Trails of Cold Steel (and the Kiseki series in general)

[Eluvianii]

33 minutes ago, NattyBo said:

Yeah, not gonna lie, I love JRPGS, and dont mind a slow burn, but man, Trails 1 was the slowest of all burns.  Thank goodness the character development kept me interested.  I'm eager now having seen the end of part 1 to find out where this is all going. I'm still planning on working my way up to the crossbell PC fan translations, and then starting on Trails of Cold Steel. I already have Cold Steel 1 and 2 on my Vita, and 3 on Switch, will probably get 4 on Switch as well. I'd love to double dip and get all these on PC, but they really dont ever seem to go on deep sale!

Yeah, the series is known for the first game in every arc being pretty slow, but never so much as the very first one. Every game in the series has an avalanche near the end though so there's always a good payoff. And yeah, I've noticed. The Sky trilogy goes up to 50% off or so during sales, but the Cold Steel games I think not so much. 

[Weltall]

Actually, when it comes to slow burns Trails to Zero has everything else beat quite handily. At least, assuming that Kuro doesn't somehow manage to top it when it comes out later this year, but I doubt it.

And @NattyBo, enjoy SC!

[Val the Moofia Boss]

FC was only 40-50 hours long. The worst part is easily the first 10-15 hours. Once I reached Ruan in chapter 2, I began becoming invested. Zeiss in chapter 3 is where it started getting good for me.

SC was 60 hours long and about 2/3rds of it was a slog. Only really liked chapter 5 and the final chapter.

3rd's main story was pretty good all the way through. The doors/side stories vary in quality but thankfully the whole game is only like 45 hours long.

Zero was 70 hours long. The pacing is okay... up until the final dungeon, which was a horrendous slog.

Ao was an absolute slog except for the first half of the final chapter. I got so fed up I became liberally using turbo mode just to be finally done with it.

CS1 was 90 hours but very well paced. It slows down a bit in chapters 5 and 6, but that's it.

CS2 was 80 hours and is probably the best paced Trails game IMO. Never got bored.

CS3 was 130 hours and has severe structural issues. The first half of the chapters set at the school are good. The second half of the chapters... not so much, and they drag out for far too long for too little payoff or development.

[aneonfoxtribute]

Wha? How in the world was Azure a slog? It's amazing start to end

Also hard disagree on CS3, it's also amazing

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Nothing happens (that I cared about) until the final chapter of Ao. Before that point, it's a lot of meandering with very little of anything interesting going on. Sure, people talk about the Trade Conference, but it was only 1 hour of a 10 hour long chapter that was otherwise forgettable. Didn't help I didn't like most of the cast (only liked Randy and Wazy). The setting of Crossbell is also boring. I didn't think that the NPCs of Crossbell were well executed either (compared to Leeves/Ymir/Trista, which had a few dozen NPCs but Rean had a personal relationship with them, and the NPCs had relationships with each other, making it feel like there is a community, and there was good NPC placement - Rean starts chapters out with an NPC right in front of him, who references another NPC, and so on, so it's very easy to get sucked into checking up on everyone and it only takes 20-30 minutes. Whereas with Crossbell, you don't have that good placement, those connections, and there are so many NPCs onscreen at once that it becomes intimidating, and there are hundreds of NPCs in Crossbell so checking up on everyone takes at least an hour and a half every time).

As for CS3

Spoiler

The second half of the first 3 chapters are elongated wild goose chases where you go to a location. Enforcers antagonize the local authorities for absolutely no reason, to conduct "experiments" that are never explained. And then you beat up the giant robot and the enforcers and they waltz away and you never capture and interrogate them or learn more about what they are doing or stop them from doing further dastardly deeds, and it feels like absolutely nothing happened (same problem with the first four chapters of SC, except instead of lasting for 30 hours it lasts for 90 hours). Also, the field studies go on for far, far too long. By the point where you relinquish control of New Class VII and it becomes the Rean and Old Class VII crew set off to confront the Enforcers part, I was utterly exhausted and just wanted to go back to the school.

 

Edited February 19, 2021 by Val the Moofia Boss

[Eluvianii]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree there. I don't think I've ever played a more consistently action-packed game than Ao considering its duration. It starts somewhat strong and from chapter 2 onwards the pace really picks up and it never stops. 70 hours of that is a real achievement. And idk, I get that same sense of community with npcs in every game, it has never really changed that much, always one of the strongest points of these games. Also, some of my favorite npc stories are in Crossbell so that helps. 

[aneonfoxtribute]

I agree with Elu. Azure is just amazing start to end. There is so much happening in the story at all times, it's absolutely insane. 

