As some of you fine people may know, I’ve recently completed a third and second playthrough of Cold Steel 1 and 2 respectively. And you know me, that means I have to make a video about it, so here it is! Spoilers for: The Sky Arc The Crossbell Arc Cold Steel 1 and 2 (and some of 3 as well) Hope you guys enjoy this one!
Some small counter-arguments: nothing negative just a few personal opinion's: 1. Rean O. Schawzer as leader: He plays as a middle ground for everyone to eventually take that important first step in they're development. A. Jusis/Machais: Being an adopted orphan to nobility helps him understand the viewpoint of two youths who have suffered cause of the nobility's overuse of stating they're greatness. B. Laura/Fie(and himself): Laura doesn't get why these two, who have incredible potential are holding back on purpose. Since it goes again'st her beliefs that is the point of that small conflict. C. Gaius/Emma: They're in erebonia with an idea of what they want/need to do but no path to get there. His help formed a small idea they could by that lead to they're power ups in CS3 and onward. D. Elliot/Alisa: They're tied heavily to they're families histories,situations and identities, all rean can tell them is they're themselves before the familial names they're tied to. Traits/Personality are leader-like qualities that are necessary in a story, i think he is more of a: Leader who can brings the best in others can in turn bring out the best in himself.
Thanks for putting together this great look back. I really enjoy all of your Kiseki content! But now I need pro help. I was definitely going to play CS3 prior to CS4 launch, but I had been thinking of going all the way back to CS1 and you might have sold me on it. Can you share how long your CS1/2 replays were? Trying to decide if I should go all the way back if the replay time were a good bit shorter vs the initial playthroughs...
@@cedeankematick Thank you for watching my man! If I remember correctly, CS1 took me about 70 hours, and CS2 took me 55 hours. I was using a guide for all of the extra stuff too (hidden quests etc.). A lot of turbo mode involved!
@@cedeankematick Did you already play the Liberl and Crossbell arcs ? If you really have the time, I restarted the whole Legend of Heroes series back in march (when the lockdown began, had quite some time to kill back then...), and playing the whole series is very enjoyable... Not mentionning the fact that there won't be any guides available at CS4 launch, so there's no real need to rush and play this one first. Took about 60h/game to finish the 7 first games, and about 90h on CS3. Good game ;)
A thing I love about Cold Steel is some of the subtlest ways you can observe the characters grow. For example, CS1 Fie in combat sounds pretty much like a robot, whereas in CS2 her voice has much more emotion, and she just sounds like she enjoys herself much more in general. Jusis in CS1 says "what a waste of time" after a battle won, and in CS2 he says "what a waste of OUR time" - as he has now accepted the fact that he's part of the group, and Class VII clearly has his respect and affection now. Their time is now valuable as well. Same subtlety can be observed when you interact with your friends during free time (but not in bonding events). My absolute favourite happens just before arresting Duke Albarea; Machias knows how much it tears Jusis apart, because his own father is also a major political figure, and also the only parent he has left - so if tables were turned, Machias could've found himself in the same situation. And instead of spouting exposition (...like it usually does, dear god, does Rean EVER shut up???), the game lets you simply find them sitting together on board of the Courageous. And also Millium is there for extra adorable points.
Great point! I actually remember seeing that moment with them on the courageous. It would of made a good bonding event between the two of them, but alas it stayed as an in game text exchange. But the fact it was given it's due credit was a nice touch.
@@TheKisekiNut I could never say no to more content between my favourite grumps! Bonding events between other members of Class VII would've been great, I think I remember helping Emma find Fie back in CS1, so they could study together? It really made an impression on me and I don't recall doing anything of the sort later. In CS1 and 2 it was kinda easier to believe the friendship between everyone, because they were together almost every day. But I'm just about to wrap up CS3 and it hits me how much more I'd like to know about everyone staying in touch for the past year. On one hand what we got makes sense narratively (Rean doesn't see, Rean doesn't know), but on the other - I finally heard Jusis call Machias... well, "Machias" and not "Regnitz", and I just want to know what they'd been up to to prompt that change SO BAD. Not to mention, any conversation with Alisa in it that doesn't revert to "you like Rean don't you" would be fantastic.
I also noticed that. At first I was taken aback by how different Fie sounded, I even looked up if it was a different VA but nope. It was just Fie, having settled and grown into her new family. She definitely showed more emotion. I thought that was really neat
Ahhh shit dude, that part where Rean breaks down in front of Towa gets me every damn time. Great work as always man, been a while since I played these, so this was a nice blast of nostalgia.
That scene is so powerful. It demonstrates the perception of Towa as well. She is a side character at the end of the day, but she's also very important for moments like this. I was a big fan of her development in CS2 overall.
I get your criticisms of CS1 in regards to Rean not feeling like a true leader. I could be wrong but I think that was part of why Rean was the one who ended up solving a lot of the issues Class VII had together. I think they were trying to convey that Sara could see he had natural leadership potential which is why she always paired the problem students like Jusis/Machias and Laura/Fie together because he had the ability to get them to work through their problems even though he may not have seen his leadership qualities, Sara did. I think part of what you were talking about with Class VII not doing more activities together was because of all of the other students at Thors. There is bonding with other classmates part from Rean, just not with other Class VII students. For example Laura and Monica's friendship at the swimming club, Machias' friend at the Chess club, Ferris and Alisa going from rivals to best friends. This is so you care more when you reunite with your old classmates in CS2 as well as to show how the divide between noble and commoner can be overcome as they all unite toward one cause in the second game.
Both very good points. I think my issue is that he's thrust in to that role so quickly. If he displayed his natural leadership abilities throughout the course of the first game, and it just slowly coalesced over time then I'd be more open to it. For me, the role of Rean as 'leader' felt too forced at first, but that's an interesting perspective indeed. Also I do agree on the other students needing that characterisation considering their eventual role in Cold Steel 2, but when the Class VII members aren't involved in their club activities for example, that was the time when they could have the members of Class VII do activities together. Or simply add side story events ala Tokyo Xanadu EX+. I needed a bit more from Class VII as a whole in that first game in order to believe they were really friends who were growing together. At times they felt indifferent to each other, especially in Act 1 of CS2 where everyone seems thrilled to see Rean again, but don't say anything outside of a general statement ('I'm so glad we're together again') to the other members accompanying him. I understand that's limited because the player has to make a choice on the characters they bring with them, but I feel it demonstrates the issue I had with CS1. Finding that balance though is a notable challenge, and I think Falcom conveyed the multiple relationships as best as they could without bloating the games.
I think CS suffered from the desire of making Rean a second Lloyd. That was my first feeling when I started playing CS1, and it only went in CS3, I was playing Lloyd again. Different background yet very much alike. And Rean deserved to have his own personality, which he grows after a while but it was a little disappointing to begin with. In general, I felt the connections between class 7 members comparing to what they were between the SSS members, espacially after KeA's arrival, were a huge downgrade. And it's a shame, because each character is well develloped in itself, just not as much as we would want when they are together.
@@TheKisekiNut I got a question after cold steel 4 Is a new series call trails of the beginning do you understand what does it mean since already did cold steel 4 be after those events
Class VII was an experiment and Sara used Rean as the core specimen. Didn't make any big announcements. IIRC, his unusual social standing made him the one who could relate to everyone else. Rean ended up bringing the group together and they decided one by one. If you recall, he says multiple times, when did he become leader? I was okay with how Rean progressed because Sara is obviously the superman of Sen 1 and her facetious attitude helped everyone gravitate toward Rean, the anchor of the group. Who says he needs to be a 'true' leader by one game? These kids are still growing up, even by CS4
Dang, man. I actually finished playing my third playthrough of Cold Steel 2. The epilogue messed me up (not in a bad way). I suddenly teared up because of the meaning of the epilogue. The boss of the fight accompanied with the amazing ost. (Original) Class VII’s journey coming to an end made me tear up man. How they were bottling what they truly feel and had to let it all out just like with Millium. For me, their bond truly is a beautiful thing.
Couldn't have said it better myself! I must of been REALLY burnt out when I played this the first time, because I remember being frustrated as heck the first time around. Very happy I got to witness it's true meaning.
Another thing the Epilogue chapter gives you are the little moments where the last member of Class VII should be there, but isn't. The empty desk in the classroom, and the empty room in the dorms, all of which just makes that loss hit harder
The epilogue for Cold Steel 2 was definitely something that bothered me my first time through as well. I felt like it was just unnecessary padding at first because I was getting impatient with the game. But after looking at it through another lens, I realize just how important that part is, and it really does make for an incredible end to the first half of the arc.
The moment I love the most in CS1 is when visiting nord highland for the first time... I still remember the goosebumps when the vastness of field expand before me and the music is suit the scene perfectly.
That moment legit got me in the feels. Beautiful landscape and an even more beautiful theme. I've felt the need to look it up and listen to it again but I refuse to. Until I replay the game so I can feel the magic again
Here's why Rean makes sense being thrust to the center of the class, and why it had to be him to help with the class conflicts. From the very beginning Rean was the most assertive at taking on Class 7s challenges. He stepped foward first after the orienteering exercise because he's driven by the need to get stronger to control his inner ogre and the guilt he feels for being a burden on his family that caused him to semi run away from his adopted family household. And something all of his classmates pick up on very quickly is he's self sacrificial to fault that disturbs them a little, he's very humble, driven and is "bottling" something up that they can never quite figure out. Sara chooses him to help the Student Council for 2 reasons. A) in a class divided by social status, he's kind of both a Noble and a Commoner, so he can be the most understanding of everyone's background. And also Sara is a good observant teacher who could see Rean was lost and desperately "looking for something" and had nothing to latch on to. It had been a month and he still hadn't committed to a club. He could of joined the fencing club, but he would of felt as 8 Leaves begginer 'drop out' he'd be dirtying the name of real swordmanship enthusiasts in a club with them. So Sara gives him something that plays to his sacrificial nature and that helps brace the class for the field studies. And it works brilliantly. He takes ownership of something which helps him start to stand out on his very first field study. Emma couldn't help Jusis and Machius cause she's very much a reserved beta with a lot to hide, and Machius is kind of a misogynist. Fie was also extremely reserved and disinterested early on, and to Giaus the entire Eribonian class culture was foreign to him. And he's just not assertive enough to break apart to classes biggest hot heads. Sara swapped the groups Rean was in because he shined as a leader in Group A. And between his level but assertive head, and his self sacrifice heroism, it snapped Machius and Jusis out of their fighting enough to understand each other better. Reans now officially got to shine as a natural leader with everyone at least once and their starting to look up to him that way even though he's never claimed to be in charge and no one appointed him leader (except Sara kinda). Machius and Elliot couldn't help Laura and Fie overcome their problems because quite frankly they aren't warriors, and their conflict was more nuanced and quite in ways Machius could never understand. When Rean joins their group, he's already gained a good reputation among them, and spent a lot of time with Laura and Fie individually. There extra embarrassed and motivated to overcome their differences because they know they are the problem students now cause they know what Sara is doing. Rean doesn't let them give up on working together when it looks bad then hearing Elliots origin pushes Laura over the edge to know what she has to do. The more time goes by, the more they all see how reliable Rean is and the more they understand what makes him tick as they learn about his ogre form. It makes sense that it had to be Rean and that they love and near worship Rean. Rean is a great guy who earns it.
Emma and Celine are my favorite characters from CS. I love how Emma’s “character arc” is “hidden” in CS1. (A thing that just is possible because Falcom make a 10/10 world). After CS2 I replay the game just to understand better her character and love it. (Sorry for bad English)
The reason I think a lot of people are annoyed about cold steel ending in their first playthrough is because we all thought the infernal castle was the last dungeon and we were at the end. So the rest feels like a drag. The 2nd playthrough you know where it ends so you aren't expecting the ending but expecting more
About your problems with Cold Steel 1. I didn't had the same problems, because Rean's position as the center of the class doesn't make sense because he is a leader to me, but because he is a friend. Rean is someone that is easy on the others in various aspects, he is empathetic, he does what he can for people, he knows how to listen, when to speak, etc... But that doesn't make his flaws disappear for himself and for other people. For instance, there are multiple times in the games where they brought it up that Rean taking so much upon himself because of the student council is weird and that even though he is willing, it looks like he is lost. They trust Rean because he is a good friend and has a good head on his shoulder most of the time, but they also recognize that he is weak-willed, self-conscious and insecure. They are constantly worried about his mental state and its part of his arc and the relationship of class VII as a whole that they are supportive of this and that Rean eventually does grow to be the leader that everyone wants him to be. About the other aspects though, I agree to some extent. I think the main problem is that we're so centered on Rean's perspective that its hard not to feel like he is essential to the narrative. But I'd say that he is not the one doing the heavy lifting to make amends between the Class VII members. Laura and Fie had to talk it out and punch it out with each other first and foremost. Machias has to see where Jusis came from and understand his backstory more to come to accept him. So even though Rean is always there, I don't really think he is detrimental to these issues. But I do take issue on the fact that we have so few moments between the other members as a whole. We're referenced these relationships in passing very quickly, but never get to delve into them deeper and I think this is something we should have had more of. For instance, its a shame that the trip to Ymir at the end of the game is relegated to the drama CD. That despite having bonds with each other, there are no events between the other Class VII members, they only have events with Rean. There are certainly a lot of ways Falcom could have done these characters more justice. Also, I really appreciate your take on the ending of Cold Steel 2. There is a lot I love about the game (for instance, I like the open nature of Act II, something I know a lot of people are not fans of), but this ending and epilogue made me Cold Steel 2 my favorite of the series and its kinda sad how usually everyone thinks its an empty ending, when it really isn't.
Well said. I especially agree with the drama cd part. When I heard about it, I did all I could to find it translated, because I wanted to see how class 7 was just being with each other, and not worrying about this or that.
It's great to hear your thoughts on this! I think for me when I look at a leader, I immediately look at the traditional trope. If I was in a member of Class VII's shoes for example, I'd look at Rean as the empathetic and approachable member, but he wouldn't be a person I would follow in to hell. And I don't think that's something I can easily shake. No doubt Rean moulds in to a good leader over the course of Cold Steel, but the fact that he's chosen so quickly makes little sense to me. I have to disagree with Rean's role in the reconciliation between members in Cold Steel 1 though. The members that have issues clearly display those fractured relationships when Rean is not there, Machias and Jusis nearly came to blows on their first field study, and Laura and Fie performed poorly on their one as well. When Rean is eventually grouped with those members, they were able to finally sort it out, because Rean acts as the catalyst whereby they can do the heavy lifting. He gets wounded by that monster which compels Jusis and Machias to try and put their issues aside out of guilt, and he retreats from the front line to force Laura and Fie to work together and realise their differences. That's my issue, those event would never happen if Rean wasn't there, which puts an over-reliance on him to sort the issue out when I feel those moments should come around from another source. It's definitely my main issue with the first game and to an extent the second as well, but it is far better in the second half of the arc. Also you're completely correct on the drama CD. The first one especially needed to be in the game in my opinion, plenty of plot elements that carry over to CS2 and also events that contribute to Class VII's growth together. Very happy that I read it. I appreciate your opinion though, I love discussing counter arguments on aspects like this! :)
The Kiseki Nut the drama cd is also explicitly referenced in cold steel two and I remember being super confused when I was playing it and I was “we never visited reans home did we?”. But your comment on how rean is relied on too much is something I noticed as I played as well. Later on he definitely earns it but they just pick him lol. However imo it was likely a side effect of the existence of the binding events. The events require that not only the player (rean) initiate them manually but that they also be present to see the outcome. I didn’t hate them at first but by cs3 I realized that the game would probably be better if they just weren’t there. From the playthroughs I saw of 4 it seems like it’s even worse on that front which is why it doesn’t surprise me that hajimari doesn’t seem to have them and they likely won’t be back. Looking forward to cold steel 4 localization though.
@@TheKisekiNut Rean being picked as the leader made some sense to me. Sara knows Fie won't work, and its known Jusis & Machias have issues with one another. Elliot is too weak, being openly dependent on others. Alisa is shown to be easy to anger. This leaves Laura, Gaius, Rean, and Emma. While Laura's over zealous training methods aren't yet known, she is the pinnacle of nobility, and is shown to be a natural leader from the tutorial mission... but considering what Class Seven is, having the pinnacle of nobility lead wouldn't accomplish Olivier's plan. (Plus, Machias...) Gaius is an exceptional person - even able to get Patrick to back down... but he's an outsider. This leaves Rean and Emma. Rean and Fie were the only two who avoided Sara's trap. Fie saved herself, but Rean jumped in to save his new comrade, and unlike Emma he has combat training.
Yeah, it was kind of obvious that Rean has some issues of his own that he has to work through, based on that phone call/advice Sara gave to him in Chapter 1. It was those 'issues' that you can see why Rean himself doesn't feel like he's worthy of the trust (or other things) he was given by others. It was sort of the reason why I never understood why some people was harping on Rean's case regarding how he tried to solve the family situation when he talked to Elise in Chapter 4 of CS1. Do I believe that his solution was correct? No, it's not. I feel like it was terrible of how he went about it. Do I feel like his family situation can be easily solved? No, it's not. The issue wasn't of how his family was treating him. The main issue was that his 'presence' was causing trouble for the family by the nobles. We've seen throughout the first game (and possibly the second game), in both the main story and side quest (like that side quest in Chapter 2, regarding getting a material for a ring) of how some of the nobles would screw over some/most people (including lower ranked nobles) with their authority. We even see this in Chapter 4, when Machias talked about his backstory (and the fact the nobles still messed with his sister despite his father having a high position). So I can see why Rean would like to avoid a situation with the nobles messing with the family. It was obvious that Rean tries to find answers to his problems. Unfortunately, most of the time, it seems he either answers he gets are completely half-baked or just riddles (seriously, I really didn't buy that half-baked advice Victor gave Rean in CS1), or things gets happening that just aggravates the issues Rean already has. I guess that Rean is a cautionary tale of someone that has talent, but that talent can be squandered if the person is troubled mentally to not use it to its potential, or some one that tries to rush talent to where it can be damaging (good example is Celine in CS1, who (while understandable) kept rushing things). Have to agree that I wished that CS1 and CS2 done more things to have the cast interact with each other more.
Playing thru cs3 at the moment. I love that he's acknowledged as "not a leader" during the juno attack and the principal shows up and you say "yep, she's a leader"
Fighting White Shadow, knowing its last Class VII fight together as a class was already so emotional. No rewards, no real new answers, just empty trial for them to fulfil. But its was so important to them nontheless. And then crowning Milium character arc torn last pieces of my heart shields and i started sobbing. There are only a several few games which left me so teared up at the end. Well done Cold Steel II, well done Falcom.
rean got picked as a leader because his background as a commoner adopted by noble, half of class 7 is commoner and half is noble, he is put there by sara as a bridge
When I had done my completion of the second game I definitely thought it was the weakest. I still do to some extent for a few reasons like Rean not being my favorite protagonist in Trails and the story being hit or miss at times, but I I will always remember my second play through and combing through as many of the bonding events as I could. That scene where Rean breaks down in front of Towa is still really hard to watch just because of how much Rean has had to go through up until now, and then the scene when they defeat Loa Luciferia absolutely breaks my heart because it feels like something that these characters have been needing to do (it's especially gut wrenching when you have done Milliums bonding events)
I respect CS2 for how dark that ending is for a series that doesn't really do dark endings: a duology about self determination and doing things for your own sake reveals that Crow was a patsy from the start and Rean will now lose his self determination to become a tool for the state. The reflection of this on a larger scale when you realize that resolving the civil war allows the Empire to return to what empires do best: invading and annexing neighboring small countries and eliminating their self determination.
I liked the last dungeon of Cold Steel 2. Though they establish that it is meaningless, it gives you a chance to use everyone in the game one last time. Its like that optional dungeon in an RPG, except its mandatory. I also like that it addressed minor things, like Princess Alfin finally getting a weapon. It was one last hurrah for Class 7 and their allies.
