Hey guys. Sorry I've been gone for a billion years, but I wanted to make sure I caught up on the trails reviews before Kuro releases. I also made a second channel while I was gone. A place I could upload random crap to and still feel like I'm accomplishing things. Link to that in the description if you want more Tarks. See you all again in 2 weeks! The next 3 months of content is all ready to go so I won't disappear again for at least that long!
I'm actually glad they gave you a break from all the sidequests in Reverie. After CS4 where I just wanted it to end already I started getting really burnt out on sidequests. It really gave me the energy back to tackle Daybreak fully with all its content, and that game ended up becoming one of my favorites
8:20 From what I hear from news on the most recent game, it seems like Falcom is experimenting and having Kai (which will apparently be the finale of the Calvard arc.) use the Reverie structure to avoid the pitfalls Cold steel 2 and 4 had in terms of pacing.
I'm hoping it's just borrowing elements from Reverie rather than copying its structure. Reverie was a great game, sure, but there's a place for Reverie-style games in the series, and it's not in an arc which hasn't had a "payoff" game yet (Kuro II was more of a second set-up game). And while Cold Steel IV had problems, I personally don't think pacing was anywhere near the biggest one. It was more... not letting characters freaking die and ruining every moment where they could've redeemed themselves like it was directly insulting the audience. Sorry, hope I'm not sounding too cranky. Just please, Falcom, don't go full Reverie with Kai.
@@giuseppeparry1365 I think Reverie style is exactly perfect for a payoff game, not in the sense of daydreams and the like. But that multiple routes could help balance character bloat when featuring more characters like CS4 and it would mean quicker pacing that avoids something like the act 2 pacing problems people pointed out for CS2 and 4.
@@joaocbcneto Just multiple routes would be fine as long as it's with the main Daybreak cast and not a new protagonist to split the attention. They've already done that after all.
I'm definitely in the camp of not knowing anything about this franchise and do not have the drive or will to ever play catch up on it, but I DID enjoy this video and wanted to support your return to TH-cam stuff!
Good to see you're doing well! Your channel got me interested in the Trails series with your Sky and Coldsteel review videos from years ago and since then I've finished all the games and it's quickly become one of my favorite series. Looking forward to your thoughts on the next game as well.
Welcome back, good to see your return to youtube. I completed Reverie in February of this year, and loved it. With regards to the divisive two endings of CS 4, I think a lot more about that will be uncovered in Calvard. A lot of theory-crafting has been churning in the works since CS 4's initial release, and one of the major issues with the true ending has been solved: how did the characters get a "second chance" anyway? I don't want to spoil this, so all I'll say is that the solution is in the cover art for Reverie. I liked the Cold Steel series, and I really loved CS 4. They call trails the "MCU of JRPGs" and coming from a heavy comic book background myself, I think that really helps one to understand what trails is going for. In trails, things are hyper-connected and it makes sense, it's just that sometimes, you have to wait five games for before a plot point you saw in one game finally gets an explanation in another. This is a common feature of comic book story-telling, where a long-running series will wait years to explain something. The trick, as a fan, is telling whether it was incredible creative vision or extreme laziness. They can look remarkably similar, and it can be hard to tell the difference sometimes. Anyway, welcome back! Looking forward to watching more of your videos over the next few months!
There's actually only one song that's actually a remix of a song from Ys 1/2 that plays in the SSS building if you turn on the radio in Randy's room if i recall.
Yeah, I was pretty sure it was mostly a case of tracks just sounding really samey between the games, but that sort of thing is to be expected when composers have to pump out so much material.
Possibly my favourite Trails so far, with CS3 a close second. So much hype and great moments. Also hard disagree on Blade being better than Vantage Masters.
Reverie it's SOOO GOOD! I am now at the final chapter playing it right now and I am just blown away, easy top 3 best Trails together with Azure and Sky SC.
I really need to play catch-up on the Kiseki games. I've fallen way behind. I only ever finished Cold Steel I and II and played a small chunk of Zero before I trailed off to something else. I enjoy them, it's just a series that requires alot of dedication lol! Welcome back by the way. Always enjoy hearing your insight on games dude.
This being made like sky the 3rd made this game soooo much fun to play. None of the padding that cold steel had and man this is how allll gatcha systems should work in every game. Glad to see ya back taurks
I disagree with everyone who says that you can't enjoy the Trails of Cold Steel series unless you have played previous ones. The only Trails game that I have ever played is Trails of Cold Steel IV on my Switch OLED. I'm only around 22 hours into the game, and I like it a lot even though at times I don't understand what's going on. In fact, I like it so much that I am thinking about getting this game and other entries in the series for my PS5. That's why I am watching this review. I haven't made up my mind yet though because I still have a backlog of 20 games on my Switch including Trails of Cold Steel IV that I have to beat, around 30 games on my Series X to beat, and around 25 on my PS5. That's my problem. I always buy a ridiculous amount of games for all three of my systems, fall in love with 2-3 games from each system, and never get around to playing or beating the other ones. I love turn-based jrpgs more than other games though, and that's why I am thinking of getting this game for my PS5 once I finish some of the games in my backlog.
