Trails of Cold Steel (PS4) Review - Falcom's Big Gamble
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 พ.ย. 2024
- Trails of Cold Steel is Falcom's 6th Main Entry in the Kiseki Series and was Falcom's biggest gamble yet as it transitioned into a fully polygonal world. But did that gamble pay off? Find out in today's Review of Trails of Cold Steel on PS4!
Cold Steel is an RPG that caters to fans of the genre. It's an action-packed game with deep lore and a high-quality battle system gameplay. You'll spend hours combing through the game's beautiful landscapes, slaying hordes of enemies and building your character to your own liking. If you're a fan of the genre, Cold Steel is a must-play.
Falcom is a developer known for releasing titles that are decidedly hack and slash-heavy. But with Trails of Cold Steel, it released an RPG for the PS4 with a substantial amount of story. Is it a gamble that pays off? Find out in our full review!
#trailsofcoldsteel #review #falcom
Trails of Cold Steel was my first game in the franchise & I will forever be thankful to it for introducing me to not just Kiseki but Falcom in general. This is such a good game which admittedly isn’t my favourite in the series but the ending completely blew my mind & set me on a journey that I will never ever forget. The characters, the story, the world building, the soundtrack…Kiseki is absolutely unmatched for me.
Me too!! About 5-6 years ago I was looking for something new to play, preferably turn based jrpg, and stumbled upon trails. Glad I did. What a journey it's been, learning about the lore, playing the other arcs, just fantastic. Best turn based combat ever imo. The amount of customization and abilities in the quartz system is just fun. Impede, canceling arts/crafts, manipulating the turn order. 100% evasion plus 100% crit counter! And that's just the tip of the iceberg!!
So many lovable characters too. I love how much emphasis is put into character development/ relationships etc. Never thought I'd enjoy reading so much playing a video game lol
Fie is #1 best girl!
Same here through it will be another same old JRPG to play and was blown away by the music,gameplay,character design,and the atmosphere of the game its now sit in my top five video games series next to the tale series and now trying to save m9ney to get a laptop for the Sky trilogy
Any updates?
Instant like for Trails content.
This series supplanted Final Fantasy as my favorite RPG series as a result of the world and character building and how everything is weaved together so masterfully.
Will forever credit this game as the thing that reached out and saved me during hard times. When I hit the ending credits on cold steel 4 when my life was in a much better place, it felt like an old friend telling me it's okay to let go of their hand now. Still can't listen to that ending piano without feeling things.
Completely relate! It means so much to me
Same here dude, I played the Cold Steel games during a tough time in my life, and man…by the end of Cold Steel 4, I was an absolute mess lol. Hardest I’ve ever cried at any piece of fiction. These are a very special series of games for me. I’ll always look back on them fondly.
This is the game that changed my life forever an obsessed me with jrpg really saved my life in alotta ways addiction destroyed my life trails of cold steel brought gaming back to me an re found my love of games never experienced such a connection to characters before class 7 4 life
As an ex-addict myself I’m proud of you! And i completely understand. Games like Trails truly help me find something that could make me feel and experience joy in life again. The series means so much to me.
@@statesminds thanks brother I really appreciate it . An dude it's the greatest series ever I literally teared up at the end of 3 with millium I'm playing zero now then azure . Then 4 an reverie
Props man, I feel you, one of the first games that got me through early recovery
hey bro, im going through that dark time at the moment and im hoping this can also keep my mind occupied from allowing addiction to take over, jrpg games are the absolute best thing, theres so much more heart and charrm in the story than western rpgs..... you've given e inspiration to succeed bro, im proud of you keep it up man
Best decision I ever made was to give Trails a try and started with Cold Steel in 2020. After my Granddad passed away, playing this game was like an escape from the pain and from daily mundane life. Had finished CS 2 In 2021. Started Part 3 but then lost my Grandmother. It is now 2023 and I'm starting back playing 3 and soon after I'll play 4.
Good luck finishing Cold Steel 3. Its cliffhanger made you want to play 4 straight away!!!
My favorite arc and holds such a special place in my heart
CS1 was my first Trails game. I started in fall of 2020, and to be honest, this series has changed my life. Thanks for covering it!
