So yeah, literally just finished Cold Steel 2 last night and I have to say..........I feel empty inside now lol. Empty in a good way because I genuinely loved the world and characters and playing this game was my nightly routine after work.
I'm not going to sit here and tell you the writing was incredible. The voice acting was immaculate. The graphics were outstanding.
They weren't.
But you know what? I genuinely loved these characters. I loved going around town and talking to everyone after every mission. Spreading the bonding points around so that no one felt left out lol.
I really did enjoy the gameplay (played both games on hard and would recommend this difficulty), but I found that once I understood the systems, I could pretty much destroy mobs 90% of the time without them even getting a single turn in. CS2 was even worse because S-crafts pretty much broke the game in my opinion. I gave Laura the highest strength I could and her Scraft would pretty much destroy anything, and took out like half a boss health.
The music was also fan-fucking-tastic. I mean, this track is so badass in context too.
And good LORD at the fucking AMOUNT OF TEXT. Holy shit. This is like 50 bibles put together or something. Everyone has something new to say every time a new chapter starts. Like something will happen in the world. And I'll go to some fucking boonies town and talk to someone who I would never speak to because they are completely irrelevant and out of the way...........and they'll have brand new text talking about what happened. Like what the fuck? Like, there is no point for me being here and there is no point for me to talk to this person, but there they are, saying something new. Pretty crazy.
I also really liked the story and world as well. I did not play any of the trails games before (I did however watch a plot walkthrough of all the games which was like 10 hours or something) and I don't think I would have missed out on TOO much. I would still recommend it though because some parts of these games feel awesome when a character is referenced or an event is taking place, and it connects them.
But yeah, I would play CS3 right now. No problem after I just sunk 150 hours. But I'm gonna wait till after Death Stranding.
Newcomers FAQ:
1. Should I play this game?
- Yes!
1a. How long are these games?
- I did no grinding or went out of my way to look for secrets or whatever. Just a casual playthrough for both.
Cold Steel 1: 85 hours
Cod Steel 2: 70 hours
2. What is the gameplay like?
- It is 100% turn based JRPG. All commands are selected, and on the side of the screen you can see turn order. This turn order can be manipulated to your favour and to the detriment of the enemy. Youtube video so you can see the combat. Not a spoiler! PS3 Footage
3. What is up with the graphics? Isn't this on PS4?
- Yes, Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2 have been ported to the PS4 with enhancements like better resolution and fast froward mode and more VO. These games came out on the VITA. So yeah, a lot of the textures are super flat. The mouths are simple jpgs moving. The animations are REALLY stiff. I don't think you'll be super awed by the graphics, but it 100% has its moments where you'll think "This actually looks good!".
3a. So what is the general plot of Cold Steel 1/what do you do in this game?
- You are a group of students accepted into Thors Military Academy. General gameplay loop is you'll live a few days at the academy, doing student things, bonding with classmates. Then you'll get an assignment to travel to a different city and complete assignments there which usually turns into a bigger situation that the group gets involved in. Each assignment is usually self contained, but it will eventually feed into a bigger narrative, which also itself feeds into an overarching narrative. The game is less about some super God taking over the world, but more political, with different groups fighting for power for the country.
At the end of the day, this is a SLOW BURN. 10000% a slow burn. The first game at least. A lot of the places you go don't affect the world too much, but they are more about learning more about your classmates and learning more about the world. It does eventually turn into something bigger, but that kinda comes near the end where it goes into Trails of Cold Steel 2. The introductions are over, and now its about advancing that overarching narrative I was talking about.
4. So ummmm, how many games are there before Cold Steel 1?
- Yeah..........there are FIVE lol.
5. Surely you jest!
- No, there are 5. Am I going to say 100% you need to play all 5 before playing Cold Steel 1? No.
Do I think you will get more out of the Cold Steel games if you do? Absolutely.
If you are thinking to yourself "Ohh man, 5 games. Fuck this, I'm never gonna be able to get into the series", then I would say "Don't worry about it. Not yet at least"
6. Ok, there are 5 games. How does that tie into Cold Steel?
- Ok, the series is broken up like this. Imagine a continent with different countries in it. Trails 1-3 take place in one country with their own problems and characters and threat to overcome. Trails 4-5 take place after that, in a new country with new characters and threat to take care of. Trails 6-7 (Cold Steel 1 and 2) take place in another country with threats etc etc. 99% of the characters in the respective "arcs" are brand new, new story. However, everyone exists on this continent and all characters exist at the same time. Countries fight with each other, and sometimes characters from one of the other "arcs" will get referenced, show up, or events that have taken place there will get mentioned or directly affect your game.