Hey, I never said you couldn't enjoy it. It's just that, as you yourself are already noticing only 20 hours into CSIV, you're not going to understand it. And what parts you do understand on a written level you won't fully get the impact of. The more you skip the more you lose but it's not like I started at the first game either.
@@TarksGauntlet I wasn't talking about you in particular. It's just I watched like five or six reviews and most people were saying don't play this game until you play the other ones because you won't be able to understand the story and some people was just saying you won't enjoy it unless you play the other ones first.
yeah in terms of combat Reverie is easily the most broken in the player's favor because of over-the-years power creep. There's always the usual popular choices coming back like making evade tanks, delay spam, art nukes, etc. But I had fun with some characters creating setups outside of the usual picks. Had a guaranteed-win Altina solo setup where she had the capacity to 100% upkeep her own stealth and cast arts in between re-application so she'd never be targetted and keep on chipping enemies. With Erda MQ and Caliburn/Beowulf side she never had issues with having the CP/EP to keep going even around midgame. On the other side I had 0-damage Tita. Evading attacks is the popular choice but why dodge if you know the attack won't even hurt you if it does. I had optimized her tankiness so hard that a +100 endgame nightmare boss had wiped everyone else but her with its strongest move, leaving her at like 70% health and then proceeded to have the next 10 turns before I could act and Tita had more health at the end of those turns than at the start. Don't gotta worry about S-Crafts or arts that either can't be dodged all of the time or ignore evade, don't gotta worry about an attack canceling any craft/art guard, don't even gotta worry about having any protection up. Oh yeah and she had nearly 100k Health. I could choose to do nothing ever and she still wouldn't die. (that was a problem once when I was trying to game over a boss fight to redo something I missed early in the game XD)
Its just like the 3rd which is why its one of the better ones imo
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I will say I started to see cracks in the story with two things I am no going to spoil here. I still have faith as long as they don't double down on these two things for future stories.
.... Haven't played Kuro/Daybreak but I see in official promotional arts of a Pocket Watch and also, we haven't even seen or know that much about the "Sept-Terrion of Time" atleast currently in Reverie... I hope they atleast have a clever twist about the time stuff, since Time as plot point has been used like 2 times already even before we even the Sept-Terrion itself and its Holy beast.
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@@railgunmisaka296 I am going to be honest here. I like the crossbell arc because of its characters, but until we get the full story that arc adds nothing. We could have skipped it completely and everything would have been mostly the same. I am glad it exists cause I love the characters but until I get the full story I sand by what I said.
A Wheel of Time analogy! Had to happen sometime. Both very long series stretched out over a single continent aimed at one main antagonistic force... Also I don't know about the others, but Crossroads of Twilight, yeah... absolutely nothing happens in the plot until the last page. Literally. The Cold Steel games weren't quite that bad. I actually liked their slow pacing, even if I wish CSIV had more excitement. I just disliked... other things about them. But Reverie was a great game, that I can agree 100%. The odd slightly trashy moment, but a brilliant high-concept, interesting adventure overall.
My biggest disappointent in Reverie is the Lloyd section. It's not necessarily bad, but it definitely was the weakest of the 3. It is pretty much just a repeat of Ao's last chapters after separation. There are some good moments like McBurn fight but aside from that? Not too many.
I really need to get back to reverie and finish it. I played the very beginning but then got burnt out cuz i played 3 and 4 back to back and needed a little break.
Yeah, I made comments about certain universe rules and stuff being established that are a little lame/weak but at least help this story along, and that we likely shouldn't see the same things present in later games. But, for spoiler reasons, I also couldn't elaborate further.
I watched this it seemed very light on spoilers other than maybe some party members eh I guess? Anyhow I think I pretty much liked every Cold Steel game less than the one before (with the exception of 2 I loved that one). But by the time I finished Cold Steel 4 I was just so fucking sick of this series. I thought I never wanted to play a Trails game again. Enough time has passed where I am more intrigued at giving this a shot. I like the idea of the Reverie corridor, I just wish it would go on a deeper sale on PSN. I think I am up for it now but not so much I want to spent 44-60 dollars.
I've only played cold steel 1-4 and I think that is only requirements. By the end of 4 they have beat the story bush to death and u know what's happened and happening. In fact 4 was my least favorite 187hr out of the rest. It just dragged too long. I'm on ch1 of reverie now myself
Well, I guess to start, welcome back Tarks to the TH-cam landscape. You have been missed. Anyways, I kind of feel bad whenever "Trails" gets brought up. The fanbase, for better or for worse, is clearly very passionate about it and I constantly hear about the series no matter what corner of the internet I go to, damn near every day almost at that. Of the handful of Japanese RPG channels I follow, or even just know about, pretty much all of them love the series. You all put so much praise and high regard in damn near every entry...yet here I am not only thoroughly disinterested in it but borderline disliking it even. I've tried to get into "Trails" a couple times now but it's never ended well. Played two of the other "Legend of Heroes" games from the "Gagharv" trilogy, "A Tear of Vermillion" and "Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch" if you must know, and didn't like them at all. Though I'm told they don't count...despite still being tangentially related apparently? I even tried watching an LP for "Cold Steel" from a channel I used to follow (Revis Dumas, doesn't exist anymore) and was completely disinterested. Not to mention some anime adaption or spin-off from not too long ago that I tried and then dropped in two episodes. I often joke about this but it really does feel like a case where I grew up playing and appreciating the wrong games. To be so completely unable to get into something apparently so amazing, all cause I prefer these lesser games instead. It feels like I'm missing out.