I started the Trails subseries with Cold Steel II which was probably a mistake though I went back and got Cold Steel I later, and had played copies of the first legend of Heroes game, and Tears of Vermillion belonging to different friends before that.
So glad to see this game get a full review on this channel. One of the things that trails series does best is allowing the player to experience the end of a story arc and of letting go of our favorite characters. Sky the third closed the Liberl arc, and Azure closed the Crossbell arc, but it was much easier for me as a fan to let go of the characters I loved from those arcs because this is trails, and I knew I'd see them all again someday. I truly love this series, and will continue to watch all youtube videos on it, drop a like on those videos and leave a comment on the video to boost it for the youtube algorithm.
Hey thanks for that algo boost, SuperSupersoda! :D
You will see them again in Reverie
Like many other comments here, this was a series that captured me on an almost galaxy level. I already had titles near and dear to my heart but when I started with Trails in the Sky, it was genuinely like something I had been searching my whole life for. Needless to say when I got to Cold Steel I had felt it all over again and there's not a singular thing that could ever change that. The camp atmosphere at the start where it feels damn near like a slice of life transforms into insane heights as characters get pushed all over, relations tested, gameplay that had me stressing and planning in engaging ways that SMT/Persona just didn't statisfy. It was intoxicating. To see a series so focused on being more than the sum of its parts and honouring people who start from any location with multiplle legacies. It's truly something I'll just never get enough of and I'm glad to be around for the ride. It took me 5 years to catch up and I'm glad I got to go slow and steady.
Trails of Cold Steel 1 was my first game in the Legend of Heroes series and man that game changed my life. I make my own little update review videos on my channel and I had pirated Trails 1 a couple years back (I still don't remember why) and never touched it, and then when I was in a terrible mental state I decided to play it all the sudden and it fully pulled me out of that pit and gave me inspiration to keep going. I can't even put in to words properly how much I love this series and I owe Falcom everything, Trails of Cold Steel is an experience.
Just wrapped up making my review of cold Steel 3 the other day, hope it'll be out soon! :)
Hey i plan to play trails of cold steel bcs of the latest trails into reverie released on steam. But before i play it i still wonder what's made it different to other turn based rpg game like persona, like a dragon, and even dragon quest.
CS4 is overall my favorite trails game but CS1 holds a special place in my heart. I genuinely think it has the best atmosphere for any game ive ever played.
The Trails of Cold Steel games really were amazing, started them on a whim late 2020 and ended up playing all 4 games and was so invested with the charcters, storyline, voice actors, etc... Really wish more JRPGS were like those 4 core games.
This was one of my favorite trails games. I enjoyed it so much I did the sidequests in the game and got the highest student rank when I replayed the game. I'm hoping to replay the trails of cold steel games prior to Trails into Reverie releasing.
Thats what im doing now man! About to platinum trophy Cold Steel 1 and work my way to 4
Been waiting for this review since I first watched you finishing it on stream and it was worth the wait! Excellent review Derek! Can't wait for 2 now. Also, loved the old intro in the beginning, glad to see it back 😁
This is my favourite JRPG series The story is just so awesome and how it all works and he friendships and relationships made during the series just makes it the best imho. There is nothing that comes close.
Trails of Cold Steel introduced me to what has become one of my favorite, if not THE favorite, JRPG series. The characters, the world building, the soundtrack.... everything about it seemed like a labor of love and I'm thankful I discovered it. I'm currently playing through Zero and Azure in preparation for Reverie, and it's just such a beautiful world. Thanks for this review, Derek, and keep up the great work. ♥
Laura was the best girl for Rean but Alisha was pushed down our throats.
I really enjoyed the relaxed pace and the music is fantastic. I liked the whole class for the most part Fie being the standout, She's got a strong backstory and she's so chill she's a little badass.
I thought Gaius was the most chilled and laid back guy for me
I found this series completely by accident and it is now my favorite game series of all time.
I was playing on ps4 with my friend one day a long time ago when they got offline and we were messing around with PlayStation Now stuff but I saw cold steel 1 on there with no information about it whatsoever and clicked it on a whim and played for forever. I then went out and played the actual games right after and I never regretted it!
Wonderfully put together Derek. Great job. This has to be one of the longest game collection reviews you've put out thus far. I'd say to that this series deserves that treatment anyway.