I think that Rean being assigned leader was mostly due to him being a commoner who was as adopted by good nobility so he could sympathize and make friends with both sides of the diffuser that Class 7 was messing to address, which is something that no one else in the class had a similar ability to do (well, maybe Gaius or Emma due to being outsiders to the conflict altogether, but that just got them treated as commoners by default). In that sense, him not having any strong goals except to find his place in the world helped by leaving him free to help everyone else also find out their own places in the world without conflicting with their own strong goals (especially as that philosophy meshed very well with the entire reason that Class 7 was put together in the first place).
it's not meant to offend you but it's kinda refreshing seeing someone as you who always seems to be knowing everything when it comes to the Kiseki verse missing such obvious things you deserve so much more love for your work ❤️
Not at all mate! I couldn't believe it either. As I was playing through the epilogue for the second time, I was smacking my head out of necessity considering how dense I was the first time around. That's the beauty of Trails though, you're always learning new things!
Rean leadership relies on sara's plot element: the unreliable teacher, who is both an ex bracer and jaeger, and everybody keeps asking why is she even a teacher. That means she saw something on him, probly based on the documents, historic and results who put him on class vii and the fact that he steps first when she asked the students if they were up to be tested in this weirdly built group.
I cried when Millium cried for the first time. God, I love these games. I wish they could just tell me what the towns on the Southwest coast of Erebonia are. They're unlabelled!
@@TheKisekiNut btw is there a way to play the crossbell arc? is there any english fan translation out there? thats the last one before the 4rd chapter come out...
@@hypocritelife8018 geofront.esterior.net/ check out the Geofront, they've done a translation that rivals an official localisation for Zero, and they're working on Ao as we speak. It should give you all the info you need to buy the game and apply the patch.
I find this moment ridiculous tbh. Dunno the english word for "mise en scène (it's french) but it was so bad in CS1&2 that I litteraly laugh here. Even if I know the meaning of this Now that I'm playing CS3 I'm glad it's better.
I was considering that approach, but I was so taken aback by how dense I was to Cold Steel 2's ending especially, I ended up choosing that as the path for the video.
Fantastic take on the finale to CS2. I know it is often regarded as the least favorite among Trails fans, but I loved it for the same conclusions you came to on your second playthrough. It felt like coming home, if that makes any sense. Also, a really interesting look at Rean's role. He has a very strong sense of right and wrong, and he encourages his friends and classmates constantly. And as you said, he doesn't really earn his spot as leader so much as he has it thrust upon him. To me, that makes him much more suited to being a support character, which isn't to say he's not important or not necessary by any means. I wonder where they'll take him as we close out the series...
Same as you I started with Cold Steel back in April 2019. I played Cold Steel 1, 2 and 3 as they all released on ps4. Any gaps in my knowledge I used the wikia pages so I could further understand the world that had alreasy enchanted me. After concluding Cold Steel 3 I then bought the Sky trilogy, and as of a couple of weeks ago concluded Sky 3rd and began Zero using the Geofront mod. (If you haven't played Zero or haven't finished it, stop reading here) The Schwarze Auction chapter has just concluded for me and I'm running around with KeA. Determined to get through Zero and Azure before Cold Steel 4. Having played Cold Steel almost to completion and having filled my knowledge with the wikias, man... EVERYTHING makes sense. Even knowing what will happen and the intricacies of each character and instant, it still gives me goosebumps. Having returned Colin to the Hayworths I blubbed many tears when Renne emerged from Lloyd's closet. I'd praise Falcom, but they've made me cry with every Kiseki game (proud to admit it), but major props to the Geofront team for theor translation hitting the same emotions! The Legend of Heroes (6), what a journey. What a privilege to have been able to experience. These stories I feel I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Dramatic, but that's just how I feel :)
These words here echo exactly how I feel about the series! Never has a collection of games made me feel emotion like the Trails series, and we've still got plenty more to go. :) Hope you enjoy the rest of Zero, and Ao when you get to it!
That was very well said man. No Legends of heroes game in particular will end up being my favorite game ever, but the series as a whole... Those were 500h very well spent I think
@@RiriSion Thanks! (I pretty much gushed all over TKN's comment section, which is becoming a ritual with each video he releases 😅) I was talking to my brother about the series and what I realised was this: (Bearing in mind I'm almost in my 30s...) My favourite ever game was always Final Fantasy IX - the themes of finding out one's heritage and a place to call home really resonated with me, as I was 9 when 9/11 happened suddenly a lot of my classmates (and even teachers) became very hostile towards me and my family. I frequently found myself with an identity crisis - being half British, half Palestinian, Muslim dad, Christian mum and both grandmothers being Jewish will do that 😂 Anyway, as I got older I found FF to get more stale. I remember being so disappointed with XII. The series felt like it had too much emphasis on names, but not how their world actually 'mattered'. Gran Kiltias Anastasis. Mount Bur-Omisace. Vermillion Peristyleum Akademia. Arecia Al-Rashia. The narrative was just lost. Whilst not exactly cutting edge in terms of gameplay, Trails feels EXACTLY what Final Fantasy should have been after the 90s golden era. FF caused me to fall out of love with JRPGs - I played a few, but never really enjoyed them. Kiseki single handedly revived the entire genre for me, and for that I will be eternally grateful (My apologies for yet another essay. Was so not my intent 😅)
The main problem with FF, is that it's not really meant to be a J-RPG anymore. My personal favorite is FFX (probably the last that was so good), a lot of things in there were very powerful, it's to this date my favorite game ever. But from the 12th onwards, and because of the success of the Xth on PS2 I believe, they began to be commercial games, meant to be played by the larger public. We have to remember not everybody (far from it actually) is into those games that takes a lot of time to read and even more time to finish (they are long even when english is your mother tongue). A lot of my friends aren't gamers and though they enjoyed playing FF for the most part they would not put the effort in the likes of Kiseki games require. For the others who are gamers, either their english level was average making it hard to follow a game with that amount of dialogues, or they speak english, love to play for hours, but on fortnite/fifa/COD... xD
Two of my favs. I spent 300+ hours just beating both games on hard now it's time for my nightmare playthrough. I'm doing it on the first playthrough no new game plus to text my mastery of the battle system.
Definitely love the epilogue from CS2, the battle atmosphere and music with Loa Luciferia is so great. The following scene when Millium start to cry, hit so hard for me and end up crying together with them :')
Okay, I waited the whole weekend to write this. Overall, great video that shows a lot of the positives and negatives of Cold Steel. I take issue with really only one point from your video, which I'll explain here. "Why is Rean the leader?" Well, in my opinion, he's really the only character that makes sense as the leader. As a start, we have to assume that Class VII is a social experiment meant to bridge the divide between classes - the game establishes this in Cold Steel I and III. (Spoilers ahead) Rean Schwarzer is, and the game establishes this, someone that exists between the strata. He was raised as a noble - he understands noble culture - but his adopted father took pride in living like his citizens (albeit in a bigger house). He also lacks noble blood, and the other nobles knew this, meaning he got to see the ugly side of the nobility as well. He is someone who doesn't have strong views one way or the other about the nobility, because he loves his family and believes they exemplify the best qualities of nobles, while also understanding that the class system is incredibly flawed, and allows good people to be pushed down. Going into the year, Sara knows his background (roughly), so the fact that she pushes him into a leadership role makes a lot of sense. She's sees the potential in him to serve as that bridge between the classes. Now, to address the 2nd point you made on this - why do the student accept him as a leader - this is a much more compelling point in my opinion - because I really can only counter with how I feel about the beginning. I would argue that most of the students don't really accept him as the leader, until he proves himself capable through his words and actions. The first field study is the hardest to demonstrate this. Sara has already, by this point, made him a leader of sorts. He handed out the student notebooks, and Sara had him help out the town on behalf of class VII. Clearly she sees him as a leader (which I explain above), so there is already some authority that he's entrusted with. Alisa accepts him because she just made up with him, doesn't want to create more problems, and most importantly, doesn't really want to be the center of attention herself. Even still, she's wary of him for most of the first field study and doesn't just "accept" the front he puts on. It really isn't until he leads them through the end of chapter 1 that she accepts him more openly. Laura also accepts the role Sara assigned to him, but still questions his capability throughout the field study, through his dedication to the sword. They aren't willing to accompany him into the old schoolhouse the first time (though Laura probably would have if he asked, mostly for the challenge). Additionally, the characters in the first field study, Alisa aside, are also some of the least antagonistic toward Rean at the beginning and are more amenable to accepting the role given to him. Onto the 2nd field study (this is the last one i'll cover, I promise), Jusis and Machias are at each others throats, and to be clear, *NEITHER* of them accept Rean's leadership OR friendship. They both dislike Rean... a lot.... going into the field study and Rean has to talk them down by appealing to their desire to perform well on the field study to even get them to agree to work with Rean. Neither character has accepted Rean, but they are smart enough to know that, currently, they can't take the lead (though Jusis does kind of try iirc). They start to be more accepting when Rean is injured because of their mistakes *and* then when Jusis opens up to him, and they realize their own connections through being raised as a noble, but not entirely treated like one (though Jusis does actually have Noble blood, and is more respected, as a son of one of the four great houses). Additionally, again, Rean leads the students to rescue Machias, which was important to Jusis as well, so by the end of this chapter, Rean has shown, through his actions, that he is a capable leader of the group. Your point about the characters only interacting with Rean and never with each other is one of my biggest problems with the game though, especially given how effectively Cold Steel III does this, even *with* bonding events. Sorry this turned out way longer than I expected. TL;DR I think Rean isn't just thrust into leadership randomly. He made sense, because of his background, to be the leader, and proves himself capable of the task through the first two field studies.
Thank you for watching the video, and for your comment! A very well thought out comment too, it makes a lot of sense. My main issue with Rean being the leader mostly stemmed from how quickly he is chosen for the role, it felt too forced for my liking. If Rean simply demonstrated his leadership abilities on the field studies (as you say he does), I would be a lot more open to it. I agree that Rean pretty much personifies what Class VII represents in terms of a grouping of backgrounds that eradicates the barriers of the Class system on a smaller scale, and in that regard he makes the most sense as the leader, but the game could have just fed him in to that role, at least in my opinion. In that way, he not only convinces the other Class VII members, but also convinces us as the player too. I appreciate your response though, it's always great to get differing opinions on viewpoints! :)
@@TheKisekiNut it does all happen fairly quickly for sure, and a lot of the earlier character interactions feel forced. Even though they try and introduce the class piecemeal, I really think the game suffers from having too many characters forced on you at once. It makes the early part of cold steel really trop-ey and it takes a lot longer to get attached than with both the SSS and Estelle and joshua. I think they realized this with 3 as well, choosing only 3 students for rean at the start. This really gives them time to flesh out Juna and Kurt a bit more (though Kurt is woefully underutilized in CS 3. I wish the game was nicer to it's non-rean boys xD)
@@stefannelson5785 I was looking forward to kurt the most going into cs3 but he never did anything or got much backstory. Cedric also took the spotlight in a lot of his scenes. Really wanted to see some mueller as well. Hope cs4 gives him something.
@@luminous3558 Hopefully they give him more of a chance to shine yeah. The arc he has is interesting too, even if it's never really developed. His insecurity comes from multiple sources and there is a lot that affects his personal vision and goal for himself in the upcoming game :).
Man I remember when I first got this game on the PS Vita that when I was going through GameStop and just saw it sitting there. The second game was also sitting right by it, but I only had enough money for one, but I remember looking between the two and noticing fie and being like "hey that looks like cool character." So I decided to get the first one and the second one later. One of the best decisions I've made. I've come to really love the series, and I cannot wait for more fie in the new game. So pretty. I hope they keep it ambiguous who rean got with, because I think eventually his name will come up, because in my playthroughs of the game fie was waifu all the way
I think Sky focused more on the group, while Cold Steel is more about Rean's journey. That's why it can seem like the others are neglected. I agree, but I think it was neccessary and I see it as them being victims of prioritization. Falcom didn't feel like there was enough room to add more cutscenes, and Rean was the first priority, so they went for a minimalist route for the others. You often see them being together on free days and you can sense what is going on if you read their dialogues. One relationship that comes to mind is Fie and Emma. Emma would often look out for Fie on free days, and not just with schoolwork. When I look at this in hindsight after getting a greater understanding of Emma throughout CS2-3, it makes so much sense to Emma's character. Emma is someone who never slacks off and she hates taking risks. She often scolds Celine and the other witches for being reckless and not taking precautiouns. So she was watching over Fie, the weakest link (excluding combat) to make sure that she didn't cause any trouble or were holding class 7 back. About Rean as a leader: I completely disagree about Rean being a bad leader. Even on day 1, I think he was showing signs, although they weren't super obvious. He partied up with Elliot and Gaius instead of running off. Because of his martial artist background and being a bit more extroverted, he took charge in most of the conversations. After Jusis insulted Machias, he was the one who tried to make them calm down, by either grabbing Machias or telling Jusis off. It was also Rean who accepted his position in class 7 first, after Sara asked them all to confirm. Everybody also knew that Rean had instinctly tried to protect Alisa during that incident, which is what a leader does. Rean is not a perfect leader like Lloyd, but he's the best leader of class 7 by a huge margin. Even at the start he was the best candidate. Fie and Elliot have several obvious flaws. Machias and Jusis were too hot-headed and arrogant, although Jusis started showing potential in CS2. Alisa is a bit like Jusis. Gaius and Emma seemed like they wanted to be more in the shadows because of their backgrounds, and neither can measure up to Rean anyway. Laura was the only other reasonable candidate, but Rean was a better choice because he's more extroverted, easier to talk to, less intimidating, more open minded and attentive to others needs. I don't have any problems with how he was thrown into the leader role. I thought it was a very natural process. At first it seemed like Sara was just messing with him. I don't think the others saw him as their leader back then. IMO he wasn't regarded as their leader until he got Valimar. Before that, he was slowly growing into an informal leader role, and even if we say that he was the defacto leader by month 3 or so, I think it would have been justified, because he had by then shown all the qualities I mentioned. You did say that he didn't have a purpose in life, but in this context I don't think it matters and noone was as committed to Thors as him, and he was often the person to take charge on field studies. That was a lot more important. But I think your point is valid in explaining his shortcomings in leading and keeping the group together after Thors. I agree that the Rean solves everything trope was laid on a bit thick, but I don't think it was as bad as it was perceived. He was the first person who tried to intervene when Machias and Jusis were going at eachother, so he showed some potential there. With Laura and Fie he didn't really do anything. He just happened to be there. And he was important for Alisa's growth simply because he was the person who triggered her immature tendencies. You're not the first who have complained about Rean being treated differently in CS2, but remember that he flew away from them after being destroyed in battle. And they knew that he had a huge target on his back. They also knew that Rean was the kind of person who could easily get into trouble. We can also assume that they all got to say somewhat proper goodbyes with the other members. Now in hindsight we know that Crow never cared about the war. He became totally apathetic after he had shot Osborne, which was his life goal, and he helped Rean throughout CS2 many times, and more importantly, he didn't kill him although he easily could have. So in hindsight Rean was lucky to be alive. He should have died, but Crow allowed him to live. Being fully aware of what kind of danger Rean was in, don't you think it was reasonable for the others to be extra worried about him? I think so. Plus, he had Valimar. And again, because the games focuses on Rean, you don't really get to see the interactions of the other members. This doesn't mean that they don't occur though.
My friend, congratulations on the quality of the analysis and thanks for the video! I want to play 1 and 2 on PS4 and 3 and 4 on Switch. My question is: Is carrying the previous game's choices on a save from one game to the next relevant? Does it change the story and relationships a lot?
Overall, this was really interesting to watch. As someone whose favorite game in the series is CS1 (you know, if the username and profile picture didn't tip you off), it's refreshing to hear someone make a nuanced critique of the first two Cold Steels and take an overall positive perspective. Especially for CS2; while I never really had the same issues with it you did, hearing a new perspective on the game (and especially the epilogue) has given me a bit more appreciation for the game. I'd probably still call it my least favorite in the series, because I think it drops the ball on a lot of themes that CS1 set up, but I see the game in a different light now, and I think I'll enjoy the game a lot more when I get around to finally replaying it. About Cold Steel 1, I agree that probably the biggest problem with the game is that it just doesn't spend enough time setting up the relationships between Class VII. I don't think it does a _significantly_ worse job at it than the previous games; Cold Steel has some relationships fleshed out well, and some of the cast in the previous arcs don't get enough (looking at you, Zin and Dudley), but Cold Steel absolutely needed more time to develop Class VII as a group of friends. Like, there's one point in Chapter 2 where you can find Elliot and Gaius sitting together at the cafe, why isn't there more of that in the game? I know a lot of people criticize the bonding system (and not unjustly, although I think it tends to get a bit overblown), but having bonding events where you sit down with _multiple_ members of Class VII would have gone a long way. Hell, the game _already does that_ with the studying events before midterms! There's a reason a lot of the best scenes in the game just have Class VII all walking back to the dorms together and just talking like friends, and it would have gone a long way to making their relationship to Crow in the next game more impactful (not that it isn't already). Though, I _do_ think your criticisms of Rean as a leader are a bit weak. He's not a leader in a strictly traditional sense, I can agree with you there. Personally, though, I think his atypical leadership is part of what makes him compelling. He's not chosen as a leader because he's assertive and commanding, but because he's able to relate to everyone in Class VII, and thus garner their implicit trust. Jusis and Machias end up antagonizing each other because they can't find anything to relate to each other with, and Rean's status as both a noble and a commoner helps them start to find some common ground. Fie and Laura don't get along because they have fundamentally different worldviews and think they're incompatible, which Rean is able to help them overcome because he's _been_ on both sides throughout the game (and his whole life). He doesn't have the force of personality to lead like his father does, but rather by being to empathize with Class VII and inspire trust. The parallels with Osborne, and how he fundamentally differs from Osborne as a leader, make him very compelling in my eyes. (That said, though, while I understand Rean needed to be there for Class VII to sort through their differences, so that the player could actually be there to see it, I think it probably would have been more effective if Laura and Fie had their duel without Machias and Rean present, kind of like how Agate and Tita have their scene alone in SC.) Anyway, I've rambled on enough about this. Like I said, this was a great watch, and I'm always happy to hear new and interesting perspectives on this series. Falcom's put a truly incredible amount of work into this series, and I think the fact that we can even have conversations like this about Trails shows just how good of a job they've done. (Also, one minor nitpick, at 9:07, you say Jusis' and Machias' first field study was on Bryonia Island. They actually went to Parm; Bryonia Island was the third field study, and only Machias went there.)
Thank you for watching good sir, and indeed also for the well thought out comment. My main issue with Rean as the leader isn't that he doesn't grow in to that role, it's more that he's chosen almost immediately to take up that mantle for Class VII. There's no doubt Rean is a good leader for the group, his unique background as both noble and commoner (despite him not really embracing his noble side) gives him a separate perspective to the other students of the Class, and ultimately for that reason I agree that only Rean could be the leader of the group. He kind of personifies what Class VII is. But because it was mentioned so early on, I felt the game forced it a bit. If they just let Rean learn and grow in to his role on the field studies (which does happen), then I'd be a lot more open to it. In terms of Rean's latent traits (his empathy for example), I think that's just something that I take from personal experience. If I was a Class VII member, I would see Rean as an approachable and kind fellow, but never someone I would follow in to hell. I guess I'm more inclined to be shouted at. :) But I do get where you're coming from, there are more types of leader than just the traditional tropes we see in the real world. I also like that since he's not the typical type of leader, the other members of Class VII aren't afraid to scold him for his stupidity. For example the moment on top of the rooftop where Elise can't accept Rean choosing to abandon his future as Baron of Ymir, and the other Class VII members basically shove him to sort it out. It shows that the growth of Rean is more than just through his personal achievements, and Cold Steel II capitalised on that theme even more. Again, it's those types of scenes I wanted more of for Class VII as a whole. But like I said in the video, regardless of my issues with Class VIi, I still love the games, and the issues are mainly sorted in the latter half of the arc. Once again, thank you for the comment, it's always great to hear differing opinions! :) (Oh and don't worry, I noticed my error, that's why I put that 'first field study' text around that point as I didn't really have time to re-record again.)
