Top 10 Trails Series Moments
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
- Top 10 Trails Series Moments - The most memorable moments from the Trails series prior to Cold Steel 3!
The Trails Series has given me some of the most memorable moments in gaming over the year or so that I’ve played them. Fans will sometimes discuss ‘The best trails series moments’ or ‘what are the top 10 trails series moments?’, and now that I’ve finished the Crossbell duology, I’m fully prepared for Cold Steel 3’s release in October, but I wanted to share with you my favourite Trails moments thus far, and compile them in to a list of 10. My rankings are based on the raw emotion they made me feel, whether they add significance to the main narrative, or if they bring closure to an arc in a satisfying way. Needless to say, this was a VERY difficult list to compile, as the Trails series is loaded with a multitude of amazing moments, but I’m happy with this result.
Many new-comers wonder why the Trails series is so loved, or why the Trails series is so special to die hard fans; well quite simply it’s because the best moments in the Trails Series represent some of the best moments in gaming, period. Falcom are the masters of interconnectivity and world-building, and it shows with the moments on this list. Of course, this list is purely my opinion, and the likelihood is that many people will not agree with it. But when people ask the question ‘what are the best moments from Trails?’, I’m hoping they can at least relate to this list, and then disclose their own top 10, let’s get some discussion going!
As for the video itself, I had a lot of fun with this one. It really got my thinking about this journey that I’ve been on through the Trails Series, the moments that will stick with me forever as a gamer. It was great to once again see these scenes with added context from other titles, and they still gave me the same affect as they did when I first saw them. It’s a testament to the brilliance of the Trails Series that moments like these can evoke the strongest of emotion, even though I’ve seen them more than once. This is one of my longest videos to date as well, so the editing that went in to this was fairly painful, but for the Falcom family who have supported me all the way, this was worth it.
I hope you enjoy this list, please like, share and subscribe, and catch you later!.
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I love the "literal" butterfly effect of Colin chasing a butterfly being the turning point of the SSS truly getting close with Estelle and Joshua and together with them, Renne
Oh shoot, I didn't even pick up on that!
Ao’s ending blew my mind and made me cry. Lloyd could have gotten his brother back, but that little girl needed someone to love her. If I remember correctly, KeA was trying to make it so she never existed. That is just too sad.
That is definitely my favorite moment in the trails series and in gaming in general.
That is indeed a fantastic choice. KeA's a great character, and I can't wait to see her come back. I imagine we'll see her in a future game, and I don't think her role as the Zero Sept Terrion has completely disappeared as of yet.
@@TheKisekiNut yes, she definitely still has something other that residual levels of power even in cs4. KeA was trying to make it like she never existed? I love the scene to death I must have missed that part.
The implication of Guy returning was actually worse than that, beyond KeA having to use her power (and most likely deleting herself), bringing Guy back would've deleted the SSS as we know it.
I think my favorite moment is Olivier/Olivert's declaration of war to Osborne, in the most flamboyant way possible.
Yes this scene was so good!
Is that the scene in Trails in the Sky 3rd where he shoots red flowers in the sky with Mueller standing behind him?
@@anth00000 Yeah!
@@rainbowsnail4171 Oh yeah, that was badass! I bingeplayed Trails in the Sky FC all the way to Cold Steel 4 in a 6 month period last year, so I might have forgotten some things. It's depressing to think that Hajimari will only be out in English in 2023 and Kuro + Crimson Sin around 2029 and 2032
Olivert is the best!
Joshua scared and Joshua brave.
Joshua lying and Joshua honest.
My...beloved Joshua.
Just seeing those lines makes me feel so much pride for how Estelle grew and matured as a character after the heartbreak of FC's cliffhanger ending, and throughout the problems she encounters in SC while searching for Joshua. You nailed it by saying how she doesn't just spill her own feelings to Joshua in that moment, but exposes his and really shows how well she knows him and cares for him. She was already my favorite character through her positive attitude with which I personally identify, but this scene really cemented that fact.
Similarly to how she shows Joshua his worth when he feels worthless, the love and acceptance Estelle pours out to Renne in the 3rd and Zero was so touching. While Estelle had a pretty great childhood, save maybe one tragic event, Renne had the polar opposite, with the worst childhood imaginable. It's absolutely heartbreaking when Renne turns her back in shame and says she thought for sure that everyone would give up on her once they heard about Paradise. But of course Estelle and Joshua wouldn't do that. All I want is to see Renne happy and accepted and loved, so the ending to Zero was immensely satisfying.
Oh and the KeA thing was pretty neat too LOL Top notch video, sir
Thank you for your kind words sir! I love this series more than any other, and I want to share that with other like-minded fans. Unfortunately, the series is still fairly niche, so finding other like-minded people to discuss the series with is quite difficult, so I always welcome people who can appreciate the games. :)
I had played zero, and Ao before the third, and I was kind of annoyed that Renne got such a happy ending that I didn't think she deserved. Then I saw star door 15, and my heart broke. She deserves every bit of happiness she can get.
Yep, she has the most tragic backstory in Trails, at least from what I've seen so far. Despite being conditioned as a killer for Ouroboros, she's still a child at heart, and you can see that in Zero especially.
@@TheKisekiNut It's probably one way ticket, but where can I find meaning of the names Renne gave those friends? I kinda have problem with finding it.
One of my favorite moments in the series, hands down, is the ending of Cold Steel II. I still get chills when I hear the line “Thou art possessed with a fine spirit.”
I agree, and when Class VII and their allies reach the end of the old school builduing and realize that it's the end for their group and all of them are going their sepparate ways, Millium crying for the first time alongside her friends and the goodbye at Trista Station leaving Rean behind hit me hard right in the feels
The ending of Cold Steel was so powerful, I instantly purchased 2
That cliffhanger was what hooked me in to the whole series. I owe CS1 a great deal for its influence on me.
@@TheKisekiNut indeed. My favorite girls are Alisa, Fie, Sara and Towa. Rean is also one of my favorite protagonists.
It was a worse situation for me, i had both games on my vita and when i finished 1 i was around 3 weeks aways from a port during my service on a ship. I started 2, but for some reason my file was corrupted and i couldnt start the game the second time i tried.
Great video man, i'm glad someone is stepping up to put out some Trails content because theres a severe lack of interesting videos on the series on youtube.
Thanks for the feedback mate! I'm aiming to put out as many interesting videos on Trails as I can, as are many other TH-camrs. The more exposure this series gets, the better.
I think Hamel incident should be in the list, but these 10 you mentioned are pretty powerful already. Hamel is the start of everything in Liberl. To me, Renne's past and what happened in Hamel just makes me sick to my stomach. Osbourne's reveal to Rean also comes to mind, as I remembered feeling the same anger as Rean when he realize that Crow's life was for nothing in the end of CS2, then immediately after that, just stunned by the next bit of info he said.
Never played Crossbell arc, but after knowing Fake Sept-Terrion of Mirage's power, makes me doubt every intro I have played in Kiseki series. Well done in making that number one. I was absolutely paralyzed at the end of your video.
Thank you for watching the video! :)
Hamel was definitely on the cards, it was VERY close to being on the list, but honestly, I think because I did a lore video on Loewe, it kind of lost a bit of that luster as I kept referring to the incident again and again.
I'm glad you liked the number 1 though, it blew my mind when it happened, and it still remains one of my favourite moments in gaming. And when you realise it may be even more far-reaching than the Crossbell games, you start to realise that every event has some effect on other stories.
Love how you showed Dorothy. Ive long felt Dorothy is the Grandmaster for some reason.
Hmm dont think so.
Wouldnt surprise me that much, but i doubt that.
I haven't played with the voice mod, but has anyone compared Dorothy's voice to the Grandmaster's?
Never occurred to me before, would be an interesting developpement
I'm guessing she's from the "otherside" like Mcburn.