I love this series so much. Trails one of the best series of fiction ever made, not even just games. To this day I’m still impressed on how alive the world’s characters feel, even the NPCs. Also Falcom’s music is always amazing. I recently replayed and it is unfortunate Cold Steel 2 has issues on ps5 where it crashes unless you fast forward scene right before Trista
Hey. I'm almost done with Cold Steel 1 on my way to play Cold Steel 2 on PS5. Anything else I should know about this?
@@thegrottomotto that why i don't sell my ps4 ,
I have all the Trails games on my backlog, haven’t gotten to them yet. BUT I have recently discovered Nihon Falcom via the first two Ys games, and frankly any game developer that can make me love a game with bump combat mechanics deserves my utmost respect! :-) Can’t wait to discover more of this fantastic developer! :-) Thanks as always for an insightful review!
Nice, start with sky then. I normally say sky or cold steel, because some people can't really get too invested with the old stuff before getting hooked on the new stuff. But if you enjoy the old bump games already, you shouldn't have that issue. Just for the love of god don't play the crossbell games (zero and azure) before finishing the first 3 sky games. Like nearly all of Zero's best scenes involve a character whose backstory is really fleshed out in Sky 3rd that will punch you in the gut and really shouldn't be spoiled. I'm a 'who cares' guy when it comes to spoilers too. It matters that much imo.
Also, I suggest playing Ys Origin as your next Ys game. It's the only one that features Rhea and Feena among the rest, and they actually get fleshed out and it becomes quite touching (you have to play the game twice to get the canon character, 'claw', though, which is worth doing, he gets more story overall compared to the other two. Also, Hugo is an ass, don't play him if you don't like playing as people you want to strangle for like THE ENTIRE GAME).
@@Ghalion666 Thanks a lot for the tips! Ys Origin was actually my next Ys game in line just for the reasons you mentioned (or rather, I had planned to start with Origin but realized that Origin’s story would benefit from me playing the first two games as well, so here I am… ;-) )
I never been into turn based rpgs, but I saw the Decisive Edition at my friends retro game store in Copenhagen and I thought it looked cool, so I bought it.
I gave it a shot and I fell in love with the game immediately. Trista and the academy sections along witht the amazing soundtrack sent me awesome nostalgic thoughts to my own time at boardingschool and the amazing time I had with friends back then. I loved the game because it just felt like being a teen and experiencing new and exciting stuff. I completed CS2 as well, but it just felt too focused on conflict and the original feeling was kinda not present here.
I started playing more jrpgs and im getting more into them. All because of a chance purchase which i sure as hell wouldnt have made if it was digital. I also bought every new Trails release since then.
Played the Quad games of Cold Steel. I remember on my first Cold Steel playthrough, I got so engrossed in the lore that I started watching Sky and Crossbell summaries on YT. AND THEN! when i heard the localization for the second Crossbell game was about to come out, I made the decision to finally sign up and build a low/mid tier gaming pc to actually experience the whole game starting with Sky FC. I'm now halfway thru Sky SC and I'm loving it. Put in 70 hrs in FC and currently at 42 hrs in SC and I'm just starting at Bose. This game series is not for everyone, but most who try it will get sucked into its awesome story quite fast.. just need to give it a chance..
I agree about doing the side quests to help Towa, she asks you do it. There's a meme where Towa is the real Queen of Cold Steel.
Trails of Cold Steel....... Amazing. I remember picking it up for the PS4 digitally a couple years ago. They can picked it up for 10 bucks. What an amazing $10 gamble! This game introduced me to Trails and really picked up my JRPG love all over again. Looking forward to all the adventures ahead.
This was the first Trails game I played almost 3 years ago now and it was an instant classic for me and the start of my obsession with this series which has since become my all time favorite series.
Below is my review of the game back when I first played it.
I adored everything about this game, from the very fun turn-based/tactical combat, to the customizable battle orbment system which acts a lot like Final Fantasy VII's materia system, to the Persona/Fire Emblem styled bonding system, the beautiful soundtrack, strong voice acting and vibrant level design. I loved everything.