I did read an argument a couple days ago about why Rean was thrust into a leadership role so quickly, actually. The argument went along the lines that Sara had to pick someone to lead Class VII that they'd be willing to trust both in and out of battle, which meant that there was really only a couple of options for who she could pick. Emma and Machias might be the class president and vice-president, but they're not particularly suited to _battle_ command, for instance. And even of those who _would_ be a decent leader in a fight, you're looking at people like Jusis, who wouldn't be able to relate to the other students and garner their trust as much. Rean was the only person who checked both boxes. I'm not sure _how much_ I agree with that argument, mind, but it's a perspective I hadn't considered before. I feel like this is an argument you could go back and forth on, and both sides would be right. All in all, it's a pretty small part of the game, so I don't feel like it hurt the narrative _too_ much, but I can certainly see why it'd bother you. All the same, it's great to be able to discuss this sort of thing. There's plenty to dig into even just in these two games, and hearing other perspectives lets me look at these games in a new light. I can't wait to get around to my next playthrough of these games.
I mean, it might be my least favorite in the series, but least favorite in my _favorite_ series is still pretty high praise. I'm just not a big fan of how it handles a lot of the overarching themes of CS1. Most notable would probably be how CS1 spends a lot of its runtime handling the divide between the Reformists and the Nobles, and that both sides have genuine advantages (Reformists have massively improved the lives of the commoners, while poor regions like Legram only really stay afloat because of their ruling lord), and genuine drawbacks (Osborne is an expansionist, many of the nobles are terrible people). ...Which CS2 drops in favor of making every member of the Noble Alliance into mustache-twirling villains with no redeeming qualities, and the few that aren't (Marquis Rogner, Patrick, probably a few I'm forgetting) all ditch the Alliance. Not to say it isn't a _bad_ game, I just don't think it utilizes the unique political landscape of Erebonia very well.
Such a measured and sympathetic take on Cold Steel 2 I always loved that game and I could never understand why it was so reviled. It was flawed in main ways, but it commits to its ethos of "these kids use what they learn to resolve conflicts to protect the people" It's sweet and endearing. Coupled that with the heartbreaking twists and turns and you have a pretty compelling story.
I mean I can't say much, it was my least favourite Trails game until I replayed it. And it's one of those titles that I'm glad I did. So many underlying themes in the game that the player might fail to grasp the first time around, but it makes a lot more sense to me now.
Funny thing is, the 1st half and 2nd half of Cold Steel follows identical formulas. CS1 and CS3 follows a blissful school life and separation CS2 and CS4 follows through a war and ending it. Of course, there are more similarities but those mentioned above is the gist of the Erebonia Arc
I always interpreted the thing around Rean in 1 to be because the others see him as, in a way, the one most willing to work outside the box, since he was the first one to agree to participate in Class VII after orientation in the old schoolhouse. It struck me as a classic example of the bystander effect, and none of the others would have joined if he hadn't taken that plunge first. I think it was because he lacked a clear path in his mind he was a bit more flexible and more willing to go off the beaten path. For that reason, having a level of respect for Rean makes sense (especially as the influence of being in Class VII becomes increasingly apparent on each of them). I do otherwise agree that I would have like to have seen more of the other characters taking central stage once in a while though.
What You just explained, basically the many new things you notice on a 2nd/3rd playthru of a Heavily Story-Driven & Character-Driven Game, Holy Hell, I Feel You on that. It isn't just the "I have a fresh take on what occurred" but alot more. When we play a Game, esp a Serialized Game w/ this much Depth, on the 1st Playthru we don't know what'll happen, we play & we find out. We usually play for max story completion (@ least I do), for the Challenge Aspect (@ least I do, meaning Nightmare on 1st Run on All of them), and Generally we go thru those things & then come to the end. We form our opinions on various things at that point. But playing a Game a 2nd time, I can say that w/o a shadow of a doubt, there is So Much more things which we notice. This happened to me on my 2nd playthru of FF7R, on the 1st I played thru it, compared it to the OG FF7...but it's crazy how on the 2nd playthru, I picked up so much more on the subtleties between the character interactions, Alot of Character to Character Interactions & things they do, which, knowing the Story from start to finish, really Shed so much new light on Char Interactions, what those interactions mean, how much weight they carry, knowing how it ends, etc. Also, upon replaying FF7R, I paid ALOT more attention to how each of the characters act by themselves, in this case how Cloud acts, Barret, Tifa & Aerith act, where their actions stem from, what their idealogies or confusions mean, and it's nuts how much replaying and paying attention gives me so much I'd missed or not thought about, as well as Enjoying the 2nd/3rd Playthru in a completely different way as the 1st, helping me form a more Impactful and thorough opinion on characters, story elements, and everything as a whole. Back in the day, if I completed a Deep JRpg on 1st Run, I always felt there was either 0 or almost no replay value in playing it again. For example, I used to think that the only true Replay Value in playing CS2 for the 2nd time would be to A.) Get the Platinum Trophy of Max Completion & B.) Fight the Boss only available on 2nd playthru & get all the Black Records Books. But now, I hold a complete 180 of that opinion on replay value. Playing Story-Heavy+Char-Driven JRpg games for the 2nd/3rd time hold tremendous replay value, as you're coming in w/ very preconceived Opinions, but as You're playing, You get so much new insight on various facets of the game, despite knowing the story & how it'll end. This is especially true when replays are done after waiting roughly 6 months since initial playthru, as Yes, trying to immediately replay the game certainly does feel boring & unfulfilling. But Replaying after months have gone by, everything refreshes, and You interpret everything in a fresh light.
When Comrade G put on his helmet in Cold Steel and mentioned he was gong to Crossbell because he was going to Crossbell to kill Osborne. MY JAW dropped on the floor. Having already played Zero and Azure on PS4, I knew what was going to happen. I recongnized the guy. He was the Terrorist leader killed by the Red Constellation in Azure.I loved those kind of crossover links between games.Also seeing the Azure Tree from the empire side left me speechless.
Well. A relevant point for choosing Rein would be to have a double belonging. A fluid identity: noble - yet adopted. Unlike Yusis, Rein is more pragmatic about it, has a higher emotional intelligence. It copes well with an ambiguous position in the hybrid system of royal aristocracy and bureaucratic meritocracy. He's good at everything, and genius at nothing (with the exception of his latent swordman potential). With this, he would be able to absorb dramas on a wider spectrum than the others, with identities too marked by the hierarchical system. Primary difficulty to be overcome by other Class VII students. But of course, in reality, there is a deification with less real justification. Very good review!
I played CS 1 and 2 back to back, then started CS 3, but realized that without playing the Liberl and Crossbell arcs I'll be missing out on a lot of context. So, I put CS 3 on pause and went back to the Sky trilogy (just finished trails in the Sky yesterday, actually). I was afraid that playing Sky after Cold Steel would feel like a massive downgrade (lack of the link attacks and all other bells and whistles, for example), but surprisingly it wasn't as big of a deal for me as I imagined. Most of the game mechanics I'm used to from playing Cold Steel are already present in the Sky trilogy. I wish I played the games in the correct order, but oh well.
You're getting the full experience though, that's what matters! :) Honestly Trails has been a series where it's quite easy to go back to the older titles, as the general structure remains the same from arc to arc. Outside of a few additions, the older games still hold up with the newer titles on the gameplay front, but narrative wise they're still among the finest on the market.
I can understand the feelings you had. I in all honesty preferred the combat mechanics of sky vs CS with actually being able to control positioning to an extent
Did the same and played trials of the sky and crosbell arcs and tbh i really prefer the story and characters on those 2 arcs over of the cold steel one. Imo trials in the sky had the best story development and best mc, crosbell arc has the best ost and group and cold steel has a much better gameplay than the other two.
@@seifeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee I enjoyed the characters of C's 1&2 but they didn't make that big of an impact compared to Sky and crossbell. CS 3 characters actually got me to care about the characters but who knows maybe by the 2nd playthrough will change that
@@seifeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee I think that Sky benefits from having fewer characters than Cold Steel, and the handful of supporting characters that are there are introduced gradually. in Cold Steel you start with the whole class 7 and instructor Sara, which can be a bit overwhelming.
I think since Reans the main character and hes pretty much vechal that you experience the story in. That's why he has to be in those scenes because you'll get all this development that happened on screen instead off it.
Quick note about the next Trails arc being another entry point for newcomers yet rewarding for veterans: I believe Kondo himself has stated in an interview that this is definitely their goal with the next game (that is providing an entry point). Also, for the video Falcom uploaded earlier today to commemorate the release of Hajimari I saw a few comments stating that they've waited for this moment since the Sky arc. So I expect you to be right on the money when it comes to the series' continuation.
I actually read that in his A9VG interview! He acknowledges that there are 3 separate fanbases in Japan, the ones who grew up with Sky, then Crossbell and then Cold Steel. Kondo expects something similar to happen with the new arc, but he indeed did say that each new arc will be a separate narrative that new players can get invested in too. This of course could be pandering, I mean Falcom needs to sell games at the end of the day, but as long as they get a good balance between veteran and new-comer like they did with CS1, then I'll be happy.
The problem i faced on Cold steel 2 was my understanding of the combat system was really bad and by the time i reached the end of the infernal castle, i was just wanted to be done with it. When i found out there was more, i just got so angry and fed up i did some cheating and just blitzed through the end of the game. But now that i have beaten cold steel 4 and gained a better understanding of the combat because i challenged myself to play on NG nightmare, i am now replaying through it and i am noticing so many things that i didnt before and i am having a much easier time with the game and hopefully i come out with a better opinion than i had on my first playthrough
I agree with your assessment of CS 1: For newcomers, the pace seems fine and the character development is great. But for veterans or people familiar with the series world, it all feels like a distraction from this universe's upcoming World War (and I really hate character-driven stories that use world changing events as a backdrop). But after playing CS 2 and reading the Imperial Chronicle *(which everyone seriously must do)* , you realise this was done to introduce Erebonia and this much larger cast to all players. Yes Rean isn't the best leader, but his personal arc is important to future events and hints to those major events that were to big to focus on. And by CS 3 you can certainly feel time has passed and something bigger is coming because everyone and everything is different, and that things will eventually correlate with the Liberal and Crossbell events. That is the world building that made me love this series.
Well said sir! Reading the in game novels as well has given me even more appreciation for this series. I always recommend to any new player to read them as well, they're compelling enough in themselves (especially the story books).
I remember when I played Cold Steel 1 for the first time. I made it up to Heimdallr to learn about quartz slot. I wasn't aware of hidden quests and side quests. I just did all the recommended ones. Good 'ol days.
I know a lot of people who consider it their favourite in the series, it's quite polarising a title. I'm just glad I played it through for a second time.
Hey TNK.. Just wanted to tell you that you're quickly becoming one of my all time favorite youtubers. I look forward to your videos every week because of your excellent content. You're smart, funny (well...sometimes ;) ), and you know your shit. You always have valid opinions on Kiseki games and are a well-rounded, overall bright voice in the community. Looking forward to see where you go next; I'll be along for the ride. Don't get discouraged and keep doing what you're doing!
Thank you for your kind words buddy! It pleases me greatly when people say they enjoy the content, and I'll continue to do so if it acts as a place where fans can come together to discuss Trails. If it brings more people in to the series, all the better! :)
I remember feeling a somewhat similar way at the end of Cold Steel 2. I'd adored the game completely but the epilogue made everything feel very sudden (everyone leaving the academy all at the same time had me a bit confused), and the Reverie Corridor whilst fun initially also made me feel like the game was being dragged out a little too much. The post-boss scenes though really left a solid impression on me, and in general all the scenes where Class VII are together and just bonding as a class are when I feel like the cast is at their absolute strongest in Cold Steel. I'd probably enjoy playing them again, although not sure if I'll get around to it or not, but this video did remind me of just how much I enjoyed CS1 and 2. Also I love the character recruitment Suikoden-esque gameplay mechanic they had in CS2. I always love that kinda thing!
While I don't agree on what you said about CS1 regarding Rean as a leader / chemistry with Class VII (I agree with Ken Ken). I really enjoyed this video, quality content as always. It was good to see that you changed your oppinion on CS II. After I finished CSIV and I played CS1/2 again, I felt like I missed so much. If I may ask, what is your 3 least favorite Trails game? one is CS2 but what is the other two?
Thanks for watching mate! I fully expected that some fans wouldn't agree with my takes, and that's fine. That's the beauty of differing opinions. As long as we communicate them respectfully there's no issue, discussion is needed in a series like this! As of now, least favourite is Sky FC, then CS1 and then CS2. CS2 basically leap frogged the other two games. Saying they're my least favourite though is a bit vague, as I love every game in this fantastic series. I just felt the other titles conveyed the best themes of the games in more effective ways.
As someone who is starting at the beginning of the whole trails series and has no issues with spoiling things for myself lol. If you are a reader I would suggest giving the wheel of time series a shot. It’s a dense series indeed, but when you talked about how the main character got kinda shoved into a leader role, it made me think of the one character Perrin from wheel of time. If you are not a reader, it will be getting adapted by Amazon prime and the first season should be out this year. But the parts I am thinking about happen in the later books. It start around book 4 if I remember correctly
@@TheKisekiNut yeah the way you described that main character situation just made me instantly think of parrin and how he Constantly is going these people have a brain why aren’t they using it. They know the answer and how they can go around fixing or handling it.
Personally i do feel their lack of interaction does reduce their quality as characters, but for rean sorting all the problem, i do think it had to be him. While all the members of class seven are capable, they are all flawed (Rean included). - Alisa: as an instigator of her own problem and unwilling to tell everyone who she is, she probably feels she is in no position to sort any one else out. - Laura: while straightforward, from her handling of monica we know she isn't the most socially experienced and probrably tried but failed to help the others. - Elliot: sweet little boy but far too intimidated by the nobles and too softspoken to deal with the others. - Gaius: an outsider to the whooe situation and probably outside of his understanding. (Though honestly he should have been the next best person to sort people out, with his handling of patrick) -Emma: Hiding her own secrets, and with her own agenda, she might even be distancing herself intentionally. -Fie: couldn't care less, especially at first -Machias: hahahaha him solving a problem at the start of CS1... good joke... - Jusis: same as Machias, though perhaps a little more reasonable, but with his family situation bearing down on him im not surprised... Again, this doesn't excuse them as being the weakest cast, but i don't feel it was unintentional... and with CS4 we do know that the class is really quite helpless without their head, atleast at first. As for Rean's leadership qualities, i would say the role is thrusted upon him and he grows into it, and my biggest issue is that he doesn't really fail, atleast at first (oooh boy CS3). This leaves him quite blank and generic until the end of 2, with 3 really knocking him out of the park in terms of quality. Overall i feel it was an experiment in character writing falcom was doing and from the looks of CS3 and Hajimari no Kiseki, they have realised the large cast isn't as strong and are moving back to smaller casts. Quality over quantity, so overall im happy with what is done.
You know what is the perfect system that solves the issues you have with the cast in Cold Steel? The support conversations from Fire Emblem. They are ALL about showing you conversations between the different party members, and how they interact with each other in various situations. If Fire Emblem can do it, so can Trails.
FE support system is nice. But it's limited to 3 support dialogues, in CS there should be one big relationship developpement between multiple characters and not just with Rean. And for christ's sake, there should not need to play a second playthrough to see all of them...
@@RiriSion Only reason it's limited to 3 is because each FE game has like.. What, 30-ish characters? And remember that each character has dialogues with a ton of different characters, so you get to see a lot more of them than it sounds like when you say there's only three support dialogues. I agree that there shouldn't be a second playthrough required
Cutting out bonding to create 1 canon route and then doing story events that give characters other than rean some spotlight would be better. Support convos from FE are like bond events non canon or at least in canon limbo(non canon unless stated otherwise). You can play the games entirely skipping these optional events which causes the story to make sense without them and turns them into a kind of filler content where characters can't change during or because of a bond event.
I've finished all of Sky and CS1 and CS2 playing through Zero right now. I LOVE reading the Crossbell times and reading about evens happening in Erebonia and TRULY understanding it. If I had never played CS I wouldn't have known who Chancellor Osborn was and just brushed off any article that mentions him for example, this being especially relevant because both Zero and CS take place in 1204 SC. But I have SO much context for this world and this kind of connectedness is possibly my most favorite aspect of the series. Aside, I had a fair bit of nitpicks that built while playing CS1 and 2 but the end hit me SO perfectly I've become completely compelled by the series. I couldn't understand how people could replay these 60 hour games and now it all makes sense. I really hope Sky comes to switch or Playstation so I have a proper reason to replay them.
One of these nit-picks. What's with regular people being able to sense others presence in an area or in a room on the other side of the door? Lloyd also does this in Zero. Honest question, of all the things this had always felt like it's betrayed the lore.
Welcome to the Trails Feels train, you're likely not gonna be leaving for a while. :) Glad to hear you're enjoying the games too, keep at it and enjoy them.
You explained the ending of II beautifully. Also, you mentioned II was no longer your least favorite Trails game after replaying it. Just out of curiousity which is your least favorite?
@@TheKisekiNut god I did love the ending to sky first chapter though. I IMMEDIATELY went onto second chapter. Did not expect that ending like....at all lol. I was so pleasantly surprised. :)
I feel like the double edged sword of each trails game is that they are reflective of whatever anime series were popular around the time they were made. In the case of Cold Steel, anime like Naruto and My Hero Academia have huge and ever expanding casts that are tied to one main protagonist, leading to many characters going undeveloped. I didn't even make the connection until I started seeing MHA.
This is why I love Towa. She is an utterly normal girl. Nowhere strong physically nor special like Emma, Alisa, and Laura yet she still managed to help Rean in some other ways. Maybe her being normal is the reason why she saw Rean's struggles in that scene. The moment in TOCS1 where she said that she personally delivers the letter of requests directly to his dorm and in TOCS3 where *SPOILER ALTERT* she managed to get hold of all pictures of Class 7 made an album of it to show it to them just make me remember again how selfless she is. The only character not included to class 7 that you can romance (somewhat). Sorry for making a waifu post and yes, I'm a Towaf*g. I just want others to notice how beautiful her character is. Nice vid btw, I love how you don't hesitate to criticize and get hated by shills. I'll most likely consider your recommendations from now on.
I feel Towa is criminally underrated, but she's kind of like the unofficial mascot for Falcom. Reliable, kind, she has it all. I think Falcom did it right though, I don't think Towa would fit in a main cast. As a supporting role, she does just enough to have a meaningful impact on the story, and I think that's the best place for her.
My biggest gripe with CS1 was because it was basically an anime style high school setting. We follow the one main character and the world literally revolvers around him and all the ladies want a piece of him. Hence the romance choices with pretty much every girl. This main character fact does not change throughout the entire series as I see it. Rean is still the main character and apparently nothing happens without him,
I played the Trails in the Sky games first. I started with the First Chapter then Second Chapter. Afterwards, I moved into Cold Steel 1 & 2 so I was already familiar with the world of Zemuria by then. I then got to play Third Chapter and finally started playing the Crossbell games. Seeing all these familiar faces from the previous games was so rewarding and made me feel how connected these games are. I kinda wished I played the Crossbell arc before diving into Cold Steel but there are spoilers in CS that spoil the other games so it didn't bother me too much. I finally finished with CS3 and now waiting for CS4.