If it doesn't work for you it doesn't work for you. There's no harm or shame in it. And I think the series comes with a serious caveat that it is brutal for most to get into. The pace is so leisurely at times it can be understandably mind numbing for people. I will say, when it comes to the anime, you are actually perfectly in-line with the trails fanbase. Nobody liked that crap haha.
@@TarksGauntlet That's the thing, I don't actually mind leisurely paces. I mean, I'm a defender of "Muv-Luv Extra" for instance, most of the fanbase there would tell you to just skip it and look up a summary. Yet here I went through every single route. Just...something about the series continually either fails to catch my attention or is actively dissuading me. And I don't know what or why. I almost just want to blame the multiple poor exchanges I've had with the fanbase as being the result of putting me off so much but that'd be both disingenuous and unfair to folks like you. Oh well, I'm plenty satisfied with my gaming experience as it is, this is just going to have to be one of those franchises that remain an enigma for me.
@@shadowmaksim as you can probably tell from the video, I also have issues with the fanbase. I honestly find a lot of them overbearing and too serious about it all. I cut a giant chunk from this video that actually discussed this (didn't want to bother with the response to it) and even had to film a new ending to this vid, where the original also just took another shot at the fanbase. I love the series, but part of me always dreads talking about it publicly.
Yeah. Well. I kind of enjoyed how zero stakes it was. It felt nice uploading to nobody to be completely honest. But it was made to be shared eventually.
I recent years it feels like square Enix has passed on the leadership role of the JRPG genre to both atlus and falcom, we went from dragon quest and final fantasy being the two best JRPG series to now persona and trails being the two best
Dragon Quest 11 was fantastic from start to finish, so it's more like just Final Fantasy has gone down the crapper (and in my opinion, that happened a LONG time ago.) However, with 2/3 of Dragon Quest's holy trinity no longer with us, and DQ12 apparently veering into an uncertain new direction, I have certain concerns about the future of the series.
I couldn't finish CS4 because I was tired of the pacing issues. I did get a plot synopsis of the ending. Is it worth giving TIR a try? I don't want to be burnt again.
There's a couple slow points, mainly the beginning when you're being re-acquainted with the characters and locations but after that it's one of the most concise trails games out there. That said, I fully advocate for taking breaks from series. Even more so with Trails than other series. If you're not feeling up to it it's probably best to put it off until you are. Also, it's entirely valid to control the scope of content you do. If you don't want to do every side quest or minigame along the way it's fine to just B-line the main quest objectives too. Lord knows the games are long enough as it is.
I was disappointed with the Crossbell route - it felt like a replay of the duology because no real growth or arcs, but I absolutely loved C's route. It was a fun game. (I still haven't played Sky)
My favorite parts of the "crossbell route" was where it converged with the other routes. Lloyd had some of the games best moments and lines. But yeah, the general premise of the arc was a little too familiar.
To me, the crossbell route is the SSS falling into a mindset they were warned against at the end of Chapter 1 of Zero. The mindset of not trying to do everything themselves. The crossbell route I feel is what can happen if you do take on more than you can chew. So while there may not be much plotwise, I feel it's the most character driven arc.
@@RaifSeverence tbh even the mafia guy warned them about them losing their way so yeah loyd route was SSS learning they can´t do everything alone and allow other people from crossbell help them
Maybe it's because I tend to not look too deeply into the story or disect every bit I come across, but for me Reverie felt like the nice to have, but rather unnecessary part. I played it shortly after release and I also went for the platinum, so this may have also played a part here, but to me it felt like it way, WAY overstayed its welcome with all the minigames and stuff.
There's a reason I don't mess with getting platinums in most games. Especially JRPGs. All they generally do is drag down my enjoyment and impression of a thing and I get no satisfaction from popping trophies so I'm good to just move on when I feel like it.
@@TarksGauntlet Sometimes they do, but all the other games were fine, it was just this one specifically, but given that it was quite similar to Sky 3 and I didn't enjoy that one all that much either this is more likely the reason. One thing I never really liked in the games, but that hasn't deterred me from enjoying them overall is this whole "Finish one last dungeon after the game has kida eded already"
SPOILERS BELOW!! While I do understand people who dropped the series after Cold Steel 4 because of it's various issues, I myself have my laundry list of problems with the direction of the narrative, I'm of the opinion that Reverie saves the Cold Steel arc JUST ENOUGH to not make me drop the series entirely. The biggest thing that immediately salvages Reverie is simply the complete toning down of the Cold Steel harem nonsense. The fact that this game had three separate but interconnected stories to tell meant that Falcom could not waste a single ounce of space with Rean and his harem insanity beyond one off lines from Musse or Alisa. The thing that made this game worth playing is that of the big mystery of what the hell is happening, how is Rufus out of prison and why is he doing this, and the other oddities occuring. It felt like a return to form to some extent. Also, the C route definitely adds to the mystery and intrigue of what this story is trying to tell. All in all, Reverie was pretty fantastic as a closing game for the Western Zemuria saga and I'm interested to see where Kuro takes the story.
