save for Elise, hah. Granted there's more to her because of plot reasons, but what a terrible first impression.
I know that she's supposed to be a Rean fangirl but when I saw how she actually interacts with Rean in trailers, I just assumed that she's not actually sincere (like, there's no way I could take a scene of somebody seducing somebody by saying "I want your heart and soul" without thinking that something is up).
I know that she's supposed to be a Rean fangirl but when I saw how she actually interacts with Rean in trailers, I just assumed that she's not actually sincere (like, there's no way I could take a scene of somebody seducing somebody by saying "I want your heart and soul" without thinking that something is up).
Just finished Trails 3rd, after starting on Trails FC early last month, and SC earlier this month. Ended up with just shy of 200 hours playtime between FC (52 hours), SC (92) & the 3rd (53). When taken as a whole trilogy, these games are definitely my favorite JRPGs of all time, and if excluding the JRPG descriptor, one of my favorite series of games of all time. What amazing games, and what stellar soundtracks! I may need to sit on it and think about it for a while (since I just beat the game), but right now, I feel that "The Final Choice" in the 3rd might be my favorite piece of music in gaming, and some of the other tracks in the rest of the games (as well as some other stellar tracks in the 3rd) are definitely up there too. The first "drop" at 1:01 is great, but the second one at 1:48 gave me chills the first time it played in
the last chapter before you go to take on the final area. The combination of the music and the dialogue from all the characters discussing the situation really hit me. I know it actually played earlier in star door 8, but this moment was when I really noticed how amazing it was
I may make a longer post in this thread regarding my thoughts on the game and series, but I wanted to check in first and thank all those who recommended FC and put it on my radar. If not for people on the former forum and this one who kept bringing it up, I would not have heard about this game, and been able to enjoy this experience.
Think I'm going to take a break for a while, but I do plan to pick up Trails of Cold Steel, even if from what I've heard, the story and characters don't quite measure up to TiTS. It's more JRPG from Falcom, so after my experience with TiTS, they have my attention going forward without question. Even if it isn't quite as good, if it's close, that's good enough for me.
Hopefully the Crossbell games get translated sometime in the near future, as I really want to see what happens with
Renne. Especially after seeing star door 15 and the way things finished up in the ending sequence... man, what a heavy backstory... I thought Joshua's was bad...
I have a week long staycation and finished Xenoblade 2 finally so I decided to finally jump into Cold Steel, since it doesn't look like Crossbell will be localized anytime soon. Playing on PS3.
Just made it past the prologue, and wandered around the school grounds... didn't expect it to have a bunch of Persona-ish elements... is the whole of the Cold Steel series like that? The battles are great and fast, music seems improved from the Sky games (even though the town theme sounds like a Dire Dire Docks ripoff :P), graphics are serviceable. I look forward to playing more though... and hoping for some connections to the Sky trilogy (don't spoil)!
Just finished Trails 3rd, after starting on Trails FC early last month, and SC earlier this month. Ended up with just shy of 200 hours playtime between FC (52 hours), SC (92) & the 3rd (53). When taken as a whole trilogy, these games are definitely my favorite JRPGs of all time, and if excluding the JRPG descriptor, one of my favorite series of games of all time. What amazing games, and what stellar soundtracks! I may need to sit on it and think about it for a while (since I just beat the game), but right now, I feel that "The Final Choice" in the 3rd might be my favorite piece of music in gaming, and some of the other tracks in the rest of the games (as well as some other stellar tracks in the 3rd) are definitely up there too. The first "drop" at 1:01 is great, but the second one at 1:48 gave me chills the first time it played in
the last chapter before you go to take on the final area. The combination of the music and the dialogue from all the characters discussing the situation really hit me. I know it actually played earlier in star door 8, but this moment was when I really noticed how amazing it was
I may make a longer post in this thread regarding my thoughts on the game and series, but I wanted to check in first and thank all those who recommended FC and put it on my radar. If not for people on the former forum and this one who kept bringing it up, I would not have heard about this game, and been able to enjoy this experience.
Think I'm going to take a break for a while, but I do plan to pick up Trails of Cold Steel, even if from what I've heard, the story and characters don't quite measure up to TiTS. It's more JRPG from Falcom, so after my experience with TiTS, they have my attention going forward without question. Even if it isn't quite as good, if it's close, that's good enough for me.