My opinions on the glorification of Rean by class 7 were definitely similar to yours. I myself had played the series in release order, and it was frustrating as I knew Falcom was able to write those character relationships that weren’t centered around the MC, but Rean just felt like a “power fantasy” self insert or something. I think his character and Class 7 have all improved through the 3 games I’ve played so far, but I will always be disappointed with some of the character writing in the first two Cold Steel Games. Awesome vid as always.
Thank you for watching as always mate, and for your comment! I'm just like you, I see the likes of the Sky and Crossbell arc and can't help but feel Class VII comes up short to those two groups. They're still top tier, and they're much better in the second half of CSII onwards to CSIV, but I definitely wanted a bit more. But I think Falcom did as best as they could in terms of balancing time with the Thors students and Class VII themselves.
I poured 100's of hours and played through most of the cold steel games multiple times. Really looking forward to the other titles that falcom releases in 2023. I'm honestly happy I got to experience such a wonderful universe.
Agree with everything in this video. I replayed Cold Steel 2 a year ago in preparation for 3 and my thoughts have really changed and evolved over time on that game. At first, I went into the replay expecting to...not dislike the game, but find it generally underwhelming as my thought processes had led me to that conclusion ever since I finished the game the first time in 2017(?) and read critiques of it in the time inbetween. However, as I've read more thoughts from people who think very highly of CS2, and combining that with my own experiences replaying the game, I've come to realise this game receives so much more undue shit than it deserves. I agree with pretty much everything you said in this video. I used to consider CS2's portrayal of the civil war to be an active, significant flaw in the narrative; however, Cold Steel 1&2 were never explicitly *about* the civil war, at least in the sense of it being a war at all. It was always about Class VII's growth as people, their navigations throughout Erebonian society and the crisis unfolding in their homeland; why do we have to watch them fight on the front lines for this to resonate? They're fighting for what they personally believe in, for the conclusion that they have come to for themselves as a result of their experiences throughout Cold Steel 1. Why was I expecting them to be active participants in the war at all? That thought process makes no sense to me now. I noticed on my replay that as I was talking to the NPCs (something that enhances the Cold Steel games SIGNIFICANTLY and I wish more people would do this because I think it can really change someone's perspective honestly), the impact of the war on Erebonia and its citizens was conveyed to me really, really well. I put the effort and time in to travel around and see how everyone was doing, and I was greeted with their melancholy, sadness, hope in the face of adversity; Cold Steel 2 might not *feel* like a war as you're flying around in the Courageous, but it certainly felt like one to me as I was talking to the people in Celdic after it had been burned down, in Roer after it had been liberated, in the Nord Highlands where the people were continuously fretting for their safety and home. It's infuriating how many people either misunderstand or ignore Rean and Crow's relationship to push this narrative that his dedication to bringing him back is somehow badly written or makes little sense; if you pay the slightest bit of attention to Rean's character, his relationship to Crow at all, then it would be beyond imagining that Rean wouldn't want to drag him back by his coat. Say what you will about other members of Class VII, maybe some of them could have questioned it (would have helped if we could see more Crow/Class VII interaction in CS1, a general problem), but the Rean/Crow dynamic is one of the emotional cores of the Cold Steel arc and it's so important to Cold Steel 2's narrative. People look at it in such a surface level when if you put the effort into peeling back even one of the layers it's obvious how deep their relationship goes and how important it is to the arc's themes. It's one of the central criticisms people throw at Cold Steel 2 and yet it makes complete sense if you interpret their relationship correctly. I also used to think lowly of the epilogue, but on my replay I noticed how much I adored it, and like you it's now my favourite part of Cold Steel 2. It is so, so well done. I don't even need to elaborate because you had the exact same thoughts as me in your video, but I want to emphasise how brilliant that scene between Rean and Towa is. It's fantastic in so many ways. The epilogue in general is just so emotionally and thematically resonant, and it really hit me at the end how much Class VII as a group means to me, and how much I love them. You can throw plenty of critiques at Falcom's handling and writing of them as characters, but I simply can't deny how attached I am to these characters, how much I adore them individually and as a group. Some of it was wasted potential, wasted concept, but they're nowhere near a bad cast of characters and the ending sequence left me feeling emotionally hollow (after 10 minutes or so of incessant sobbing.) Great video...it's honestly kind of surreal watching this because it really puts into perspective a lot of the thoughts I had been thinking to myself for the past half a year or so.
I'm happy that my opinions resonated with your own mate. It's crazy how a second run through of a game can change your perspective entirely, and really I believe it's needed for games like these. Considering how lore heavy and rich they are, it's always good to reaffirm what you've seen the first time around. Having the foundation for the story allows you to dig in to the main themes being touched on, and I'm just astounded that i missed so much the first time around. Definitely worth it in every aspect.
This is probably the best summation of some of the thoughts I have had on this game I think I’ve ever or will ever see. I am definitely a new fan to the franchise as I only picked up the first three cold steel games when they were on sale late last year on ps4. I binged them and found that I had completely fallen for this world and characters. I haven’t gone and played the other games but I find that it’s given me a unique perspective where some mysteries are genuine mysteries to me and character reveals are sometimes really impactful while other times I wonder why the fanfare was needed. But most importantly (at least to me) I experienced all three games in a sort of vacuum where only MY opinions existed while playing and only MY speculations mattered. Since I had never seen or heard about the game I had no bias,no expectations outside of the ones developed while playing, and my like or dislike of characters or game elements were never once influenced by outside opinions. I never found cold steel one to be a slow burn like other people found it, I thought cold steel 2 was just better in every way on my first run, and cold steel 3 made me feel like I was a dad and class 7 were my kids. I kept seeing them do stuff and felt so proud to know who they were and when new class 7 were impressed at how awesome old class seven were I took great satisfaction in knowing that through rean I was one of them too And wanted to keep the adventure going. I’ve never had an rpg do that to me no matter how much I liked it. (That cliff hanger can f right off though) Edit: I should mention that after my completion of the first three games I did go out of my way to read information from the other games as well as watch playthroughs. I’ve also seen a translated run of cold steel 4 and I have a much firmer grasp than before on who characters are and where they are from. But I can also say that outside of cold steel 4 and parts of 3 none of it felt necessary and ended up just being neat tidbits that I definitely would have been happy to see if I’d know going in but that didn’t affect my understanding of the plot. Again cs3 and 4 are an exception as they get more aggressive with the references and crossovers and it was at times legitimately confusing.
The idea that class 7 should have fought on the frontline in the civil war is ridiculous. I'm puzzled to hear that there are so many who hold this opinion. On which side? I know that Osborne was out, but the imperial side had their issues still, and even Olivert, Arseid and Schwarzer was looking for a 3rd way. The 2nd game is basically about Rean flying across Erebonia trying to protect his friends, civilians, the royal family and Elise. And the others are tagging along because they want to support Rean, to relieve him of some of the burden and they're also too torn to pick sides. His focus was never on who should win the war. He just wanted to protect ppl. This game really taught us what kind of person Rean is. This motivation is why he got involved in Crossbell and the Northern War too. His focus was always on saving civilians. It was heartbreaking to see him go through so much turmoil, but that's why I love this game. It's probably the most emotional game in Trails. CS3 rivals it, but CS2 was more relentlessly intense in its storytelling.
I also play cold steel 1 to 3 with no information whatsoever, i enter the series through Tokyo xanadu, after played the games i search videos and fans opinions and i encounter that almost all of them have cs2 as his last favorite game for the same reason as said in this video, when i first played the game i understood the reason why the civil war wasnt show the way other players wanted to see it. After i finished the first 3 cold steel games i went back and play the other five i was so hype after reading fans opinions of the games, sadly the hype was so high that when i finished i was a expecting more of the games, they are excellent games but i find them below in my personal ranking with cold steel 2 in the first spot
i am starting trails from cold steel rn, admittedly its kinda dragging for me (im at chapter 4) but im looking forward to when it pays off. A game series gotta be doing something right if it has managed to convince its fans to buy at least 2 games to experience a complete story for each arc. With the first one as pure setup.
A very good video and excellent points. I started cs 1 in january, cs 2 in march and when i finished started cs3 then i replay twice each game then i play the sky and crossbell arc and replay cs3 another time and finally play cs4 currently waiting for hajimari. Cs 2 is my favorite game of all is the one i enjoy the most since the first time i played, i think the trails game you enjoy it most the second time you played the final scene for cs2 get me since the first time i played and get me more the next time because i thought old class seven was still around in cs3 as a whole thing that happened at the end of the game, i'm waiting for cs4 in october to play it at it's fullest
@@TheKisekiNut thanks you for your videos, cold steel 4 es mi second favorite also, i follow your advice and order hajimari through treasure i hope it delivers soon but i think it Will take about two months
Interesting analysis! My biggest problem with cs2 was that it hid plot relevant stuff for cs3 behind new game plus, while really being too long to motivate doing that
Oh goodness yes, the new game plus plot was a bit too much for CS2. I didn't want to mention that because I've done so in a previous video, but please don't do that again Falcom!
Now we got CS4 with some BS normal and true ending hidden behind arbitrary sidequest completion in the final chapter and then a highly missable epilogue cutscene that only triggers if you reload your completed save file with no hint or prompt that tells you to do so. I went straight into NG+ without seeing it the first time around. They really gotta chill with this type of nonsense.
Just about to finish Trails to Zero for the first time, going to move on to Azure, and then going to replay the Cold Steel games in the hope of finishing them before IV. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but god do I love this series, and I’m glad I’m finally playing through Crossbell.
RiriSion normally I’d say it would be too much, but I’m still not back to work yet, and so I have plenty of free time. I should be finishing up Azure tomorrow (my god, what a game) and I’ve been playing Cold Steel 1 a bit these last few days as an occasional change of pace from Crossbell (currently in Chapter 2), and so honestly, I probably’ll have all of this done in September, all things panning our how I think they will. I have way too much free time on my hands. Lol
I stumbled on to Trails in the Sky on a whim because I had this weird thing called the PSP and nothing to play on it. So I googled best games to play on the PSP and came across that one (along with Jean D'Arc, a very good game as well, I might add) Ever since then, I became absolutely captivated with the series. Sky FC is so good to me on so many levels and is still probably my favorite, though I still need to play Ao when that gets finished by the Geofront team and CSIV here in October. Long story short: it's my favorite series of all time, and I love revisiting these games. I love Class VII, and I love that these stories exist. Ahhhh I just never want the series to end!!
Spoiler alert for the Sky arc ahead: I've decided to do a masochist run of trails by doing nightmare difficulty 100% play throughs (what I mean by that is max BP/DP/AP) of all the games in order prior to the PC release of CS4 and I'll just say 1 thing after having almost finished SkySC (I'm at the Axis Pillar) is that many characters SUCK in these types of play throughs (mainly ones that have few uses such as Zin, Anelace, Josette and Tita being the frontrunners), but wish me luck for further games (especially the Crossbell arc since that's the most challenging one at least of how much I've played it)
I know this is old video but when you said attack on Bank by RC and School festival are at the same time, I thought maybe I remember it wrong but when I checked fandom, Thors festival is several months later after Dieter staged that attack by RC. Or dunno.
I do agree with the chemistry aspect of class vll, on first chapter of 3 while in second half of 2(... It's better not to ask lol I just love the prospect of Rean being a actual "leader" by teaching his students how to operate mechs and stuff, and so far 3 looks promising if making the new class vll have their own chemistry)
I had thankfully played the first Trails of the Sky when I picked up CS1 for the Vita and so I knew of the world and it was actually interesting playing the "other side" and cool to see Olivert in full 3D and the same person basically. It was such a fanserice moment in CS3 to see Tito and Agate together again. Had I played the Crossbell games, it would have been cool to revisit and see characters and if I knew who Lloyd is, the ending of CS2 would have been cooler.
Great video. The point about Class VII’s chemistry together especially I agree with. I think these games would’ve benefited from Fire Emblem’s support system where everyone can interact with each other. On that note, I thought the dynamic between Rean and Crow was a bit lacking in CS1. Lacking not in that it was bad, but lacking in we literally did not get enough of non-bonding related stuff with Crow and Rean. The 50-Mira coin scene and the bonfire scene were, to me, the only memorable personal moments with Crow’s character. Rean and Class VII spend a lot of time with Crow offscreen so we know he means a lot to them, but I think the game could’ve done more to show this. This game would’ve benefited from a lot more Rean and Crow bromance scenes haha. It would’ve made the rivalry hit much harder in CS2.
I see Rean as a reluctant leader and was meant to be written that way. the rest if class 7 look up to him because he has natural leadership abilities, but Rean does not see that in himself
Great video 👍 However as much as I love Trails, some of the slower parts of the game like the school festival ( or the ballroom scene in 3) can be just as challenging for a player to get through as any boss. I know they are necessary but they can really drag the game. On a different note, would it be great if they added narration to the books you collect on your playthrough. I would love to listen to the books as I m going through a doungen. Sorry for the post being so long.
i think there's actually another larger JRPG TH-camr who is doing just that. They recently released an audio book style video of Carnelia, and it might be up your alley if you're looking for something like that.
I don't think I'm exaggerating, the Cold Steel series is my favorite JRPG series of all time. The story, the world and the characters are so good, there is just nothing that can quite compare even though I played a lot of JRPGs already in the past. I get your issue about Rean, he got a leader too fast. In my mind, because the group's individuals were so different, Sara must've thought that someone had to keep them together as soon as possible. And she saw great potential in Rean. Sure he didn't earn it immediately, but that's the whole point. The group, including Rean grow over the course of the series and try to learn from their mistakes. Sure they don't solve any personal issues amongst themselves without Rean, but they are all capable without him, completing their field studies just how Rean's team does, that's just an example. They all start trusting Rean more and more because of how he helps everyone, slowly earning the title of a real leader which also helps him grow. It's not just all about Rean. They all start trusting each other as well (makes me remember when in Cold Steel II Machias and Elliot were hiding together in the mill). Also, remember they're still kids in Cold Steel I. People in that age can't always just solve problems amongst themselves, heck, usually someone needs to intervene. I might be wrong, but that's how I saw things. In any case, in my eyes the Cold Steel series (up to Cold Steel 3, because I'm waiting for Cold Steel 4) is still a masterpiece. I remember how blown away I was with the complex story, characters, moments, music and pretty much everything that really matters. I seriously can't wait for Cold Steel 4.
You've got good taste sir! And thank you for your different perspective on the issue I raised in the video. My main issue with Rean as the leader is that he's chosen so quickly. I can understand that his background gives him a more unique position among the group, but I feel that alone doesn't immediately point to him as the leader of Class VII, it felt a bit forced for me. If Rean simply grew in to his leader role (as he does through the course of Cold Steel), I'd be a lot more open to it. But honestly that's just a personal gripe of mine, as my channel name suggests, I still love the games, and I think you'll enjoy CS IV massively. It's my personal second favourite in the entire series.
@@TheKisekiNut I don't disagree with you either, you made good points. It's part of the reason why I follow your channel and watch your videos. I didn't play too much of the Sky series and haven't touched the Crossbell arc yet, but judging from your videos and how enthusiastic you are about the series, I know they're great! I'm very much looking forward to CS IV, CS III was crazy in many ways and I'm hyped up for the finale ever since. Keep up the good work, I really enjoy your videos!
As of now, Sky FC is my least favourite, followed by CS1 and then CS2. But calling them my least favourite isn't a true reflection of how good they are, they're still amazing games in their own rights.
I totally agree with your point of rean not making sense as the leader of the group other then protagonist but as for people fixing their problems without rean i think the only reason they do that's because they want you to see it happen and you can't have that happen without rean being there. when it came to laura and fei resolving their issues, rean really didn't do anything besides telling them to figure it out, they both decide to do so because they both care about rean because of his empathetic personality thus his suffering because of their issues with each other becomes the catalyst for them to resolve it. the same could happen for Gaius but Gaius isn't the player character so it doesn't. Long story short its because if Rean isnt there we dont get to see the conflict resolution thus he is the catalyst for conflict resolution.
I feel like Falcom pushed to hard to make Rean like Llyod in many ways which heavily makes him flawed. Like I feel he didn't naturally become a leader and he was more forced into becoming one because of Instructor Sara. They made everyone in Class VII so reliant on him that it seems like they can't make a conclusive decision without him. At least Llyod felt like an ACTUAL leader and everyone in the SSS wasn't overly reliant on him and it made sense because he was qualified as a detective. Rean on the other hand felt so forced like they gave no special reason why he was the center of Class VII. Not to mention he always seems to put pressure on himself which is annoying to see unlike Estelle and Llyod who have clear ambitions on what they want to do
@@JRPGforlife I agree that it feels like he was forced to be the leader but I can clearly see why he's the center of Class 7 because nobody is as empathetic as him or as attentive even Estelle and Lloyd pale in comparison when it comes to Rean's empathy. Also him not having a clear goal is reflective on his backstory of him being adopted son of a baron not feeling worthy of the role of running the family as well as the fact that he feels inadequate as a swordsman do to not being able to control his power. I can understand why people feel he is the weakest protagonist in the game but I think he's at least on par with Lloyd but for different reasons
![[1] Oh Dear, Trouble in Ymir! - Trails of Cold Steel 2 Funny Moments](/img/n.gif)
As some of you fine people may know, I’ve recently completed a third and second playthrough of Cold Steel 1 and 2 respectively. And you know me, that means I have to make a video about it, so here it is!
Spoilers for:
The Sky Arc
The Crossbell Arc
Cold Steel 1 and 2 (and some of 3 as well)
Hope you guys enjoy this one!
Some small counter-arguments: nothing negative just a few personal opinion's:
1. Rean O. Schawzer as leader: He plays as a middle ground for everyone to eventually take that important first step in they're development.
A. Jusis/Machais: Being an adopted orphan to nobility helps him understand the viewpoint of two youths who have suffered cause of the nobility's overuse of stating they're greatness.
B. Laura/Fie(and himself): Laura doesn't get why these two, who have incredible potential are holding back on purpose. Since it goes again'st her beliefs that is the point of that small conflict.
C. Gaius/Emma: They're in erebonia with an idea of what they want/need to do but no path to get there. His help formed a small idea they could by that lead to they're power ups in CS3 and onward.
D. Elliot/Alisa: They're tied heavily to they're families histories,situations and identities, all rean can tell them is they're themselves before the familial names they're tied to.
Traits/Personality are leader-like qualities that are necessary in a story, i think he is more of a: Leader who can brings the best in others can in turn bring out the best in himself.
Thanks for putting together this great look back. I really enjoy all of your Kiseki content! But now I need pro help. I was definitely going to play CS3 prior to CS4 launch, but I had been thinking of going all the way back to CS1 and you might have sold me on it. Can you share how long your CS1/2 replays were? Trying to decide if I should go all the way back if the replay time were a good bit shorter vs the initial playthroughs...
@@cedeankematick Thank you for watching my man! If I remember correctly, CS1 took me about 70 hours, and CS2 took me 55 hours. I was using a guide for all of the extra stuff too (hidden quests etc.). A lot of turbo mode involved!
@@cedeankematick Did you already play the Liberl and Crossbell arcs ? If you really have the time, I restarted the whole Legend of Heroes series back in march (when the lockdown began, had quite some time to kill back then...), and playing the whole series is very enjoyable... Not mentionning the fact that there won't be any guides available at CS4 launch, so there's no real need to rush and play this one first. Took about 60h/game to finish the 7 first games, and about 90h on CS3. Good game ;)
The Kiseki Nut Great I think I’m sold. Appreciate your awesome work once again very great insights into this fantastic series. 👍🏻
Man, when you think about it Olivert really is one of the most baller characters in all of gaming.