I wasn't so much bothered with the harem nonsense as it's really only prevalent in the optional social events (mostly optional) but I had a handful of growing issues with narrative direction as the arc unfolded. Mainly unkilling of characters and Deus ex Machinas galore that established some poor universal rules. I feel with Reverie that stuff is coming to a close now. That all aside, may want to spoiler tag your first post up there.
@@TarksGauntlet Added a spoiler warning to my original comment, thanks for the heads up. I saw as much of the optional side stuff as I can because I aim to get as close to 100% completion for a 1st playthrough and because I rarely replay JRPGs. I usually play for the story, not for replayability. My gripes boiled down to characterization issues, the Curse being kind of meh, and the aforementioned harem stuff. Honestly, I don't remember any Deus Ex Machina shenanigans, at least big enough ones to break my immersion. There were some off-putting moments, but nothing to really pull me out of the magic of the story. However, I do 100% agree that people had to die. Millium does not count, she needed to stay down. Crow I think deserves an actual proper end, BUT I think seeing him react to C was enough hilarity for me to justify him surviving the rivalries. I think Machias should have been long gone. Also, I think Musse should have been taken out. George would've had a good end if they did it and if he did it as repentance. Either Claire or Lechter had to go in my opinion. I have more ideas, but this is the ones I can think of on the fly.
5th game with this engine?? Then why did cold steel 1 & 2 feel so different from 3,4 and reverie? 3, 4 and reverie feel like the same engine but 1 & 2 feels completely different
You know, they probably did change engines at 3. Or at least use an updated of the phyre engine they always use. But in terms of combat balance and abilities and stuff this is the fifth one that's basically identical.
While I showed Lapis in the footage she's introduced a little further into the plot than what I discussed in the story section and figured if I name-dropped her it would require some explanation. But, C Crew also gets help from other friends along the way as well.
Meh. Reverie was... fine. I've played all the games leading up to it (Sky Trilogy, Crossbell, and all 4 Cold Steel games) and while I had already been losing interest/faith in the series during CS 3 and 4, Reverie sort of was the final nail in the coffin. From the absolute inundation with mini games to the still ongoing waifu mechanics, from the way they make Ouroboros into more and more mustache twirling Batman villains, to the constant revivals and fake-outs - I'm getting to a point where it's hard to take the story seriously anymore. The Sky games were amazing, a breath of fresh air. Female protag in a JRPG, the ending of Sky 1 being an absolute gut punch, the expert foreshadowing, character writing and world building...oof! Such great games! Then, Crossbell. With its socio-political themes, making the connection from Sky to Crossbell via Ouroboros, the small-scale story that turns out to be world-shatteringly important. And absolutely loveable characters once again. Nothing falcom did afterwards ever really compared to these two arcs. Cold Steel's first two games were ok, a breath of fresh air, a totally different perspective, as the naive, patriotic students realize "hey... are we the baddies?". That was a great moment. The school setting was fine for laying the groundwork of world building and giving the characters that naivety only teenagers have. And then, sadly, CS 3 happened. I guess i didn't like the direction of the characters and how Ouroboros turned out to be largely all talk... and it got worse in 4. Yes, the scope was epic, but it also felt kind of forced and a lot of moments and plot threads felt repeated. And Reverie, as a finale, kind of like Sky 3, was fine. If you don't take it too seriously. I'm not a huge fan of swin and nadia... I'll have to see how Kuro pans out for me when it releases... but yeah. "A few scuffs" is putting it mildly. But maybe it's just not for me anymore.
Hey guys.
Sorry I've been gone for a billion years, but I wanted to make sure I caught up on the trails reviews before Kuro releases.
I also made a second channel while I was gone. A place I could upload random crap to and still feel like I'm accomplishing things.
Link to that in the description if you want more Tarks.
See you all again in 2 weeks! The next 3 months of content is all ready to go so I won't disappear again for at least that long!
So happy you're back! Fantastic video!
Didn't know about the second channel!
@@doggobunni It's trash. Check it out!
Your back!!! Long live the Gauntlet 🧤
I'm actually glad they gave you a break from all the sidequests in Reverie. After CS4 where I just wanted it to end already I started getting really burnt out on sidequests. It really gave me the energy back to tackle Daybreak fully with all its content, and that game ended up becoming one of my favorites
Agreed. I put way too many hours into CS4, because of the side quests, and just wanted to get it over with.
The true legend of heroes is the vids Tark uploads along the way
glad to see an upload from you :) can't wait to watch tomorrow!
8:20 From what I hear from news on the most recent game, it seems like Falcom is experimenting and having Kai (which will apparently be the finale of the Calvard arc.) use the Reverie structure to avoid the pitfalls Cold steel 2 and 4 had in terms of pacing.
I'm hoping it's just borrowing elements from Reverie rather than copying its structure. Reverie was a great game, sure, but there's a place for Reverie-style games in the series, and it's not in an arc which hasn't had a "payoff" game yet (Kuro II was more of a second set-up game).