Hopefully the Crossbell games get translated sometime in the near future, as I really want to see what happens with
Renne. Especially after seeing star door 15 and the way things finished up in the ending sequence... man, what a heavy backstory... I thought Joshua's was bad...
Just finished Trails 3rd, after starting on Trails FC early last month, and SC earlier this month. Ended up with just shy of 200 hours playtime between FC (52 hours), SC (92) & the 3rd (53). When taken as a whole trilogy, these games are definitely my favorite JRPGs of all time, and if excluding the JRPG descriptor, one of my favorite series of games of all time. What amazing games, and what stellar soundtracks! I may need to sit on it and think about it for a while (since I just beat the game), but right now, I feel that "The Final Choice" in the 3rd might be my favorite piece of music in gaming, and some of the other tracks in the rest of the games (as well as some other stellar tracks in the 3rd) are definitely up there too. The first "drop" at 1:01 is great, but the second one at 1:48 gave me chills the first time it played in
the last chapter before you go to take on the final area. The combination of the music and the dialogue from all the characters discussing the situation really hit me. I know it actually played earlier in star door 8, but this moment was when I really noticed how amazing it was
I may make a longer post in this thread regarding my thoughts on the game and series, but I wanted to check in first and thank all those who recommended FC and put it on my radar. If not for people on the former forum and this one who kept bringing it up, I would not have heard about this game, and been able to enjoy this experience.
Think I'm going to take a break for a while, but I do plan to pick up Trails of Cold Steel, even if from what I've heard, the story and characters don't quite measure up to TiTS. It's more JRPG from Falcom, so after my experience with TiTS, they have my attention going forward without question. Even if it isn't quite as good, if it's close, that's good enough for me.
Hopefully the Crossbell games get translated sometime in the near future, as I really want to see what happens with
Renne. Especially after seeing star door 15 and the way things finished up in the ending sequence... man, what a heavy backstory... I thought Joshua's was bad...
Nice to hear you enjoyed them. The Final Choice is awesome, and there's a decent remix of it that you'll hear at some point when you get into the Cold Steel games. And since you linked to the Falcom Music Channel, I should warn you that the cover art used for the Cold Steel 2 music there contains a major spoiler for Cold Steel 1. If you're sensitive to that, avoid searching up CS music until you finish CS1.
I just finished CS2 not too long ago, and NexasX's post is a pretty apt way of putting it. The Cold Steel games also have better NPCs, if you're into that.
That's awesome. I started playing Trails in the Sky on New Year's Day and I just got to chapter 3 last night. I really enjoy it, but time has been limited because of work and school. I only have five weeks of classes left and I should get a bit more free time though. I'd like to get through all three Sky games by the end of the year.
Joking aside, I read a comment from Durante that in his opinion, Estelle is the best protagonist in any JRPG, and I can't say I disagree. I'm no JRPG scholar - I mean, I've definitely played enough to know what to expect, but I'm sure there's some greats I haven't played yet. From what I have played however, I can't think of anyone better, or even close.
Nice to hear you enjoyed them. The Final Choice is awesome, and there's a decent remix of it that you'll hear at some point when you get into the Cold Steel games. And since you linked to the Falcom Music Channel, I should warn you that the cover art used for the Cold Steel 2 music there contains a major spoiler for Cold Steel 1. If you're sensitive to that, avoid searching up CS music until you finish CS1.
I just finished CS2 not too long ago, and NexasX's post is a pretty apt way of putting it. The Cold Steel games also have better NPCs, if you're into that.
Duly noted, thanks for the heads up. I've taken the approach of not seeking out music for a game until I'm done it, because it's great to be surprised by a new track you haven't heard before or a great new version of one you're already familiar with. Seems like your warning validates my approach, so I'll stick to it.
Better NPCs sounds nice - I thought they were pretty good for a JRPG in the TiTS series, so I'm curious to see how that turns out.
That's awesome. I started playing Trails in the Sky on New Year's Day and I just got to chapter 3 last night. I really enjoy it, but time has been limited because of work and school. I only have five weeks of classes left and I should get a bit more free time though. I'd like to get through all three Sky games by the end of the year.
The rate at which I pushed through those games was a bit nuts, so that's why I'm going to take a bit of a break. Sounds like you're going for a much more reasonable approach, which is what I'm hoping to do with the next games I start.
Man, you are in for a treat if you see these games all the way through. Once the story starts picking up steam in FC, hold on tight. Also might want to have a copy of SC ready to go, because you're not going to want to wait to start playing SC once you wrap FC.
