Playstation. I do all my gaming on my PS. That and I love collecting all JRPGs platinums/trophies. The Graphic inferiority to the Switch isn't even that bad...besides...you play this game for the awesome story, not realistic looking graphics haha
I'm honestly so happy my favorite JRPG series has been getting so much love over the past few years. Zero and Azure are the peak of the series imo. The SSS are all lovable characters (Randy and Tio especially), Crossbell City is one of the most interesting locations I've played through in a JRPG and the music is TOP TIER. It's been getting great reviews so far and it's not hard to see why.
So very true, especially on the music, I love Falcom music, YS 7 Tokyo Xanadu and Crossbell arc is my favorite, but CS 3 and 4 music just doesn't click like the previous entry did. And, this might be controversial, to me the game is the most balance yet hardest to play. Don't get me wrong CS 1 and 2 has it challenge, especially the Ymir secret boss in CS2, but CS 3 and 4 is just too easy with it's break and order system.
I like one particular review that I read that said Crossbell feels like a character on its own. I actually still really amazed how the duology really hook me in even though I'm playing with around the same area.
Just started Trails in the Sky last week and despite the "unsupported " label it actually works perfectly on Steam Deck. Only a few hours in but can tell it's my jam. Glad I'm getting invested now when Azure and Zero are getting officially released so I can experience them all chronologically.
You got a Vita or a Playstation TV? with a hacked one you can play superior versions with full voice acting of the whole trilogy if you download the official translation patch.
Trails from Zero is FINALLY here. Crossbell has my favorite party, its great to just have a smaller amount of people that you really get to know. So excited for everyone who will be able to jump in for the first time!
I'm so glad more people are gonna play this masterpiece. The Crossbell games are phenomenal and hopefully more people will get into Trails because of them.
Lmao you’re just explaining your enjoyment of one of your favorite series and some miserable dude replies about how the game is atrocious with 0 reasons wh
I have never played a Trails game before but given how much people absolutely rave about this series, and how great this game looks, I really think I need to change that now. Going to start at the beginning and work my way through them. I feel like I'm about to fall into a very big rabbit hole.
@@iryu7288 I did that and it's really easy with craft guard or evasion spam which I didn't use at all before cause it's so cheesy, but without it she is actually impossible since she kills you in one hit. I didn't enjoy that fight.
It's going to be so charming to see what Crossbell looks like in this format vs when you see it in Cold Steel. I believe the intent was the opposite for Japanese players that got a chance to play these games in order of release and seeing their favorite Sky and Crossbell location and characters in full 3D like when I first saw Oli for the first time in CS
I played the Geofront translations before moving on to CS, as I'm very particular about playing things in order haha. All I'll say is Cold Steel did a great job moving Crossbell in to full 3D...you'll probably know your way around Crossbell straight away in Trails from Zero!
This might be a hot take but to me the Crossbell nation feel more large and vast compare to Erebonia, especially after you obtain the airship in CS 2 and 4. Even Nord Highland and Avalon Hill feel small after you obtain horse and motorcycle. Even with fast travel some of the quest really forced you to explore the Crossbell nation.
It's definitely one of the better looking olde retro/Pixel based art styles out there...Sky 1 thru 3 are just as good as as far as graphics/style goes it's mostly the same. I also prefer the grid like combat in Sky thru Azure more so than the non grid combat in CS1-4...which is ironic given I'm not that into strategy games but in Sky thru Azure it just clicked with whatever specific things Falcom did with said games and the grid system.
So stoked to hear great things about this game. Just finished trails in the sky and going on sc... and to say that it was a slow grind is true but welllllllll worth it! Hope to continue see it doing well and the community for this entire series getting larger!
Definitely stick out those slow grinds because they make the payoffs that much better! SC moves at a faster pace though. Usually the first game in each arc is the one that sets up the story and characters; so they are a bit slower.
Not just that, but the Switch is like a Remastered version compared to PS4. New textures, convo logs, multiple battle speed options for both in and out of battle, and, Switch gives 3 versions in 1- handheld on OLED, tabletop portable console with OLED, and full console version. Switch games always offer so much more value by default, but this one especially
@@Excalibur01 the switch and pc ports are better than the ps4 version because nisa let someone else do the remaster for switch and pc where they took some qol features from geofront and added in some of their own tweak. PS4 on the other hand didn’t get that treatment because they just used the kai version and translated it which was previously only in Japan for the ps4 because falcom told them to do because idk I’m guessing cause of their pride or smth. Oh and what sucks is that nisa they didn’t inform us on this only until very late and they also sold them at the same price
@@ActionJaxonH More value how? Their games are expensive as hell! I'll be able to find it far more cheaply on PC because there are SO MANY different places to buy the keys. Not saying switch is bad or anything but the games are expensive.
Remember to go back to the Sky games after you finish this one. Mainly because Sky the 3rd is one of the most important games in terms of lore, Sky the 3rd asumes you have completed Sky First chapter and Sky Second Chapter, and those games are amazing in general (and have ridiculously low system requirements on PC). That, and I'm pretty sure you will want context for a fairly mayor storyline that starts in Sky Second Chapter and ends on Zero (specifically just after the final battle).
They should definitely bring the trails in the sky trilogy to switch though. I only played a few hours of the original but would love to get them on the switch.
The PS4 version is based on the Japanese "Kai" version and it was Falcom who directly tell NISA to only add the translation to it. Kind of a weird move coming from Falcom but ho well... I want my platinum, I already beat it twice on pc.
Having a blast with the game so far myself, originally was introduced to the franchise through Cold Steel and stopped after the second one to play everything that came before. I only wish they could've snuck in some english voice over for at least the combat like the Trails in the Sky trilogy if not the field dialogue as well but I'm just glad this and eventually Azure are getting localized at all.
Despite putting it on my wishlist as soon as it was announced, I completely forgot about it. Good stuff. I was always "about to" download the fan translation but kept pushing it off. Then the remake was announced, which gave me a reason to push it completely off.
5:44 You misinterpreted what the hardcore fans said. You DO have to play the Trails in the Sky arc 1-3 if you do not want a major plot point of those games spoiled to you on this game. The protagonists of the Sky arc are present here and their story continues in this game, unless you don't mind the big spoilers if you plan on going back and playing those games, then by all means start here They never said you have to play all 7 other games
Getting this on PS4 (limited edition) to sit on the shelf with my Cold Steel collection. I've already played the Geofront version before they collab'd with Nisa. I'll probably get the PC version as well for subsequent playthroughs, as it has the QoL upgrades.
i'm finallly getting around to hopping into the Trails series because i saw the recent release of Reverie and became interested. i at first was looking at Trails of Cold Steel 1, but then as i was doing research, i saw that the story of of Trails from Zero came before Cold Steel. so, actually, I think i'm gonna start with Trails from Zero on PS4! the in the Sky story arc isn't available on PS4.
I was late to the series,and love it with some of the best storytelling and characters in gaming history in my opinion.Cannot think of anything I dislike about these games 🎉
I'm glad this one hooked you where CS didn't. Personally, I played the series in order but I had friends pushing me along through early Sky and Sky 3. Zero and Azure are what really hooked me. To the point that I would recommend people start with them then go back to Sky.