Each arc though is roughly self contained, with a greater "evil" manipulating ALL the games.
So yeah, you'll see a character from an old game show up and you'll be like "Ohhh its THAT PERSON! Cool!!!" or "Ohh wow. So thats what happened over there". Not really mandatory, but definitely nice.
7. Ok, fine, I give in. I'll play the games. But I ain't playing all 5. Kiss me arse.
- Fair enough. I didn't. I skipped to Cold Steel 1.
If you really want to devote yourself to the series and get the best out of it, I'd watch this recap of the first game.
From there..........I won't lie. It turns into a time sink. There is a youtuber who goes over every game in pretty good detail, skips all battles, and she has a good grasp of what to skip and what not to skip. If you watch these, it is in my opinion you will have a VERY solid grasp on the world of Trails without playing the games. But like I said, it is a very big time sink.
Ok, but you want to play the game now? Not have to read a book report first?
Ok, watch that first youtube video about recapping the first game. You'll get a decent grasp of the world and how it works. From there, start cold steel 1. Don't worry about anything else. When you have the time, slowly plink away through the videos I linked above, while playing Cold Steel 1.
8. So where can I play these games?
- If you have a PC, then you are 90% golden. Every game can be played on there (almost. Cold Steel 3 isn't on PC yet I don't think. Haven't played it yet.)
I played Cold Steel 1 and 2 on PS4 and had a great time.
If you have Playstation NOW, I believe the PS3 version of CS1 and 2 are on there, albeit Cloud versions. Which honestly, is not a big deal......Like I said, its not an action game in the slightest. Everything is turn based. So some lag really shouldn't affect your enjoyment.
Plus PS NOW has a 7 day trial. Sign up and try the PS3 version out. It has less VO, and is missing some Quality of life features, but if you like the game, you could always just start over on PS4.
Double check with your list, but its on the Canadian version for me atleast.
Anyways, thats about it I think. My main motivation for this thread was to hopefully have at least ONE person check out the game. Then my mission is accomplished, because despite all its faults, I honestly think these were fantastic games and I am eagerly excited to continue with the series.
I'm not going to sit here and tell you the writing was incredible. The voice acting was immaculate. The graphics were outstanding.
They weren't.
But you know what? I genuinely loved these characters. I loved going around town and talking to everyone after every mission. Spreading the bonding points around so that no one felt left out lol.
I really did enjoy the gameplay (played both games on hard and would recommend this difficulty), but I found that once I understood the systems, I could pretty much destroy mobs 90% of the time without them even getting a single turn in. CS2 was even worse because S-crafts pretty much broke the game in my opinion. I gave Laura the highest strength I could and her Scraft would pretty much destroy anything, and took out like half a boss health.
The music was also fan-fucking-tastic. I mean, this track is so badass in context too.
And good LORD at the fucking AMOUNT OF TEXT. Holy shit. This is like 50 bibles put together or something. Everyone has something new to say every time a new chapter starts. Like something will happen in the world. And I'll go to some fucking boonies town and talk to someone who I would never speak to because they are completely irrelevant and out of the way...........and they'll have brand new text talking about what happened. Like what the fuck? Like, there is no point for me being here and there is no point for me to talk to this person, but there they are, saying something new. Pretty crazy.
I also really liked the story and world as well. I did not play any of the trails games before (I did however watch a plot walkthrough of all the games which was like 10 hours or something) and I don't think I would have missed out on TOO much. I would still recommend it though because some parts of these games feel awesome when a character is referenced or an event is taking place, and it connects them.
But yeah, I would play CS3 right now. No problem after I just sunk 150 hours. But I'm gonna wait till after Death Stranding.
Newcomers FAQ:
1. Should I play this game?
- Yes!
1a. How long are these games?
- I did no grinding or went out of my way to look for secrets or whatever. Just a casual playthrough for both.
Cold Steel 1: 85 hours
Cod Steel 2: 70 hours
2. What is the gameplay like?
- It is 100% turn based JRPG. All commands are selected, and on the side of the screen you can see turn order. This turn order can be manipulated to your favour and to the detriment of the enemy. Youtube video so you can see the combat. Not a spoiler! PS3 Footage
3. What is up with the graphics? Isn't this on PS4?
- Yes, Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2 have been ported to the PS4 with enhancements like better resolution and fast froward mode and more VO. These games came out on the VITA. So yeah, a lot of the textures are super flat. The mouths are simple jpgs moving. The animations are REALLY stiff. I don't think you'll be super awed by the graphics, but it 100% has its moments where you'll think "This actually looks good!".