Beryl
The moment where Renne reunites with Estelle and Joshua in Zero always makes me cry. Great picks really, one of my favorite moments will always be the fragment chapter of Ao, the music the hype and playing as Garcia was epic
You and me both buddy! That Zero no kiseki's ending made me tear up like hell
You and me both mate, it's such a satisfying ending for a tragic character. There was no way that moment wouldn't be on the list! :)
@@TheKisekiNut seriously her past is just sickening
The one moment from Ao, which just... punched me in the gut with chills and tears was the moment, when they tried to take back crosbell and in the middle of fighting Pater-Mater independently, just straight up sacrificed himself to protect Renne and the the momwnt the punch in the gut actually happened, was when Pater-Mater said Goodbye. That moment was just everything after what Pater-Mater was to Renne and those 4 games which Renne was in with Pater-Mater. That scene was just... gives me chills everytime i think about it. This was for me the greatest momenr in trails series which lasted and the first time i have ever felt that type of rushing of chills and tears
That is indeed a top tier moment. Feeling sympathy for a robot for a start is one thing, but watching Pater Mater develop emotion due Jorg Rosenbourg was a sight to behold.
A lot of big moments here. It is indeed actually quite hard to think of a top 10. Number 3 might just be my number 1 though. I will even admit that the Ao revelation of the Sept-Terrion might be the most impressive even (Ao is my favorite game in the franchise), but the revelation of "Professor Alba" actually being George Weissman is kinda what really forges the Kiseki franchise as a whole. Through all of FC you're really playing mostly World Building the videogame. Really, the whole game is made for that exact moment and everything that would follow... and I mean everything, not just Sky.
I remember I had my suspicions about Alba, though my main reason was fairly stupid: By the end of the game, when you're celebrating that you just saved Liberl and such with all the happy music in the castle and the city in general, EVERYONE is there. I was in love with the NPCs in this game and their evolution through (and that was one game, to think they've been evolving through 10 games now), so I wanted to speak with everyone, and everyone with some kind of relevance was there, so I searched and found everyone I could think of, but when I had nowhere else to look, I was "wait a moment, where's professor Alba?... uh... this is very suspicious"... literally a couple scenes later my question was anwsered.
Finally, there's the fact for many of us about this that... we couldn't just go and buy Second Chapter. We had to wait, and wait, and wait. I remember I was constantly stalking social media, forums, websites and everything (and other people where definitely like me on this) just looking for any signs of progress with SC's localization. At some point it even became a scary prospect because it was taking so long that the PSP was pretty much dying already, and there was no Trails in the Sky for Steam at the time. It was a PSP exclusive. We knew Japan already had Zero and Ao, and just listening to Silver Will would make some of us just burst in hype waiting for SC. We really wanted to know what the heck with this organization called Ouroboros, just what's really happening behind the scenes and what was going to happen with Joshua and Estelle after that ending.
At the very least, SC was a fantastic sequel that delivered, and I guess that's how I'm here in 2020 still writing about this, now having played Sky FC, SC, 3rd, Zero, Ao, Cold Steel I, II, III and IV, and excited about the idea of hopefully playing Hajimari sooner rather than later.
I really love how Cold Steel 1 had some nice callback to Xenogears especially with Valimar, the line "Does thou seek power" that he whispered to Rean(before he knows of Valimar) is similar to what Grahf said in Xenogears, and the unarmed stance of Eight Leaves when he first summoned Valimar is the exact fighting stance of Weltall in Xenogears.
And incase of spoilers, the ending of Cold Steel 3 had somewhat similar feel to ending of Disk 1 of Xenogears, if you get what I mean.
I've never actually played Xenogears, but someone has mentioned to me the exact same thing! I feel that Trails has taken inspiration from quite a few other JRPG titles, Persona being an example. But they've added their own unique twist that I feel will never be replicated (the massive and intricate world-building).
@@TheKisekiNut if you can stomach old school rpg, I totally recommend it. The battle system is cool and you can call your gear in battle similar to calling Valimar in cold steel 2.
@@TheKisekiNut The creator of Xenogears (Tetsuya Takahashi) worked for Falcom before moving onto Square and eventually making Monolithsoft. Both Falcom and Monolith have that kinda storytelling that make players drop their controllers after a big scene haha.
I can't believe that Cold Steel 1's prologue actually connected to Azure's story so much!!! That's actually brilliant!!!
To think that Millium was never there all along. Time is scary.
My top Trails moment so far is always going to be my lord Osborne walking in like he owns the stage at the end of CSII and just outplays everyone ;)
He's a baaaaaaaad man! :D
I may hate him enough to want to put a bullet through his head if I thought it would work (thanks for trying Crow), but I got to admit that that was really badass of him
Yeah I would definitely put that scen at least top 3 for me. Osborne is just one of those characters that you just can't help but hate. But you hate him for the things he does, not so much as a character. Thats what makes him such a good antagonistic character. And to see him somehow cheat death and show that he had virtually everything planned out...spectacular.
@@tylerwhite7833I think what makes it even better is everything that surrounding it, the reveal happen right after Crow's death, the guy Rean and Class VII wanted to reach and get back into Class VII and in the end they fail to bring him back as he dies, and when they are just starting to mourn over his death, Osborne come and essentially reveal Crow's death was meaningless and everything he done was for nothing, the moment where Rean realise that and face Osborne out of frustrationg was just done perfectly, I'm not a fan of Rean but damn I actually feel for the guy at this moment, having to realise his Friend die for nothing and worst of all the man responsible for all Crow's shits is none other than his own father, geez that must hurt.
cold steel got ruined completely by some stupid curse and suddenly every bad dudes were forgiven like wtf, no thats such a stupid convenient plot shit, everything happen cause of a curse
My personal favorite moment is when Rean faces off against Laura's father in the first cold steel. And he goes ogre mode to try and beat him. I didnt expect it my first time playing
Well, he didn't go ogre to try and beat him. Victor wanted Rean to stop holding back since he was afraid of his ogre power
u are excatly right at the end, KeA said she felt she saw the tower in Ao when its revealed. Crow and Milliam wasn't there to stop ILF and KeA changed it to save SSS from Railway Gun!!!
It's CRAZY!!! And it's story-telling like this that makes so many people love these games.
@@TheKisekiNut what about in CS3 when SPOILERS*****
in the intro you play as new class 7 and Angelica isnt there
@@00r99 this one isn't the same due to Kea losing her powers after the events of Ao and that scene is about 2 years aftewards
One thing the 'Trails' series has taught me is that characters with glasses and who usually keep their eyes closed are always suspicious.
I'll let Dorothy slide because she's adorable. lol
You pretty much listed all the top moments I would've listed as well lol. But Trails is full of unforgettable moments so here's some of my own favorite epic moments that didn't make your list in no particular order
- Kevin's whole descent into literally the pits of Gehenna as the sins and traumas of his past come back to haunt him at Phantasma. From how his mother tried to strangle him to death as a kid, how he got adopted by the Argent family, and most of all, how Rufina sacrificed herself with a caring smile on her face as she was impaled by Kevin's s-craft, his stigma. It really made me admire Kevin in a whole new light. Which made the revelation of the Lord of Phantasma taking Rufina's appearance all the more shocking. The icing on the cake on this whole deal is Kevin one-shotting Greater Demons with his s-craft of unholy spears, as he took on the mantle of the cold-hearted assassin once more, and later when he brutalized Weissman once again with holy spears instead lol.
- The escape of Crossbell City near the end of Zero. I took quite a liking to Noel Seeker since the first time I met her. She was determined, tomboyish, and I thought her military background was plain awesome, my kind of girl basically. So when the SSS made their daring escape aboard Dieter Crois's limousine with Sergei at the wheel, I was blown away cuz one of the best tracks in the entire series came through. And when two friggin tanks come guns ablazing with their guided missiles and miniguns, injuring Sergei in the process, I legit thought we were done for. I howled and cheered in ecstacy when I saw another CGF armored car speeding on the horizon, my girl Noel, instantly neutralizing one of the tanks with a well-placed ram and keeping the other one busy. Man what a fantastic intro to the final dungeon.