I can't wait to finally play the Crossbell games. I've been waiting for an official western release for such a long time and I'm really happy that my waiting is finally paying off! I can't wait to sink my teeth into Zero(and Azure also next year)! I'm gonna get the game for Switch for portability and PS4 to have with my other Trails collection. It's a really big bummer that this game won't have the awesome English Dub cast from the CS games but there's nothing I can do about that. It should still be fun but it will hinder my enjoyment of the games without it, especially if I do a Trails marathon and these are the only games without an English Dub at all. I know about some things thanks to beating CS1-4 but not a lot of stuff and I probably forgot a lot too so I can't wait to get the full story of the SSS/Crossbell story with my own eyes! I can't wait to play this game into the late nights like with the others but like with the other Trails games, it's gonna be worth it. ^_^
Thank you for uploading this amazing video, I actually received my copy in the mail today I am very happy with this game and the review itself was amazing, especially with how the battle system looks I actually was able to get the limited edition for Trails from Zero from the NIS online store for the Nintendo switch, one reason why I got it for the switch was I can also play this on the go, which is a plus for me. Between the content on this game it will always be something to look forward to playing this five star game, finally I am also going to purchase both the legends of heroes tales to Azure & trails into Reverie also for the Nintendo switch in 2023.
I've got the collectors edition on the way from NIS Europe and I'm so hyped to find out about crossbell having 100% the sky trilogy and all for cold Steel
Really glad to hear you enjoyed it and that it can be enjoyed separate from cold steel. As someone who also didn’t like cold steel, I’m excited to play this one cause out of all the trails games this arc is the one the always looked the most interesting to me.
@@TheGamingShelf cold steel just felt like it was just dumping info on you over and over and then it just barely moves the plot forward. Like the game felt like a history book with a smidge of story and it just bored me to death 90% of the time.
I waas able to get through the early Cold Steel games purely because Zero and Azure had hooked me so well. Putting up with the obvious j-otaku pandering tropes in CS was a small price to pay to learn more about the story. If I had started with CS1, I likely would have completed that game, no matter the entire series.
I bought Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2 on vita but only part one is ps4/vita. Part 2 I have to buy again for ps4. Part 3 is only on ps4 as far as I know.
Getting it on Switch but probably not playing it immediately as I already played the fan sub before CS3 came out (as Zero and Ao's events directly affect CS3 onwards storylines)...and I'll say this if you loved Zero...Azure will blow you away a lot more because it is much, much better. Granted my personal favorite in the series from games I've played are the Sky games though (haven't played Hajimari, Kuro, or Kuro 2 yet as I'll wait for localization)...throw in some combat improvements and Azure becomes a much stronger entry over Zero (in fact Azure's is my favorite combat system...Kuro and Kuro 2 may take it over as I like action games a bit more and they add an action mode to said 2 games on top of the turn based mode that you can swap between so I'll likely use the action mode a lot for mob enemies (as I feel action rpgs generally make fights much faster than turn based games...from what I heard bosses is where you want the turn based mode a bit more). Right now I've got a few other games that take priority so Zero (and likely Azure) may be pushed back to even after Reverie (which will likely be a fall 2023 release). I will note 1 piece of misinformation in this video: this game is NOT based off the Vita version but the PC version if I'm right as a Chinese company owns the VIta rights and they weren't able to get it back for this (or the PS4 release) so this version DOES NOT have any extra quests/goodies the Vita version gave and is the same version as the Geofront (based on PC, not Vita if I'm right) version. You can also tell it's not the Evo version with additional content (some side quests and a few other features that are still Vita only) due to the fact that the Evo version had the character portraits' mouths move while the Switch version is like the PSP, PC, PS4 without said mouth movement. In fact my copy of Zero is supposed to be delivered tomorrow (at the distribution facility in my city right now) so gonna have to keep an eye out tomorrow lol. If I do change my mind and play it immediately however it'll be a very very slow run with me only picking it up when I'm not in the mood to play whatever I'm currently working on (Xenoblade 3 and Star Ocean 5 at the moment, soon SO6 next month (been playing all 5 games in prep for 6 this past year))...granted I wound up playing Sky 3, Zero (fan sub), Azure (Ao fan sub), CS3, and CS4 all within the span of 2 years and still suffering from some Trails burnout tbh lol so may not really be in the mood to rush into Zero/Ao again at all anytime soon either...plans as of now will be Nayuta or Reveire/Hajimari (whatever comes first...probably Nayuta). Games are great and all but playing 5 of them back to back like that did take a bit out of me (well more so 4 back to back and than a half year or so break before CS4 which still didn't feel like long enough of a break lol). On another note my favorite character in this game is easily Randy (one of the best in the series alongside Estelle, Oliver, Giliath Osborne, and a few others)...cheers for Randy gang lol. Now on another note...you said you don't need to play other games in the seires to play other games and while I will say Zero and Ao don't need Sky or the Cold Steel games, same with Cold Steel 1 and 2, Cold Steel 3 and 4 and likely Reverie (can't say 100% there as I haven't played it yet but it supposedly ties up loose ends for the Crossbell/Cold Steel arcs) DO need, at bare minimum: Zero, Azure, CS1, and CS2 played before playing them to get a GOOD understanding of the plot...ya CS3 has a short summary thing going on but it's nowhere near good enough to actually playing the games. Sky 1 thru 3 may be a bit more optional as the events don't tie up nearly as much to the Crossbell/Cold Steel arcs and most stuff dealing with Sky in those games are references more so than anything however all 3 games are great so would highly recommend at least playing them even if it's after these others. Kuro and Kuro 2 I also can't say anything, Kuro 1 likely won't need too much of previous arcs info as each first game in an arc usually deals with a storyline relevant mainly to that arc with only brief references to past arcs so knowing the main plotline isn't really as important in the first games (2nd game onwards is usually where past arcs stuff become a bit more relevant and the action picks up) with that said Kuro and Kuro 2 are likely 2024 or 2025 at best for localization which gives you a good 1 to 2+ years to finish all other games (granted...I highly recommend playing other games in between to avoid burnout like I did post CS4 lol).
Can’t for this and my rixia figure that I preordered! Picking up on ps4 finished Scott’s sky trilogy playlist and also played cold steel 1 and 2 waiting to play zero and azure so I can play cold steel 3. But so far cold steel 2, sky 2,3 are my favorites from the series!
Still gonna get a PS4 physical copy cause I don't have another system and I'm very invested in the PS ecosystem. Will wait for a heavy discount, though. Don't want to give NISA day 1 money for an inferior version.
Of course you have to have played the other games or you wont understand the Estelle, Joshua, Renne + her family sub plot at all. Or at least it will be way less meaningful to you. You also wont get a lot of references. You will also get spoiled on the sky games. So if you ever want to play them blind dont start with this one. I just finished the geofront version of Trails from zero last week and boy Im glad that I played Trails in the sky first. Also you need around 170 hours to finish the game if you talk with every NPC and always make your rounds around Crossbell + area after every story progression.
Sorry but if you're new and want the full experience of this entire saga, then yes playing from sky is a must. But if you only play just for the sake of playing then yes you can start anywhere from each arc.
Having played the games in release order. I think starting with Zero is fine, and doing the arcs in whatever order is fine (with a bit of an asterisk on Cold Steel) as long as you play all the games other games before Cold Steel 3, the order in which you play the arcs doesn't matter THAT much.
I just tried one of Nihon Falcom's games, Tokyo Xanadu eX+. I absolutely love that game, and based on the footage I see, there are a few similar gameplay mechanics. So, I will probably give this game a try.