And while Cold Steel IV had problems, I personally don't think pacing was anywhere near the biggest one. It was more... not letting characters freaking die and ruining every moment where they could've redeemed themselves like it was directly insulting the audience.
Sorry, hope I'm not sounding too cranky. Just please, Falcom, don't go full Reverie with Kai.
@@giuseppeparry1365 I think Reverie style is exactly perfect for a payoff game, not in the sense of daydreams and the like.
But that multiple routes could help balance character bloat when featuring more characters like CS4 and it would mean quicker pacing that avoids something like the act 2 pacing problems people pointed out for CS2 and 4.
@@joaocbcneto Just multiple routes would be fine as long as it's with the main Daybreak cast and not a new protagonist to split the attention. They've already done that after all.
I'm definitely in the camp of not knowing anything about this franchise and do not have the drive or will to ever play catch up on it, but I DID enjoy this video and wanted to support your return to TH-cam stuff!
Good to see you're doing well! Your channel got me interested in the Trails series with your Sky and Coldsteel review videos from years ago and since then I've finished all the games and it's quickly become one of my favorite series. Looking forward to your thoughts on the next game as well.
Glad to see everything is going well enough and making a comeback 😊😊
8 months? WTF man! Glad you back
This also reminds me I need to go back and finish it since I just launched the attack to retake crossbell
I only just finished Sky SC last night so ill be tapping out of this review, but here is a comment for the algorithm. Welcome back!
I appreciate the push!
HolySh- i missed your reviews very hard. Im glad you are okay. Blessings for your family and friends.
I’m finally able to watch this after beating Cold Steel 4!!
Welcome back, good to see your return to youtube. I completed Reverie in February of this year, and loved it. With regards to the divisive two endings of CS 4, I think a lot more about that will be uncovered in Calvard. A lot of theory-crafting has been churning in the works since CS 4's initial release, and one of the major issues with the true ending has been solved: how did the characters get a "second chance" anyway? I don't want to spoil this, so all I'll say is that the solution is in the cover art for Reverie.
I liked the Cold Steel series, and I really loved CS 4. They call trails the "MCU of JRPGs" and coming from a heavy comic book background myself, I think that really helps one to understand what trails is going for. In trails, things are hyper-connected and it makes sense, it's just that sometimes, you have to wait five games for before a plot point you saw in one game finally gets an explanation in another. This is a common feature of comic book story-telling, where a long-running series will wait years to explain something. The trick, as a fan, is telling whether it was incredible creative vision or extreme laziness. They can look remarkably similar, and it can be hard to tell the difference sometimes.
Anyway, welcome back! Looking forward to watching more of your videos over the next few months!
There's actually only one song that's actually a remix of a song from Ys 1/2 that plays in the SSS building if you turn on the radio in Randy's room if i recall.
Yeah, I was pretty sure it was mostly a case of tracks just sounding really samey between the games, but that sort of thing is to be expected when composers have to pump out so much material.
It took me 35 hours to play through the main story but took me 170 hours to 100%, so we got about 135 hours of optional content here
Possibly my favourite Trails so far, with CS3 a close second. So much hype and great moments.
Also hard disagree on Blade being better than Vantage Masters.
Vantage masters is definitely the deeper, more thought-out game. But the quicker nature of blade draws me in more.
That was beautiful and deep poetry. Now I can’t wait for Nayuta. Glad to see your content again, brother.
TARK IS BACK LET'S GOOOOOO!
That said, uh, shelving this video to the Watch Later list til I get caught up on Trails xD
It'll still be here when you're ready! Thanks for the comment anyway!
Bro this is so funny I literally was comparing reverie to knife of dreams with one of my friends
Reverie it's SOOO GOOD! I am now at the final chapter playing it right now and I am just blown away, easy top 3 best Trails together with Azure and Sky SC.
I really need to play catch-up on the Kiseki games. I've fallen way behind. I only ever finished Cold Steel I and II and played a small chunk of Zero before I trailed off to something else. I enjoy them, it's just a series that requires alot of dedication lol!
Welcome back by the way. Always enjoy hearing your insight on games dude.
This being made like sky the 3rd made this game soooo much fun to play. None of the padding that cold steel had and man this is how allll gatcha systems should work in every game. Glad to see ya back taurks
Where did you get the Sara shirt you're wearing in this video?
Watching this even tho i just started cold steel 4 last week
I want to say maybe in this decade will never get to this game cuz I start jrpgs slow but one day I’ll come back to this. Happy to See You Back !
I feel this on many levels.
It's so hard to get around to some games these days, and even harder for something like this.
I think we all love the technical asspects
Nice work
I disagree with everyone who says that you can't enjoy the Trails of Cold Steel series unless you have played previous ones. The only Trails game that I have ever played is Trails of Cold Steel IV on my Switch OLED. I'm only around 22 hours into the game, and I like it a lot even though at times I don't understand what's going on. In fact, I like it so much that I am thinking about getting this game and other entries in the series for my PS5. That's why I am watching this review. I haven't made up my mind yet though because I still have a backlog of 20 games on my Switch including Trails of Cold Steel IV that I have to beat, around 30 games on my Series X to beat, and around 25 on my PS5. That's my problem. I always buy a ridiculous amount of games for all three of my systems, fall in love with 2-3 games from each system, and never get around to playing or beating the other ones. I love turn-based jrpgs more than other games though, and that's why I am thinking of getting this game for my PS5 once I finish some of the games in my backlog.