Awesome list :) Man whenever I hear that trails in the sky music I just tear up, there is just something so special about the older games, the writing was so much more personal and tighter.
Thank you for watching! Indeed, the music tracks in Sky are some of my favourite in games, period, especially Sky the Third. I feel that each arc has their own magic that they weave with the stories, and the Sky arc had a very 'real' set of protags and support characters that made it so special.
Cassius's craft ligtning fast killed my party in 2 turns wtf
one of my fav moments was when Liber Ark appeared in SC and did the Nation wide Orbal Shutdown that even affected the Empire , i knew it was coming , but damn , that moment was breathtaking and epic
I also loved the Liber Ark appearing! It just shows there are so many great moments in this series that resonate with all players.
@@TheKisekiNut I noticed something in the cutscene of Liber Ark >.> when its doing t he shut down then all lights stop to function right ? but there was exactly one Light that was not affected , you can barely see it in the west River , i checked the map of Liberl but could not find a clue what there is supposed to be , to add more , the spot where there was still a light glowing is between Ruan and Valleria Lake in the River
I think I'm getting addicted to anything Kiseki related. 😂
You've got yourself a new subscriber! Kiseki has become my favorite series of all time since playing Sky just over 2 years ago. This was a lot of fun to watch and I look forward to more content from you! I'm sure this took forever to make, but I'd even like to see you do a video about more great moments that didn't make the cut.
I hope you enjoy CS3, it's very much a return to form game for the series. It's a huge improvement on CS1 and 2.
P.S. that was my top 10 you included a screenshot of at the beginning of the video, gave me a bit of a start to see that XD
It's a small world mate, thank you again for taking the time out of your day to watch this list:). I had a lot of fun with it personally, you don't really think about the editting pain when you enjoy what you're doing.
Hopefully, future videos will also be up to snuff for yourself!
MAJOR SPOILERS FOR AO NO KISEKI/TRAILS TO AZURE BELOW:
I feel as if Dieter is an unfortunate commentary on how far someone is willing to go to protect their country. I see Dieter's final role in the story as President of Crossbell in the same light as I see Colonel Richard from Sky FC, only that the former was actually able to obtain the power he was seeking. Unlike the other individuals who were part of the conspiracy in the autonomous state, Dieter seemed like a true patriot, spurred by love to protect his homeland that has, and always will be, shoved around by the major powers. He followed through with more utilitarian values; that the ends justified the means, even if it meant sacrificing some of his fellow citizens in the raid on Crossbell. This is only headcanon, but I infer that Dieter was the last to be added to the major Phantasmal Blaze Plan, and most likely was convinced to join with the promise that the WMDs (Aions) that Crossbell will obtain will be able to protect the country.
I understand that we'll never know what would have happened to the major powers over time, the longer Dieter had those weapons, but I think it's important to note that after the initial attack on Garrelia Fortress and the advancing Imperial and Republican armies, the Aions were not used to instigate attacks ever again. Power doesn't corrupt, but reveal. If Dieter truly was just in it for himself, to be President of the known world, he could have easily inflicted much more damage with the mirage sept-terrion, to the point where he could have occupied parts of Erebonia and Calvard. Instead, he raised the barrier around Crossbell and kept the Aions close as deterrents and shields (i.e. they only attacked when Kevin and Wazy infiltrated the area; and later on when the liberation of Crossbell city went on). When seen in this light, I can't help but see a person who truly loved his country, but strayed from the right path of justice after feeling disillusioned with the messy politics, both internal and external from the Imperial and Republican governments.
Mariabell is the true mastermind out of the Crois to me; compared to her father, she truly was spurred by a personal/selfish desire to see just what the Azure Tree was capable of, and once it dissolved, she just moved on to Ouroboros, completely unfazed, to further pursue her goals. Not to mention that she was the one who was versed in the alchemy and "magical" side of things; she was much more connected and aware of the DG Cult's actions and history than her father ever was from what I can see. On the other hand, Dieter was devastated when the barrier and the power of the Aions were no more. This is also only just an inference, but it seems like the other people in the conspiracy knew his heart was in the plan for a much different reason from their own: he wasn't fulfilling some massively selfish desire for revenge or desire to realize just how much power one can obtain. He just wanted to form a barrier around his homeland and protect it from ever having to deal with the schemes of the Imperial Chancellor and Republican President ever again.
Of course, this in no way justifies what he's done, what with allowing the raid on Crossbell, and declaring independence of Crossbell, knowing what kind of implications that would have on an international scale and subsequent retaliation from the major powers. I appreciate that after what we got with Richard and his redemption arc in the Sky trilogy, they gave us Dieter to show the other face of what could have happened if a patriotic man was able to harness the power of a sept-terrion.
Sorry for this massive rambling on your top 10 video!
Great picks all around! I also couldn't help but get pumped about being able to pilot my own mech during that entire ending portion of CS1.
Kevin reveal was also one of my favorites! I knew something had to be up with him, since otherwise why would this newly introduced character in SC strong-arm his way into the party throughout the game...? Whenever he was around, he was always in my party. I think it just added to why the reveal was so amazing!
Trails from Zero -> Trails to Azure...AHHH. THAT KEA REVEAL AT THE VERY END WAS AMAZING. I love timeline resetting/parallel story travelling when it's done right (i.e. Umineko, Higurashi, Madoka), so in the back of my mind I was still wondering if that beginning scene of Zero was not just some dream...BUT LO AND BEHOLD FALCOM YOU HAVE DONE IT AGAIN WITH YOUR CRAFTED STORIES.
It was great to see your top 10! Can't imagine how long it took to narrow it down to that...
Nice job with this video Kiseki Nut! :)
Spoilers!
That is one heck of a reply, but I totally agree with what you say Lady! Dieter is an unfortunate byproduct of a political system that quite simply has too many flaws. The man felt that the only way to protect his homeland was to use a more extreme method, something more direct that bypassed the system. He definitely had Crossbell's interests in mind, but unfortunately, the way he went about it was wrong. Attacking your homeland in order to protect is is just ludicrous, but I do get his viewpoint. You can see that the guy is devastated at the end when he realises it was all for nothing, so I definitely feel sympathy for the man.
Hes basically Michael Kohlhaas from Heinrich von Kleists novel. Someone with a very sharp sense of justice. One that would lead to extreme measures to achieve it and one that is easily manipulated and corrupted. Literally the perfect person to make the statement for that the sept-terrions should not be in the hands of men
Very well put my friend! Unfortunately, people become the worst of themselves when they seek to protect, especially if they feel they're in a corner already.
I don't know about Crois especially given that Lloyd and the others themselves can take on the Aions which are only as powerful as the abilities they can actually obtain. Plus Crois also decided to freeze every countries' assets in the IBC and cause a near continent wide economic crisis. Plus he destroyed Garrelia Fortress's main body instead of just destroying the railway guns. It sounds to me like he was making a statement rather than trying to help his country.
@@historian252 I see those actions as a by product of him being corrupted by power. It starts by protecting no matter what... then evolves to making sure no one will even attempt to harm. Alan Richard would have went the same way - escalating into more dangerous territory.
personally, one of my favorite moments is Rutger's "death". Not necessarily because of Rutger (though he was a solid character), but because of Fie. The exchange between the two of them in his final moments, and especially Fie calling him "dad" makes me cry every time.
Your hanging question about CS 1's opening scene in the #1 moment just blew my mind. I'd thought it was just the "didn't want to foreshadow" thing going on, but especially knowing who the two inserted characters really are (maybe C actually showed up in person the first time?) I think you're absolutely right.
It still remains my favourite moment in Trails even after playing CS3. It's such a well prepared moment, and I felt the games truly deserved something like that after all the build up.
@@TheKisekiNut
Sort of Spoiler alert to CS3:
I had pretty much the same theory on the future glimpses in the beginning, but now I am wondering about the future scene in CS3 (Angelica not there too).
Anyway I am sort of surprised you had not a single moment from CS2, I felt like the finale was the most mindblowing from all the stuff happening.