However the true draw of the game is the absolutely baffling detail in the worldbuilding, story and characters. I can't think of many games (Especially J-RPGs) that go to the lengths of making even the most minor NPCs have their own story arcs, daily problems and distinctive personalities that all get fleshed out during the course of the game if you decide to talk to them multiple times at different parts of the story and that's not even mentioning the sheer depth of the major militaristic politics and governmental affairs surrounding the entire story, seriously I haven't been blown away by such attention to detail in a game this much in years. The world just feels so alive and realistic.
Also the actual story itself was incredibly well written, dark and mature and kept me captivated from start to finish too, I can see how the first couple chapters might seem slow to some, but I was so enthralled by the world that I didn't mind and the build-up really made the later events that much more impactful. There were some truly great plot twists I really never saw coming, but once all was said and done, made perfect sense and it ended on one of the most insane cliffhangers ever too. The game really felt like watching an entire first season of an anime in the best way possible.
The characters themselves were all great too. In the beginning most start out very trope-y, but as the game goes on almost everyone has a fantastic amount of development and really start to feel more and more like realistic humans and not just standard anime tropes and I really ended up loving them all, this is one of the most memorable and endearing casts of characters I've seen in a game in some time.
All in all I'm so glad I played this title because I'm so captivated by this world, story and characters I just can't wait to see what happens next and if every game in series is this great I can definitely see The Legend of Heroes becoming one of my fave series in the future. This game does everything Persona/Fire Emblem/Tales and Final Fantasy do and just as well, but on 1/4th of the budget. I very strongly recommend it to ALL J-RPG fans.
P.S. I've played every officially localized Trails game since and I can confirm that every game is consistently amazing and the series quickly became my fave game series.
Your 19th century studio looks awesome. Like other reviewers, you explained thoroughly and honestly enough that I'm actually reluctant to invest myself into it.
Great review, Derek! Watching you play these games in your streams and genuinely enjoying the arcs, remind me of my own experience with the series. I think every game has something great to offer, and the Erebonia arc is no exception.
Even with the pros and cons some may encounter, I believe they have helped shape the series to what it is now.
Can't wait to see your next reviews!
The first Trails of Cold Steel was my gateway into the series and my favorite game. I love Class VII and Thor's.
Im so hooked on Cold Steel 1-4 Im more excited for Reverie than FF16 Honestly
Same
Huge fan of Trails, but let me assure you, FF16 is a narrative masterpiece. I encourage you to give it a go whenever you can.
I love the historical context you give to the review with all the Kondo and Moonlight Wich stuff.
Hope you enjoy the rest of the Erebonian Arc.
Hey awesome, my intro to the series! I’ve since played cs2 and am almost through sky 1 now. Got a lot of games ahead of me!
I ordered this on amazon a few days ago and cannot wait to get my copy, I've been hearing about the franchise for years and always thought it was too much of an investment to get into it, that all changed with this review and hearing the OST for the first time, it felt like a warm blanket of nostalgia from the PS1-PS2 era.
I still dunno if I'll like it or not, but we'll see, I'll be eating good for a while if I do enjoy it.
I’m not sure if I told the story on this channel.. But it was recommended to me being a Suikoden fan.. I already had experience with YS VII by this point.. It was supposed to be my Christmas 2016 gift or at least one of them.. However the Lionheart edition on Vita was on back order so it didn’t arrive till New Year’s Eve.. That memory will always remain with me..
The series is def my favorite of the genre.. Thing is those first two Cold Steel titles hold a special place in my heart most likely because I played them first.. Finished Trails from Zero last week and now I’m on Azure..
I don't care if this is an unpopular opinion, but I adore the Cold Steel games every bit as much as the older games in the series. I admit I am biased since I was introduced to the series by borrowing my friend's PS4 copies of the Cold Steel games. But in replaying them to get ready for Reverie, I enjoyed them even more than my first runs. Probably because I have a much better picture of the overall Trails story now.
Without a doubt, this is my favorite series of games.
Legit got into Cold Steel last year and it took over my life, such a great series
I picked this Game up on a whim for the PS3 on Sale at GameStop with the 2nd Game (which apparently had just came out at that Time).
I had Played Trails In The Sky on PSP and really enjoyed that Game, but was sad we didn't get the rest of them at that time...