A thing I love about Cold Steel is some of the subtlest ways you can observe the characters grow. For example, CS1 Fie in combat sounds pretty much like a robot, whereas in CS2 her voice has much more emotion, and she just sounds like she enjoys herself much more in general. Jusis in CS1 says "what a waste of time" after a battle won, and in CS2 he says "what a waste of OUR time" - as he has now accepted the fact that he's part of the group, and Class VII clearly has his respect and affection now. Their time is now valuable as well.
Same subtlety can be observed when you interact with your friends during free time (but not in bonding events). My absolute favourite happens just before arresting Duke Albarea; Machias knows how much it tears Jusis apart, because his own father is also a major political figure, and also the only parent he has left - so if tables were turned, Machias could've found himself in the same situation. And instead of spouting exposition (...like it usually does, dear god, does Rean EVER shut up???), the game lets you simply find them sitting together on board of the Courageous. And also Millium is there for extra adorable points.
Great point! I actually remember seeing that moment with them on the courageous. It would of made a good bonding event between the two of them, but alas it stayed as an in game text exchange. But the fact it was given it's due credit was a nice touch.
never noticed those little after battle differences! tha'ts actually awesome. well copped! :)
@@TheKisekiNut I could never say no to more content between my favourite grumps! Bonding events between other members of Class VII would've been great, I think I remember helping Emma find Fie back in CS1, so they could study together? It really made an impression on me and I don't recall doing anything of the sort later. In CS1 and 2 it was kinda easier to believe the friendship between everyone, because they were together almost every day. But I'm just about to wrap up CS3 and it hits me how much more I'd like to know about everyone staying in touch for the past year. On one hand what we got makes sense narratively (Rean doesn't see, Rean doesn't know), but on the other - I finally heard Jusis call Machias... well, "Machias" and not "Regnitz", and I just want to know what they'd been up to to prompt that change SO BAD. Not to mention, any conversation with Alisa in it that doesn't revert to "you like Rean don't you" would be fantastic.
I also noticed that. At first I was taken aback by how different Fie sounded, I even looked up if it was a different VA but nope. It was just Fie, having settled and grown into her new family. She definitely showed more emotion. I thought that was really neat
Ahhh shit dude, that part where Rean breaks down in front of Towa gets me every damn time. Great work as always man, been a while since I played these, so this was a nice blast of nostalgia.
That scene is so powerful. It demonstrates the perception of Towa as well. She is a side character at the end of the day, but she's also very important for moments like this. I was a big fan of her development in CS2 overall.
I get your criticisms of CS1 in regards to Rean not feeling like a true leader. I could be wrong but I think that was part of why Rean was the one who ended up solving a lot of the issues Class VII had together. I think they were trying to convey that Sara could see he had natural leadership potential which is why she always paired the problem students like Jusis/Machias and Laura/Fie together because he had the ability to get them to work through their problems even though he may not have seen his leadership qualities, Sara did.
I think part of what you were talking about with Class VII not doing more activities together was because of all of the other students at Thors. There is bonding with other classmates part from Rean, just not with other Class VII students. For example Laura and Monica's friendship at the swimming club, Machias' friend at the Chess club, Ferris and Alisa going from rivals to best friends. This is so you care more when you reunite with your old classmates in CS2 as well as to show how the divide between noble and commoner can be overcome as they all unite toward one cause in the second game.
Both very good points. I think my issue is that he's thrust in to that role so quickly. If he displayed his natural leadership abilities throughout the course of the first game, and it just slowly coalesced over time then I'd be more open to it. For me, the role of Rean as 'leader' felt too forced at first, but that's an interesting perspective indeed.
Also I do agree on the other students needing that characterisation considering their eventual role in Cold Steel 2, but when the Class VII members aren't involved in their club activities for example, that was the time when they could have the members of Class VII do activities together. Or simply add side story events ala Tokyo Xanadu EX+. I needed a bit more from Class VII as a whole in that first game in order to believe they were really friends who were growing together. At times they felt indifferent to each other, especially in Act 1 of CS2 where everyone seems thrilled to see Rean again, but don't say anything outside of a general statement ('I'm so glad we're together again') to the other members accompanying him. I understand that's limited because the player has to make a choice on the characters they bring with them, but I feel it demonstrates the issue I had with CS1.
Finding that balance though is a notable challenge, and I think Falcom conveyed the multiple relationships as best as they could without bloating the games.
I think CS suffered from the desire of making Rean a second Lloyd. That was my first feeling when I started playing CS1, and it only went in CS3, I was playing Lloyd again. Different background yet very much alike. And Rean deserved to have his own personality, which he grows after a while but it was a little disappointing to begin with. In general, I felt the connections between class 7 members comparing to what they were between the SSS members, espacially after KeA's arrival, were a huge downgrade. And it's a shame, because each character is well develloped in itself, just not as much as we would want when they are together.
@@TheKisekiNut I got a question after cold steel 4 Is a new series call trails of the beginning do you understand what does it mean since already did cold steel 4 be after those events
@@tyresewilson7399 some things happen after CS4, so Hajimari no Kiseki is the clossing act of Western Zemuria arc
Class VII was an experiment and Sara used Rean as the core specimen. Didn't make any big announcements. IIRC, his unusual social standing made him the one who could relate to everyone else.
Rean ended up bringing the group together and they decided one by one. If you recall, he says multiple times, when did he become leader?
I was okay with how Rean progressed because Sara is obviously the superman of Sen 1 and her facetious attitude helped everyone gravitate toward Rean, the anchor of the group. Who says he needs to be a 'true' leader by one game? These kids are still growing up, even by CS4
Dang, man. I actually finished playing my third playthrough of Cold Steel 2. The epilogue messed me up (not in a bad way). I suddenly teared up because of the meaning of the epilogue. The boss of the fight accompanied with the amazing ost. (Original) Class VII’s journey coming to an end made me tear up man. How they were bottling what they truly feel and had to let it all out just like with Millium. For me, their bond truly is a beautiful thing.
Couldn't have said it better myself! I must of been REALLY burnt out when I played this the first time, because I remember being frustrated as heck the first time around. Very happy I got to witness it's true meaning.
I'm agree with you. This two games needs more chemistry between Class VII members. It would be more fantastic.
Another thing the Epilogue chapter gives you are the little moments where the last member of Class VII should be there, but isn't. The empty desk in the classroom, and the empty room in the dorms, all of which just makes that loss hit harder
The epilogue for Cold Steel 2 was definitely something that bothered me my first time through as well. I felt like it was just unnecessary padding at first because I was getting impatient with the game. But after looking at it through another lens, I realize just how important that part is, and it really does make for an incredible end to the first half of the arc.
You ever wonder how Gaius would be painting all the time but his canvas was always blank white?
He was painting the W I N D.
The moment I love the most in CS1 is when visiting nord highland for the first time... I still remember the goosebumps when the vastness of field expand before me and the music is suit the scene perfectly.
I do agree that the Nord Highlands is beautiful, but it was waaaaay too big for me. I don't know I could have handled it without turbo mode.
That moment legit got me in the feels. Beautiful landscape and an even more beautiful theme. I've felt the need to look it up and listen to it again but I refuse to. Until I replay the game so I can feel the magic again
Here's why Rean makes sense being thrust to the center of the class, and why it had to be him to help with the class conflicts.
From the very beginning Rean was the most assertive at taking on Class 7s challenges. He stepped foward first after the orienteering exercise because he's driven by the need to get stronger to control his inner ogre and the guilt he feels for being a burden on his family that caused him to semi run away from his adopted family household. And something all of his classmates pick up on very quickly is he's self sacrificial to fault that disturbs them a little, he's very humble, driven and is "bottling" something up that they can never quite figure out.
Sara chooses him to help the Student Council for 2 reasons. A) in a class divided by social status, he's kind of both a Noble and a Commoner, so he can be the most understanding of everyone's background. And also Sara is a good observant teacher who could see Rean was lost and desperately "looking for something" and had nothing to latch on to. It had been a month and he still hadn't committed to a club. He could of joined the fencing club, but he would of felt as 8 Leaves begginer 'drop out' he'd be dirtying the name of real swordmanship enthusiasts in a club with them.
So Sara gives him something that plays to his sacrificial nature and that helps brace the class for the field studies. And it works brilliantly. He takes ownership of something which helps him start to stand out on his very first field study.
Emma couldn't help Jusis and Machius cause she's very much a reserved beta with a lot to hide, and Machius is kind of a misogynist. Fie was also extremely reserved and disinterested early on, and to Giaus the entire Eribonian class culture was foreign to him. And he's just not assertive enough to break apart to classes biggest hot heads.
Sara swapped the groups Rean was in because he shined as a leader in Group A. And between his level but assertive head, and his self sacrifice heroism, it snapped Machius and Jusis out of their fighting enough to understand each other better.
Reans now officially got to shine as a natural leader with everyone at least once and their starting to look up to him that way even though he's never claimed to be in charge and no one appointed him leader (except Sara kinda).
Machius and Elliot couldn't help Laura and Fie overcome their problems because quite frankly they aren't warriors, and their conflict was more nuanced and quite in ways Machius could never understand.
When Rean joins their group, he's already gained a good reputation among them, and spent a lot of time with Laura and Fie individually. There extra embarrassed and motivated to overcome their differences because they know they are the problem students now cause they know what Sara is doing. Rean doesn't let them give up on working together when it looks bad then hearing Elliots origin pushes Laura over the edge to know what she has to do.
The more time goes by, the more they all see how reliable Rean is and the more they understand what makes him tick as they learn about his ogre form.
It makes sense that it had to be Rean and that they love and near worship Rean. Rean is a great guy who earns it.
Emma and Celine are my favorite characters from CS. I love how Emma’s “character arc” is “hidden” in CS1.
(A thing that just is possible because Falcom make a 10/10 world).
After CS2 I replay the game just to understand better her character and love it.
(Sorry for bad English)
The reason I think a lot of people are annoyed about cold steel ending in their first playthrough is because we all thought the infernal castle was the last dungeon and we were at the end. So the rest feels like a drag. The 2nd playthrough you know where it ends so you aren't expecting the ending but expecting more
I love this series I first was introduced to this series in 2013
And now you're stuck with us for the rest of time! :)
About your problems with Cold Steel 1. I didn't had the same problems, because Rean's position as the center of the class doesn't make sense because he is a leader to me, but because he is a friend. Rean is someone that is easy on the others in various aspects, he is empathetic, he does what he can for people, he knows how to listen, when to speak, etc... But that doesn't make his flaws disappear for himself and for other people. For instance, there are multiple times in the games where they brought it up that Rean taking so much upon himself because of the student council is weird and that even though he is willing, it looks like he is lost. They trust Rean because he is a good friend and has a good head on his shoulder most of the time, but they also recognize that he is weak-willed, self-conscious and insecure. They are constantly worried about his mental state and its part of his arc and the relationship of class VII as a whole that they are supportive of this and that Rean eventually does grow to be the leader that everyone wants him to be.
About the other aspects though, I agree to some extent. I think the main problem is that we're so centered on Rean's perspective that its hard not to feel like he is essential to the narrative. But I'd say that he is not the one doing the heavy lifting to make amends between the Class VII members. Laura and Fie had to talk it out and punch it out with each other first and foremost. Machias has to see where Jusis came from and understand his backstory more to come to accept him. So even though Rean is always there, I don't really think he is detrimental to these issues. But I do take issue on the fact that we have so few moments between the other members as a whole. We're referenced these relationships in passing very quickly, but never get to delve into them deeper and I think this is something we should have had more of. For instance, its a shame that the trip to Ymir at the end of the game is relegated to the drama CD. That despite having bonds with each other, there are no events between the other Class VII members, they only have events with Rean. There are certainly a lot of ways Falcom could have done these characters more justice.
Also, I really appreciate your take on the ending of Cold Steel 2. There is a lot I love about the game (for instance, I like the open nature of Act II, something I know a lot of people are not fans of), but this ending and epilogue made me Cold Steel 2 my favorite of the series and its kinda sad how usually everyone thinks its an empty ending, when it really isn't.
Well said. I especially agree with the drama cd part. When I heard about it, I did all I could to find it translated, because I wanted to see how class 7 was just being with each other, and not worrying about this or that.
It's great to hear your thoughts on this! I think for me when I look at a leader, I immediately look at the traditional trope. If I was in a member of Class VII's shoes for example, I'd look at Rean as the empathetic and approachable member, but he wouldn't be a person I would follow in to hell. And I don't think that's something I can easily shake. No doubt Rean moulds in to a good leader over the course of Cold Steel, but the fact that he's chosen so quickly makes little sense to me.
I have to disagree with Rean's role in the reconciliation between members in Cold Steel 1 though. The members that have issues clearly display those fractured relationships when Rean is not there, Machias and Jusis nearly came to blows on their first field study, and Laura and Fie performed poorly on their one as well. When Rean is eventually grouped with those members, they were able to finally sort it out, because Rean acts as the catalyst whereby they can do the heavy lifting. He gets wounded by that monster which compels Jusis and Machias to try and put their issues aside out of guilt, and he retreats from the front line to force Laura and Fie to work together and realise their differences. That's my issue, those event would never happen if Rean wasn't there, which puts an over-reliance on him to sort the issue out when I feel those moments should come around from another source.
It's definitely my main issue with the first game and to an extent the second as well, but it is far better in the second half of the arc.
Also you're completely correct on the drama CD. The first one especially needed to be in the game in my opinion, plenty of plot elements that carry over to CS2 and also events that contribute to Class VII's growth together. Very happy that I read it.
I appreciate your opinion though, I love discussing counter arguments on aspects like this! :)
The Kiseki Nut the drama cd is also explicitly referenced in cold steel two and I remember being super confused when I was playing it and I was “we never visited reans home did we?”. But your comment on how rean is relied on too much is something I noticed as I played as well. Later on he definitely earns it but they just pick him lol. However imo it was likely a side effect of the existence of the binding events. The events require that not only the player (rean) initiate them manually but that they also be present to see the outcome. I didn’t hate them at first but by cs3 I realized that the game would probably be better if they just weren’t there. From the playthroughs I saw of 4 it seems like it’s even worse on that front which is why it doesn’t surprise me that hajimari doesn’t seem to have them and they likely won’t be back. Looking forward to cold steel 4 localization though.
@@TheKisekiNut Rean being picked as the leader made some sense to me.
Sara knows Fie won't work, and its known Jusis & Machias have issues with one another. Elliot is too weak, being openly dependent on others. Alisa is shown to be easy to anger.
This leaves Laura, Gaius, Rean, and Emma.
While Laura's over zealous training methods aren't yet known, she is the pinnacle of nobility, and is shown to be a natural leader from the tutorial mission... but considering what Class Seven is, having the pinnacle of nobility lead wouldn't accomplish Olivier's plan. (Plus, Machias...)
Gaius is an exceptional person - even able to get Patrick to back down... but he's an outsider.
This leaves Rean and Emma.
Rean and Fie were the only two who avoided Sara's trap. Fie saved herself, but Rean jumped in to save his new comrade, and unlike Emma he has combat training.
Yeah, it was kind of obvious that Rean has some issues of his own that he has to work through, based on that phone call/advice Sara gave to him in Chapter 1. It was those 'issues' that you can see why Rean himself doesn't feel like he's worthy of the trust (or other things) he was given by others.
It was sort of the reason why I never understood why some people was harping on Rean's case regarding how he tried to solve the family situation when he talked to Elise in Chapter 4 of CS1. Do I believe that his solution was correct? No, it's not. I feel like it was terrible of how he went about it. Do I feel like his family situation can be easily solved? No, it's not. The issue wasn't of how his family was treating him. The main issue was that his 'presence' was causing trouble for the family by the nobles. We've seen throughout the first game (and possibly the second game), in both the main story and side quest (like that side quest in Chapter 2, regarding getting a material for a ring) of how some of the nobles would screw over some/most people (including lower ranked nobles) with their authority. We even see this in Chapter 4, when Machias talked about his backstory (and the fact the nobles still messed with his sister despite his father having a high position). So I can see why Rean would like to avoid a situation with the nobles messing with the family.
It was obvious that Rean tries to find answers to his problems. Unfortunately, most of the time, it seems he either answers he gets are completely half-baked or just riddles (seriously, I really didn't buy that half-baked advice Victor gave Rean in CS1), or things gets happening that just aggravates the issues Rean already has. I guess that Rean is a cautionary tale of someone that has talent, but that talent can be squandered if the person is troubled mentally to not use it to its potential, or some one that tries to rush talent to where it can be damaging (good example is Celine in CS1, who (while understandable) kept rushing things).
Have to agree that I wished that CS1 and CS2 done more things to have the cast interact with each other more.
Playing thru cs3 at the moment. I love that he's acknowledged as "not a leader" during the juno attack and the principal shows up and you say "yep, she's a leader"
Fighting White Shadow, knowing its last Class VII fight together as a class was already so emotional. No rewards, no real new answers, just empty trial for them to fulfil. But its was so important to them nontheless. And then crowning Milium character arc torn last pieces of my heart shields and i started sobbing.
There are only a several few games which left me so teared up at the end. Well done Cold Steel II, well done Falcom.
Millium crying for the first time is a HEART-WRENCHER! So well done.
rean got picked as a leader because his background as a commoner adopted by noble, half of class 7 is commoner and half is noble, he is put there by sara as a bridge
When I had done my completion of the second game I definitely thought it was the weakest. I still do to some extent for a few reasons like Rean not being my favorite protagonist in Trails and the story being hit or miss at times, but I I will always remember my second play through and combing through as many of the bonding events as I could.
That scene where Rean breaks down in front of Towa is still really hard to watch just because of how much Rean has had to go through up until now, and then the scene when they defeat Loa Luciferia absolutely breaks my heart because it feels like something that these characters have been needing to do (it's especially gut wrenching when you have done Milliums bonding events)
I respect CS2 for how dark that ending is for a series that doesn't really do dark endings: a duology about self determination and doing things for your own sake reveals that Crow was a patsy from the start and Rean will now lose his self determination to become a tool for the state. The reflection of this on a larger scale when you realize that resolving the civil war allows the Empire to return to what empires do best: invading and annexing neighboring small countries and eliminating their self determination.
I liked the last dungeon of Cold Steel 2. Though they establish that it is meaningless, it gives you a chance to use everyone in the game one last time. Its like that optional dungeon in an RPG, except its mandatory. I also like that it addressed minor things, like Princess Alfin finally getting a weapon. It was one last hurrah for Class 7 and their allies.
I think that Rean being assigned leader was mostly due to him being a commoner who was as adopted by good nobility so he could sympathize and make friends with both sides of the diffuser that Class 7 was messing to address, which is something that no one else in the class had a similar ability to do (well, maybe Gaius or Emma due to being outsiders to the conflict altogether, but that just got them treated as commoners by default).
In that sense, him not having any strong goals except to find his place in the world helped by leaving him free to help everyone else also find out their own places in the world without conflicting with their own strong goals (especially as that philosophy meshed very well with the entire reason that Class 7 was put together in the first place).
it's not meant to offend you but it's kinda refreshing seeing someone as you who always seems to be knowing everything when it comes to the Kiseki verse missing such obvious things
you deserve so much more love for your work ❤️
Not at all mate! I couldn't believe it either. As I was playing through the epilogue for the second time, I was smacking my head out of necessity considering how dense I was the first time around. That's the beauty of Trails though, you're always learning new things!
Rean leadership relies on sara's plot element: the unreliable teacher, who is both an ex bracer and jaeger, and everybody keeps asking why is she even a teacher. That means she saw something on him, probly based on the documents, historic and results who put him on class vii and the fact that he steps first when she asked the students if they were up to be tested in this weirdly built group.
I cried when Millium cried for the first time. God, I love these games.
I wish they could just tell me what the towns on the Southwest coast of Erebonia are. They're unlabelled!
Probably destroyed by Osborne, wouldn't worry about it.
@@TheKisekiNut I guess, I want to accept this but the completionist in me says no!
@@TheKisekiNut btw is there a way to play the crossbell arc? is there any english fan translation out there? thats the last one before the 4rd chapter come out...