All 3 games in the Liberl arc seem to start off slower (but still interesting and engaging), and get to a point where it feels like they're dragging a little bit, but once you get past that point, the pay off for everything they've been setting up is completely worth it.
I'd imagine that the 3rd game is the most polarizing for TiTS fans, because it's much more like a dungeon crawler than the first two. However, it does have some great story elements, you get a chance to see what your favorite characters got up to after SC, and it is absolutely worth seeing the game through just for the ending. The 3rd also has a great soundtrack; maybe the best in the Liberl arc, and the first two games are absolutely no slouch.
I've been enjoying my time with the 3rd. The segmented structure makes it quite easy to take breaks without losing too much. I'm not sure if I'll dive straight into cold steel when I'm done. I played through FC & SC last year and I was kind of hoping there'd be some movement (official or fan translations) in the A0/Zero games before I was done with the 3rd.
Next week marks the end of the three-month drought on Sen IV news.
March 24th (this Saturday), the Sen III Official Visual Collection artbook will be released, both as paperback and as Kindle version.
March 29th (next week's Thursday), the Sen no Kiseki Magazine Vol. 3 will be released. It features information on Sen IV, an interview with Kondo, apparently lists the 1000+ characters that appeared in the trilogy so far and contains a (separate) appendix with material from Sen I's early development.
March 29th is also the date the new Dengeki PlayStation drops, expected to cover roughly the same information as the Sen Magazine, confirmed to have an interview with Kondo and introducing new characters.
Information from these magazines is expected to leak on March 27th (maybe late 26th).
It has to. In Sen III alone there are, give or take, 600-650 characters. That includes recurring characters like Rean. Add the many NPCs from eastern Erebonia in I & II and you (apparently) go beyond 1000.
Man, you are in for a treat if you see these games all the way through. Once the story starts picking up steam in FC, hold on tight. Also might want to have a copy of SC ready to go, because you're not going to want to wait to start playing SC once you wrap FC.
Yeah, I plan on playing the trilogy. I bought the first game on PSP on sale years ago, before the PC versions updated. I just never got around to playing it back then. Eventually I picked up SC on sale on Steam, and someone sold me a spare FC key from a bundle for something like $3 in the old BST thread. Over Christmas I had played through Ys II and wanted more Falcom in my life so that's why I stared FC on New Year's Day. I still keep going back to Breath of the Wild so I don't give Trails my full attention but I've been putting more time into it as I get farther along.
Joking aside, I read a comment from Durante that in his opinion, Estelle is the best protagonist in any JRPG, and I can't say I disagree. I'm no JRPG scholar - I mean, I've definitely played enough to know what to expect, but I'm sure there's some greats I haven't played yet. From what I have played however, I can't think of anyone better, or even close.
I haven't played every JRPG either of course (though I'm well into the triple digits), but yeah, I can't really think of a JRPG protagonist that can compete with Estelle.
I've been enjoying my time with the 3rd. The segmented structure makes it quite easy to take breaks without losing too much. I'm not sure if I'll dive straight into cold steel when I'm done. I played through FC & SC last year and I was kind of hoping there'd be some movement (official or fan translations) in the A0/Zero games before I was done with the 3rd.
For sure. Especially since you can go back in to the doors if you want to view the content again.
I was hoping to hear more on the games in the Crossbell arc as well, but looks like we'll be waiting a while. I guess another part of the Trails experience is waiting indeterminate amounts of time before games are translated, unfortunately.
Yeah, I plan on playing the trilogy. I bought the first game on PSP on sale years ago, before the PC versions updated. I just never got around to playing it back then. Eventually I picked up SC on sale on Steam, and someone sold me a spare FC key from a bundle for something like $3 in the old BST thread. Over Christmas I had played through Ys II and wanted more Falcom in my life so that's why I stared FC on New Year's Day. I still keep going back to Breath of the Wild so I don't give Trails my full attention but I've been putting more time into it as I get farther along.
I actually never finished Ys II; maybe I should go back and play it? I finished Ys I and really enjoyed it, but I may have burned myself out by starting II so quickly after 1.
I can see why you'd be hard pressed to leave BOTW alone - it's got some of the best exploration I've ever seen in a game, and is in the conversation for my favorite game ever. My only nitpick is that I wish the story was more involved than it is. Story and characters mean a lot to me, which is why TiTS ranks so high on my favorite games list. I haven't seen better character development, and the characters and story are great as well.