You should probably do another one of these whenever Cold Steel 4 comes out. There are absolutely some moments in both CS3 and CS4 that deserve at least a mention.
Nevertheless, all these choices are really good. Kiseki very kino indeed.
I was actually planning to do an updated version eventually. I think I'll wait till Hajimari though, because I have a feeling that game is gonna have some interesting revelations.
I honestly believe that the trails series is seriously the best JRPG series out rn. I've been a fan since the first CS game was released on PS4 and i've just felt satisfied with every game i've played so far excluding CS4. The worldbuilding, the evolving story, amounts of heavy lore, character development and backstory is unlike anything i've ever seen in a JRPG. This series is just a masterpiece in my eyes
Couldn't have said it better myself! :)
@@TheKisekiNut Yup and I can say that with confidence cuz i've played alot of JRPG'S and none of them touch the qualities in depth as well as this series does
I love Falcom.
You and me both man! They are a paragon of game design.
@@TheKisekiNut I am waiting for you to announce the next saga (perhaps the end of September 2020) in a director the president of Falcom showed two images of the next saga.
He did indeed, I actually did a video on the a livestream that Falcom took part in 2 months a go celebrating the 15th anniversary. In there we got news of 2 new games. I would like to think we'll get some more news after the shareholder meeting this December, but check out 'What next for the Trails Series' on my channel, where I discuss the potential location and tidbits from the new arc!
trust me when i finished CS3 and CS4 i gotta watch all your videos just so i can relive the good moments
i loved this video, my best personal moment is the escape from prison in Ao no kiseki, but thats just a personal favorite as its just screaming "LETS BEAT THE FUCKERS AND SAVE THE WORLD"
Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, the prison escape scene is pretty much a turning point in fortunes, so it represents quite a lot in the story of Ao. It was fun to play as Garcia a bit as well. :)
Nice choices 😉.
I had to skip the part related to Zero and Ao to avoid spoilers but I will definitely watch them later 😄.
I just finished Cold Steel 3 OMG that cliff hanger!! I'm just glad the Cold Steel 4 release date is so close.
Have you played the 4th one yet? I’m dying to play Hajimari. I’m even willing to play the Japanese version while following the translation someone made on a spreadsheet. lol
@@miguelgonzalez6495 I think I'm in the last act.
@@elderhollow9906 Nice! What a blessing to play as other Trails legends, huh?
@@miguelgonzalez6495 Indeed. I just hope one day I can play the Crossbell arc.
Loved watching this. Was really interesting hearing the passion and good times you've had with these games. As someone who's currently ploughing through CS3 after going through Sky trilogy last year, and in the last month or so: Zero, Ao, CS1 and CS2, I've been having a blast and it's refreshing to hear someone else's perspective on all of these memorable moments from the franchise. Thanks for producing quality Trails videos! The channel will hopefully fill the void that I'll be left in during the wait for CS4.
Thank you for taking the time to watch! I think you might dig the current video I've got in production if you're waiting for CS4!
@@TheKisekiNut Sounds good! Looking forward to it. :)
Why isn't anybody talking about the one on one of Joshua vs Loewe? That battle was fire!
Hello fellow UK Trails fan! I've been playing since 2011 and no other series has kept me hooked as long, not even Xenosaga!
I never thought I would see another UK fan! It's the best series of games I've ever played, and trying to break it down to 10 was near on impossible, I had something like 30+ to choose from.
@@TheKisekiNut I agree with you about Renne but I will add she came very close to murdering her parents when she saw them with Leonhardt in 3rd, I think it was the sight of Colin that stopped her, as you saw in Zero she loved her little brother deeply.
She did, but imagine being abandoned by your family and then put in to what, is pretty much considered, a living hell. She was pretty messed up from that ordeal. I can see why she would want some sort of revenge against them, but obviously she finds out later on in Zero that her parents didn't abandon her as she originally thought, and thus quells that bloodlust. She's not inherently evil by any stretch.
TKN what an awesome video! I loved every one of your ten picks! That moment of realization at the end of Trails to Azure was phenomenal! Cheers =)
Thanks Feb! Glad you liked it! It was a good bit of fun bringing this one together. I love the abbreviated name too, I'm gonna have to request it's used constantly now.;)
I’ll add the Kevin going through Gehenna and his tragic back story in trails of the 3rd 👍
There is another Organisation that hasnt been fully explained.
The Bracer Guild.
Who is leading them? Who are the "other 3 S-rank" Bracers? How did they keep tabs on Ouroboros? (They are aware as of CS4, that a certain chara became an enforcer).
That's a good shout, I never thought of the Bracer guild on top of that!
Estelle and joshua meet eachother again , that the best moment had me to tear
Amazing vid! Love all your favourites as well, but I think my #1 would be Joshua and Estelle's reunion in SC. Cheers man!
It was up until I played Ao, blame Crossbell for usurping the top spot! :D. Thanks for the support as always mate!
@@TheKisekiNut I totally feel ya on that, Ao became my favourite game in the series after I played it this year!
I think two of my most epic souvenirs from kiseki are when Joshua comes to Estelle's rescue on the ship in SC, and when Rean goes berserk while saving princess Alfin in CS2. Those moments were epic, and not as charged emotionally as the ones you mentionned
Wanted to make a correction, Joachim in the end of zero no kiseki cleared up the fact that Renne's room mates actually did exist and that she absorbed their personalities.
I don't think they existed per se, I think they were leftover personalities that she absorbed? It's still screwed up to the max though, to be honest, I didn't want to delve more in to it.
my favorite moment in sky sc is the confrontation between erebonia and liberl at haken gate, seeing estelle butting in between klaudia and olivert and rebuking a major power accusation is so good
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the final Arios fight in Ao. Personally this is probably my top trails moment. Lloyd had lost so much of his drive after chapter 4, and after his talk with Garcia, he slowly gained back his will to accomplish his goals while reuniting with his friends. The pinnacle of this however is when his finally comes face to face with Arios on equal standing, with his beliefs reaffirmed, his drive stronger than ever, his friends with him, and finally being able to learn what happened that day, Lloyd can finally stand on equal terms with Guy. Arios is their final barrier, and more importantly Lloyd’s final barrier to reach his goal of his brother. And on top of that, “get over the barrier” was absolutely the perfect track here, and since I was expecting inevitable struggle again, I was very pleasantly shocked.
it is a very good part of Ao, of course there are many in that game anyway! It represents arguably the most difficult barrier for them to overcome, but it's also a defining moment for Arios's character, an individual who felt only a miracle could save Crossbell.
He realised that the SSS, and Lloyd especially, found a 'way' that he and Guy couldn't. Arios himself was never evil, he just lost hope and he's probably the one character who is burdened more than most others. He has to live with the fact that he was indirectly responsible for his best friends death, his wife was killed and his daughter lost her eyesight due to a proxy war, he's seen as this 'Guardian of Crossbell' who ultimately can't do anything to keep it safe, and he has to accept the fact that he is exploiting what can only be described as a child to protect his home. I really feel for the guy, and I'm glad he's on his path of redemption now.
i think my favorite moment is the fight with loewe in second chapter
One moment of pure epicity is when fucking Sigmund BURN that building and figths with you in the bridge.
And with so many amazing moments already having happened, I've been told by people who have already played CS3 and 4 that those games could be likened to Infinity War/Endgame in more than one way (in regards to their role within the saga). So uuuh... Needless to say, I am both excited and scared.
I've heard amazing things regarding CS3, so the fact that we can experience it within a week and a half is tantalising! With 20 more years of Trails, we've got a lot more to digest.
@@TheKisekiNut Yes, I can't wait! Already played the demo (not the boss yet because apparently if you beat that guy in the demo you won't get a trophy for the prologue in the full game, unless you beat it again... So I am just waiting on beating it), and things are interesting so far.