@@hypocritelife8018 geofront.esterior.net/
check out the Geofront, they've done a translation that rivals an official localisation for Zero, and they're working on Ao as we speak. It should give you all the info you need to buy the game and apply the patch.
I find this moment ridiculous tbh. Dunno the english word for "mise en scène (it's french) but it was so bad in CS1&2 that I litteraly laugh here. Even if I know the meaning of this
Now that I'm playing CS3 I'm glad it's better.
Great as always from you. Wish you'd focused on pre Rean parts of the saga in your materials, but always good to see anything Trails related.
I was considering that approach, but I was so taken aback by how dense I was to Cold Steel 2's ending especially, I ended up choosing that as the path for the video.
Cold Steel 1 and Kiseki 2’s final boss themes are unimaginably epic.
Azure Arbitrator is a journey in music form
Great Power is pure art
Playing Cold Steel 1 right now. Can't wait to be done.
Same. Playing through 2 right now. About 40 hours in. So far, loving it.
Yeah cold steel 1 is a slow burn. But 2 and 3 are fantastic
@@senera2000 yeah 2 is my favorite so far
I think CS2 has the best soundtrack imo. The courageous theme is epic. That being said CS1 also has great music.
Fantastic take on the finale to CS2. I know it is often regarded as the least favorite among Trails fans, but I loved it for the same conclusions you came to on your second playthrough. It felt like coming home, if that makes any sense.
Also, a really interesting look at Rean's role. He has a very strong sense of right and wrong, and he encourages his friends and classmates constantly. And as you said, he doesn't really earn his spot as leader so much as he has it thrust upon him. To me, that makes him much more suited to being a support character, which isn't to say he's not important or not necessary by any means. I wonder where they'll take him as we close out the series...
This is definitely something that we can discuss more in the podcast! :)
Wow! First time watching a video of yours. I didn't know you would be this good! Keep up the good work!
Thanks for watching mate, hope to see you around for more!
Same as you I started with Cold Steel back in April 2019.
I played Cold Steel 1, 2 and 3 as they all released on ps4. Any gaps in my knowledge I used the wikia pages so I could further understand the world that had alreasy enchanted me.
After concluding Cold Steel 3 I then bought the Sky trilogy, and as of a couple of weeks ago concluded Sky 3rd and began Zero using the Geofront mod.
(If you haven't played Zero or haven't finished it, stop reading here)
The Schwarze Auction chapter has just concluded for me and I'm running around with KeA. Determined to get through Zero and Azure before Cold Steel 4.
Having played Cold Steel almost to completion and having filled my knowledge with the wikias, man...
EVERYTHING makes sense. Even knowing what will happen and the intricacies of each character and instant, it still gives me goosebumps.
Having returned Colin to the Hayworths I blubbed many tears when Renne emerged from Lloyd's closet. I'd praise Falcom, but they've made me cry with every Kiseki game (proud to admit it), but major props to the Geofront team for theor translation hitting the same emotions!
The Legend of Heroes (6), what a journey. What a privilege to have been able to experience. These stories I feel I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Dramatic, but that's just how I feel :)
These words here echo exactly how I feel about the series! Never has a collection of games made me feel emotion like the Trails series, and we've still got plenty more to go. :)
Hope you enjoy the rest of Zero, and Ao when you get to it!
That was very well said man. No Legends of heroes game in particular will end up being my favorite game ever, but the series as a whole... Those were 500h very well spent I think
@@RiriSion Thanks! (I pretty much gushed all over TKN's comment section, which is becoming a ritual with each video he releases 😅)
I was talking to my brother about the series and what I realised was this:
(Bearing in mind I'm almost in my 30s...)
My favourite ever game was always Final Fantasy IX - the themes of finding out one's heritage and a place to call home really resonated with me, as I was 9 when 9/11 happened suddenly a lot of my classmates (and even teachers) became very hostile towards me and my family. I frequently found myself with an identity crisis - being half British, half Palestinian, Muslim dad, Christian mum and both grandmothers being Jewish will do that 😂
Anyway, as I got older I found FF to get more stale. I remember being so disappointed with XII. The series felt like it had too much emphasis on names, but not how their world actually 'mattered'. Gran Kiltias Anastasis. Mount Bur-Omisace. Vermillion Peristyleum Akademia. Arecia Al-Rashia. The narrative was just lost.
Whilst not exactly cutting edge in terms of gameplay, Trails feels EXACTLY what Final Fantasy should have been after the 90s golden era. FF caused me to fall out of love with JRPGs - I played a few, but never really enjoyed them.
Kiseki single handedly revived the entire genre for me, and for that I will be eternally grateful
(My apologies for yet another essay. Was so not my intent 😅)
The main problem with FF, is that it's not really meant to be a J-RPG anymore. My personal favorite is FFX (probably the last that was so good), a lot of things in there were very powerful, it's to this date my favorite game ever. But from the 12th onwards, and because of the success of the Xth on PS2 I believe, they began to be commercial games, meant to be played by the larger public.
We have to remember not everybody (far from it actually) is into those games that takes a lot of time to read and even more time to finish (they are long even when english is your mother tongue). A lot of my friends aren't gamers and though they enjoyed playing FF for the most part they would not put the effort in the likes of Kiseki games require. For the others who are gamers, either their english level was average making it hard to follow a game with that amount of dialogues, or they speak english, love to play for hours, but on fortnite/fifa/COD... xD
Two of my favs. I spent 300+ hours just beating both games on hard now it's time for my nightmare playthrough. I'm doing it on the first playthrough no new game plus to text my mastery of the battle system.
Thank you so much for the second playthrough and for making this video.
Thank you for taking the time to watch it good sir! :)
Just wanted to pitch in. Found your channel and I love it! Thanks for making it!
Thank you for the kind words mate! Hoping to have you around for the long haul. :)
Definitely love the epilogue from CS2, the battle atmosphere and music with Loa Luciferia is so great.
The following scene when Millium start to cry, hit so hard for me and end up crying together with them :')
It really is the perfect way to end CS2, glad I got to witness it once again and see it's true meaning. :)
Okay, I waited the whole weekend to write this. Overall, great video that shows a lot of the positives and negatives of Cold Steel. I take issue with really only one point from your video, which I'll explain here. "Why is Rean the leader?" Well, in my opinion, he's really the only character that makes sense as the leader. As a start, we have to assume that Class VII is a social experiment meant to bridge the divide between classes - the game establishes this in Cold Steel I and III. (Spoilers ahead)
Rean Schwarzer is, and the game establishes this, someone that exists between the strata. He was raised as a noble - he understands noble culture - but his adopted father took pride in living like his citizens (albeit in a bigger house). He also lacks noble blood, and the other nobles knew this, meaning he got to see the ugly side of the nobility as well. He is someone who doesn't have strong views one way or the other about the nobility, because he loves his family and believes they exemplify the best qualities of nobles, while also understanding that the class system is incredibly flawed, and allows good people to be pushed down. Going into the year, Sara knows his background (roughly), so the fact that she pushes him into a leadership role makes a lot of sense. She's sees the potential in him to serve as that bridge between the classes.
Now, to address the 2nd point you made on this - why do the student accept him as a leader - this is a much more compelling point in my opinion - because I really can only counter with how I feel about the beginning. I would argue that most of the students don't really accept him as the leader, until he proves himself capable through his words and actions. The first field study is the hardest to demonstrate this. Sara has already, by this point, made him a leader of sorts. He handed out the student notebooks, and Sara had him help out the town on behalf of class VII. Clearly she sees him as a leader (which I explain above), so there is already some authority that he's entrusted with. Alisa accepts him because she just made up with him, doesn't want to create more problems, and most importantly, doesn't really want to be the center of attention herself. Even still, she's wary of him for most of the first field study and doesn't just "accept" the front he puts on. It really isn't until he leads them through the end of chapter 1 that she accepts him more openly. Laura also accepts the role Sara assigned to him, but still questions his capability throughout the field study, through his dedication to the sword. They aren't willing to accompany him into the old schoolhouse the first time (though Laura probably would have if he asked, mostly for the challenge). Additionally, the characters in the first field study, Alisa aside, are also some of the least antagonistic toward Rean at the beginning and are more amenable to accepting the role given to him.
Onto the 2nd field study (this is the last one i'll cover, I promise), Jusis and Machias are at each others throats, and to be clear, *NEITHER* of them accept Rean's leadership OR friendship. They both dislike Rean... a lot.... going into the field study and Rean has to talk them down by appealing to their desire to perform well on the field study to even get them to agree to work with Rean. Neither character has accepted Rean, but they are smart enough to know that, currently, they can't take the lead (though Jusis does kind of try iirc). They start to be more accepting when Rean is injured because of their mistakes *and* then when Jusis opens up to him, and they realize their own connections through being raised as a noble, but not entirely treated like one (though Jusis does actually have Noble blood, and is more respected, as a son of one of the four great houses). Additionally, again, Rean leads the students to rescue Machias, which was important to Jusis as well, so by the end of this chapter, Rean has shown, through his actions, that he is a capable leader of the group.
Your point about the characters only interacting with Rean and never with each other is one of my biggest problems with the game though, especially given how effectively Cold Steel III does this, even *with* bonding events. Sorry this turned out way longer than I expected.
TL;DR I think Rean isn't just thrust into leadership randomly. He made sense, because of his background, to be the leader, and proves himself capable of the task through the first two field studies.
Thank you for watching the video, and for your comment!
A very well thought out comment too, it makes a lot of sense. My main issue with Rean being the leader mostly stemmed from how quickly he is chosen for the role, it felt too forced for my liking. If Rean simply demonstrated his leadership abilities on the field studies (as you say he does), I would be a lot more open to it. I agree that Rean pretty much personifies what Class VII represents in terms of a grouping of backgrounds that eradicates the barriers of the Class system on a smaller scale, and in that regard he makes the most sense as the leader, but the game could have just fed him in to that role, at least in my opinion. In that way, he not only convinces the other Class VII members, but also convinces us as the player too.
I appreciate your response though, it's always great to get differing opinions on viewpoints! :)
@@TheKisekiNut it does all happen fairly quickly for sure, and a lot of the earlier character interactions feel forced. Even though they try and introduce the class piecemeal, I really think the game suffers from having too many characters forced on you at once. It makes the early part of cold steel really trop-ey and it takes a lot longer to get attached than with both the SSS and Estelle and joshua. I think they realized this with 3 as well, choosing only 3 students for rean at the start. This really gives them time to flesh out Juna and Kurt a bit more (though Kurt is woefully underutilized in CS 3. I wish the game was nicer to it's non-rean boys xD)
@@stefannelson5785 I was looking forward to kurt the most going into cs3 but he never did anything or got much backstory. Cedric also took the spotlight in a lot of his scenes.
Really wanted to see some mueller as well. Hope cs4 gives him something.
@@luminous3558 Hopefully they give him more of a chance to shine yeah. The arc he has is interesting too, even if it's never really developed. His insecurity comes from multiple sources and there is a lot that affects his personal vision and goal for himself in the upcoming game :).
Man I remember when I first got this game on the PS Vita that when I was going through GameStop and just saw it sitting there. The second game was also sitting right by it, but I only had enough money for one, but I remember looking between the two and noticing fie and being like "hey that looks like cool character." So I decided to get the first one and the second one later. One of the best decisions I've made. I've come to really love the series, and I cannot wait for more fie in the new game. So pretty. I hope they keep it ambiguous who rean got with, because I think eventually his name will come up, because in my playthroughs of the game fie was waifu all the way
I think Sky focused more on the group, while Cold Steel is more about Rean's journey. That's why it can seem like the others are neglected. I agree, but I think it was neccessary and I see it as them being victims of prioritization. Falcom didn't feel like there was enough room to add more cutscenes, and Rean was the first priority, so they went for a minimalist route for the others. You often see them being together on free days and you can sense what is going on if you read their dialogues. One relationship that comes to mind is Fie and Emma. Emma would often look out for Fie on free days, and not just with schoolwork. When I look at this in hindsight after getting a greater understanding of Emma throughout CS2-3, it makes so much sense to Emma's character. Emma is someone who never slacks off and she hates taking risks. She often scolds Celine and the other witches for being reckless and not taking precautiouns. So she was watching over Fie, the weakest link (excluding combat) to make sure that she didn't cause any trouble or were holding class 7 back.
About Rean as a leader:
I completely disagree about Rean being a bad leader. Even on day 1, I think he was showing signs, although they weren't super obvious. He partied up with Elliot and Gaius instead of running off. Because of his martial artist background and being a bit more extroverted, he took charge in most of the conversations. After Jusis insulted Machias, he was the one who tried to make them calm down, by either grabbing Machias or telling Jusis off. It was also Rean who accepted his position in class 7 first, after Sara asked them all to confirm. Everybody also knew that Rean had instinctly tried to protect Alisa during that incident, which is what a leader does.
Rean is not a perfect leader like Lloyd, but he's the best leader of class 7 by a huge margin. Even at the start he was the best candidate. Fie and Elliot have several obvious flaws. Machias and Jusis were too hot-headed and arrogant, although Jusis started showing potential in CS2. Alisa is a bit like Jusis. Gaius and Emma seemed like they wanted to be more in the shadows because of their backgrounds, and neither can measure up to Rean anyway. Laura was the only other reasonable candidate, but Rean was a better choice because he's more extroverted, easier to talk to, less intimidating, more open minded and attentive to others needs.
I don't have any problems with how he was thrown into the leader role. I thought it was a very natural process. At first it seemed like Sara was just messing with him. I don't think the others saw him as their leader back then. IMO he wasn't regarded as their leader until he got Valimar. Before that, he was slowly growing into an informal leader role, and even if we say that he was the defacto leader by month 3 or so, I think it would have been justified, because he had by then shown all the qualities I mentioned. You did say that he didn't have a purpose in life, but in this context I don't think it matters and noone was as committed to Thors as him, and he was often the person to take charge on field studies. That was a lot more important. But I think your point is valid in explaining his shortcomings in leading and keeping the group together after Thors.
I agree that the Rean solves everything trope was laid on a bit thick, but I don't think it was as bad as it was perceived. He was the first person who tried to intervene when Machias and Jusis were going at eachother, so he showed some potential there. With Laura and Fie he didn't really do anything. He just happened to be there. And he was important for Alisa's growth simply because he was the person who triggered her immature tendencies.
You're not the first who have complained about Rean being treated differently in CS2, but remember that he flew away from them after being destroyed in battle. And they knew that he had a huge target on his back. They also knew that Rean was the kind of person who could easily get into trouble. We can also assume that they all got to say somewhat proper goodbyes with the other members. Now in hindsight we know that Crow never cared about the war. He became totally apathetic after he had shot Osborne, which was his life goal, and he helped Rean throughout CS2 many times, and more importantly, he didn't kill him although he easily could have. So in hindsight Rean was lucky to be alive. He should have died, but Crow allowed him to live. Being fully aware of what kind of danger Rean was in, don't you think it was reasonable for the others to be extra worried about him? I think so. Plus, he had Valimar. And again, because the games focuses on Rean, you don't really get to see the interactions of the other members. This doesn't mean that they don't occur though.
My friend, congratulations on the quality of the analysis and thanks for the video! I want to play 1 and 2 on PS4 and 3 and 4 on Switch. My question is: Is carrying the previous game's choices on a save from one game to the next relevant? Does it change the story and relationships a lot?
Overall, this was really interesting to watch. As someone whose favorite game in the series is CS1 (you know, if the username and profile picture didn't tip you off), it's refreshing to hear someone make a nuanced critique of the first two Cold Steels and take an overall positive perspective. Especially for CS2; while I never really had the same issues with it you did, hearing a new perspective on the game (and especially the epilogue) has given me a bit more appreciation for the game. I'd probably still call it my least favorite in the series, because I think it drops the ball on a lot of themes that CS1 set up, but I see the game in a different light now, and I think I'll enjoy the game a lot more when I get around to finally replaying it.
About Cold Steel 1, I agree that probably the biggest problem with the game is that it just doesn't spend enough time setting up the relationships between Class VII. I don't think it does a _significantly_ worse job at it than the previous games; Cold Steel has some relationships fleshed out well, and some of the cast in the previous arcs don't get enough (looking at you, Zin and Dudley), but Cold Steel absolutely needed more time to develop Class VII as a group of friends. Like, there's one point in Chapter 2 where you can find Elliot and Gaius sitting together at the cafe, why isn't there more of that in the game? I know a lot of people criticize the bonding system (and not unjustly, although I think it tends to get a bit overblown), but having bonding events where you sit down with _multiple_ members of Class VII would have gone a long way. Hell, the game _already does that_ with the studying events before midterms! There's a reason a lot of the best scenes in the game just have Class VII all walking back to the dorms together and just talking like friends, and it would have gone a long way to making their relationship to Crow in the next game more impactful (not that it isn't already).
Though, I _do_ think your criticisms of Rean as a leader are a bit weak. He's not a leader in a strictly traditional sense, I can agree with you there. Personally, though, I think his atypical leadership is part of what makes him compelling. He's not chosen as a leader because he's assertive and commanding, but because he's able to relate to everyone in Class VII, and thus garner their implicit trust. Jusis and Machias end up antagonizing each other because they can't find anything to relate to each other with, and Rean's status as both a noble and a commoner helps them start to find some common ground. Fie and Laura don't get along because they have fundamentally different worldviews and think they're incompatible, which Rean is able to help them overcome because he's _been_ on both sides throughout the game (and his whole life). He doesn't have the force of personality to lead like his father does, but rather by being to empathize with Class VII and inspire trust. The parallels with Osborne, and how he fundamentally differs from Osborne as a leader, make him very compelling in my eyes. (That said, though, while I understand Rean needed to be there for Class VII to sort through their differences, so that the player could actually be there to see it, I think it probably would have been more effective if Laura and Fie had their duel without Machias and Rean present, kind of like how Agate and Tita have their scene alone in SC.)
Anyway, I've rambled on enough about this. Like I said, this was a great watch, and I'm always happy to hear new and interesting perspectives on this series. Falcom's put a truly incredible amount of work into this series, and I think the fact that we can even have conversations like this about Trails shows just how good of a job they've done.
(Also, one minor nitpick, at 9:07, you say Jusis' and Machias' first field study was on Bryonia Island. They actually went to Parm; Bryonia Island was the third field study, and only Machias went there.)
Thank you for watching good sir, and indeed also for the well thought out comment.
My main issue with Rean as the leader isn't that he doesn't grow in to that role, it's more that he's chosen almost immediately to take up that mantle for Class VII. There's no doubt Rean is a good leader for the group, his unique background as both noble and commoner (despite him not really embracing his noble side) gives him a separate perspective to the other students of the Class, and ultimately for that reason I agree that only Rean could be the leader of the group. He kind of personifies what Class VII is.
But because it was mentioned so early on, I felt the game forced it a bit. If they just let Rean learn and grow in to his role on the field studies (which does happen), then I'd be a lot more open to it. In terms of Rean's latent traits (his empathy for example), I think that's just something that I take from personal experience. If I was a Class VII member, I would see Rean as an approachable and kind fellow, but never someone I would follow in to hell. I guess I'm more inclined to be shouted at. :)
But I do get where you're coming from, there are more types of leader than just the traditional tropes we see in the real world. I also like that since he's not the typical type of leader, the other members of Class VII aren't afraid to scold him for his stupidity. For example the moment on top of the rooftop where Elise can't accept Rean choosing to abandon his future as Baron of Ymir, and the other Class VII members basically shove him to sort it out. It shows that the growth of Rean is more than just through his personal achievements, and Cold Steel II capitalised on that theme even more. Again, it's those types of scenes I wanted more of for Class VII as a whole.