I honestly didn't think I'd get as invested in the Games as much as I did, but This Game easily Rekindled My Love of this Series and It has become One of my Top Series of all time...
Personally Speaking, I am hoping we get the Kuro No Kiseki Games Soon... Those Games look to be Very Interesting...
But This is definitely the Game that brought this Series Back onto my Radar and It hasn't Left Since... 😁👍🏼
That shirt transition is too dang good! Recently started this up on the vita.
From seeing previews of Final Fantasy in Nintendo Power and renting Mystic Quest, Final Fantasy dominated the JRPGs in my life, at least until 2017. One random evening, I decided to start a random RPG available on PS Now and ended up on Trails of Cold Steel. I was unsure what I was getting in but holy cow (specifically the one Elliot was laughing at outside Celdic)! The start of an amazing saga and the last 5 years, my JRPG gaming has been dominated by Kiseki. Currently wrapping up Trails to Azure. I also started FF4 with the Pixel Remaster this week and it's strange looking back at one of the best Final Fantasys in the light of Falcom.
It’s reviews like this that make me want to jump into this series with this game even though I haven’t played any of the others. Maybe one of these days I will.
I just finished this game recently. It felt a lot like Sky FC (my least fav) but addressed every issue I had to make it a very enjoyable game. My only real complaint is that I think they simplified ornaments too much. I prefer the “points” orbs give that can be used to craft stronger spells. I also like that it’s easier to get items you missed. First game in the series where I got all of the recipes and books in one go without 100% needing a guide
Trails in the Sky was my first Trails game then didn't get to play any Trails game until Trails of Cold Steel in 2017 on my Vita which reignited my love for the series. Excited for Reverie and the localizations of Kuro no Kiseki.
Thanks for the review. It’s super helpful to know what I’m getting into before I start a huge rpg.
Happy to help! :D
This isn't a huge rpg, it's multiple huge rpgs
Definitely an amazing game (as far as I am in atm). Everyone that loves RPGs should at least try it, you won't be disappointed 😇
So unique!!! It has a very special place in my heart ! I played the second too and I want to buy the other two games . The characters have great story and the battle mechanism is so gooodddd !!
Cold Steel III is by far the best of the Erebonia arc. I've played every Western Trails release, and CSIII is actually my favorite in the entire series. You won't regret picking it up. However, this is when it starts to matter whether you've played the earlier games. I would recommend playing Sky and Crossbell if you haven't already.
@Bolt in a bottle I had only played the trails of cold steel I and ii and trails from zero, thanks a lot my friend I will definitely pick up the two other games and I hope someday to play and the other trails games
I'm glad I got it back when it released for the PS3 and Vita, I was a bit exhausted with school settings and was close not to, but I ended up ordering the edition that came wit the artwork and became a huge fan of the series and Katsumi Enami (current character designer)
Pd/possible spoiler
by the time 4's credits role the way Rean's harem's protag tropeyness will contrast beautifully with the more tragic aspects of his life story.
On the topic of graphics. Whoooo, the seventh floor of the old schoolhouse was done so well. The atmosphere in that dungeon just worked, and for the first time, it felt like the psvita graphics worked to its benefit rather than its detriment. I literally finished the game yesterday, and that particular dungeon will remain in my mind for a long time to come specifically for its visuals
My starting point was CS1 on ps3. Platinumed it.
I still remember when I bought this game for my PS Vita. It's just a random purchase, having no idea about the Legend of Heroes series. I'm so happy that I bought this game as the Legend of Heroes series became one of my favorite JRPG games. I like this series more than the Final Fantasy series. Haha
Not my favorite arc but i still love it to death and im super excited for Reverie :) Really enjoyed this video! Longer trails videos are the best.
This was my first Falcom game. Since, I've played almost the entirety of the franchise (waiting on Reverie!) along with Ys. Falcom became my favorite company in no time. It's a common answer to praise things saying there is none like them but it really is the case here.
That intro 🤌🏿 instant sub great video
One of my favorite games ever, been about a year since I first played it.
2 years for me. Not my absolute favorite RPG, but it really changed my perspective on and expectation of games (and maybe even caused me to expect too much from Trails in the Sky lol). I love it so much.