@@TheGamingShelf huh, just beat TX+. The last words of the game is "We promise to see you again...in another Xanadu!" Some diehard fans must be living on those words.
i preorder the ps4 collector's edition long before knew the difference the version will have, main reason i have the complete cold steel arc on ps4, i will also get the switch one because im a sucker also eant to enjoy on the go, a litle disapointed on falcom but at least i can say a switch game is better than a ps4 game
I did the same drop cold steel, then played and like sky, love crossbell and.. try cold steel again and it's still a pretty average rpg but with all the context of the world it was more interesting.
@@Haarwyvern The arc I eventually dropped and decided to watch an in depth summary on was the Liberl Arc because: 1. It was just too boring for my taste and 2. I want to get to the better games faster.
@@faidou9954 Liberl as at least good characters, but yeah it's often boring and slow. And unequal too in SC, some chapter were awful. Cold steel have probably the worst writing I've ever seen in a jrpg so it's by far the worse part and characters (at least before cold steel 3 were pretty average) so it was obvious for me to drop the game. But when you play the whole serie you want to know what will happen and I finally came back on Cold Steel. Cold Steel IV is probably one of the most epic game I've played and at the same time probably the game with the most bullshit I've seen in my life. It's really difficult to have an opinion of a game with all those ups and down. I'm still glad that they add new characters in the second part of Cold Steel because the original class 7 was so bland except maybe for Fie. (I do like Jusis tho) That's why I prefer to talk about Crossbell arc. It was really good, the alchemy between characters was great, the town too, and the story pretty cool even if I didn't like everything. I have really good memories about those games. Tbh I played all trails series in 8 month from FC to Cold Steel IV so I can say without biais that Crosbell were my best moments
@@Haarwyvern Personally I blame CS's story issues on the addition of the romance system...or at least how overkill it was with how many chicks Rean had as far as options went (Zero and Ao added it too but only had 3/4 options). The reason I consider it the aspect that hurt the story is cause it killed creating any deeper relationships between the other guys of Class 7 with the girls of class 7...throw in it feels blatantly obvious Alisa was the 'canon' romance like where Elie is Lloyd's obvious canon romance in Zero/Azure even with said romance system involved. If it was 2, 3 girls max maybe it could've worked (probably Alisa, Towa (granted...she could easily have gone the Crowe route too I guess so maybe not Towa?), and Claire would've felt the best...maybe his step sister (was Elise right? memory on her name is iffy lol) or Alfin but beyond that I think it was overkill...Emma's my favorite girl in said arc and even with her I'm kinda iffy on whether it should've been Rean or go with a more canon route with someone else for her tbh (as quite frankly she doesn't really feel like a good romance option plot wise until the later half of CS3 to CS4 imo)....I have a feeling I've made many enemies with these comments in this paragraph lol. Sky and Sky 2 imo have the strongest writing in the series, especially in regards to character building/development, mainly cause they outright specify each characters relationships and make them canon thus any chance of creating inconsistencies with said characters in later games is near impossible minus characters breaking up/dying. With the games with romance options, especially Cold Steel's characters I have no clue how they'll do relationships for characters well that pop up in future arcs like Kuro onwards besides more or less ignoring whatever choice the player made and not stating who Rean or Lloyd ever got together with OR they'd have to choose a character to be the canon partner (likely Alisa and Ellie respectively) which will piss many fans off who like other characters. Throw in the fact they could've made far more dynamic relationships between the other class members of opposite sexes (best one we do have is probably Millium and Jusis tbh...all the other guys and girls have little real development with members of the opposite sex besides those 2 and any development with other classmates would be the other guys for guys or girls for girls. Cold Steel 3 and 4 did it a bit better with those new members of Class 7 where the smaller class made it feel liek they interacted far more with each other regardless of sex however even there they screw it by throwing all 3 onto Rean once again (personally could see Juna and Kurt and then Musee and Ash while Altina was more of a younger sibling/friend sort of relationship. The same issue exists in all other games with relationship systems and are NOT visual novels with different endings depending on your choices, farm or life simulators/rune factory like games, or one off games that throw some sort of system where you can pair up characters that don't go with the MC to other characters or choices ultimately don't lead into definite relationships (Tokyo Xanadu and Ys 8/9 would be a good example I guess...in particular TX as even though some hints may point to all the girls liking Kou their interactions with other guys/guys interactions with the girls suggest maybe something going on there as well).
It’s unfortunately a messy situation with Xseed and NISA. I don’t think Xseed would see their return and I don’t know if NISA could do it if they wanted to.
I'm leaning towards PS4 for now & then double dip on Steam later when I get a Steam Deck, I'd like to have it on Switch but there's so many games from the series missing on Switch that I just can't make it my main for Trails games
Technically yes and no. Also spoiler for Azure; Towa wasn't present during the Trade Conference that take place in Azure original version, the Kai version retcon the story and put her there so that it match the Cold Steel 1 narrative. Same with Juna, she was created and put into the Kai version so that Falcom can say 'see Juna is from Crossbell and the SSS do know her'
I'm confused how one can hate Cold Steel and love Zero when all of the flaws of the former are present in the latter, with an even worse visual presentation.
Wasn't there 2 games in that region? I remember people making a big fuss about the completion of a translation project of these games was it related to this? I'm just confused cause I thought this was 2 games in 1
While you don't have to play Trails In The Sky before this, you probably should anyways, because it is pretty good. Also amused of talking about this game being "outdated" I don't think that is the word you are looking for. Plenty of RPGs stand the test of time.
While the difference doesn't seem huge just seems weird that they'd do it one way for the ps4 and another for PC / switch. I'm guessing there's some sort of streamlined way to get vita games working on the ps4 that just made it easier I guess?
@@TheGamingShelf That's high praise, I think CS has the best gameplay and music in the series whereas Sky is stronger story wise so hearing Zero is better makes me more excited. However, everyone's got different opinions so I'll see how much I like it when I get to play, only half a day left
@@Walamonga1313 I share the same opinion as you, I have played almost all legend series since Dragon Slayer that i can find with either default english or fan translations, 'song of time' and 'trails in the sky' has one of the most story driven and well-balanced character development.
I'm getting this but it's frustrating that Cold Steel 1&2 are not on the switch. I know there are plenty of consoles the game is available on, but it would be nice although I know this is not possible. Does anyone know if the entire series can be played on steam deck? These games were made for portable system.
Yes it can Steamdeck would technically be considered the definitive way to play the entire series from Sky all the way to Cold Steel 4 basically play thru all of the best versions of all of the games portably. Plus Steam has those games go on sale basically everytime there's a Steam sale occurring.
@5:18 I think you're overselling this quite a bit. Zero is a good game, but I've never heard anyone say it's the best in the whole Trails series. I think Azure is significantly better than Zero and my personal favorite from all of the Trails games is Sky SC. Zero is kind of a slow burn that serves to set up the events that take place in Azure, which is where the Crossbell duology really takes off. Of course you're entitled to your own opinions. Zero is a wonderful game, but one of the weaker Trails entries overall.