I started TiTS the 3rd recently, over a year after finishing SC which was one of my favourite jrpgs ever. I'm enjoying it alright but a bit less than the previous games. I'm not really digging the setup so far. I love Kevin and I'm enjoying him as a protagonist, Ries is interesting and they make a nice duo. Other characters feel kinda superficial though. There's way too goddamn many of them and most just get lost in the crowd. I feel a bit like I'm playing a Trails gacha game and just collecting them all as they randomly pop out.
Other than that, I gotta say turbo mode is a godsend. The combat in these games was always solid mechanically but painfully slow. The animations are so drawn out it's almost like they were trying to make them take as much time as possible on purpose. Being able to just speed through the bullshit makes battling much more enjoyable.
I actually never finished Ys II; maybe I should go back and play it? I finished Ys I and really enjoyed it, but I may have burned myself out by starting II so quickly after 1.
I started TiTS the 3rd recently, over a year after finishing SC which was one of my favourite jrpgs ever. I'm enjoying it alright but a bit less than the previous games. I'm not really digging the setup so far. I love Kevin and I'm enjoying him as a protagonist, Ries is interesting and they make a nice duo. Other characters feel kinda superficial though. There's way too goddamn many of them and most just get lost in the crowd. I feel a bit like I'm playing a Trails gacha game and just collecting them all as they randomly pop out.
I'd say that the biggest challenge with the 3rd is adjusting your expectations based on what you played from FC/SC. I got fairly turned off for the first half hour or so because I wasn't expecting the first door to be so long, but once I got into the rhythm of the game it went by a lot smoother.
I think of it this way: this is definitely Kevin and Ries's story to see through, and everyone else along for the ride is a combination of fan-service, where-are-they-now epilogues, and lore building.
I haven't played every JRPG either of course (though I'm well into the triple digits), but yeah, I can't really think of a JRPG protagonist that can compete with Estelle.
Triple digits? Damn, I'd say that's pretty respectable. I've played maybe a couple dozen if I had to guess.
Crazy that from what I've read, Estelle was Falcom's first female protagonist. For them to knock it out of the park on the first try is pretty amazing - not only the best female protagonist, but the best protagonist in jrpgs period?
I'll admit I'm a bit bummed about that fact, because not that it's impossible to write the characters and story in another game the same way, but since it seems it hasn't been attempted to that level since is disappointing. That level of character development is so rare. Not just for Estelle, but Joshua, Kloe, Renne, Agate and so many others. I hope we see more games like that, but I'm not holding my breath.
I'm grateful for the chance to see this trilogy through, but sad I'm not likely to see another one like it again.
I started TiTS the 3rd recently, over a year after finishing SC which was one of my favourite jrpgs ever. I'm enjoying it alright but a bit less than the previous games. I'm not really digging the setup so far. I love Kevin and I'm enjoying him as a protagonist, Ries is interesting and they make a nice duo. Other characters feel kinda superficial though. There's way too goddamn many of them and most just get lost in the crowd. I feel a bit like I'm playing a Trails gacha game and just collecting them all as they randomly pop out.
Other than that, I gotta say turbo mode is a godsend. The combat in these games was always solid mechanically but painfully slow. The animations are so drawn out it's almost like they were trying to make them take as much time as possible on purpose. Being able to just speed through the bullshit makes battling much more enjoyable.
Yeah, turbo mode is a must. Can believe I played almost all of FC without it before incorporating it into my routine. As for the 3rd, stick with it. All 3 games dragged for me at times near the start, and I feel that the 3rd was the worst in that regard. It does pick up, and the payoff is totally worth it. Kevin and Reis' story is great as well.
I agree on the other characters at first. As per Trails tradition, make sure you keep talking to them between each development, as they interact with each other well, and some extra attachment to them enhanced the ending for me. At first they're pretty superficial, but most of them get their moments before the game is over.
I'd say that the biggest challenge with the 3rd is adjusting your expectations based on what you played from FC/SC. I got fairly turned off for the first half hour or so because I wasn't expecting the first door to be so long, but once I got into the rhythm of the game it went by a lot smoother.
I think of it this way: this is definitely Kevin and Ries's story to see through, and everyone else along for the ride is a combination of fan-service, where-are-they-now epilogues, and lore building.
Absolutely. Kevin's story is worth seeing and the rest is just more time with the characters you like. I even improved my opinion on some I didn't care for that much.