Great video! Nice to see more Trails coverage again :3
Man I really love Trails and Cold Steel is an amazing arc.
Amazing arc. I like how the arcs of Crossbell and CS overlap.
I'll get to this game one day. Got so much to catch up but been procrastinating a lot. Still on SC and playing CS1 as well lol. Very slowly.
This series has everything! Still listening to the MUSSSSIC everyday ❤ 😊
Super funny you posted this video. I’m at the very end of Trails in the Sky FC. 😂 very charming so far to see a JRPG that isn’t “ my dad who’s a alien god blob is gonna destroy the world unless I do something “
I’m planning on getting this game soon. I’ve always been interested in the trails series and I can’t wait to start it.
Loving all the Trails content!!
Thanks Noah! So am I! :D
Great video, got me interested in trying this out once I clear Chained Echoes
Trails is so underrated it's criminal. Complete remakes of the earlier entries could go a long way towards getting it back into the public consciousness though, it's hard to tell people they should play half a dozen games dating all the way back to 2004, Sky being only on PC and until recently Crossbell not even available in the west, before the newest entries.
that shirt in the intro was a different shirt… anyway, it’s funny you disliked Milli, I liked her-it was Machias I despised. Starting CS2 tomorrow, I loved this one. great review, thanks for the content!
Some people complain about the slow pace of the first game story but I love all four of the games and I’m excited for Reverie.
Thank you for the review. Some comments, don't take them wrong, I'm only pointing them out because I care and thought your stuff was good overall =P.
1: Rean's more annoying qualities grow over time... Well actually it's more like he doesn't grow much over time, and has the same problems he does since go. He'll have an ephiphany moment where he realizes what he's been doing wrong all along (even though he's nearly perfect), and he'll do the same hing again, to have the same epiphany again, then do the same thing again. That and as the series progresses he gets more of flawless 'the chosen one' mary-sue self-insert vibe. I actually find him more enjoyable going from CS2 to 3 since he gets a sort of 'career change' so to speak, but his 'chosen one' issues get worse.
2: CS2 is my least fave game in the entire series, but I still like it a lot. I really disliked the ending though, it's like there's a chapter missing between the final dungeon and the post-game content, it's pretty jarring. I feel like the plot didn't really develop much either in comparison. Speaking of CS2, before you play cs2, there is a sub-story you can read on the website (and on some fan pages I reckon) about Class 7 Visiting Ymir during the middle of CS1 that they decided to skip mentioning in the actual game, but refer to it in CS2 as if they didn't skip it. IIRC it supposedly takes place just after the part of CS1 that happens after that action-packed prologue thing.
Oh yeah, another CS2 oddity is that it has an important scene that CS3 expects you to know about that you have no way of even seeing in a single playthru. It's NG+ only content (for no good reason) in CS2. It's not really worth replaying just for the one scene, unless you want to replay anyway. But do be sure to look at it on youtube or something if you don't replay cs2 before playing cs3.
3: BAWWW, you didn't mention one of the things that makes trails especially special among JRPGs, and IMO, Cold steel 1( and, 3, and 4.. Less 2 because more loading screens between it make it kinda tedious), is the 'unimportant' NPC dialogue. How they have their own lives and drama as the game progresses, and not just dependant on your personal actions. I like it especially in Cold steel because sometimes it's hard to remember who you're talking to EXACTLY for everyone in every town from what they last said or where they started off. But because cold steel is in 3d, it's just a bit easier to recognize each NPC at a glance and kinda get your memory jogging as to previous conversations even BEFORE you actually talk to them. The 2d games let you do this with the unique npcs sure. But it's kinda hard to do it with generic young girl npc, or generic man in suit looking npc, etc. But in Cold steel, all your non class 7 classmates have their own unique models, and the more generic townspeople tend to stand out in their own way too for each town or whatever.
4: I actually prefer the quartz system in sky 2 and 3. But maybe it's worth mentioning that unlocking artes via quartz in cold steel is more simplified. Each quartz has their own arts (or buff mechanics) contained in themselves. No more adding 3 red and 2 gold to unlock passion or whatever. You'll just get a 'passion' quarts. Or a more fancy one that has passion AND some other spell (and maybe +3% attackpower).