[NattyBo]

Yo I just got to a certain point in Trails SC and all I gotta say is:

This song rocks 

https://open.spotify.com/track/3QXtODuokmi5R3CaqmKACg?si=ZKr4GZuqTIS3tzOQ4MvPbg

 

All the music has been great but this is next level stuff

Edited February 20, 2021 by NattyBo

[Val the Moofia Boss]

12 minutes ago, NattyBo said:

Yo I just got to a certain point in Trails SC and all I gotta say is:

This song rocks 

https://open.spotify.com/track/3QXtODuokmi5R3CaqmKACg?si=ZKr4GZuqTIS3tzOQ4MvPbg

 

All the music has been great but this is next level stuff

The Evolution version of the song is also great.

[NattyBo]

3 minutes ago, Val the Moofia Boss said:

The Evolution version of the song is also great.

[Eluvianii]

While we're at it

Spoiler

 

The Super Arrange version is my personal favorite. 

Edited February 21, 2021 by Eluvianii

[aneonfoxtribute]

4 hours ago, Eluvianii said:

While we're at it

  Hide contents

 

The Super Arrange version is my personal favorite. 

Hell yeah it is. But be careful. There is actually a massive CS4 spoiler associated with this song. Like, there are videos of this song with the thumbnail being a giant spoiler. 

[Eluvianii]

43 minutes ago, aneonfoxtribute said:

Hell yeah it is. But be careful. There is actually a massive CS4 spoiler associated with this song. Like, there are videos of this song with the thumbnail being a giant spoiler. 

Really? Well, when I look for this song I usually ignore everything that isn't the official artwork or just play it on Spotify, so if I have ever encountered this spoiler, my eyes probably just passed over it without noticing. 

[aneonfoxtribute]

1 minute ago, Eluvianii said:

Really? Well, when I look for this song I usually ignore everything that isn't the official artwork or just play it on Spotify, so if I have ever encountered this spoiler, my eyes probably just passed over it without noticing. 

Good. Yeah there is a giant spoiler, because that version of the song plays in a fight in CS4 and the image used is such a big spoiler it's not even funny since it's associated with that fight so much. 

[Eluvianii]

14 minutes ago, aneonfoxtribute said:

Good. Yeah there is a giant spoiler, because that version of the song plays in a fight in CS4 and the image used is such a big spoiler it's not even funny since it's associated with that fight so much. 

I'll keep it in mind, looking forward to it. 

[Weltall]

In relation to said spoiler, that's the first time the Super Arrange Version of the song actually plays in-game (before that it only appeared on one of the drama cds) and they picked a very good moment for its big game debut.

So yeah, watch out when looking for videos now because ZOMG spoilers, and you might want to be careful about anything on the Sen no Kiseki/Cold Steel I SAV album as well, because a lot of those songs get used in the back half of the arc in important scenes. Falcom Music Channel is definitely the place to go for music, as they use the album covers for their selection. Just avoid any playlists marked as being BGM/Game-rips to be safe.

Oh yeah, I'm now splitting my time between loving the localization of Ys IX and playing around with the Sorcerian Switch port.

Edited February 21, 2021 by Weltall

[aneonfoxtribute]

Did any of the SAV songs play in a game before The Enforcers? Anyway yeah, it is literally the perfect debut for it. (CS4)

Spoiler

Having it play against THE Enforcer, the most powerful one, when he is not holding back anymore and showing his literal true demon power. The song conveys EVERYTHING about the scene, it is exceptional

 

[Weltall]

1 hour ago, aneonfoxtribute said:

Did any of the SAV songs play in a game before The Enforcers? Anyway yeah, it is literally the perfect debut for it. (CS4)

Lots, actually. xD (minor musical spoilers, I guess?)

Spoiler

- It starts with Silver Will SAV which plays in Sky SC and is the one and only time an SAV song is duplicated on a soundtrack album.

- Maybe It Was Fated (the rearrange of the Enforcer battle theme Fateful Confrontation) plays in The 3rd.

- Half counting because it's not a proper game, but Dive Into Your Fate (a rearrange of Fate of the Fairies) plays as Joshua's stage theme in Alternative Saga.

- Almost half of the Trails from Zero SAV album plays in Trails to Azure: Inevitable Struggle, Unyielding Strength and A Light Illuminating the Depths SAV are used along with the 'Silent Devotion' rearrange of Get Over The Barrier! and To Be Continued! is an arrangement of New Days ~ Omen, the Zero end credits song.

- The trial chest theme in CS2 is Tie a Link of ARCUS SAV and Aria of the Saint which shows up in CS2 through 4 is a vocal arrangement of Castle of the Saint from the SAV album.

- CS3 and 4 make use of The Decisive Collision SAV

- Even before The Enforcers SAV comes on in CS4, we're graced with the SAV arrangements of Belief and Atrocious Raid.

 

Edited February 21, 2021 by Weltall

[Briar King]

So my son wound up staying here over a week instead of just the 4 day Mardi Gras break due to the insane winter invasion of the south. They had to cancel Mardi Gras...lots of pissed off cajuns down here at that! So I haven’t been able to play near as much as I wanted but I have played more then expected as I have 27 hours clocked.