Hey, I never said you couldn't enjoy it. It's just that, as you yourself are already noticing only 20 hours into CSIV, you're not going to understand it. And what parts you do understand on a written level you won't fully get the impact of. The more you skip the more you lose but it's not like I started at the first game either.
@@TarksGauntlet I wasn't talking about you in particular. It's just I watched like five or six reviews and most people were saying don't play this game until you play the other ones because you won't be able to understand the story and some people was just saying you won't enjoy it unless you play the other ones first.
yeah in terms of combat Reverie is easily the most broken in the player's favor because of over-the-years power creep. There's always the usual popular choices coming back like making evade tanks, delay spam, art nukes, etc. But I had fun with some characters creating setups outside of the usual picks.
Had a guaranteed-win Altina solo setup where she had the capacity to 100% upkeep her own stealth and cast arts in between re-application so she'd never be targetted and keep on chipping enemies. With Erda MQ and Caliburn/Beowulf side she never had issues with having the CP/EP to keep going even around midgame.
On the other side I had 0-damage Tita. Evading attacks is the popular choice but why dodge if you know the attack won't even hurt you if it does. I had optimized her tankiness so hard that a +100 endgame nightmare boss had wiped everyone else but her with its strongest move, leaving her at like 70% health and then proceeded to have the next 10 turns before I could act and Tita had more health at the end of those turns than at the start. Don't gotta worry about S-Crafts or arts that either can't be dodged all of the time or ignore evade, don't gotta worry about an attack canceling any craft/art guard, don't even gotta worry about having any protection up. Oh yeah and she had nearly 100k Health. I could choose to do nothing ever and she still wouldn't die. (that was a problem once when I was trying to game over a boss fight to redo something I missed early in the game XD)
Thank you for bluring that Charakter 👍 Hope the next trails Game will be even better
Hopefully I didn't miss any blurs.
I stopped after CS2, and also played Trails in the sky through the Third. This video may inspire me to push forward 🔥
Its just like the 3rd which is why its one of the better ones imo
I will say I started to see cracks in the story with two things I am no going to spoil here. I still have faith as long as they don't double down on these two things for future stories.
Which are they?
@@timidalchemist8475 The "time travel" and a couple of characters motivations.
....
Haven't played Kuro/Daybreak but I see in official promotional arts of a Pocket Watch and also, we haven't even seen or know that much about the "Sept-Terrion of Time" atleast currently in Reverie...
I hope they atleast have a clever twist about the time stuff, since Time as plot point has been used like 2 times already even before we even the Sept-Terrion itself and its Holy beast.
@@railgunmisaka296 I am going to be honest here. I like the crossbell arc because of its characters, but until we get the full story that arc adds nothing. We could have skipped it completely and everything would have been mostly the same. I am glad it exists cause I love the characters but until I get the full story I sand by what I said.
A Wheel of Time analogy! Had to happen sometime. Both very long series stretched out over a single continent aimed at one main antagonistic force...
Also I don't know about the others, but Crossroads of Twilight, yeah... absolutely nothing happens in the plot until the last page. Literally. The Cold Steel games weren't quite that bad. I actually liked their slow pacing, even if I wish CSIV had more excitement. I just disliked... other things about them.
But Reverie was a great game, that I can agree 100%. The odd slightly trashy moment, but a brilliant high-concept, interesting adventure overall.
I actually miss the divine knight battles was hoping they stayed to mix things up with Soldats
My biggest disappointent in Reverie is the Lloyd section. It's not necessarily bad, but it definitely was the weakest of the 3. It is pretty much just a repeat of Ao's last chapters after separation. There are some good moments like McBurn fight but aside from that? Not too many.
I wanna watch the vid......but I'm still on Cold Steel 3...
I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment anyway!
just beat this game for the 2nd time the other day - easily one of my favorites from the entre trails saga
I really need to get back to reverie and finish it. I played the very beginning but then got burnt out cuz i played 3 and 4 back to back and needed a little break.
Yeah, I made comments about certain universe rules and stuff being established that are a little lame/weak but at least help this story along, and that we likely shouldn't see the same things present in later games. But, for spoiler reasons, I also couldn't elaborate further.
I watched this it seemed very light on spoilers other than maybe some party members eh I guess? Anyhow I think I pretty much liked every Cold Steel game less than the one before (with the exception of 2 I loved that one). But by the time I finished Cold Steel 4 I was just so fucking sick of this series. I thought I never wanted to play a Trails game again.
Enough time has passed where I am more intrigued at giving this a shot. I like the idea of the Reverie corridor, I just wish it would go on a deeper sale on PSN. I think I am up for it now but not so much I want to spent 44-60 dollars.
This is another game like CSIV where basically everybody is a party member in some capacity or another.
Except Kevin. Of course.
I've only played cold steel 1-4 and I think that is only requirements. By the end of 4 they have beat the story bush to death and u know what's happened and happening. In fact 4 was my least favorite 187hr out of the rest. It just dragged too long. I'm on ch1 of reverie now myself
i just started cold steel 4 last week
Well, I guess to start, welcome back Tarks to the TH-cam landscape. You have been missed.