About the beginning of CS1... If Millium and Crow not being there in the intro really has a deeper meaning then hats off. I don't really think it does because it's happened such a long time ago at this point (if you consider the time you have spent in CS1 and 2) that you would assume that that reveal would have happened by now... But really, you never know with this series. Would be awesome.
@@oOPrettywinxOo I'm not so sure, there's still 2 more games in this arc, plus this could be an anchor for other games we could be getting in the future. Maybe this event in Ao actually triggered a few events in other titles present and future, and we'll see that develop as the games progress. I'd like to think that this wasn't an oversight/spoiler prevention by Falcom, and that it actually does have an reason for existing, but, we'll only find out as the more games come to the West!
Great video! At least 3 moments from CS4 should be able to make it in too your top 10 list when you get to play CS4
Thanks for watching mate! I'm balling for CS4, but I've gotta get a few other games off my list first before I delve in. It all depends if we get a localisation announcement in the next 2 months (which I'm definitely not expecting anyway), but it gives me a buffer to decide the best course of action.
@@TheKisekiNut Do that, my deciding point was the NIS panel a few weeks ago where they announced the PC port to CS3. After that I gave in, bought the chinese one which was on sale for 25 bucks which is a STEAL
@@Lucario6804 I'm very close to going for it. But I'll give it till April time, and then I'll make my decision on the spot depending on what is said. Luckily, I've got loads to keep me preoccupied till then.
For the number one, I think you should also include Sen 1 opening, the probably unintended after effect from KeA herself. 2 certain characters are also omitted from the prologue/tutorial scene. Other than that, very great list. My personal list would look like this too, but as much tragic as it is, Star Door 15 is my number 3. It sets so much for Renne redemption arc, and people finally realized what they are missing from this seemingly bratty girl. Also I'd put a special mention to a small scene, Towa takes command of Glorious. Partly bcs i thought Rean will take the command, partly also bcs it enhances her role as a model student, one that everyone admire
I did actually mention that, you might have missed it though as it was right at the end. But that's ultimately why it was number 1. The Ao moment blew my mind, but that just took it to another level.
My favorite moment was when Joshua and Estelle were about to fall from the ruins of Liber Ark and Cassius showed up with the dragon. At that moment I was saying to myself "yes!"
bruh your 1st pick blew my mind, i only played ToCs series that thing with millium in your party somewhat bothered me back then when i was playing it, but now knowing about the Zero thing with the sss that it happend almost at the same time with tocs *mindblown*
The revelation itself in Ao was already amazing, but as I thought more about it, there were other instances where something similar happened (ala Cold Steel). I'm probably overthinking it, but I felt I had to mention it as a potential theory.
@@TheKisekiNut theres one thing thats a little off, i remember in tocs they mentioned the tree thing happend at same time with crimson castle so. . . the cannon things were from tocs 1 while the castle is from tocs 2 :|
@@notganoy1215 It's possible she had actually used her powers on a smaller scale yet again. She did it once in that alternate timeline, and chances are she may have done it again but we're unaware of it. She didn't necessarily have to be the Sept Terrion of Zero to make it happen, as something like that was relatively small scale in terms of what she actually is capable of.
I can relate to the ending of FC. It was so well done and emotional that after I think about what happened for a couple for hours
I said fuck it and bought SC and 3rd immediatly. I have to thank falcom for not releasing cold steel 3 for pc because SC was the first game ive finish in 2020
It's an intense cliffhanger! One of my favourites in gaming period. I don't think I've bought a sequel as quickly as I did SC.
Feel for me, who started FC back when SC wasn't out yet... I think I fell in love with this series with Weissman's revelation. It brought the whole thing on a level I just wasn't expecting...
Estelle's dream in SC
The sept-terrion of Zero also had the power of Fire, wind, earth and water as well. Zeit explains this to you if you speak to him when the Azure tree appears.
The geofronts were basically made to amass an insane amount of lower element energy which was used to make KeA achieve full power as well.
Man. I need to replay the Sky series. I just finished Cold Steel IV and none of it hit quite like Sky. Estelle Bright is still the greatest JRPG character ever written.
It wasn't so much a scene as it was a series of scenes, but Kevin and Ries' journey out of Gehenna was pretty intense too. Your list is great though. I haven't played the Crossbell duology yet (waiting on Geofront at least for Zero); so I skipped those - but I think you hit some of the best moments!
Ries is one of my favourite characters in the series for that exact reason, the journey that her and Kevin take together is awesome, and makes the third one of my favourite Trails games. I really hope you get to play Crossbell soon though, those games are a tier above, which is saying something. I really hope this list didn't ruin the moments for you, since obviously I announced them as we went through!
@@TheKisekiNut No worries at all! I skipped the Crossbell sections to perserve my naivete until I get to them. To see that you had so many picks (including number 1!) for that duology though makes me excited for when I finally do get to dive in.
You're gonna love it. I went in to those games with my hype levels in the stratosphere, and they STILL amazed me. That tells you everything you need to know about the quality of those games. :)
@@TheKisekiNut Wonderful! I'm waiting for Geofront (been following them for well over a year) to put out their patch on zero. I've heard that the existing translation on Ao is already pretty good (does that align with your experience?); so I'll probably just hit them back-to-back then!
@@thecognitiverambler8911 Yeah, the Zero release by Geofront is going to be the best for Western audiences by a clear mile, at least till we get an official release. The Ao translation was good for the most part, a few issues here and there, especially near the end, but nothing that broke the immersion. It was better than the Zero translation I used, put it that way. :)
We fought Staff-wielding Cassius Bright though not Sword Cassius but that battle was a blast.
I know, that's what makes it even more frightening! The guy is a Divine Blade, he's recognised for his ability with a sword, not a staff. I just hope we can see him use a sword again the future, and see what he's truly capable of!
You're lucky that you came to the series a bit later. Just imagine being like me, having bought Sky FC in Aug 2014, and waiting well over a year for SC to come out. It was such a painful wait~
Renne is the best thing to come out of the Trails series and I stand by that (shoutout to my boy Olivier too), but Ao no Kiseki is my favorite game from the series just because of those moments you mentioned, absolutely insane. I'm suprised the "ending" with the chancellor and Rufus in Cold Steel II wasn't on here though, that was pretty nutty.
I know this is an old video by now but i share the same reaction as you did with Crois. Even big revelations like "Richard is 'behind' the Gospel plan" or "Osborne is Rean's father" or even "Actually the professor you've been helping the entire game is actually the hidden antagonist of the entire arc" didn't surprise me, but Dieter's revelation as basically the mastermind behind most of those tragic events really struck me like i was backstabbed. I never trusted a character to be 100% good in the series as even the heroes make questionable choices sometimes here, hell look at Kevin thinking he is so bad he should literally rot in hell for eternity. But somehow i just trusted Dieter from that first scene where you talk to him and he is the -first- character in the series to talk about "justice" like he did, and then he proceeds to assit the SSS for what, a game and a half? I just trusted the character blindly, somehow. His revelation happening right before Arios' fight in mishelam really made me feel betrayed. Azure is peak Trails for me to this day, never thought i would care so much for fictional characters like i did for the SSS at the time.
I will say that the implication of CS1s prologue is definitely there, though given the importance of Orchus tower I'm doubtful it was ever a serious attempt given the ILFs collaboration with a variety of parties that needed the tower to stand up. If KeA did do it I think it's primarily ensuring a certain bird named guy and blue haired Loli ended up and were friends with Class VII (the latter is just a result of said bird named guy joining though so I don't think that's a direct intervention, Osborne plans around even reality shaping Loli trees).
Fancy seeing you here :)
@@davidvinc Subscribed to everyone doing background kiseki lore while waiting on CSIII :D
KrimzonStriker somehow that doesn’t surprise me in the least, lol
@@davidvinc If you need your own quick refresher here's a channel doing full summaries of the games ;)
th-cam.com/channels/L_lKByYEtPLfT8LfOcyUAQ.html
This is a series more people need to know of, no matter what games came out after, trials in the sky, more specifically the 1st chapter, will always be held closest to me. Play it for at least 6 whole playthorughs on the PSP, before the others started being localize.