I thought I had one more thing I wanted to bring up but I kept getting distracted by this guy talking to me for 10 mins like 3 times of me TRYING to write this. doh.
lol, thanks Ghaleon! I actually have already finished Cold Steel 2 and wrote the review already, (just gotta film and edit and re-record a lot of lost footage,) and I started Cold Steel 3 on Monday on my Twitch channel -- Luckily some people helped me out with watching the extra scenes via TH-cam after I finished my first play-through. And I read the audio-drama before starting CS2 also. :)
Recommend you listen to the Super Arrange Version of Belief.
It's not the same feel as when you're in the heat of combat in game but it sounds good.
Picked this game up without playing any of the trails games before it and I have to say the more I played it the more invested I got into it what an amazing game
That's what I do too. But with me it's mostly RPG games from 1989 to now and a closet full of Robert Graham long sleeve button down fancy shirts 👕 😎
Finally got the time to watch. Legitimately might be your best review. It wasn't at all what I imagined the shape of this review was going to be based on how you were talking during the streams. Excellent stuff exceptionally structured.
Thank you Seth, I appreciate it! :D
I just beat this game a few days ago.
Can't wait to play the next one! Fie is best girl. Real talk 😂
I love this game so much!! Now I wanna replay it for the 5th time...
This was the gateway to the Trails series. Vastly underestimated game.
Nice review and very detailed. Your voice sounds very good too. Man I wish I could watch you play Trails into Reverie at the release date. Its the best trails imo.
I just started Cold Steel 3 on Twitch on Monday, wonder if I'll be able to make it in time for Reverie? Let's hope so!
Good timing!
I just finished azure 15 min ago
For those wondering, despite what Trails veterans say, CS1 is a good place to start. Remember you're playing the 6th game in this timeline of Trails, and Falcom isn't merciful with spoilers from previous entries. But CSI has like....3 major recurring characters (and several other minor ones popping up) in relatively minor roles (in gametime, not storywise). However you probably should immediately play the Crossbell games after that as CSII takes place at the same as the two Crossbell games. This was something of a problem till this year when NIS released the second game in the west officially. Can be a bit jarring to go back to pixel chibi's though but CSII references a major event which you will be clueless of if you don't play Crossbell (like I was since I started with CSI)
Now purists will you that you also need to play the three Sky arc first. And I'd argue for context you should. And there is a massive major spoiler with one important character from Sky if you don't play Sky and start with Crossbell. However you're already asking people to play SEVEN games at this point (4 CS, 2 Crossbell and Reverie that will be released this summer), I think that it is already taxing enough. You can watch playthroughs of Sky, like the late KillScottKill's, if you're interested (and you probably are if you're playing 7 games). Yes playing them is better buit it is asking a lot and especially the third might be much as it is a dungeon crawl you play for a (admittingly good) short story of a certain character and a couple of flashbacks of some of the other characters.
As for the CS arc...for me it's an all time favourite but I get the impression that western veterans that 'grew up' with Sky and Crossbell are far less impressed. Those that started with CSI (which actually is a big part of the western fandom) view it far more favourably it seems.
Word of warning though. The CS arc doesn't remain focused on the Erebonia arc. Or well kind of but Falcom decided around CSIII/IV they were done in the western part of the continent (even though many places were never visited) and went End Game. And for me this is actually the biggest criticism. It isn't the main protagonist or class VII (both of them), it's that it didn't remain with them and decided to simply end all plot points from Liberl, Crossbell and Erebonia. Only for Falcom to conclude that much was left unspoken (hence Reverie) and still too many questions unanswered. Also note that the west is severely behind with the latest games so if you're looking forward to continue quickly from Reverie (releasing this summer) well forget it.
I still believe the CS arc is totally worth it, along with the other older games of course. Even though CSI is hardly revolutionary or the best in the series (many hail Crossbell games as the best) there are much worst experiences out there.
At the beginning i was was hesitating playing Trails of zero due to the graphic style. I think a remake with the style of CS would have been deserves but i suppose it would have costed too much ressources.
Found this gem of a game series i'd say shortly after it's release and to date it's been my favorite JRPG series, stellar review Derek!
Loved how in depth / detailed you got and honestly it's like playing the game again! Great work.
