It makes me so happy to see you enjoying this series, and, as a result, your voice bringing extra people to the series. I hope you stick with the series. It will keep you busy for mooooooonths.
Also, no spoilers,, but Father Kevin is a FANTASTIC protagonist in The Third. You're going to love it. Just be prepared for the pacing to be more of a dungeon crawl than your standard Trails experience.
It took me literally 3-4 years to finish up to cold steel 4 (from FC) 😁 but definitely worth the time And I think there are still way more left behind to be portrayed for Father Kevin after the Sky series 😌
14:58 See, I don't think Kevin is scowling in that portrait. I think that's a look of pure emotional coldness. Like he's actually dead inside, which he has to be to do what he does. That's something I dearly miss in this series' switch to 3D character designs in Cold Steel. Trails does AMAZING things with portraits, where in key scenes, a character suddenly shows an expression you've never seen on them before. The Crossbell arc is very good at this too.
Olivert has been my favourite character in all of Trails. Ever since his "reveal" in SC, he's been solidified as the ultimate schemer on the "good side". He saves everyone from behind the scenes regardless of the politics involved.
Get ready for the 3rd and the Crossbell arc. They're both AMAZING. But yeah FC and SC are both absolute gems and your description of them paying off for the time investment was spot on.
This series became my favorite of all time after I beat Trails of Cold Steel. Ive played all the big name JRPGs and this series just hits me all over in my feels! The world building and character developement!
Glad to see more people enjoying this awesome series. There's nothing like this in the market, so deep and well written. My personal favorite is Crossbell arc, where the series makes an important leap in terms of political drama. Although Liberl arc is definitely the best introduction to the continent of Zemuria. Many amazing memories from these games.
SC is actually my favorite game of all time! I'm glad you enjoyed your time with it. Hope you have fun with the 3rd, make sure to complete all the doors in that game.
I played this game in 2020 and it was the game I liked the most on that year. Just love Estelle, Joshua and Olivert as characters and the whole story about Hamel/war and the character arcs are amazing.
Wtf, Tita is one of the best characters even in FC gameplay wise. AOE heals AND damage. I used Tita in all 3 games and she did great, just don't put her in front cause she's squishy. EDIT: I'm glad you mentioned the pacing in this game. I was hoping it'd be faster, by the end I felt it took a little too long for my liking. That's why I can't put it above FC, they're both equally as good imo (I've seen so many people call SC the best by far but I disagree) but 3rd is my favourite in the trilogy (love the pacing in it and gameplay is the best in the Sky games) EDIT2: Glad you liked Agate, he's also my fav char (along with Tita and Olivier). And I'm sure you'll love Kevin in 3rd!
11:50 The city in the sky idea is kind of the basis of the land of Ys (where Ys II takes place). So even Falcom had been using that idea already too, back in the late 1980's.
I makes me happy to see people giving this game some love, totally deserved, one of the best plot progressions ever that really sucks the player in and makes he feel like everything he did mattered, from dialogue options to side quests and even leveling
Started with Cold Steel 1 in January and I’ve been playing these games nonstop ever since. I went back and played the Sky trilogy after beating CS2 and looped back around to CS3. Just beat that a few days ago so I’m now on CS4. I think it’s safe to say this is in my top 5 video game franchises now 😂
Always great to see Trails love and promotion! I hope you make videos on the two Crossbell games, and I'd be very interested to see what you think of Sky the Third. It's the most unconventional Trails game but I personally think there's still a lot to love about its character moments.
I'm always happy to see new Trails fans, and the series is just so great. It is definitely niche and not for everyone, even among JRPG fans, but if you are into what these games do its the best shit ever man
Just finished SC on the Steam deck, what an amazing game! Even if it is a bit long there are no parts of it that feels unnecessary. Usually in JRPG's there are one or more characters that I find so annoying that I start to hate the game, but not in Trails, they are all just so well written and likeable. Looking forward to playing 3rd now.