The whole time I was watching this, I was expecting the conclusion of Ao to top the list and sure enough it did. While Ao is not my favorite, the climax of the game is of such grand scale that is hard to argue against it being the highlight of the series. It really redeems the Crossbell arc, as Zero is pretty slow and doesn't offer much in the way of big reveals. Maybe I would enjoy the Crossbell games more with a better translation since I played it last year. I hear the GeoFront fan translation is finally complete now and if anybody has played with the complete version let me know how it is.
Well its great
I think you might be correct about Millium being key for preventing the Garrelia fortress attack, and Crow did kill Osborne at first.
There's a strong Time theme in CS2 with those flashbacks.
Space - Liberl
Mirage - Crossbell
Time - Erebonia?
Osborne may have access to this power, and I think Ouroborous aims to take it from him or seal the power. Maybe the Steel Maiden of Ouroborous is the Lance Maiden who could access this power back then and have now travelled to the future, to deal with him.
Defeating a time traveller who is the leader of the country with the strongest army in the world is pretty hard.
That's a very feasible theory! I'm not too sure where Falcom will be taking this going forward, but I have a feeling the Zero Sept Terrion, or at least the power of said Sept Terrion, has a bigger part to play in the future titles. I'm intrigued to see what the new game has for us, and also to see some more of Ouroboro's final plan. I firmly believe that it's not only them who have a part to play either; there are too many influential parties in Zemuria for just one major group to be scheming.
So, now that we have CS3 and CS4 over and done with, waiting for Hajimari, do you think there would be some changes here?
After having recently made my own "Top 10 Trails Moments" video, I wanted to see what others had to say, but it looks like this video was the only one that covers events from the whole series (even if it's missing CS3/4).
We had some similar choices, but I had a lot less Zero/Azure moments because I played the games in a.... weird order, and waited all the way until the Geofront translation released, which spoiled a lot of Zero/Azure's story unfortunately. But your explanation of Azure's ending makes me want to go back and play them again. Maybe I will some day soon.
If you feel inclined, I'd like to hear your feedback if you decide to view my top 10 video. Cheers.
Also 5:30 I look forward to the Darth Dorothy arc lmao
On the subject of KeA I can honestly believe the idea of millium's involvement in Class VII
Coming from the timeline alteration
As Zero's second chapter is where the cold steel story begins
And while the west zemuria trade conference and railway gun incident
doesn't start till chapter 5/Ao Prologue
It can be explained that it took time for KeA to realize the SSS died before she triggered
The reset
Joachim gunter is fought in May
While the railway gun incident is in august
Meaning it took 3 months for KeA to notice or realize the SSS's fate before intervening
Which altered things in erebonia too likely
Setting up for Class VII to meet millium and of course succeed in halting the railway gun attack
The people that renne befriended in paradise were real not imaginative, this was further confirmed in Kuro 2 as she mentioned Cross was a friend of hers.
My next ranking video will be a Community ranking of the Trails in the Sky characters, and the poll will close next Monday. If you get the chance, please get involved, the more respondents, the better the content! :)
www.polljunkie.com/poll/ityesz/trails-in-the-sky-community-ranking/admin
I'm curious how this ranking would change by the time the entire series is over...omg, one day the series will be over and I don't think I'll ever be prepared for that.
My favourite moment might be the Intermission of Cold Steel 4, followed by the finale of Cold Steel 3. Just... aaahhh
This is what I'm looking forward to next month, I'll finally get to play through CS3. I've only heard good things about it, which is just getting me very excited! :)
Yeah CS4 intermission was crazy lol
Cassius fought them with a staff, for the record and I WHOLEHEARTEDLY believe he's stronger with a sword.
#1 - Now you know why the game's called Trails of Zero; Cause everything comes back full circle.
As for who was missing from the opening of Cold Steel well,
I guess that's their way of saying to keep an eye on that character, cause they're Very Important.
And we'll find out just how Important she is real soon . . . .
It blew my mind, especially for how the title itself referenced this scene as you say. I'd like to think that everything Falcom does has meaning now, and who knows, we could see this come to fruition in future titles (in the case of Cold Steel 1 I mean).
Here's my top ten -
10 - rean being able to use his orgre powers properly for the first time
9 - Cassius bright saving the day in sky FC
8 - valimar awakening
7 - the reveal of Joshua being in oroboros
6 - the battle between rean and Lloyd
5 - crow being revealed to be an awakener
4 - the final story dungeon in cold steel 2
3 - the old schoolhouse awakener test
2 - the final battle in cold steel 2 with the Knights
1 - that reveal in the father chapter after the boss fight (if you know you know no spoilers) ;)
Mine, top 11 since i couldn't take of the 11th ^^ : (from Sky trilogy and CS I and II no spoil further than that and honestly with what i saw and CSIII and IV i would need a top 30)
Honorable mention: LLoyd vs Rean, Machias Backstory, Joshua "I've always loved you", Joshua vs Loewe, CSI Festival, Rean&Crow vs Testarossa, Estelle returning to her home hoping to see Joshua at the beginning of Sky SC, all the reunion with Class VII members in CSII, CSII Final dungeon (we can play all playable character+ Crow, Vita..), Ogre Rean vs Arseid
11-Crow's revealed as C, and the Noble Alliance attack (+the reaction of the students, especially Patrick who have more character developement in one game than most of the Main Character in an entire serie)
10-Kevin's backstory explained and Ries reaction
9-Visiting the Destroyed Celdic, never a non-Cinematic scene touch me so much, the despair in all the citizens speach+the music make the scene heartbreaking (Which is even worst/best because of our classmates, especially Jusis', reactions)
8-McBurn vs Arseid, let's the showdown begin
7-Tita going between Loewe and Agathe, never a little girl had been this badass
6-Kevin as a Dominion reveal and Weismann death
5-After the final boss of CSII, the real goodbye to crow (Millium crying for the first time)
4-Weismann's Reveal
3-Escape from the Pantagruel with Alfin , finishing by the 1v1 against Crow and the Courageous saving the day (all the intermission is epic to be fair thefight in Ymir and talking to all the antagonists were awesome but i don't want to take 3places for the same intermission ^^)
2-CSI Cliffhanger, with Rean escaping while everyone cover him
1-Joshua and Estelle kissing while they think they'll die on the Aureole, falling in the sky in an embrace, i always preferred Cold Steel over Sky, but i have to admit that that scene right here is truly beautiful
0-Crow's death can't say i love it since, well, IT'S FREAKIN SAD, but that's a moment where i can't take my wet eyes off the screen... what am i saying? i never take my eyes off the screen when i play Legend of Heroes, 'cause it's my favourite videogame serie ^^
PS: i wanted to include a scene with Olivert, but couldn't find one, so here is a special Honorable mention not for a scene but for one of the more important and awesome character in the serie
Didn't Zero/Azure imply the imaginary friends were also leftover personalities Renne had absorbed via the experimentation performed by the Cult (as a precursor to help shape KeA as well). Renne still used them to shield herself but they apparently did have a basis.
I think that was correct. I forgot to mention that in the commentary, but in terms of actual 'friends', I don't think they ever had a basis, they were more a psychological shield.
@@TheKisekiNut I'm just saying that was the implication was all, otherwise there's no point in bringing up that fact about her then I feel.
Nah that's fair. I just wanted to give the background on her story, so that people can understand why this scene is so uncomfortable for many people.
Now it makes sense why the star door 15 was placed on the bottom of the Abyss. Poor Renne..
Does anyone know what the guy meant by the 4 names of Renne's "friends"? I have a guess for Cross, but no idea for Etta, Adje and Quatre
I can't find anything on it and he refused to elaborate so I assume he just pulled it out his ass to make it sound even more messed up.
My top 1 should be... that "pointless" fight against the Final boss of Cold Steel 2. Class 7 can literally just walk away from the fight and nothing bad would happen, they already returned the old schoolhouse to normal and Trista is already safe for the future students. But they all knew this is their last time as a class to fight together before parting ways, so they accepted the final boss' offer to fight him as a form of that epic Trails-level graduation ceremony.