Anyways, I kind of feel bad whenever "Trails" gets brought up. The fanbase, for better or for worse, is clearly very passionate about it and I constantly hear about the series no matter what corner of the internet I go to, damn near every day almost at that. Of the handful of Japanese RPG channels I follow, or even just know about, pretty much all of them love the series.
You all put so much praise and high regard in damn near every entry...yet here I am not only thoroughly disinterested in it but borderline disliking it even. I've tried to get into "Trails" a couple times now but it's never ended well. Played two of the other "Legend of Heroes" games from the "Gagharv" trilogy, "A Tear of Vermillion" and "Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch" if you must know, and didn't like them at all. Though I'm told they don't count...despite still being tangentially related apparently? I even tried watching an LP for "Cold Steel" from a channel I used to follow (Revis Dumas, doesn't exist anymore) and was completely disinterested. Not to mention some anime adaption or spin-off from not too long ago that I tried and then dropped in two episodes.
I often joke about this but it really does feel like a case where I grew up playing and appreciating the wrong games. To be so completely unable to get into something apparently so amazing, all cause I prefer these lesser games instead. It feels like I'm missing out.
If it doesn't work for you it doesn't work for you. There's no harm or shame in it. And I think the series comes with a serious caveat that it is brutal for most to get into. The pace is so leisurely at times it can be understandably mind numbing for people.
I will say, when it comes to the anime, you are actually perfectly in-line with the trails fanbase. Nobody liked that crap haha.
@@TarksGauntlet
That's the thing, I don't actually mind leisurely paces. I mean, I'm a defender of "Muv-Luv Extra" for instance, most of the fanbase there would tell you to just skip it and look up a summary. Yet here I went through every single route.
Just...something about the series continually either fails to catch my attention or is actively dissuading me. And I don't know what or why. I almost just want to blame the multiple poor exchanges I've had with the fanbase as being the result of putting me off so much but that'd be both disingenuous and unfair to folks like you.
Oh well, I'm plenty satisfied with my gaming experience as it is, this is just going to have to be one of those franchises that remain an enigma for me.
@@shadowmaksim as you can probably tell from the video, I also have issues with the fanbase. I honestly find a lot of them overbearing and too serious about it all.
I cut a giant chunk from this video that actually discussed this (didn't want to bother with the response to it) and even had to film a new ending to this vid, where the original also just took another shot at the fanbase.
I love the series, but part of me always dreads talking about it publicly.
You have a 2nd channel since 3 month? Why didn't you mentioned that in a community post here?
Yeah.
Well.
I kind of enjoyed how zero stakes it was. It felt nice uploading to nobody to be completely honest. But it was made to be shared eventually.
I recent years it feels like square Enix has passed on the leadership role of the JRPG genre to both atlus and falcom, we went from dragon quest and final fantasy being the two best JRPG series to now persona and trails being the two best
Dragon Quest 11 was fantastic from start to finish, so it's more like just Final Fantasy has gone down the crapper (and in my opinion, that happened a LONG time ago.) However, with 2/3 of Dragon Quest's holy trinity no longer with us, and DQ12 apparently veering into an uncertain new direction, I have certain concerns about the future of the series.
I couldn't finish CS4 because I was tired of the pacing issues. I did get a plot synopsis of the ending. Is it worth giving TIR a try? I don't want to be burnt again.
There's a couple slow points, mainly the beginning when you're being re-acquainted with the characters and locations but after that it's one of the most concise trails games out there.
That said, I fully advocate for taking breaks from series. Even more so with Trails than other series. If you're not feeling up to it it's probably best to put it off until you are. Also, it's entirely valid to control the scope of content you do. If you don't want to do every side quest or minigame along the way it's fine to just B-line the main quest objectives too. Lord knows the games are long enough as it is.
I was disappointed with the Crossbell route - it felt like a replay of the duology because no real growth or arcs, but I absolutely loved C's route. It was a fun game. (I still haven't played Sky)
My favorite parts of the "crossbell route" was where it converged with the other routes. Lloyd had some of the games best moments and lines. But yeah, the general premise of the arc was a little too familiar.
To me, the crossbell route is the SSS falling into a mindset they were warned against at the end of Chapter 1 of Zero.
The mindset of not trying to do everything themselves. The crossbell route I feel is what can happen if you do take on more than you can chew. So while there may not be much plotwise, I feel it's the most character driven arc.
@@RaifSeverence tbh even the mafia guy warned them about them losing their way so yeah loyd route was SSS learning they can´t do everything alone and allow other people from crossbell help them
Maybe it's because I tend to not look too deeply into the story or disect every bit I come across, but for me Reverie felt like the nice to have, but rather unnecessary part. I played it shortly after release and I also went for the platinum, so this may have also played a part here, but to me it felt like it way, WAY overstayed its welcome with all the minigames and stuff.
There's a reason I don't mess with getting platinums in most games. Especially JRPGs. All they generally do is drag down my enjoyment and impression of a thing and I get no satisfaction from popping trophies so I'm good to just move on when I feel like it.