Wasn't a huge fan of cold steel, the writing felt very textbook at times. But it had alot of good things, I'm looking forward to the calvard arc.
I absolutely loved this game. I really need to get around to playing the second one.
I'm trying my absolute hardest to not give up on this game. I've always heard about it so I'm not giving up yet but... idk.. Maybe I'll need to come back to it in a few months
I remember when i played TOCS in my PS3, i loved it, it was my first Trails game and wanted more, in fact, TOCS3 was the main reason that i bought my PS4 (when i heard that is was going to be a exclusive).
There are only one thing i don't like in the game (in all the Cold Steel games, actually) and is the fact that the game gives you the chance to deepen or start a relashionship with several female characters, but its constantlly pushing you towards alisa. It's clear that Falcom was experimenting with the dating sim simulation while trying to keep that character as the main heroine by making her as a tragic heroine with all the family drama. For me, that only make me hate the character of alisa, to the point that i skip the dialogues and bonding events of the character, not to mention that i use her in the party only when is mandatory.
I'm currently replaying the whole kiseki series, starting from the sky trilogy, to be ready for trails into rèverie release in July.
I encourage any fan or newcomer to the saga to do the same 🙂.
I'm just about the finish Trails to Azure. I've already beaten CS1-4 but I'm really thinking about going back and playing through them before again before Reverie to catch things from previous games and foreshadowing
Another awesome video by my favorite TH-camr.
i played all of the trsils games last year back to back from sky to cold steel 4. March until September
It may not be the best trail, but without doubt, cold steel is what made the series popular in the world outside Japan. For that alone, i say the risk was worth it.
Cant wait for the review of 2 and 3
2 is written, just need to re-record a bunch of lost footage, and we just started 3 on Twitch on Monday! :)
Long live Thors Military Academy. And thank you Ms Valestein for wearing that dress.
Although I enjoyed the Sky FC and Zero more, as the first entry in their respective arcs, Cold Steel 1 had to set up a much much larger arc than the others and did it's job beautifully even though it took it's time.
Trails series is best enjoyed when you don't rush, and this isn't more true for any other entry in the series, none other than Cold Steel 1. Slow burn? Sure. But it's intentional, and all I needed was just allow each in-game development to seep in. I ended up really enjoying this entry in the end.
I really like the combat in this entry, but dropped it about 20 hours in for some reason. I wish the Trails games weren't so hard to find sometimes. I was able to get all 4 of the Cold Steel games cause I kept on it. But I forgot to pickup Trails from Zero, I wanted it on Switch and now it's expensive...and it came out less than a year ago. I also wish they'd do a compilation of the Trails in the Sky games on Switch. Make them more accessible, Falcom.
So I get it!! Rails of Cold Steel is better than Persona. Rean is the best protagonist ever, full of life and personality. The world is grand and the music Rulez!!! 😁
Love the "Game Collection" series! Has come a long way👍 Awesome, in depth reviews!! Derek never seizes to amaze👏
Ever since my mom started watching me play she’s been a huge Rean fan! She’s always asking me when’s the next one when’s the next one! Also she hates when I hook up with Laura.. It’s always Alisa Alisa😂
im a rpg lover recently got into the trails series been fun so far think the only thing thing holding it back is a slow-burn type of game take a while to get to the good parts of the story think it is a underrated jrpg deserves more spot-light
how is it that for some reason you review the games I’m playing at that very moment? 😂 nice review
Thanks for defending my boi Rean. The self insert accusations can get overblown when really the only influence the player has I’ve thin is who you want to bond with.
This game introduced me to my favorite character crow
One of my fav franchises of all time
Loved the series. My biggest regret is playing Cold Steel 3 and 4 on Switch...the ports were so janky and load times were awful. Also finished all 4 games and Zero in less than six months, so I'm holding off on any more Trails games for a while. But Cold Steel 1 and 2 were genuinely some of the best games I've ever played.
I have played all trails game except, Ao, Hajimari and Kuro. Already bought zero and ao for switch but I am playing xenoblade 3 atm. Will go replay Zero on switch since I played Geofront ver before and go straight to Ao and Hajimari right after I finished xeno3
im french and i like your game room , it's nice , and love this trails series so much , my Fav Rpg better than FF now or other shitty rpg