Even the final boss BGM sounded more of a graduation farewell melodramatic theme than that of the usual heavy final boss one.
I will admit, when I finished the game, and read more about it, this moment had a lot more significance. But I unfortunately, at first, was one of those who hated the final dungeon, as I felt it was tacked on for a 'meaningless' boss fight, and I remember audibly saying several times how 'cheap' the final dungeon felt. I simply missed the real meaning of why it was so important, that it was to act as a goodbye for Class VII.
I think another reason why I hated it though initially is that the boss felt very cheap (It bugged out just as I was about to win, it just kept getting turn after to turn to wipe the party). I'm glad I've seen past that now though! :)
I’ve found lately how important the move mechanic is in these games and how it can really change the tide of battle I’m a bit dumbfounded 🙃 but it’s true positioning is key 🔑 like a particular early fight in cold steel 3 where the enemy was wrecking my party then I just spread my entire team out away from the enemy and it never even made an attempt to move to any team member and I was free just to blitz it with arts 😁
Hey good video and great job with this top 10!
Thank you for the support as always mate! :)
David! I just noticed your comment here. lol
Love your videos. 👍
I came back to watch this again. I just love these games too much.
You mentioned Renne's friends'names having disturbing meanings, but I can't seem to find any information on that anywhere. Does anyone know more about this?
does no. 1 also correlates with the opening of Cold Steel 1 in Garellia Fortress? with Crow and Millium?
edit: yeah, I should've finish the video first ^_^
This is debatable. We can only speculate if it's actually related or if it really means anything. But given what they did with no. 1 hopefully they put some thought behind what leaving Millium and Crow out of that scene would implicate.
It could mean that class VII simply didn't have the man power needed to reach the cannon before the second shot. Keep in mind they are all just students. Even Sara and Neithardt would be slowed down a little making sure they don't get themselves killed. Keeping in mind that Crow is secretly a extremely skilled awakener/terrorist and Millium is a member of the ironbloods, that could have been what was needed to make up the difference.
Every time you set A-gate I lose my shit. XD good vid man.
I swear, learning some of these names is a learning curve in itself! :)
Trails of Cold Steel 2: Am I a joke to you?
"taking down the Divine Blade himself will always be one of my fondest memories"
-Except for the fact that immediately after the win, you find yourself on the floor, and Cassius is still standing like you just won a forced loss bottle.
This happens ALOT in the series. The power balance in battle and non-battle is obviously different. Kinda sux but acceptable and understandable.
@@LemmyKon I mean I always view it as we finally scratch Cassius outright, and he's like "great match come back in 5 years when you can slay a God outright without outside help".
@@katomamundara8106 Well the battles with that sort of setting is just for the sake of it tbh. Not like in any JRPG when you fight strong enemies and you defeat them in battle, they also get defeated afterwards. Unlike your agreeable point XD it kinda sucks they do that.
@@LemmyKon Suck or not, I think it was necessary to remind us Cassius is basically AIdios' gift to humanity. Yes, he's a living meme, but he's an awesome living meme as a result. You feel like he's still out of reach and will remain that way.
@@katomamundara8106 Ohh I thought you disliked the fact that the game made us look like we won the battle
While #1 is right for the most part for both games mentioned, the same thing happens in cs3 at the naval fortress and unless she still has that power, I think it was just a matter of preventing spoilers while they get you into the action (I know cs3 wasn't out when this video was made). Maybe I'm missing something, I feel like I've seen this discussed somewhere but I can't remember any reason why that character wouldn't show up in the prologue and then does show up later.
The last part caught me off guard, so that means KeA resets the timeline two times? One when Lloyd and friends get killed by Joaquim and the second one when Imperial Liberation Front explodes Crossbell?
We're not sure. It's speculation really. But we know these 'what-if' scenarios will become more important as the Series progresses if a recent interview from Kondo is anything to go by.
a bit sad that the greater defense of Trista (part of which was the awakening of Valimar) and the Vermillion castle finale didn't make the cut, but otherwise an all round fantastic video with many good reasons for inclusions.
Awesome including Tita/Agate's payoff, as the Agate vs Loewe and interjected by Tita was a very dramatic scene and one I always get teary eared thining about.
Good job DH
Thanks for watching the video, appreciate it! :). Yeah, unfortunately I had something like 30+ moments to choose from, and in terms of emotional investment, the 10 here just had far more of an effect on me. It's just personal taste at the end of it, but there were a few CS1 and CS2 moments that were very close to making the list. :)
@@TheKisekiNut shameless self plug but, I've translated some of my fav scenes (usually scenes I'm happy to just listen to as music in the car). Mostly CS4 (ongoing, slow, RL in the way) but a few of CS3 before the release announcement came. Of course totally full spoiler territory, but you might b interested after CS3 drops and the wait for CS4 gets exhausting ^^.
th-cam.com/play/PLw9oG9CjvSr-V7XP4yXTIbmyJm0ZWrLIC.html
That looks interesting, I'm sure I might be tempted to delve in to it if the cliffhanger is as potent as others have told me! Thanks for sharing! :)
Dont get me wrong, I love CS, they are still great games, but here, this is a prime example of why the older games are simply better, more impactful and personal. Majority of these come from Sky or Crossbell duology. I totally agree, when I finished Sky fc, I was on pins and needless, the ending totally got to me and I had to play SC immidiately. I never had that feeling of being sucked into the world and empathizing with the character to such a degree in any of the CS games.
I feel that it's a difficulty of where CS sits in the overarching narrative. It has to strike the balance of bringing in new players, but also satisfying the veterans, and unfortunately, that can have an affect on the overall quality of the arc. Like you, I love the CS arc, but I will agree, it just doesn't have as many memorable moments that stick with me compared to Crossbell or Sky, HOWEVER, CS3 is apparently on par with Ao no Kiseki, which is heavy praise indeed. So I'm looking forward to seeing what it has to offer.
@@TheKisekiNut No spoilers, from my experience so far, im about in the middle of the game, its nowhere near, tho of course the ending is what will really matter.
To be honest I had issues with CS from the begining, the far more anime style of the game didnt sit well with me and while I love social links ala Persona, they take out a lof of characterization to save it for the character episodes, on to of which seemingly all girls need to be available for Rean to "romance" hence everything is really vague and everyone is into Rean because he is nice, which is something I find just outright appalling.
Put together with the fact that Rean is just too much of a wet blanket, always humble, always in control, always unrealisticaly kind, accepting and understanding and the fact that the convenience of timing for plot reasons is just too much at times I find myself the least invested here.
But by far my biggest issue, even putting Rean's non character aside, is that we basically play as the bad guys, I know the situation is politicaly and emotionaly very complex, but the empire is decidedly the bad guys, Osbourne on top, his deisng, his theme, his voice and plots they just put it all beyond any doubt and we play as characters who essentialy support his wants, its just something I cant put behind and I often find myself rooting even for Ouroboros to succeed at times, because I just want to see Osbourne fail. The fact that Rean knows Osbourne is evil and still goes along with everything is just maddening to me, I know its not that simple but he is a Mary Sue to a huge degree, what with his unexplained powers, the gift of a Divine Knight he got because I guess he is the kidnest, also his ability to detect people and other bs that make him susperior human, only for him to squander it being a wet blanket he is, unable to pick a side and fight for what is actually right, not just something super vague as his friends and loved ones.
@@TheKisekiNut But this is for a longer conversation, I know a lot of people love Rean and think him a deep and compelling character, love CS and everything, im just not that person, despite how positive and open minded I try to be :D I just miss the strong characterization of the previous games. While I enjoy CS in general and I obviously love Falcom for the way they make games, I find myself being annoyed and dissapointed more often than in any of the previous games.