But like I said in the video, regardless of my issues with Class VIi, I still love the games, and the issues are mainly sorted in the latter half of the arc. Once again, thank you for the comment, it's always great to hear differing opinions! :)
(Oh and don't worry, I noticed my error, that's why I put that 'first field study' text around that point as I didn't really have time to re-record again.)
I did read an argument a couple days ago about why Rean was thrust into a leadership role so quickly, actually. The argument went along the lines that Sara had to pick someone to lead Class VII that they'd be willing to trust both in and out of battle, which meant that there was really only a couple of options for who she could pick. Emma and Machias might be the class president and vice-president, but they're not particularly suited to _battle_ command, for instance. And even of those who _would_ be a decent leader in a fight, you're looking at people like Jusis, who wouldn't be able to relate to the other students and garner their trust as much. Rean was the only person who checked both boxes.
I'm not sure _how much_ I agree with that argument, mind, but it's a perspective I hadn't considered before. I feel like this is an argument you could go back and forth on, and both sides would be right. All in all, it's a pretty small part of the game, so I don't feel like it hurt the narrative _too_ much, but I can certainly see why it'd bother you.
All the same, it's great to be able to discuss this sort of thing. There's plenty to dig into even just in these two games, and hearing other perspectives lets me look at these games in a new light. I can't wait to get around to my next playthrough of these games.
Interesting, my favorite is cs2 so far
I mean, it might be my least favorite in the series, but least favorite in my _favorite_ series is still pretty high praise. I'm just not a big fan of how it handles a lot of the overarching themes of CS1. Most notable would probably be how CS1 spends a lot of its runtime handling the divide between the Reformists and the Nobles, and that both sides have genuine advantages (Reformists have massively improved the lives of the commoners, while poor regions like Legram only really stay afloat because of their ruling lord), and genuine drawbacks (Osborne is an expansionist, many of the nobles are terrible people). ...Which CS2 drops in favor of making every member of the Noble Alliance into mustache-twirling villains with no redeeming qualities, and the few that aren't (Marquis Rogner, Patrick, probably a few I'm forgetting) all ditch the Alliance.
Not to say it isn't a _bad_ game, I just don't think it utilizes the unique political landscape of Erebonia very well.
@@Rean.Schwarzer yeah I had some issues with 3 though plus 2 has overdrive lol
1:30 "I wanted to give this arc a proper chance, by playing the games *kisekitively*" was definitely a missed opportunity for a pun
I'll approve this. :)
Such a measured and sympathetic take on Cold Steel 2
I always loved that game and I could never understand why it was so reviled. It was flawed in main ways, but it commits to its ethos of "these kids use what they learn to resolve conflicts to protect the people"
It's sweet and endearing. Coupled that with the heartbreaking twists and turns and you have a pretty compelling story.
I agree while the Story was definitely flawed I still think the plot was pretty enjoyable.
I mean I can't say much, it was my least favourite Trails game until I replayed it. And it's one of those titles that I'm glad I did. So many underlying themes in the game that the player might fail to grasp the first time around, but it makes a lot more sense to me now.
I'm just now gonna step into cold steel 1 for ps4. Looking forward to this video and trying the series out
Funny thing is, the 1st half and 2nd half of Cold Steel follows identical formulas.
CS1 and CS3 follows a blissful school life and separation
CS2 and CS4 follows through a war and ending it.
Of course, there are more similarities but those mentioned above is the gist of the Erebonia Arc
I always interpreted the thing around Rean in 1 to be because the others see him as, in a way, the one most willing to work outside the box, since he was the first one to agree to participate in Class VII after orientation in the old schoolhouse. It struck me as a classic example of the bystander effect, and none of the others would have joined if he hadn't taken that plunge first. I think it was because he lacked a clear path in his mind he was a bit more flexible and more willing to go off the beaten path. For that reason, having a level of respect for Rean makes sense (especially as the influence of being in Class VII becomes increasingly apparent on each of them).
I do otherwise agree that I would have like to have seen more of the other characters taking central stage once in a while though.
Great breakdown bro 🙂👍🏽 !
Well said for the conclusion, we need to keep going forward, relentlessly.
Thanks for your support as always my man! :)
What You just explained, basically the many new things you notice on a 2nd/3rd playthru of a Heavily Story-Driven & Character-Driven Game, Holy Hell, I Feel You on that. It isn't just the "I have a fresh take on what occurred" but alot more. When we play a Game, esp a Serialized Game w/ this much Depth, on the 1st Playthru we don't know what'll happen, we play & we find out. We usually play for max story completion (@ least I do), for the Challenge Aspect (@ least I do, meaning Nightmare on 1st Run on All of them), and Generally we go thru those things & then come to the end. We form our opinions on various things at that point.
But playing a Game a 2nd time, I can say that w/o a shadow of a doubt, there is So Much more things which we notice. This happened to me on my 2nd playthru of FF7R, on the 1st I played thru it, compared it to the OG FF7...but it's crazy how on the 2nd playthru, I picked up so much more on the subtleties between the character interactions, Alot of Character to Character Interactions & things they do, which, knowing the Story from start to finish, really Shed so much new light on Char Interactions, what those interactions mean, how much weight they carry, knowing how it ends, etc. Also, upon replaying FF7R, I paid ALOT more attention to how each of the characters act by themselves, in this case how Cloud acts, Barret, Tifa & Aerith act, where their actions stem from, what their idealogies or confusions mean, and it's nuts how much replaying and paying attention gives me so much I'd missed or not thought about, as well as Enjoying the 2nd/3rd Playthru in a completely different way as the 1st, helping me form a more Impactful and thorough opinion on characters, story elements, and everything as a whole.
Back in the day, if I completed a Deep JRpg on 1st Run, I always felt there was either 0 or almost no replay value in playing it again. For example, I used to think that the only true Replay Value in playing CS2 for the 2nd time would be to A.) Get the Platinum Trophy of Max Completion & B.) Fight the Boss only available on 2nd playthru & get all the Black Records Books. But now, I hold a complete 180 of that opinion on replay value. Playing Story-Heavy+Char-Driven JRpg games for the 2nd/3rd time hold tremendous replay value, as you're coming in w/ very preconceived Opinions, but as You're playing, You get so much new insight on various facets of the game, despite knowing the story & how it'll end. This is especially true when replays are done after waiting roughly 6 months since initial playthru, as Yes, trying to immediately replay the game certainly does feel boring & unfulfilling. But Replaying after months have gone by, everything refreshes, and You interpret everything in a fresh light.
it really is crazy how much you miss the first time around! Hours well spent I say.
When Comrade G put on his helmet in Cold Steel and mentioned he was gong to Crossbell because he was going to Crossbell to kill Osborne. MY JAW dropped on the floor. Having already played Zero and Azure on PS4, I knew what was going to happen. I recongnized the guy. He was the Terrorist leader killed by the Red Constellation in Azure.I loved those kind of crossover links between games.Also seeing the Azure Tree from the empire side left me speechless.
Well. A relevant point for choosing Rein would be to have a double belonging. A fluid identity: noble - yet adopted. Unlike Yusis, Rein is more pragmatic about it, has a higher emotional intelligence. It copes well with an ambiguous position in the hybrid system of royal aristocracy and bureaucratic meritocracy. He's good at everything, and genius at nothing (with the exception of his latent swordman potential). With this, he would be able to absorb dramas on a wider spectrum than the others, with identities too marked by the hierarchical system. Primary difficulty to be overcome by other Class VII students. But of course, in reality, there is a deification with less real justification. Very good review!
I played CS 1 and 2 back to back, then started CS 3, but realized that without playing the Liberl and Crossbell arcs I'll be missing out on a lot of context. So, I put CS 3 on pause and went back to the Sky trilogy (just finished trails in the Sky yesterday, actually).
I was afraid that playing Sky after Cold Steel would feel like a massive downgrade (lack of the link attacks and all other bells and whistles, for example), but surprisingly it wasn't as big of a deal for me as I imagined. Most of the game mechanics I'm used to from playing Cold Steel are already present in the Sky trilogy. I wish I played the games in the correct order, but oh well.
You're getting the full experience though, that's what matters! :)
Honestly Trails has been a series where it's quite easy to go back to the older titles, as the general structure remains the same from arc to arc. Outside of a few additions, the older games still hold up with the newer titles on the gameplay front, but narrative wise they're still among the finest on the market.
I can understand the feelings you had. I in all honesty preferred the combat mechanics of sky vs CS with actually being able to control positioning to an extent
Did the same and played trials of the sky and crosbell arcs and tbh i really prefer the story and characters on those 2 arcs over of the cold steel one.
Imo trials in the sky had the best story development and best mc, crosbell arc has the best ost and group and cold steel has a much better gameplay than the other two.
@@seifeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee I enjoyed the characters of C's 1&2 but they didn't make that big of an impact compared to Sky and crossbell. CS 3 characters actually got me to care about the characters but who knows maybe by the 2nd playthrough will change that
@@seifeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee I think that Sky benefits from having fewer characters than Cold Steel, and the handful of supporting characters that are there are introduced gradually. in Cold Steel you start with the whole class 7 and instructor Sara, which can be a bit overwhelming.
Great video Also that Gaius call out was funny as hell bc it's true 😂🙏
I know I disrespect my man Gaius so many times, but my goodness he's just wasted in the first 2 games. Good thing he becomes a bad-ass later on.
@@TheKisekiNut i really like gaius but they really wasted so much time till they gave him anything.
I think since Reans the main character and hes pretty much vechal that you experience the story in. That's why he has to be in those scenes because you'll get all this development that happened on screen instead off it.
Quick note about the next Trails arc being another entry point for newcomers yet rewarding for veterans: I believe Kondo himself has stated in an interview that this is definitely their goal with the next game (that is providing an entry point). Also, for the video Falcom uploaded earlier today to commemorate the release of Hajimari I saw a few comments stating that they've waited for this moment since the Sky arc. So I expect you to be right on the money when it comes to the series' continuation.
I actually read that in his A9VG interview! He acknowledges that there are 3 separate fanbases in Japan, the ones who grew up with Sky, then Crossbell and then Cold Steel. Kondo expects something similar to happen with the new arc, but he indeed did say that each new arc will be a separate narrative that new players can get invested in too. This of course could be pandering, I mean Falcom needs to sell games at the end of the day, but as long as they get a good balance between veteran and new-comer like they did with CS1, then I'll be happy.
Ok, besides informative commentary, can we take a moment to appreciate The Kiseki Nut`s witty/humorous way with words and editing skills😂👌🏻
I appreciate that someone likes the dry humour. :)
@@TheKisekiNut I love random, seemingly unfitting edits in the midst of an informative video 😂😂😂 6:24 😎🤣
Now that think about it Rutger said even Rean doesn’t have the traits of a leader before they storm that naval base
Playing these games the first time, I thought there was no way I would ever do a new game+. Now, I may have to go back down that rabbit hole.
The problem i faced on Cold steel 2 was my understanding of the combat system was really bad and by the time i reached the end of the infernal castle, i was just wanted to be done with it. When i found out there was more, i just got so angry and fed up i did some cheating and just blitzed through the end of the game.
But now that i have beaten cold steel 4 and gained a better understanding of the combat because i challenged myself to play on NG nightmare, i am now replaying through it and i am noticing so many things that i didnt before and i am having a much easier time with the game and hopefully i come out with a better opinion than i had on my first playthrough
I agree with your assessment of CS 1: For newcomers, the pace seems fine and the character development is great. But for veterans or people familiar with the series world, it all feels like a distraction from this universe's upcoming World War (and I really hate character-driven stories that use world changing events as a backdrop). But after playing CS 2 and reading the Imperial Chronicle *(which everyone seriously must do)* , you realise this was done to introduce Erebonia and this much larger cast to all players. Yes Rean isn't the best leader, but his personal arc is important to future events and hints to those major events that were to big to focus on. And by CS 3 you can certainly feel time has passed and something bigger is coming because everyone and everything is different, and that things will eventually correlate with the Liberal and Crossbell events. That is the world building that made me love this series.
Well said sir! Reading the in game novels as well has given me even more appreciation for this series. I always recommend to any new player to read them as well, they're compelling enough in themselves (especially the story books).
I remember when I played Cold Steel 1 for the first time. I made it up to Heimdallr to learn about quartz slot. I wasn't aware of hidden quests and side quests. I just did all the recommended ones. Good 'ol days.
Cold Steel 2 is my favorite. All the other games may beat it in narrative. But I just find it the most fun.
I know a lot of people who consider it their favourite in the series, it's quite polarising a title. I'm just glad I played it through for a second time.
Hey TNK.. Just wanted to tell you that you're quickly becoming one of my all time favorite youtubers. I look forward to your videos every week because of your excellent content. You're smart, funny (well...sometimes ;) ), and you know your shit. You always have valid opinions on Kiseki games and are a well-rounded, overall bright voice in the community. Looking forward to see where you go next; I'll be along for the ride. Don't get discouraged and keep doing what you're doing!
Thank you for your kind words buddy! It pleases me greatly when people say they enjoy the content, and I'll continue to do so if it acts as a place where fans can come together to discuss Trails. If it brings more people in to the series, all the better! :)
I can’t wait for CS4!!!
Me too brotha lol
I remember feeling a somewhat similar way at the end of Cold Steel 2. I'd adored the game completely but the epilogue made everything feel very sudden (everyone leaving the academy all at the same time had me a bit confused), and the Reverie Corridor whilst fun initially also made me feel like the game was being dragged out a little too much. The post-boss scenes though really left a solid impression on me, and in general all the scenes where Class VII are together and just bonding as a class are when I feel like the cast is at their absolute strongest in Cold Steel. I'd probably enjoy playing them again, although not sure if I'll get around to it or not, but this video did remind me of just how much I enjoyed CS1 and 2.
Also I love the character recruitment Suikoden-esque gameplay mechanic they had in CS2. I always love that kinda thing!
Thank you for watching as always buddy, and glad it acted as a sort of trip down memory lane for you! :)
While I don't agree on what you said about CS1 regarding Rean as a leader / chemistry with Class VII (I agree with Ken Ken). I really enjoyed this video, quality content as always. It was good to see that you changed your oppinion on CS II. After I finished CSIV and I played CS1/2 again, I felt like I missed so much. If I may ask, what is your 3 least favorite Trails game? one is CS2 but what is the other two?
Thanks for watching mate! I fully expected that some fans wouldn't agree with my takes, and that's fine. That's the beauty of differing opinions. As long as we communicate them respectfully there's no issue, discussion is needed in a series like this!
As of now, least favourite is Sky FC, then CS1 and then CS2. CS2 basically leap frogged the other two games. Saying they're my least favourite though is a bit vague, as I love every game in this fantastic series. I just felt the other titles conveyed the best themes of the games in more effective ways.
As someone who is starting at the beginning of the whole trails series and has no issues with spoiling things for myself lol. If you are a reader I would suggest giving the wheel of time series a shot. It’s a dense series indeed, but when you talked about how the main character got kinda shoved into a leader role, it made me think of the one character Perrin from wheel of time. If you are not a reader, it will be getting adapted by Amazon prime and the first season should be out this year. But the parts I am thinking about happen in the later books. It start around book 4 if I remember correctly
@@TheKisekiNut yeah the way you described that main character situation just made me instantly think of parrin and how he Constantly is going these people have a brain why aren’t they using it. They know the answer and how they can go around fixing or handling it.
Personally i do feel their lack of interaction does reduce their quality as characters, but for rean sorting all the problem, i do think it had to be him. While all the members of class seven are capable, they are all flawed (Rean included).
- Alisa: as an instigator of her own problem and unwilling to tell everyone who she is, she probably feels she is in no position to sort any one else out.
- Laura: while straightforward, from her handling of monica we know she isn't the most socially experienced and probrably tried but failed to help the others.
- Elliot: sweet little boy but far too intimidated by the nobles and too softspoken to deal with the others.
- Gaius: an outsider to the whooe situation and probably outside of his understanding. (Though honestly he should have been the next best person to sort people out, with his handling of patrick)
-Emma: Hiding her own secrets, and with her own agenda, she might even be distancing herself intentionally.
-Fie: couldn't care less, especially at first
-Machias: hahahaha him solving a problem at the start of CS1... good joke...
- Jusis: same as Machias, though perhaps a little more reasonable, but with his family situation bearing down on him im not surprised...
Again, this doesn't excuse them as being the weakest cast, but i don't feel it was unintentional... and with CS4 we do know that the class is really quite helpless without their head, atleast at first.
As for Rean's leadership qualities, i would say the role is thrusted upon him and he grows into it, and my biggest issue is that he doesn't really fail, atleast at first (oooh boy CS3). This leaves him quite blank and generic until the end of 2, with 3 really knocking him out of the park in terms of quality.
Overall i feel it was an experiment in character writing falcom was doing and from the looks of CS3 and Hajimari no Kiseki, they have realised the large cast isn't as strong and are moving back to smaller casts. Quality over quantity, so overall im happy with what is done.
You know what is the perfect system that solves the issues you have with the cast in Cold Steel?
The support conversations from Fire Emblem. They are ALL about showing you conversations between the different party members, and how they interact with each other in various situations. If Fire Emblem can do it, so can Trails.
FE support system is nice. But it's limited to 3 support dialogues, in CS there should be one big relationship developpement between multiple characters and not just with Rean. And for christ's sake, there should not need to play a second playthrough to see all of them...
@@RiriSion Only reason it's limited to 3 is because each FE game has like.. What, 30-ish characters? And remember that each character has dialogues with a ton of different characters, so you get to see a lot more of them than it sounds like when you say there's only three support dialogues. I agree that there shouldn't be a second playthrough required
Cutting out bonding to create 1 canon route and then doing story events that give characters other than rean some spotlight would be better.
Support convos from FE are like bond events non canon or at least in canon limbo(non canon unless stated otherwise). You can play the games entirely skipping these optional events which causes the story to make sense without them and turns them into a kind of filler content where characters can't change during or because of a bond event.
I've finished all of Sky and CS1 and CS2 playing through Zero right now. I LOVE reading the Crossbell times and reading about evens happening in Erebonia and TRULY understanding it. If I had never played CS I wouldn't have known who Chancellor Osborn was and just brushed off any article that mentions him for example, this being especially relevant because both Zero and CS take place in 1204 SC. But I have SO much context for this world and this kind of connectedness is possibly my most favorite aspect of the series.
Aside, I had a fair bit of nitpicks that built while playing CS1 and 2 but the end hit me SO perfectly I've become completely compelled by the series. I couldn't understand how people could replay these 60 hour games and now it all makes sense. I really hope Sky comes to switch or Playstation so I have a proper reason to replay them.
One of these nit-picks. What's with regular people being able to sense others presence in an area or in a room on the other side of the door? Lloyd also does this in Zero. Honest question, of all the things this had always felt like it's betrayed the lore.
Welcome to the Trails Feels train, you're likely not gonna be leaving for a while. :)
Glad to hear you're enjoying the games too, keep at it and enjoy them.
You explained the ending of II beautifully. Also, you mentioned II was no longer your least favorite Trails game after replaying it. Just out of curiousity which is your least favorite?
I think least favourite is a disservice, as I love all these games. But my least favourite as of now is Sky FC, followed by CS1, and then CS2.
@@TheKisekiNut god I did love the ending to sky first chapter though. I IMMEDIATELY went onto second chapter. Did not expect that ending like....at all lol. I was so pleasantly surprised. :)
I feel like the double edged sword of each trails game is that they are reflective of whatever anime series were popular around the time they were made.
In the case of Cold Steel, anime like Naruto and My Hero Academia have huge and ever expanding casts that are tied to one main protagonist, leading to many characters going undeveloped. I didn't even make the connection until I started seeing MHA.
This is why I love Towa. She is an utterly normal girl. Nowhere strong physically nor special like Emma, Alisa, and Laura yet she still managed to help Rean in some other ways. Maybe her being normal is the reason why she saw Rean's struggles in that scene.