@@TarksGauntlet Sometimes they do, but all the other games were fine, it was just this one specifically, but given that it was quite similar to Sky 3 and I didn't enjoy that one all that much either this is more likely the reason. One thing I never really liked in the games, but that hasn't deterred me from enjoying them overall is this whole "Finish one last dungeon after the game has kida eded already"
SPOILERS BELOW!!
While I do understand people who dropped the series after Cold Steel 4 because of it's various issues, I myself have my laundry list of problems with the direction of the narrative, I'm of the opinion that Reverie saves the Cold Steel arc JUST ENOUGH to not make me drop the series entirely.
The biggest thing that immediately salvages Reverie is simply the complete toning down of the Cold Steel harem nonsense. The fact that this game had three separate but interconnected stories to tell meant that Falcom could not waste a single ounce of space with Rean and his harem insanity beyond one off lines from Musse or Alisa.
The thing that made this game worth playing is that of the big mystery of what the hell is happening, how is Rufus out of prison and why is he doing this, and the other oddities occuring. It felt like a return to form to some extent. Also, the C route definitely adds to the mystery and intrigue of what this story is trying to tell.
All in all, Reverie was pretty fantastic as a closing game for the Western Zemuria saga and I'm interested to see where Kuro takes the story.
I wasn't so much bothered with the harem nonsense as it's really only prevalent in the optional social events (mostly optional) but I had a handful of growing issues with narrative direction as the arc unfolded. Mainly unkilling of characters and Deus ex Machinas galore that established some poor universal rules.
I feel with Reverie that stuff is coming to a close now.
That all aside, may want to spoiler tag your first post up there.
@@TarksGauntlet Added a spoiler warning to my original comment, thanks for the heads up.
I saw as much of the optional side stuff as I can because I aim to get as close to 100% completion for a 1st playthrough and because I rarely replay JRPGs. I usually play for the story, not for replayability. My gripes boiled down to characterization issues, the Curse being kind of meh, and the aforementioned harem stuff.
Honestly, I don't remember any Deus Ex Machina shenanigans, at least big enough ones to break my immersion. There were some off-putting moments, but nothing to really pull me out of the magic of the story.
However, I do 100% agree that people had to die. Millium does not count, she needed to stay down. Crow I think deserves an actual proper end, BUT I think seeing him react to C was enough hilarity for me to justify him surviving the rivalries. I think Machias should have been long gone. Also, I think Musse should have been taken out. George would've had a good end if they did it and if he did it as repentance. Either Claire or Lechter had to go in my opinion. I have more ideas, but this is the ones I can think of on the fly.
Ive literally played all the games except the crossbell saga somehow and i mean all even kuro 1 and 2 my backlog is immortal
5th game with this engine?? Then why did cold steel 1 & 2 feel so different from 3,4 and reverie? 3, 4 and reverie feel like the same engine but 1 & 2 feels completely different
You know, they probably did change engines at 3. Or at least use an updated of the phyre engine they always use. But in terms of combat balance and abilities and stuff this is the fifth one that's basically identical.
HE’S BACK
aaaaand I can’t watch because I’m still behind on Trails games ….
Rip.
Thanks for leaving a comment though!
Lapis is just "& friends"? If anything, she's the one character truly necessary, the actual protagonist. Saying any more might be spoilers.
While I showed Lapis in the footage she's introduced a little further into the plot than what I discussed in the story section and figured if I name-dropped her it would require some explanation.
But, C Crew also gets help from other friends along the way as well.
Pog
Meh. Reverie was... fine. I've played all the games leading up to it (Sky Trilogy, Crossbell, and all 4 Cold Steel games) and while I had already been losing interest/faith in the series during CS 3 and 4, Reverie sort of was the final nail in the coffin. From the absolute inundation with mini games to the still ongoing waifu mechanics, from the way they make Ouroboros into more and more mustache twirling Batman villains, to the constant revivals and fake-outs - I'm getting to a point where it's hard to take the story seriously anymore.
The Sky games were amazing, a breath of fresh air. Female protag in a JRPG, the ending of Sky 1 being an absolute gut punch, the expert foreshadowing, character writing and world building...oof! Such great games! Then, Crossbell. With its socio-political themes, making the connection from Sky to Crossbell via Ouroboros, the small-scale story that turns out to be world-shatteringly important. And absolutely loveable characters once again.
Nothing falcom did afterwards ever really compared to these two arcs. Cold Steel's first two games were ok, a breath of fresh air, a totally different perspective, as the naive, patriotic students realize "hey... are we the baddies?". That was a great moment. The school setting was fine for laying the groundwork of world building and giving the characters that naivety only teenagers have. And then, sadly, CS 3 happened. I guess i didn't like the direction of the characters and how Ouroboros turned out to be largely all talk... and it got worse in 4. Yes, the scope was epic, but it also felt kind of forced and a lot of moments and plot threads felt repeated.
And Reverie, as a finale, kind of like Sky 3, was fine. If you don't take it too seriously. I'm not a huge fan of swin and nadia... I'll have to see how Kuro pans out for me when it releases... but yeah. "A few scuffs" is putting it mildly. But maybe it's just not for me anymore.
Same…