@@TheGamingShelf Sorry not trying to crap on your opinions. It is a great game, but is overshadowed by many in it's own series. It lacks many of the moments of heightened stakes and urgency that make some of the other Trails games so compelling. The events toward the end of Azure are peak Trails, same for CS 3, and 4. Sky SC is my personal favorite. I played Sky First Chapter in 2011 or 2012 knowing nothing about it beforehand. I loved it's charming characters and steady buildup that was left on a huge cliffhanger. I looked into when the sequel would come out and much to my dismay, there were no plans to localize it due to the huge amount of translation work compared to the relative lack of success in sales. I moved on to other things only to find out what seemed like several years later that there was a movement to bring Sky SC to the West. I boarded the hype train and waited anxiously for it's English release. When it finally came out the game delivered on all the built up hype, continuing the story that we had waited so many years for and wrapping up in glorious fashion. The success of SC is what spring boarded the series here in the Americas. If it hadn't been for SC and the people who believed in it, The Legend of Heroes Trails series would be dead in the West and we wouldn't have gotten Cold Steel and Crossbell. Besides Sky SC being the reason we have all the others in English land, the job that XSeed did in localizing it stands head and shoulders above NIS's efforts in later games. Just look at how Estelle is characterized in the first few games compared to how she appears in Cold Steel and Crossbell. Her dialogue is funnier, her emotional moments hit harder, and she is more believable as a teenage girl trying to find her way. In the NIS and Geofront games, she's just another character and her unique charm is absent. XSeed did a marvelous job punching up the dialog and even threw in those fun treasure chest messages as a little Easter Egg. Easy win for Sky SC IMO.
I had this preordered for the PS4 but hesitantly changed over to the Switch due to its portability. Seeing this impressions video makes me so happy that it not only performs well on the Switch, but also looks better as well. Thanks for validating my pick for console of choice, good sir. 😁👍
@@TheGamingShelf i ended up ordering it last night to give it a try. Copies (atleast where i live) are getting harder to find (amazon, bestbuy, and gamestop are all sold out) so i figured i would grab it before it's too late. I can always resell it if i dont like it.
After playing the trails games on PS4/PS5 and seeing lloyd and his crew in cold steel I'm not a fan of them or their combat skills but I'll prob get this anyways.
I still recommend people play Trails in the Sky arc first, Estelle and Joshua the main characters in Sky make appearances here and you will be spoiled if you start here.
Soa small correction. The version the ps4 is getting is the kai version a mediocre ps4 port done by falcom them selves. The only thing nisa did is adding english text. If this was there decision or a order by falcom is unknown. On the other hand no switch or pc version existed where falcom had the rights two and thus nisa could use for there release. Becouse of this those versions needed to be made from scratch on top of the kai version. For that reason is the ps4 version difrent from pc and switch.
Why would you have to play "all 7" other games? There's only 3 that are set before this. And while you don't have to play them, some of the best moments in Zero are 100% tied to the events of the Sky trilogy. You'd just be kind of robbing yourself of the conclusion of those character arcs so you could skip ahead to this game. I mean, you're all sentient beings, do as you please, but I would advise against if it you actually care about knowing what's going on in the overarching story. There's no such thing as a standalone mainline Trails game. You might still have plenty of fun, same as if you started with the last LotR movie, but would you advise someone to skip the first 2?
I'm sorry but I can't get behind falcom taking YEARS to translate games especially when they just shut down the fan English translation for kuro no kiseki when they know it'll take them another 3 to 4yrs to translate it if it ever does get translated.
Unfortunately it’s not as simple as that. It would take forever to explain but Kiseki Nut has a great history that explains it: th-cam.com/video/Ldln3DqjvlA/w-d-xo.html Although it is admittedly annoying how far behind the west is in translating these games.
Definitely do NOT play all the other 7 games, play the three Trails in the Sky games first, then this one :). Cold Steel builds off of this, especially 3 and 4 so do not play those 2 in particular before this one and Azure if you don't want to be spoiled
🎮Which system will you be picking up Trails From Zero on?
Probably switch
Switch
I already played the Geofront version, but I'll probably pick it up on PC again to support Falcom (+ that's where my other Trails games are)
Playstation. I do all my gaming on my PS. That and I love collecting all JRPGs platinums/trophies. The Graphic inferiority to the Switch isn't even that bad...besides...you play this game for the awesome story, not realistic looking graphics haha
Changed from PS5 to Switch for the qol changes.
I'm honestly so happy my favorite JRPG series has been getting so much love over the past few years.
Zero and Azure are the peak of the series imo. The SSS are all lovable characters (Randy and Tio especially), Crossbell City is one of the most interesting locations I've played through in a JRPG and the music is TOP TIER.
It's been getting great reviews so far and it's not hard to see why.
You love to see it! Also, your avatar is something else lol 🥪
5 dollar Foot Long
So very true, especially on the music, I love Falcom music, YS 7 Tokyo Xanadu and Crossbell arc is my favorite, but CS 3 and 4 music just doesn't click like the previous entry did.
And, this might be controversial, to me the game is the most balance yet hardest to play.
Don't get me wrong CS 1 and 2 has it challenge, especially the Ymir secret boss in CS2, but CS 3 and 4 is just too easy with it's break and order system.
I like one particular review that I read that said Crossbell feels like a character on its own.
I actually still really amazed how the duology really hook me in even though I'm playing with around the same area.
Just started Trails in the Sky last week and despite the "unsupported " label it actually works perfectly on Steam Deck. Only a few hours in but can tell it's my jam. Glad I'm getting invested now when Azure and Zero are getting officially released so I can experience them all chronologically.
Lucky
Azure is in some months so by the time u finish Zero you'll be able to play it
It might have to do with some menus not recognizing controller inputs. They are at the end of SC and The 3rd, thought.
@@nicogalax What do you mean months? Is it gonna be releasing early next year?
You got a Vita or a Playstation TV? with a hacked one you can play superior versions with full voice acting of the whole trilogy if you download the official translation patch.
Trails from Zero is FINALLY here. Crossbell has my favorite party, its great to just have a smaller amount of people that you really get to know. So excited for everyone who will be able to jump in for the first time!
I'm so glad more people are gonna play this masterpiece. The Crossbell games are phenomenal and hopefully more people will get into Trails because of them.
Was okay, not exactly my cup of tea.
Lmao you’re just explaining your enjoyment of one of your favorite series and some miserable dude replies about how the game is atrocious with 0 reasons wh
I have never played a Trails game before but given how much people absolutely rave about this series, and how great this game looks, I really think I need to change that now. Going to start at the beginning and work my way through them. I feel like I'm about to fall into a very big rabbit hole.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. =)
Don't be afraid of starting on hard/nightmare if you're good at Jrpgs :)
@@ninototo1 1st playthrough N3 on Azure might be a problem when we meet *the Steel Maiden*
@@iryu7288 I did that and it's really easy with craft guard or evasion spam which I didn't use at all before cause it's so cheesy, but without it she is actually impossible since she kills you in one hit. I didn't enjoy that fight.
@@ninototo1 meanwhile CS3 and 4 Steel Maiden is a joke without any strat.
It's going to be so charming to see what Crossbell looks like in this format vs when you see it in Cold Steel. I believe the intent was the opposite for Japanese players that got a chance to play these games in order of release and seeing their favorite Sky and Crossbell location and characters in full 3D like when I first saw Oli for the first time in CS
I played the Geofront translations before moving on to CS, as I'm very particular about playing things in order haha.
All I'll say is Cold Steel did a great job moving Crossbell in to full 3D...you'll probably know your way around Crossbell straight away in Trails from Zero!
@@gdoubleu8045 Like Loyd, it felt like coming home
This might be a hot take but to me the Crossbell nation feel more large and vast compare to Erebonia, especially after you obtain the airship in CS 2 and 4. Even Nord Highland and Avalon Hill feel small after you obtain horse and motorcycle.