The moment in TOCS1 where she said that she personally delivers the letter of requests directly to his dorm and in TOCS3 where *SPOILER ALTERT* she managed to get hold of all pictures of Class 7 made an album of it to show it to them just make me remember again how selfless she is. The only character not included to class 7 that you can romance (somewhat).
Sorry for making a waifu post and yes, I'm a Towaf*g. I just want others to notice how beautiful her character is. Nice vid btw, I love how you don't hesitate to criticize and get hated by shills. I'll most likely consider your recommendations from now on.
I feel Towa is criminally underrated, but she's kind of like the unofficial mascot for Falcom. Reliable, kind, she has it all. I think Falcom did it right though, I don't think Towa would fit in a main cast. As a supporting role, she does just enough to have a meaningful impact on the story, and I think that's the best place for her.
My biggest gripe with CS1 was because it was basically an anime style high school setting. We follow the one main character and the world literally revolvers around him and all the ladies want a piece of him. Hence the romance choices with pretty much every girl. This main character fact does not change throughout the entire series as I see it. Rean is still the main character and apparently nothing happens without him,
I played the Trails in the Sky games first. I started with the First Chapter then Second Chapter. Afterwards, I moved into Cold Steel 1 & 2 so I was already familiar with the world of Zemuria by then. I then got to play Third Chapter and finally started playing the Crossbell games. Seeing all these familiar faces from the previous games was so rewarding and made me feel how connected these games are. I kinda wished I played the Crossbell arc before diving into Cold Steel but there are spoilers in CS that spoil the other games so it didn't bother me too much. I finally finished with CS3 and now waiting for CS4.
The world-building of this series will never be beaten, not in my opinion! :)
@@TheKisekiNut Yeah, it's one of my favorite JRPG series now.
My opinions on the glorification of Rean by class 7 were definitely similar to yours. I myself had played the series in release order, and it was frustrating as I knew Falcom was able to write those character relationships that weren’t centered around the MC, but Rean just felt like a “power fantasy” self insert or something. I think his character and Class 7 have all improved through the 3 games I’ve played so far, but I will always be disappointed with some of the character writing in the first two Cold Steel Games.
Awesome vid as always.
Thank you for watching as always mate, and for your comment! I'm just like you, I see the likes of the Sky and Crossbell arc and can't help but feel Class VII comes up short to those two groups. They're still top tier, and they're much better in the second half of CSII onwards to CSIV, but I definitely wanted a bit more.
But I think Falcom did as best as they could in terms of balancing time with the Thors students and Class VII themselves.
I poured 100's of hours and played through most of the cold steel games multiple times. Really looking forward to the other titles that falcom releases in 2023. I'm honestly happy I got to experience such a wonderful universe.
Just jumped on to like the video as I'm playing cold steel 1 at the moment will be back to watch it once I'm done with cold steel 2 😁
I appreciate the like, and see you in the near future! :)
Agree with everything in this video. I replayed Cold Steel 2 a year ago in preparation for 3 and my thoughts have really changed and evolved over time on that game. At first, I went into the replay expecting to...not dislike the game, but find it generally underwhelming as my thought processes had led me to that conclusion ever since I finished the game the first time in 2017(?) and read critiques of it in the time inbetween.
However, as I've read more thoughts from people who think very highly of CS2, and combining that with my own experiences replaying the game, I've come to realise this game receives so much more undue shit than it deserves. I agree with pretty much everything you said in this video.
I used to consider CS2's portrayal of the civil war to be an active, significant flaw in the narrative; however, Cold Steel 1&2 were never explicitly *about* the civil war, at least in the sense of it being a war at all. It was always about Class VII's growth as people, their navigations throughout Erebonian society and the crisis unfolding in their homeland; why do we have to watch them fight on the front lines for this to resonate? They're fighting for what they personally believe in, for the conclusion that they have come to for themselves as a result of their experiences throughout Cold Steel 1. Why was I expecting them to be active participants in the war at all? That thought process makes no sense to me now. I noticed on my replay that as I was talking to the NPCs (something that enhances the Cold Steel games SIGNIFICANTLY and I wish more people would do this because I think it can really change someone's perspective honestly), the impact of the war on Erebonia and its citizens was conveyed to me really, really well. I put the effort and time in to travel around and see how everyone was doing, and I was greeted with their melancholy, sadness, hope in the face of adversity; Cold Steel 2 might not *feel* like a war as you're flying around in the Courageous, but it certainly felt like one to me as I was talking to the people in Celdic after it had been burned down, in Roer after it had been liberated, in the Nord Highlands where the people were continuously fretting for their safety and home.
It's infuriating how many people either misunderstand or ignore Rean and Crow's relationship to push this narrative that his dedication to bringing him back is somehow badly written or makes little sense; if you pay the slightest bit of attention to Rean's character, his relationship to Crow at all, then it would be beyond imagining that Rean wouldn't want to drag him back by his coat. Say what you will about other members of Class VII, maybe some of them could have questioned it (would have helped if we could see more Crow/Class VII interaction in CS1, a general problem), but the Rean/Crow dynamic is one of the emotional cores of the Cold Steel arc and it's so important to Cold Steel 2's narrative. People look at it in such a surface level when if you put the effort into peeling back even one of the layers it's obvious how deep their relationship goes and how important it is to the arc's themes. It's one of the central criticisms people throw at Cold Steel 2 and yet it makes complete sense if you interpret their relationship correctly.
I also used to think lowly of the epilogue, but on my replay I noticed how much I adored it, and like you it's now my favourite part of Cold Steel 2. It is so, so well done. I don't even need to elaborate because you had the exact same thoughts as me in your video, but I want to emphasise how brilliant that scene between Rean and Towa is. It's fantastic in so many ways. The epilogue in general is just so emotionally and thematically resonant, and it really hit me at the end how much Class VII as a group means to me, and how much I love them. You can throw plenty of critiques at Falcom's handling and writing of them as characters, but I simply can't deny how attached I am to these characters, how much I adore them individually and as a group. Some of it was wasted potential, wasted concept, but they're nowhere near a bad cast of characters and the ending sequence left me feeling emotionally hollow (after 10 minutes or so of incessant sobbing.)
Great video...it's honestly kind of surreal watching this because it really puts into perspective a lot of the thoughts I had been thinking to myself for the past half a year or so.
I'm happy that my opinions resonated with your own mate. It's crazy how a second run through of a game can change your perspective entirely, and really I believe it's needed for games like these. Considering how lore heavy and rich they are, it's always good to reaffirm what you've seen the first time around. Having the foundation for the story allows you to dig in to the main themes being touched on, and I'm just astounded that i missed so much the first time around. Definitely worth it in every aspect.
This is probably the best summation of some of the thoughts I have had on this game I think I’ve ever or will ever see. I am definitely a new fan to the franchise as I only picked up the first three cold steel games when they were on sale late last year on ps4. I binged them and found that I had completely fallen for this world and characters. I haven’t gone and played the other games but I find that it’s given me a unique perspective where some mysteries are genuine mysteries to me and character reveals are sometimes really impactful while other times I wonder why the fanfare was needed. But most importantly (at least to me) I experienced all three games in a sort of vacuum where only MY opinions existed while playing and only MY speculations mattered. Since I had never seen or heard about the game I had no bias,no expectations outside of the ones developed while playing, and my like or dislike of characters or game elements were never once influenced by outside opinions. I never found cold steel one to be a slow burn like other people found it, I thought cold steel 2 was just better in every way on my first run, and cold steel 3 made me feel like I was a dad and class 7 were my kids. I kept seeing them do stuff and felt so proud to know who they were and when new class 7 were impressed at how awesome old class seven were I took great satisfaction in knowing that through rean I was one of them too And wanted to keep the adventure going. I’ve never had an rpg do that to me no matter how much I liked it. (That cliff hanger can f right off though)
Edit: I should mention that after my completion of the first three games I did go out of my way to read information from the other games as well as watch playthroughs. I’ve also seen a translated run of cold steel 4 and I have a much firmer grasp than before on who characters are and where they are from. But I can also say that outside of cold steel 4 and parts of 3 none of it felt necessary and ended up just being neat tidbits that I definitely would have been happy to see if I’d know going in but that didn’t affect my understanding of the plot. Again cs3 and 4 are an exception as they get more aggressive with the references and crossovers and it was at times legitimately confusing.
The idea that class 7 should have fought on the frontline in the civil war is ridiculous. I'm puzzled to hear that there are so many who hold this opinion. On which side? I know that Osborne was out, but the imperial side had their issues still, and even Olivert, Arseid and Schwarzer was looking for a 3rd way. The 2nd game is basically about Rean flying across Erebonia trying to protect his friends, civilians, the royal family and Elise. And the others are tagging along because they want to support Rean, to relieve him of some of the burden and they're also too torn to pick sides. His focus was never on who should win the war. He just wanted to protect ppl. This game really taught us what kind of person Rean is. This motivation is why he got involved in Crossbell and the Northern War too. His focus was always on saving civilians. It was heartbreaking to see him go through so much turmoil, but that's why I love this game. It's probably the most emotional game in Trails. CS3 rivals it, but CS2 was more relentlessly intense in its storytelling.
I also play cold steel 1 to 3 with no information whatsoever, i enter the series through Tokyo xanadu, after played the games i search videos and fans opinions and i encounter that almost all of them have cs2 as his last favorite game for the same reason as said in this video, when i first played the game i understood the reason why the civil war wasnt show the way other players wanted to see it. After i finished the first 3 cold steel games i went back and play the other five i was so hype after reading fans opinions of the games, sadly the hype was so high that when i finished i was a expecting more of the games, they are excellent games but i find them below in my personal ranking with cold steel 2 in the first spot
i am starting trails from cold steel rn, admittedly its kinda dragging for me (im at chapter 4) but im looking forward to when it pays off.
A game series gotta be doing something right if it has managed to convince its fans to buy at least 2 games to experience a complete story for each arc. With the first one as pure setup.
Damn I'm barely on CS1! I started off with FC and I don't regret that choice because Liberl and Crossbell arcs are great!
A very good video and excellent points. I started cs 1 in january, cs 2 in march and when i finished started cs3 then i replay twice each game then i play the sky and crossbell arc and replay cs3 another time and finally play cs4 currently waiting for hajimari. Cs 2 is my favorite game of all is the one i enjoy the most since the first time i played, i think the trails game you enjoy it most the second time you played the final scene for cs2 get me since the first time i played and get me more the next time because i thought old class seven was still around in cs3 as a whole thing that happened at the end of the game, i'm waiting for cs4 in october to play it at it's fullest
Thank you for the kind words mate, get hype for CS4, it's my personal second favourite in the whole series!
@@TheKisekiNut thanks you for your videos, cold steel 4 es mi second favorite also, i follow your advice and order hajimari through treasure i hope it delivers soon but i think it Will take about two months
Fully agree, these games had the strongest ost
Interesting analysis! My biggest problem with cs2 was that it hid plot relevant stuff for cs3 behind new game plus, while really being too long to motivate doing that
Oh goodness yes, the new game plus plot was a bit too much for CS2. I didn't want to mention that because I've done so in a previous video, but please don't do that again Falcom!
Now we got CS4 with some BS normal and true ending hidden behind arbitrary sidequest completion in the final chapter and then a highly missable epilogue cutscene that only triggers if you reload your completed save file with no hint or prompt that tells you to do so.
I went straight into NG+ without seeing it the first time around.
They really gotta chill with this type of nonsense.
Just about to finish Trails to Zero for the first time, going to move on to Azure, and then going to replay the Cold Steel games in the hope of finishing them before IV. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but god do I love this series, and I’m glad I’m finally playing through Crossbell.
I salute you, push forward relentlessly!
That will be a little less than 300h of gaming before the end of october. Enjoy !
RiriSion normally I’d say it would be too much, but I’m still not back to work yet, and so I have plenty of free time. I should be finishing up Azure tomorrow (my god, what a game) and I’ve been playing Cold Steel 1 a bit these last few days as an occasional change of pace from Crossbell (currently in Chapter 2), and so honestly, I probably’ll have all of this done in September, all things panning our how I think they will.
I have way too much free time on my hands. Lol
Most people who make Trails content say they started with cold steel one. Which I started with and I was completely addicted.
I stumbled on to Trails in the Sky on a whim because I had this weird thing called the PSP and nothing to play on it. So I googled best games to play on the PSP and came across that one (along with Jean D'Arc, a very good game as well, I might add)
Ever since then, I became absolutely captivated with the series. Sky FC is so good to me on so many levels and is still probably my favorite, though I still need to play Ao when that gets finished by the Geofront team and CSIV here in October. Long story short: it's my favorite series of all time, and I love revisiting these games. I love Class VII, and I love that these stories exist. Ahhhh I just never want the series to end!!
It is amazing how a series can just catch you without realising it. I don't think I'll ever get that same feeling with a series again!
Spoiler alert for the Sky arc ahead:
I've decided to do a masochist run of trails by doing nightmare difficulty 100% play throughs (what I mean by that is max BP/DP/AP) of all the games in order prior to the PC release of CS4 and I'll just say 1 thing after having almost finished SkySC (I'm at the Axis Pillar) is that many characters SUCK in these types of play throughs (mainly ones that have few uses such as Zin, Anelace, Josette and Tita being the frontrunners), but wish me luck for further games (especially the Crossbell arc since that's the most challenging one at least of how much I've played it)
I know this is old video but when you said attack on Bank by RC and School festival are at the same time, I thought maybe I remember it wrong but when I checked fandom, Thors festival is several months later after Dieter staged that attack by RC. Or dunno.
I do agree with the chemistry aspect of class vll, on first chapter of 3 while in second half of 2(... It's better not to ask lol I just love the prospect of Rean being a actual "leader" by teaching his students how to operate mechs and stuff, and so far 3 looks promising if making the new class vll have their own chemistry)
Great video!
who do i turn in the books for rewards? the guide never really mentions who I give them to. any help would be appreciated.
I had thankfully played the first Trails of the Sky when I picked up CS1 for the Vita and so I knew of the world and it was actually interesting playing the "other side" and cool to see Olivert in full 3D and the same person basically. It was such a fanserice moment in CS3 to see Tito and Agate together again. Had I played the Crossbell games, it would have been cool to revisit and see characters and if I knew who Lloyd is, the ending of CS2 would have been cooler.
Great video. The point about Class VII’s chemistry together especially I agree with. I think these games would’ve benefited from Fire Emblem’s support system where everyone can interact with each other. On that note, I thought the dynamic between Rean and Crow was a bit lacking in CS1. Lacking not in that it was bad, but lacking in we literally did not get enough of non-bonding related stuff with Crow and Rean. The 50-Mira coin scene and the bonfire scene were, to me, the only memorable personal moments with Crow’s character. Rean and Class VII spend a lot of time with Crow offscreen so we know he means a lot to them, but I think the game could’ve done more to show this. This game would’ve benefited from a lot more Rean and Crow bromance scenes haha. It would’ve made the rivalry hit much harder in CS2.
I see Rean as a reluctant leader and was meant to be written that way. the rest if class 7 look up to him because he has natural leadership abilities, but Rean does not see that in himself
Great video 👍 However as much as I love Trails, some of the slower parts of the game like the school festival ( or the ballroom scene in 3) can be just as challenging for a player to get through as any boss. I know they are necessary but they can really drag the game. On a different note, would it be great if they added narration to the books you collect on your playthrough. I would love to listen to the books as I m going through a doungen. Sorry for the post being so long.
i think there's actually another larger JRPG TH-camr who is doing just that. They recently released an audio book style video of Carnelia, and it might be up your alley if you're looking for something like that.
I don't think I'm exaggerating, the Cold Steel series is my favorite JRPG series of all time. The story, the world and the characters are so good, there is just nothing that can quite compare even though I played a lot of JRPGs already in the past.
I get your issue about Rean, he got a leader too fast. In my mind, because the group's individuals were so different, Sara must've thought that someone had to keep them together as soon as possible. And she saw great potential in Rean. Sure he didn't earn it immediately, but that's the whole point. The group, including Rean grow over the course of the series and try to learn from their mistakes. Sure they don't solve any personal issues amongst themselves without Rean, but they are all capable without him, completing their field studies just how Rean's team does, that's just an example. They all start trusting Rean more and more because of how he helps everyone, slowly earning the title of a real leader which also helps him grow. It's not just all about Rean. They all start trusting each other as well (makes me remember when in Cold Steel II Machias and Elliot were hiding together in the mill). Also, remember they're still kids in Cold Steel I. People in that age can't always just solve problems amongst themselves, heck, usually someone needs to intervene.
I might be wrong, but that's how I saw things. In any case, in my eyes the Cold Steel series (up to Cold Steel 3, because I'm waiting for Cold Steel 4) is still a masterpiece. I remember how blown away I was with the complex story, characters, moments, music and pretty much everything that really matters. I seriously can't wait for Cold Steel 4.
You've got good taste sir! And thank you for your different perspective on the issue I raised in the video.
My main issue with Rean as the leader is that he's chosen so quickly. I can understand that his background gives him a more unique position among the group, but I feel that alone doesn't immediately point to him as the leader of Class VII, it felt a bit forced for me.
If Rean simply grew in to his leader role (as he does through the course of Cold Steel), I'd be a lot more open to it.
But honestly that's just a personal gripe of mine, as my channel name suggests, I still love the games, and I think you'll enjoy CS IV massively. It's my personal second favourite in the entire series.
@@TheKisekiNut I don't disagree with you either, you made good points. It's part of the reason why I follow your channel and watch your videos. I didn't play too much of the Sky series and haven't touched the Crossbell arc yet, but judging from your videos and how enthusiastic you are about the series, I know they're great!
I'm very much looking forward to CS IV, CS III was crazy in many ways and I'm hyped up for the finale ever since.
Keep up the good work, I really enjoy your videos!
Who would you say is the biggest troll in the game: Fie, Crow, Sara, Sharon or Alfin?
Now I'm curious. Which game(s) did you think CS2 surpassed with your improved opinion of the epilogue?
As of now, Sky FC is my least favourite, followed by CS1 and then CS2. But calling them my least favourite isn't a true reflection of how good they are, they're still amazing games in their own rights.
I totally agree with your point of rean not making sense as the leader of the group other then protagonist but as for people fixing their problems without rean i think the only reason they do that's because they want you to see it happen and you can't have that happen without rean being there. when it came to laura and fei resolving their issues, rean really didn't do anything besides telling them to figure it out, they both decide to do so because they both care about rean because of his empathetic personality thus his suffering because of their issues with each other becomes the catalyst for them to resolve it. the same could happen for Gaius but Gaius isn't the player character so it doesn't. Long story short its because if Rean isnt there we dont get to see the conflict resolution thus he is the catalyst for conflict resolution.
I feel like Falcom pushed to hard to make Rean like Llyod in many ways which heavily makes him flawed. Like I feel he didn't naturally become a leader and he was more forced into becoming one because of Instructor Sara. They made everyone in Class VII so reliant on him that it seems like they can't make a conclusive decision without him. At least Llyod felt like an ACTUAL leader and everyone in the SSS wasn't overly reliant on him and it made sense because he was qualified as a detective. Rean on the other hand felt so forced like they gave no special reason why he was the center of Class VII. Not to mention he always seems to put pressure on himself which is annoying to see unlike Estelle and Llyod who have clear ambitions on what they want to do
@@JRPGforlife I agree that it feels like he was forced to be the leader but I can clearly see why he's the center of Class 7 because nobody is as empathetic as him or as attentive even Estelle and Lloyd pale in comparison when it comes to Rean's empathy. Also him not having a clear goal is reflective on his backstory of him being adopted son of a baron not feeling worthy of the role of running the family as well as the fact that he feels inadequate as a swordsman do to not being able to control his power. I can understand why people feel he is the weakest protagonist in the game but I think he's at least on par with Lloyd but for different reasons