3a. So what is the general plot of Cold Steel 1/what do you do in this game?
- You are a group of students accepted into Thors Military Academy. General gameplay loop is you'll live a few days at the academy, doing student things, bonding with classmates. Then you'll get an assignment to travel to a different city and complete assignments there which usually turns into a bigger situation that the group gets involved in. Each assignment is usually self contained, but it will eventually feed into a bigger narrative, which also itself feeds into an overarching narrative. The game is less about some super God taking over the world, but more political, with different groups fighting for power for the country.
At the end of the day, this is a SLOW BURN. 10000% a slow burn. The first game at least. A lot of the places you go don't affect the world too much, but they are more about learning more about your classmates and learning more about the world. It does eventually turn into something bigger, but that kinda comes near the end where it goes into Trails of Cold Steel 2. The introductions are over, and now its about advancing that overarching narrative I was talking about.
4. So ummmm, how many games are there before Cold Steel 1?
- Yeah..........there are FIVE lol.
5. Surely you jest!
- No, there are 5. Am I going to say 100% you need to play all 5 before playing Cold Steel 1? No.
Do I think you will get more out of the Cold Steel games if you do? Absolutely.
If you are thinking to yourself "Ohh man, 5 games. Fuck this, I'm never gonna be able to get into the series", then I would say "Don't worry about it. Not yet at least"
6. Ok, there are 5 games. How does that tie into Cold Steel?
- Ok, the series is broken up like this. Imagine a continent with different countries in it. Trails 1-3 take place in one country with their own problems and characters and threat to overcome. Trails 4-5 take place after that, in a new country with new characters and threat to take care of. Trails 6-7 (Cold Steel 1 and 2) take place in another country with threats etc etc. 99% of the characters in the respective "arcs" are brand new, new story. However, everyone exists on this continent and all characters exist at the same time. Countries fight with each other, and sometimes characters from one of the other "arcs" will get referenced, show up, or events that have taken place there will get mentioned or directly affect your game.
Each arc though is roughly self contained, with a greater "evil" manipulating ALL the games.
So yeah, you'll see a character from an old game show up and you'll be like "Ohhh its THAT PERSON! Cool!!!" or "Ohh wow. So thats what happened over there". Not really mandatory, but definitely nice.
7. Ok, fine, I give in. I'll play the games. But I ain't playing all 5. Kiss me arse.
- Fair enough. I didn't. I skipped to Cold Steel 1.
If you really want to devote yourself to the series and get the best out of it, I'd watch this recap of the first game.
From there..........I won't lie. It turns into a time sink. There is a youtuber who goes over every game in pretty good detail, skips all battles, and she has a good grasp of what to skip and what not to skip. If you watch these, it is in my opinion you will have a VERY solid grasp on the world of Trails without playing the games. But like I said, it is a very big time sink.
Ok, but you want to play the game now? Not have to read a book report first?
Ok, watch that first youtube video about recapping the first game. You'll get a decent grasp of the world and how it works. From there, start cold steel 1. Don't worry about anything else. When you have the time, slowly plink away through the videos I linked above, while playing Cold Steel 1.
8. So where can I play these games?
- If you have a PC, then you are 90% golden. Every game can be played on there (almost. Cold Steel 3 isn't on PC yet I don't think. Haven't played it yet.)
I played Cold Steel 1 and 2 on PS4 and had a great time.
If you have Playstation NOW, I believe the PS3 version of CS1 and 2 are on there, albeit Cloud versions. Which honestly, is not a big deal......Like I said, its not an action game in the slightest. Everything is turn based. So some lag really shouldn't affect your enjoyment.
Plus PS NOW has a 7 day trial. Sign up and try the PS3 version out. It has less VO, and is missing some Quality of life features, but if you like the game, you could always just start over on PS4.
Double check with your list, but its on the Canadian version for me atleast.
Anyways, thats about it I think. My main motivation for this thread was to hopefully have at least ONE person check out the game. Then my mission is accomplished, because despite all its faults, I honestly think these were fantastic games and I am eagerly excited to continue with the series.