Even with fast travel some of the quest really forced you to explore the Crossbell nation.
I think it IS a visually impressive game, TBH I wish this exact art style was used on Final Fantasy remakes (SIX) and many other 2D RPGs.
It's definitely one of the better looking olde retro/Pixel based art styles out there...Sky 1 thru 3 are just as good as as far as graphics/style goes it's mostly the same. I also prefer the grid like combat in Sky thru Azure more so than the non grid combat in CS1-4...which is ironic given I'm not that into strategy games but in Sky thru Azure it just clicked with whatever specific things Falcom did with said games and the grid system.
So stoked to hear great things about this game. Just finished trails in the sky and going on sc... and to say that it was a slow grind is true but welllllllll worth it! Hope to continue see it doing well and the community for this entire series getting larger!
Definitely stick out those slow grinds because they make the payoffs that much better!
SC moves at a faster pace though. Usually the first game in each arc is the one that sets up the story and characters; so they are a bit slower.
Getting this for the Switch because it was designed as a game for a portable system and I'm keeping with that purpose
Getting it on steam for the same reason.
Not just that, but the Switch is like a Remastered version compared to PS4. New textures, convo logs, multiple battle speed options for both in and out of battle, and, Switch gives 3 versions in 1- handheld on OLED, tabletop portable console with OLED, and full console version. Switch games always offer so much more value by default, but this one especially
@@ActionJaxonH that's weird
@@Excalibur01 the switch and pc ports are better than the ps4 version because nisa let someone else do the remaster for switch and pc where they took some qol features from geofront and added in some of their own tweak. PS4 on the other hand didn’t get that treatment because they just used the kai version and translated it which was previously only in Japan for the ps4 because falcom told them to do because idk I’m guessing cause of their pride or smth. Oh and what sucks is that nisa they didn’t inform us on this only until very late and they also sold them at the same price
@@ActionJaxonH More value how? Their games are expensive as hell! I'll be able to find it far more cheaply on PC because there are SO MANY different places to buy the keys. Not saying switch is bad or anything but the games are expensive.
This will be my first trails game and I’m really looking forward to it.
Remember to go back to the Sky games after you finish this one. Mainly because Sky the 3rd is one of the most important games in terms of lore, Sky the 3rd asumes you have completed Sky First chapter and Sky Second Chapter, and those games are amazing in general (and have ridiculously low system requirements on PC).
That, and I'm pretty sure you will want context for a fairly mayor storyline that starts in Sky Second Chapter and ends on Zero (specifically just after the final battle).
Looking forward to this game I will be getting the ps4 version. I don’t really care much about the graphics
They should definitely bring the trails in the sky trilogy to switch though. I only played a few hours of the original but would love to get them on the switch.
That gets complicated because who owns the publishing rights in the west now? Xseed is clearly out but would they still do those ports?
The PS4 version is based on the Japanese "Kai" version and it was Falcom who directly tell NISA to only add the translation to it.
Kind of a weird move coming from Falcom but ho well... I want my platinum, I already beat it twice on pc.
So no fixing the wrongly placed textures? Because Zero and Azure Kai have a small amount of those.
@@Javifaa Or the message log?
Having a blast with the game so far myself, originally was introduced to the franchise through Cold Steel and stopped after the second one to play everything that came before. I only wish they could've snuck in some english voice over for at least the combat like the Trails in the Sky trilogy if not the field dialogue as well but I'm just glad this and eventually Azure are getting localized at all.
Man, I honestly can not wait for my copy to arrive this week!!! Been such a long wait! Awesome review as always man!
Thanks dude! I hope you enjoy it.
Crosbell arc is honestly the best so far and I can not wait to revisit it with the official translation. Love Lloyd and the gang.
I played the broken english patch way back years ago and still enjoy it
Despite putting it on my wishlist as soon as it was announced, I completely forgot about it. Good stuff. I was always "about to" download the fan translation but kept pushing it off. Then the remake was announced, which gave me a reason to push it completely off.
5:44
You misinterpreted what the hardcore fans said. You DO have to play the Trails in the Sky arc 1-3 if you do not want a major plot point of those games spoiled to you on this game. The protagonists of the Sky arc are present here and their story continues in this game, unless you don't mind the big spoilers if you plan on going back and playing those games, then by all means start here
They never said you have to play all 7 other games
Getting this on PS4 (limited edition) to sit on the shelf with my Cold Steel collection.
I've already played the Geofront version before they collab'd with Nisa.
I'll probably get the PC version as well for subsequent playthroughs, as it has the QoL upgrades.
i'm finallly getting around to hopping into the Trails series because i saw the recent release of Reverie and became interested. i at first was looking at Trails of Cold Steel 1, but then as i was doing research, i saw that the story of of Trails from Zero came before Cold Steel. so, actually, I think i'm gonna start with Trails from Zero on PS4! the in the Sky story arc isn't available on PS4.
Had my mod my VITA just to play the translation. Excited to play the official
I have the deluxe edition pre-ordered for the PS4.
I was late to the series,and love it with some of the best storytelling and characters in gaming history in my opinion.Cannot think of anything I dislike about these games 🎉
I'm glad this one hooked you where CS didn't. Personally, I played the series in order but I had friends pushing me along through early Sky and Sky 3. Zero and Azure are what really hooked me. To the point that I would recommend people start with them then go back to Sky.
Cold steel 1 is cool but it takes a long time to get going
Between the inclusion of chest messages and sharpened graphics
It's honestly just the best
I initially read that as chest massages and was very confused for a second lol. But yes the improvements are very nice!
I love the looks of the game but the idea of starting a 10 game franchise is super daunting.
Loved the review! Was awesome
We finally got him :>
Taylors got taste ;)
I got there eventually 😆
Trails in the sky is still one of my all time favorites those games were bangers especially number 2
I can't wait to finally play the Crossbell games. I've been waiting for an official western release for such a long time and I'm really happy that my waiting is finally paying off! I can't wait to sink my teeth into Zero(and Azure also next year)! I'm gonna get the game for Switch for portability and PS4 to have with my other Trails collection.
It's a really big bummer that this game won't have the awesome English Dub cast from the CS games but there's nothing I can do about that. It should still be fun but it will hinder my enjoyment of the games without it, especially if I do a Trails marathon and these are the only games without an English Dub at all.
I know about some things thanks to beating CS1-4 but not a lot of stuff and I probably forgot a lot too so I can't wait to get the full story of the SSS/Crossbell story with my own eyes! I can't wait to play this game into the late nights like with the others but like with the other Trails games, it's gonna be worth it. ^_^
I also realized that I took Dub for granted too... I'm old and tired from work where my mind already tends to fly-off when reading..
Thank you for uploading this amazing video, I actually received my copy in the mail today I am very happy with this game and the review itself was amazing, especially with how the battle system looks I actually was able to get the limited edition for Trails from Zero from the NIS online store for the Nintendo switch, one reason why I got it for the switch was I can also play this on the go, which is a plus for me. Between the content on this game it will always be something to look forward to playing this five star game, finally I am also going to purchase both the legends of heroes tales to Azure & trails into Reverie also for the Nintendo switch in 2023.
You’re welcome! I hope enjoy the game 😄
I've got the collectors edition on the way from NIS Europe and I'm so hyped to find out about crossbell having 100% the sky trilogy and all for cold Steel
Really glad to hear you enjoyed it and that it can be enjoyed separate from cold steel. As someone who also didn’t like cold steel, I’m excited to play this one cause out of all the trails games this arc is the one the always looked the most interesting to me.