@@KaiSaeren Everyone has their own opinion, no problem with that, and they are valid points for sure! :)
I have to say that CS2 is probably my least favourite of the 7 games I've played so far, not saying it's a bad game, far from it, it's just it feels less grounded (literally) than the other 6. But despite that, I still love the arc as a whole, probably because I started with CS, and not Sky. Had I started with Estelle and Joshua as the main protags, I might have a different outlook on CS, so in a way, I'm glad it happened this way. I think Falcom have just spoiled us with so many memorable characters over the years!
@@TheKisekiNut True, I played the Sky trilogy first and it did spoil me. I remember having a few moments where I was upset at the stupidity of plot and characters in Zero and Ao, but nothing in comparison to CS for sure.
If you were dismayed with CS II being less grounded, you are in for a hell of a time with CS III. With the increase of power in the heroes there also has to be artificial increase in the stakes. At this point fighting the enemies is just a monthly get together before someone saves Rean and someone teleports, its very repetitive.
Tho I will nto say anything more, I remember you have your ps4 broken so I dont want to spoil you :D
Also, is there a way to contact you on reddit perhaps? Id love to compare notes and ideas. Love talking about Kiseki in general, tho I mostly complain about Rean lately :D
Sucks I want to play the crossbell arc so badly but geofront removed their patch from their website because "they want to support the official release" it just sucks having to wait 2 years to play those game in English when the patch was done and available 2 months ago
Before playing crossbell arc (eh the opening different caz dev don't wanna spoil, normal for every jrpg)
After playing crossbell arc (eh wtf, opening is different, must have a great meaning!!!
*think of thousands of outcome resulting from it*)
what if Millium is not an intentional addition to the Garrelia base incident but a butterfly effect of the time change made by KeA from the Azure Tree. After all the Azure tree had not shown up by the time the railway guns were attacked by the Liberation Squad, so it would mean that regardless of the time reset class 7 did secure the railway cannon in both timelines before firing. I still believe you are onto something though about her being a result of the timeline reset I just think that was an unintended change to the timeline do to some kind of chain reaction event.
Indeed, the storytelling in this series is so amazing and yeah, not many games these days have stories this well told. Can you imagine that some ppl actually suggest to skip the first 3 games and go straight to the Cold Steel games? Lol who in their right mind would suggest such a thing??
@@Handlerhandlerhand That would be very unadviseable. You would completely miss the first two games which are about Estelle & Joshua aka the best characters in the series.
The first two games harken back to an era of storytelling where everything WASN'T Anime tropey and copycat and I feel that's a GREAT thing. I for one cannot STAND all the Anime Tropey bs in my RPG's these days.
I want things to go back to how they used to be, when devs had even an ounce of creative thought instead of just recycling the same tired character tropes and storyline punchlines.
@@Handlerhandlerhand What's the point of having a discussion if it's one sided? Of course I was going to reply. Lol but the only thing I really wanted to comment on was about the experience being dated. I don't see how a game being old means it has to be considered dated by default. I am mainly a retro gamer and the experiences of older games hold up just as well as they did before.
The graphics could be considered dated, but I find them to be charming as I actually prefer sprite based graphics. I also find the older storylines to be better in most cases and more imaginative, while most of the stuff coming out of Japan today seems to recycle the exact same storylines and ideas over and over ad nauseum.
But sure, people can enjoy whatever they want, I simply find the tropey nature of today's games to be a negative and not at all enjoyable. That's just my opinion though, people can enjoy whatever they find enjoyable. I just personally don't enjoy most of what comes out these days due to the mass recycled ideas and tropes. It's like devs in Japan have lost their sense of creativity & do the same things over and over.
Why the things that are considered tropes today are appealing is beyond me, because I don't find stereotypical Anime personalities to be endearing in the least bit. I find them to be strange and offputting. Again tho, that is just my opinion & I am entitled to it just as you are entitled to yours.
@@Handlerhandlerhand I would like to know what has you so triggered tho that you'd ask me not to reply.
I think if we include Cold Steel 3 and 4, then SPOILER
The entire Blackworkshop section and Rean's return really goes up there.
I kinda expected there to be the face off between liberl and Erebonia's forces near the end of sky 2nd, with Olivert's reveal and Chloe and Estelle being awesome (especially if you have the A rank for the latter). Think it would have deserved a spot, tho I understand you prioritized emotional moments over "epic" moments.
I mean there are so many amazing moments in the series, it was very hard to narrow it down. I just went for the ones that I remembered the most fondly, the ones that make me realise why I love the series so much.
@@TheKisekiNut Can't argue with that. Most of the games are just pure rollercoaster of feels that take you for a ride and won't let go even when you either feel like your heart will break from sadness and tragedy or your lungs will crack from the unstoppable laughter.
I want to know if prologue from CS3 have similar effect from azure too. Because in chapter 3 we go with Angelica, but in prologue we go with just new class VII.
I must admit, I did consider that as well. At the moment, it's still a theory, and likely will stay like that until we get some sort of development (if there is any).
And most importantly, Aurelia is here the 2nd time while idk about Angelica, things would have been ugly if Rean's team face Arianrhod and the Stallritter without the powerhouse that Aurelia is, you can't face one of the strongest without having one on your team, not to mention she's the reason why zephyr and the Gnomes let Rean's team enter the fortress in the first place
I think an extremely underrated moment in the series is Rean's first ogre power transformation in Cold Stel 1. As a writer, it impresses me just how much is done with that scene. The revelation of Rean's power that was set up in the prologue and how dangerous and overwhelming it is, showcasing Rean's development when he's able to push back his power by reminding himself of his friends in class 7, as well as setting up Patrick Hyarm's crush on Elise and his future character development. Though what I find most impressive is how it masterfully foreshadows Crow's true nature by having him and Rean be the ones to take down the archasim (and the fact that you play that battle makes the foreshadowing even more subtle). So much is set up and paid off in just one scene.
I played CS1 knowing NOTHING about the "Trails Of" saga. Rean's first on-screen transformation over seeing his little sister in trouble was a huge jaw-dropping moment for me that had me in a confusing state between sharing his rage on Elise's behalf and having to actually resist the urge to stand up and just start cheering. "Hero to the rescue" moments are very cliche, but this moment was done in a way that made it feel new.
There was another similar moment that had a similar emotional impact, and that was when the Radiant Blademaster made a surprise appearance to save the children from the Almighty Conflagration. No child has ever had a more awesome dad than Laura Arseid.
I never played the Crossbell games but i did watch your collaboration summary videos with @LadyVirgilia on them. It really did blow my mind and makes me wonder if Falcom is just waiting for the remaster version of the games to be released on PS4 before localizing them in English to give Zero and Azure the acclaim they deserve. Too bad i only play PC since i can't afford a console.
SPOILER!!!
Nevertheless, i think you should have put some honorable mentions specifically towards the ending of TOCS2 where its revealed that Osbourne is actually Rean's father. Nobody expected that.
I was contemplating the honourable mentions for sure. Looking back, I should have done them, but I guess my knowledge of the series wasn't as strong back then as it is now after reading more of the extended lore. The thing is when i first saw the reveal, I was kind of lost in CS2, and didn't know what to think. After looking back in to it several times, I realised how important the ending of CS2 was, as it defines Rean's character going in to the second half of the CS arc (in that he's pretty much Osborne's puppet and he can't do anything about it).
Zero and Ao have the foundation to be localised, but convincing a company to do so on what is pretty much a decade old duo of games will be tricky. They have to be convinced it will be profitable (but we as Trails fans know it will be). I have hope they will see a localisation, but I can't see it happening for at least a few years.
@@TheKisekiNut I think NIS will localize the PS4 releases of the duology set to be released this year. So hopefully within a year or so we will see releases for them.
Rean is a conundrum to me. I like his character but he feels underdeveloped not to mention simply...boring? Like he's the standard of what we can expect from a shounen protagonist except he is not loud and obnoxious like Estelle nor is he smart or analytical like Loyd. I'm still on chapter 1 of CS3 so maybe he gets some development there. Too bad they greatly nerfed his skills though. No more AT Delay spam strategy now :)