CS3 ch 1 stuff

I’m well into Saint-Arhk portion and am fixing to head out to Parm. May do a tad more grinding in the forest which was really pretty btw from what I’m used to on these games graphics wise. Some new faces popping up I have no clue about and some old faces returning. I can feel the in game time progress of the series made even better by the power play I’m doing. Happy I didn’t break for Nier or another game.. I really like Kurt, those swords are cool. Altina...meh. Juna has interesting potential and I love her weapons. Having to get used to the Brave Orders feature but it’s pretty cool when I take on some of the harder fights. This game is doing a much better job with the NPCs of the school imo. Everyone has a story/name...I hated running into so many  no name 1st/2nd year students in 1&2. I want Leonora in my class so bad lol. Saint-A leaves something to be desired though...it feels so empty. How did Patrick start off so haughty with this chill a dad? I’m still rooting for him and Elise as his nose gets further and further out the air with each passing game.

That is all for now

Really enjoying CS3 thus far.

 

[aneonfoxtribute]

Oh right I can tell you about some characters you have met that are in other games! First and definitely most important are 

Spoiler

Tita, Agate, and Randy. All three are former party members. Tita and Agate in the Sky games and Randy in the Crossbell games. Randy's past in particular is very important because he is actually the son of the leader of the Red Constellation Jaeger corps, the rivals to Fie's Zephyr group. The SSS that Juna is a fan of is, as you have likely surmised, the protagonists of the Crossbell games. But Juna herself is actually sort of a retcon, she never appears in the original Crossbell games. Also the girl you meet when looking for the cat is another familiar character, but I don't know if her identity has been revealed yet so I'll hold off for now on talking about her

CS3 is the point in Cold Steel where the previous games become so much more important. There are a ton of returning characters and knowing who they are is important for a lot of things to make sense.

[Briar King]

On 12/15/2020 at 11:24 PM, Weltall said:

It's true, several of the usual (and very reliable) sources have confirmed it, including an image showing the logo which gives us the reading (actually 'Kuro no Kiseki'). So yeah, the Calvard Arc now has a name.

And it's one hell of a name too, with the surface meaning of 'Black/Dark' or 'Many' (the reading strongly biases one to the former) and the character is an element of words meaning 'dawn of a new age' and 'the masses'.

Oh, and there's also a screenshot showing off a character in the new engine.

What is this? Before or after Cold Steel?

[aneonfoxtribute]

1 minute ago, Briar King said:

What is this? Before or after Cold Steel?

That is the next entry of the Trails series, in the Calvard arc. It is almost assuredly after Cold Steel.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

2 hours ago, aneonfoxtribute said:

That is the next entry of the Trails series, in the Calvard arc. It is almost assuredly after Cold Steel.

People were speculating it may take place in the late 1180s or 1190s, because before Kuro was officially announced, Falcom teased the next Trails game by labeling the Septian Calendar years of each Trails game, and the new, at the time unannounced Trails game, was labeled as 11XX, rather than 1207 or whatever.

The timeline of events in Western Zemuria from the 1190s through 1207 has been pretty thoroughly established, but the timeline of events of Central and Eastern Zemuria is pretty blank and I would not be surprised if they decide to go back and tap out what was happening before the present day.

But, ofcourse, if Kuro actually takes place in the late 80s or 90s, then at least 20 years will have passed by the time we get back around to the present year of 1207, and the Kuro protagonists might be in their late 30s or early 40s if we get back to them. Which makes me sorta doubt that it will happen because JRPGs never do protagonists older than their 20s.

EDIT: Found it. This is what the website looked like last year. Note that the latest game is displayed as year "1XXX".

 

But if you go to the website now, it is displayed as "1208"

 

Feels strange to hint that it would take place in one time period, and then say it's actually taking place in the present day.

Edited February 22, 2021 by Val the Moofia Boss

[Weltall]

@Briar King @aneonfoxtribute Yeah, Kuro no Kiseki has been confirmed to take place after all the existing games. We don't know exactly when Kuro begins but we know it takes place in S.1208 which means that at minimum it begins nine months after the ending of Hajimari, which is currently the farthest game in the timeline.

2 hours ago, Val the Moofia Boss said:

Feels strange to hint that it would take place in one time period, and then say it's actually taking place in the present day.

It's called obfuscation, people do this all the time when they don't want to give real information away and they derive as much enjoyment from making us jump to conclusions as anything else. You're on a fansite for an author who takes a downright perverse glee in sometimes giving us a RAFO answer for the sole purpose of keeping us guessing. See 'the man calling himself Taln' but for one prominent example.

[Eluvianii]

I believe Val doesn't know Brandon, so just for context purposes, this author likes to listen to our questions, outright telling us that they're good important questions, but that he doesn't intend on answering them. For this he uses the acronym RAFO (read and find out).