I also hated Cold Steel! Zero is SO much better, even though it’s older.
@@TheGamingShelf have you also tried the sky trilogy?
@@TheGamingShelf cold steel just felt like it was just dumping info on you over and over and then it just barely moves the plot forward. Like the game felt like a history book with a smidge of story and it just bored me to death 90% of the time.
Cold steel is the weakest arc in the series. The games before it are so much better.
I waas able to get through the early Cold Steel games purely because Zero and Azure had hooked me so well. Putting up with the obvious j-otaku pandering tropes in CS was a small price to pay to learn more about the story.
If I had started with CS1, I likely would have completed that game, no matter the entire series.
I bought Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2 on vita but only part one is ps4/vita. Part 2 I have to buy again for ps4. Part 3 is only on ps4 as far as I know.
Getting it on Switch but probably not playing it immediately as I already played the fan sub before CS3 came out (as Zero and Ao's events directly affect CS3 onwards storylines)...and I'll say this if you loved Zero...Azure will blow you away a lot more because it is much, much better. Granted my personal favorite in the series from games I've played are the Sky games though (haven't played Hajimari, Kuro, or Kuro 2 yet as I'll wait for localization)...throw in some combat improvements and Azure becomes a much stronger entry over Zero (in fact Azure's is my favorite combat system...Kuro and Kuro 2 may take it over as I like action games a bit more and they add an action mode to said 2 games on top of the turn based mode that you can swap between so I'll likely use the action mode a lot for mob enemies (as I feel action rpgs generally make fights much faster than turn based games...from what I heard bosses is where you want the turn based mode a bit more).
Right now I've got a few other games that take priority so Zero (and likely Azure) may be pushed back to even after Reverie (which will likely be a fall 2023 release).
I will note 1 piece of misinformation in this video: this game is NOT based off the Vita version but the PC version if I'm right as a Chinese company owns the VIta rights and they weren't able to get it back for this (or the PS4 release) so this version DOES NOT have any extra quests/goodies the Vita version gave and is the same version as the Geofront (based on PC, not Vita if I'm right) version. You can also tell it's not the Evo version with additional content (some side quests and a few other features that are still Vita only) due to the fact that the Evo version had the character portraits' mouths move while the Switch version is like the PSP, PC, PS4 without said mouth movement.
In fact my copy of Zero is supposed to be delivered tomorrow (at the distribution facility in my city right now) so gonna have to keep an eye out tomorrow lol.
If I do change my mind and play it immediately however it'll be a very very slow run with me only picking it up when I'm not in the mood to play whatever I'm currently working on (Xenoblade 3 and Star Ocean 5 at the moment, soon SO6 next month (been playing all 5 games in prep for 6 this past year))...granted I wound up playing Sky 3, Zero (fan sub), Azure (Ao fan sub), CS3, and CS4 all within the span of 2 years and still suffering from some Trails burnout tbh lol so may not really be in the mood to rush into Zero/Ao again at all anytime soon either...plans as of now will be Nayuta or Reveire/Hajimari (whatever comes first...probably Nayuta). Games are great and all but playing 5 of them back to back like that did take a bit out of me (well more so 4 back to back and than a half year or so break before CS4 which still didn't feel like long enough of a break lol).
On another note my favorite character in this game is easily Randy (one of the best in the series alongside Estelle, Oliver, Giliath Osborne, and a few others)...cheers for Randy gang lol.
Now on another note...you said you don't need to play other games in the seires to play other games and while I will say Zero and Ao don't need Sky or the Cold Steel games, same with Cold Steel 1 and 2, Cold Steel 3 and 4 and likely Reverie (can't say 100% there as I haven't played it yet but it supposedly ties up loose ends for the Crossbell/Cold Steel arcs) DO need, at bare minimum: Zero, Azure, CS1, and CS2 played before playing them to get a GOOD understanding of the plot...ya CS3 has a short summary thing going on but it's nowhere near good enough to actually playing the games. Sky 1 thru 3 may be a bit more optional as the events don't tie up nearly as much to the Crossbell/Cold Steel arcs and most stuff dealing with Sky in those games are references more so than anything however all 3 games are great so would highly recommend at least playing them even if it's after these others. Kuro and Kuro 2 I also can't say anything, Kuro 1 likely won't need too much of previous arcs info as each first game in an arc usually deals with a storyline relevant mainly to that arc with only brief references to past arcs so knowing the main plotline isn't really as important in the first games (2nd game onwards is usually where past arcs stuff become a bit more relevant and the action picks up) with that said Kuro and Kuro 2 are likely 2024 or 2025 at best for localization which gives you a good 1 to 2+ years to finish all other games (granted...I highly recommend playing other games in between to avoid burnout like I did post CS4 lol).
Can’t wait for Azure! Only heard great things.
Can’t for this and my rixia figure that I preordered! Picking up on ps4 finished Scott’s sky trilogy playlist and also played cold steel 1 and 2 waiting to play zero and azure so I can play cold steel 3. But so far cold steel 2, sky 2,3 are my favorites from the series!
Rixia best girl 😍
@@TheGamingShelf Fr I was lucky to get the one with the extra face plate as well 🥹
I'll be picking it solely to support the series since i already played it a few years ago
Awesome quick and snappy review that gets straight to the point. 5:40 be careful who you piss off though HA
Oh I’ve already posed everyone off with my Cold Steel review haha
@@TheGamingShelf Haha the inherent toxicity of trails and play order, dun take it to heart bro, you are doing fans a great service and I appreciate it
The atmosphere and story so far to me is great
Killed it with this review, man! Can’t wait to finally play the Crossbell arc.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy.
Still gonna get a PS4 physical copy cause I don't have another system and I'm very invested in the PS ecosystem. Will wait for a heavy discount, though. Don't want to give NISA day 1 money for an inferior version.
Of course you have to have played the other games or you wont understand the Estelle, Joshua, Renne + her family sub plot at all. Or at least it will be way less meaningful to you. You also wont get a lot of references. You will also get spoiled on the sky games. So if you ever want to play them blind dont start with this one.
I just finished the geofront version of Trails from zero last week and boy Im glad that I played Trails in the sky first.
Also you need around 170 hours to finish the game if you talk with every NPC and always make your rounds around Crossbell + area after every story progression.
Sorry but if you're new and want the full experience of this entire saga, then yes playing from sky is a must. But if you only play just for the sake of playing then yes you can start anywhere from each arc.
Having played the games in release order. I think starting with Zero is fine, and doing the arcs in whatever order is fine (with a bit of an asterisk on Cold Steel) as long as you play all the games other games before Cold Steel 3, the order in which you play the arcs doesn't matter THAT much.
I am aware you don't like trails of cold steel 1 was just wondering if you played the other 3 or if they are any good?
I just tried one of Nihon Falcom's games, Tokyo Xanadu eX+. I absolutely love that game, and based on the footage I see, there are a few similar gameplay mechanics. So, I will probably give this game a try.
TX is excellent!
@@TheGamingShelf huh, just beat TX+. The last words of the game is "We promise to see you again...in another Xanadu!"
Some diehard fans must be living on those words.
Man if you like Zero, get ready for Azure it's honestly the best game in the series imo. Still haven't played Kuro tho lol
I can’t wait!
i preorder the ps4 collector's edition long before knew the difference the version will have, main reason i have the complete cold steel arc on ps4, i will also get the switch one because im a sucker also eant to enjoy on the go, a litle disapointed on falcom but at least i can say a switch game is better than a ps4 game
Weren't you the same guy who didn't like Trails of Cold Steel and dropped the arc from the 1st game?
Yep! That’s just how much better this game is compared to Cold Steel 😎
I did the same drop cold steel, then played and like sky, love crossbell and.. try cold steel again and it's still a pretty average rpg but with all the context of the world it was more interesting.
@@Haarwyvern The arc I eventually dropped and decided to watch an in depth summary on was the Liberl Arc because:
1. It was just too boring for my taste
and 2. I want to get to the better games faster.
@@faidou9954 Liberl as at least good characters, but yeah it's often boring and slow.
And unequal too in SC, some chapter were awful.
Cold steel have probably the worst writing I've ever seen in a jrpg so it's by far the worse part and characters (at least before cold steel 3 were pretty average) so it was obvious for me to drop the game.
But when you play the whole serie you want to know what will happen and I finally came back on Cold Steel.
Cold Steel IV is probably one of the most epic game I've played and at the same time probably the game with the most bullshit I've seen in my life.
It's really difficult to have an opinion of a game with all those ups and down.
I'm still glad that they add new characters in the second part of Cold Steel because the original class 7 was so bland except maybe for Fie. (I do like Jusis tho)
That's why I prefer to talk about Crossbell arc.
It was really good, the alchemy between characters was great, the town too, and the story pretty cool even if I didn't like everything.
I have really good memories about those games.
Tbh I played all trails series in 8 month from FC to Cold Steel IV so I can say without biais that Crosbell were my best moments
@@Haarwyvern Personally I blame CS's story issues on the addition of the romance system...or at least how overkill it was with how many chicks Rean had as far as options went (Zero and Ao added it too but only had 3/4 options).
The reason I consider it the aspect that hurt the story is cause it killed creating any deeper relationships between the other guys of Class 7 with the girls of class 7...throw in it feels blatantly obvious Alisa was the 'canon' romance like where Elie is Lloyd's obvious canon romance in Zero/Azure even with said romance system involved. If it was 2, 3 girls max maybe it could've worked (probably Alisa, Towa (granted...she could easily have gone the Crowe route too I guess so maybe not Towa?), and Claire would've felt the best...maybe his step sister (was Elise right? memory on her name is iffy lol) or Alfin but beyond that I think it was overkill...Emma's my favorite girl in said arc and even with her I'm kinda iffy on whether it should've been Rean or go with a more canon route with someone else for her tbh (as quite frankly she doesn't really feel like a good romance option plot wise until the later half of CS3 to CS4 imo)....I have a feeling I've made many enemies with these comments in this paragraph lol.
Sky and Sky 2 imo have the strongest writing in the series, especially in regards to character building/development, mainly cause they outright specify each characters relationships and make them canon thus any chance of creating inconsistencies with said characters in later games is near impossible minus characters breaking up/dying. With the games with romance options, especially Cold Steel's characters I have no clue how they'll do relationships for characters well that pop up in future arcs like Kuro onwards besides more or less ignoring whatever choice the player made and not stating who Rean or Lloyd ever got together with OR they'd have to choose a character to be the canon partner (likely Alisa and Ellie respectively) which will piss many fans off who like other characters.
Throw in the fact they could've made far more dynamic relationships between the other class members of opposite sexes (best one we do have is probably Millium and Jusis tbh...all the other guys and girls have little real development with members of the opposite sex besides those 2 and any development with other classmates would be the other guys for guys or girls for girls. Cold Steel 3 and 4 did it a bit better with those new members of Class 7 where the smaller class made it feel liek they interacted far more with each other regardless of sex however even there they screw it by throwing all 3 onto Rean once again (personally could see Juna and Kurt and then Musee and Ash while Altina was more of a younger sibling/friend sort of relationship.
The same issue exists in all other games with relationship systems and are NOT visual novels with different endings depending on your choices, farm or life simulators/rune factory like games, or one off games that throw some sort of system where you can pair up characters that don't go with the MC to other characters or choices ultimately don't lead into definite relationships (Tokyo Xanadu and Ys 8/9 would be a good example I guess...in particular TX as even though some hints may point to all the girls liking Kou their interactions with other guys/guys interactions with the girls suggest maybe something going on there as well).
I wish they would port the steam versions of the Trails in the Sky Trilogy over to consoles. But sadly I feel like this is unlikely to happen.
It’s unfortunately a messy situation with Xseed and NISA. I don’t think Xseed would see their return and I don’t know if NISA could do it if they wanted to.
I'm leaning towards PS4 for now & then double dip on Steam later when I get a Steam Deck, I'd like to have it on Switch but there's so many games from the series missing on Switch that I just can't make it my main for Trails games
I understand wanting everything on the same system. I hope you enjoy either way!
Still waiting for my copy thanks for a delay still haven’t gotten it
Isn’t the prez from the Erebonia arc supposed to be here at some point too? And Juna too. Or was that in the fan cover of the game?
Maybe 😏
Technically yes and no.
Also spoiler for Azure;
Towa wasn't present during the Trade Conference that take place in Azure original version, the Kai version retcon the story and put her there so that it match the Cold Steel 1 narrative.
Same with Juna, she was created and put into the Kai version so that Falcom can say 'see Juna is from Crossbell and the SSS do know her'
I'm confused how one can hate Cold Steel and love Zero when all of the flaws of the former are present in the latter, with an even worse visual presentation.
Pré ordere the special edition for my switch oled, this will be my first trails game 😁
Nice! Enjoy.
Getting the PS4 version regarless
is a very solid game, but for some reason my OBS record this game with some... fps drops
And to think, the writer for "A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games" doubted these titles would ever make to NA.
Never say never at this point!
I'll STILL PLAY the PS4 version besides its the only one I CAN play I don't own a Switch and will NEVER EVER play the PC version.
In my opinion Azure is even better. Kuro 1 is my current favorite and I’m playing through Kuro 2.
Wasn't there 2 games in that region? I remember people making a big fuss about the completion of a translation project of these games was it related to this? I'm just confused cause I thought this was 2 games in 1
Yep! This and then Trails to Azure next year.
Trails to Azure please come soon…
2023 let’s gooo 🎉
I miss Elie and her dynamic duo. 😂
While you don't have to play Trails In The Sky before this, you probably should anyways, because it is pretty good. Also amused of talking about this game being "outdated" I don't think that is the word you are looking for. Plenty of RPGs stand the test of time.
Without turbo mode I feel like this game would be super slow. Also, the visuals are absolutely outdated.
@@TheGamingShelf I'm on Sky 3, and I still find it a well paced RPG.
While the difference doesn't seem huge just seems weird that they'd do it one way for the ps4 and another for PC / switch. I'm guessing there's some sort of streamlined way to get vita games working on the ps4 that just made it easier I guess?
It was just easier to translate what already existed for PS4 as opposed to building a brand new port from the ground up, from what I understand.
Turbo is a must and I WISHED the Sky trilogy had a turbo mode
It does on PC!
@@TheGamingShelf when I FIRST played it
I swear I've play both Trails from zero and azure in my PC many many years ago. can't remember how.
There was a fan translation by a group called Geofront. I’m sure it was that.
Okay Sky needs to get released on modern systems
This was the height of the series IMO
Agreed! I’ve played Sky and CS and this is way better than both.
@@TheGamingShelf That's high praise, I think CS has the best gameplay and music in the series whereas Sky is stronger story wise so hearing Zero is better makes me more excited. However, everyone's got different opinions so I'll see how much I like it when I get to play, only half a day left
@@Walamonga1313 Azure has one track that is way better than anything CS had.
The bad news is it was unreleased music.
@@Walamonga1313 I share the same opinion as you, I have played almost all legend series since Dragon Slayer that i can find with either default english or fan translations, 'song of time' and 'trails in the sky' has one of the most story driven and well-balanced character development.
Crossbell > Sky > Cold Steel part 2 > Cold Steel part 1
True!
Kuro>>>>everything
When I saw Estelle and Joshua 😢😢😢.
I wish the entire series is available on switch.
Would be nice!
I'm getting this but it's frustrating that Cold Steel 1&2 are not on the switch. I know there are plenty of consoles the game is available on, but it would be nice although I know this is not possible. Does anyone know if the entire series can be played on steam deck? These games were made for portable system.
Yes it can Steamdeck would technically be considered the definitive way to play the entire series from Sky all the way to Cold Steel 4 basically play thru all of the best versions of all of the games portably. Plus Steam has those games go on sale basically everytime there's a Steam sale occurring.
I meant I dont really care about graphics I'm just gonna get it one PS4.
We still need CS 1 and 2 on Switch.
@5:18 I think you're overselling this quite a bit. Zero is a good game, but I've never heard anyone say it's the best in the whole Trails series. I think Azure is significantly better than Zero and my personal favorite from all of the Trails games is Sky SC. Zero is kind of a slow burn that serves to set up the events that take place in Azure, which is where the Crossbell duology really takes off. Of course you're entitled to your own opinions. Zero is a wonderful game, but one of the weaker Trails entries overall.
It’s obviously subjective, but it be talked with several people that share this sentiment. If you have a favorite that’s different that’s great!
@@TheGamingShelf Sorry not trying to crap on your opinions. It is a great game, but is overshadowed by many in it's own series. It lacks many of the moments of heightened stakes and urgency that make some of the other Trails games so compelling. The events toward the end of Azure are peak Trails, same for CS 3, and 4. Sky SC is my personal favorite. I played Sky First Chapter in 2011 or 2012 knowing nothing about it beforehand. I loved it's charming characters and steady buildup that was left on a huge cliffhanger. I looked into when the sequel would come out and much to my dismay, there were no plans to localize it due to the huge amount of translation work compared to the relative lack of success in sales. I moved on to other things only to find out what seemed like several years later that there was a movement to bring Sky SC to the West. I boarded the hype train and waited anxiously for it's English release. When it finally came out the game delivered on all the built up hype, continuing the story that we had waited so many years for and wrapping up in glorious fashion. The success of SC is what spring boarded the series here in the Americas. If it hadn't been for SC and the people who believed in it, The Legend of Heroes Trails series would be dead in the West and we wouldn't have gotten Cold Steel and Crossbell. Besides Sky SC being the reason we have all the others in English land, the job that XSeed did in localizing it stands head and shoulders above NIS's efforts in later games. Just look at how Estelle is characterized in the first few games compared to how she appears in Cold Steel and Crossbell. Her dialogue is funnier, her emotional moments hit harder, and she is more believable as a teenage girl trying to find her way. In the NIS and Geofront games, she's just another character and her unique charm is absent. XSeed did a marvelous job punching up the dialog and even threw in those fun treasure chest messages as a little Easter Egg. Easy win for Sky SC IMO.
No English dub, no buy. The English VA’s for these characters were so good in CS 3&4. What a shame.
Legend of Heroes ✅
Voice Acting✅
Just 2 more days. I am excited. But I only wished they gave us BOTH games as a bundle. 50 bucks for a 10 year old game is theft.
Isn't it 40?
@@devantezephis8068 Gamestop says 50
Does the PS4 version have turbo mode?
It does!
I had this preordered for the PS4 but hesitantly changed over to the Switch due to its portability. Seeing this impressions video makes me so happy that it not only performs well on the Switch, but also looks better as well. Thanks for validating my pick for console of choice, good sir. 😁👍
Oh it runs GREAT on Switch!
Hate the art style but still may pick it up. Not sure...
It is older but I think worth playing for sure!
@@TheGamingShelf i ended up ordering it last night to give it a try. Copies (atleast where i live) are getting harder to find (amazon, bestbuy, and gamestop are all sold out) so i figured i would grab it before it's too late. I can always resell it if i dont like it.
After playing the trails games on PS4/PS5 and seeing lloyd and his crew in cold steel I'm not a fan of them or their combat skills but I'll prob get this anyways.
I still recommend people play Trails in the Sky arc first, Estelle and Joshua the main characters in Sky make appearances here and you will be spoiled if you start here.
OKAY WE GET IT
@@GilgaMax305 Why the hostility?
Soa small correction. The version the ps4 is getting is the kai version a mediocre ps4 port done by falcom them selves. The only thing nisa did is adding english text. If this was there decision or a order by falcom is unknown. On the other hand no switch or pc version existed where falcom had the rights two and thus nisa could use for there release. Becouse of this those versions needed to be made from scratch on top of the kai version. For that reason is the ps4 version difrent from pc and switch.
Thank you!
Soul Hackers 2 is my choice for the Month
Nah that game was very mediocre and a chore to play through. I regret paying full price for it, should've been like $30
Switch one is the superior version as PS doesn't get those enhancements
I bought the ps4 version before I found out about the differences between the PS4 and switch versions :/
Dog >_< Game is still good!
@@TheGamingShelf Yeah i’ll probably get the switch version too lol
I really want trails of the sky collection on ps4.
Would be awesome!
Why would you have to play "all 7" other games? There's only 3 that are set before this. And while you don't have to play them, some of the best moments in Zero are 100% tied to the events of the Sky trilogy. You'd just be kind of robbing yourself of the conclusion of those character arcs so you could skip ahead to this game.
I mean, you're all sentient beings, do as you please, but I would advise against if it you actually care about knowing what's going on in the overarching story. There's no such thing as a standalone mainline Trails game. You might still have plenty of fun, same as if you started with the last LotR movie, but would you advise someone to skip the first 2?
Is this out yet?
Came out today!
Weird...I pre ordered it and still have nothing
kuro no kiseki 2 crimson sin
Is like 5 years away from coming to the west 😭
I love the PS4 version of the graphics. But, Switch wins out because it's portable.
It really is nice to take this game kn the go!
looks like nothing has changed since trails in the sky
Visually, yeah not much lolz
Same engine since the sky games and crossbell games were all on the PSP.
I'm sorry but I can't get behind falcom taking YEARS to translate games especially when they just shut down the fan English translation for kuro no kiseki when they know it'll take them another 3 to 4yrs to translate it if it ever does get translated.
Unfortunately it’s not as simple as that. It would take forever to explain but Kiseki Nut has a great history that explains it: th-cam.com/video/Ldln3DqjvlA/w-d-xo.html
Although it is admittedly annoying how far behind the west is in translating these games.
Its NIS A not Falcom's fault. NISA took tje fan translate down. NISA is the one who does the translation
Oh look it's a good Trails game
Huh that's like saying Oh look, the sky is blue
I can't wait
The wait’s over! :D
Definitely do NOT play all the other 7 games, play the three Trails in the Sky games first, then this one :). Cold Steel builds off of this, especially 3 and 4 so do not play those 2 in particular before this one and Azure if you don't want to be spoiled