All I can say is this: Play the 3rd as it foreshadows everything going forward. This means you have to do all the doors to understand all of the connections. Enjoy the experience!
I finally got around to beating SC took long because college has been kicking my ass this game was purely amazing I loved the fact that it picks up right after FC and that all the world building in FC gives you a big pay off in SC from talking to people and them remembering you and the jobs you did for them! I love how much growth they have to Estelle as she really matured in this game. I’m hoping into 3rd tonight can’t wait
Just started this game today, right after finishing the first chapter. Couldn't wait for it. What a masterpiece of an rpg. Falcom really knows what they are doing, and every game made by them did not disappoint me thus far.
While I can definitely get where you are coming from with regards to Joshua and Estelle, there are a few points I would like to mention in favor of them: 1. When Joshua joined their family, both of them were old enough to both remember a time before they were 'siblings' and to know for the full time that they weren't siblings. 2. Before a certain age, there might not have been much of a difference between considering each other family and considering them really good friends, and romance can develop between really good friends as they age. 3. It is hinted that Joshua has had feelings for Estelle for much longer than these two games, he's just kept a lid on them. One of the main sub-plots of Sky FC was Estelle's own perspective gradually shifting as she matures and travels more with Joshua. There was nothing all that sudden about it if you were watching and paying attention. One thing that I consider a good 'smell test' on scenarios like this is to ask the following question: If their dynamic and how each one views the other was exactly the same as it is now, but the adoptee happened to have been adopted by a different family that just happened to live in the same space, would I have a problem with the relationship? For example, Rean and Elise fail this test because Rean cannot seem to think of Elise as anything other than his sister for the life of him. (Plus they never had much of a dynamic we got to see anyway.)
They were like, what, 11 when they first met right? And they been around each other for 5 years, it's completely understandable and possible for real romantic feelings to develop at that age at that pace. A person over 10 won't go "oh they adopted a guy that's totally my real sibling now". And yeah it's not like they were "suddenly" romantically interested in each other after seeing each other as their siblings all along.
I think the dynamics between estelle and joshua also helps, in fc when they travel together they didn't seem like siblings more like childhood friend to me and being estelle as the main character also helps. I imagine if the main character we follow is joshua and changes nothing to the story more people would dislike joshua and estelle couple even more.
@@crazykim not to mention Joshua was VERY standoffish with Estelle at first. It was Estelles constantly chipping away at the armor to get him to even think of leading that kind of life where he could just be a normal kid, even if he knew it would end someday.
@@smug_slime There's also all the teases and Estelle's friends reaction to Joshua. It's not just Estelle, the people around her also kinda "pushed" her. And in terms of Joshua, he's just matured way too fast thanks to damned Ouroboros. There's also Loewe and his sister relationship so he knows clearly what feelings he had for Estelle.
Great video. I agree and I think you really nailed a lot of the quality life changes I also appreciated. I’m about to finish my own play through of this brilliant game. I started my journey like a month ago and I’m already obsessed with this series. Depending on how it goes, this could be a contender for my favorite JRPG.
@@Fabio-ql5yf I didn't get the first game in the sale. I got the first game a week before the sale. Unfortunately, the sale literally started one day after I finished the first game -_- Luckily, the second game was on sale too, so I was a bit less salty. I've been playing the second game for about a week (Haven't finished it. I'm on the final chapter now). Also, I was on Spring break, so I had plenty of time. Lastly, 150 hours?! Doing what? I did all the side quests and talked to most of the NPCs, but I'll probably finish in no less than 120 hours.
6:48 I see where you're coming from but I do heavily disagree. Don't get me wrong, I LOATHE the "not-related-by-blood trope". It is usually the fastest way to make me uncomfortable. But, I think Falcom did a great job to make this an exception. The main one being, I never really felt like their relationship was meant to convey a strictly brother and sister one. The way they interacted felt a lot more like close friends (especially in the first game). Like, it's a card they slither in at the end, so that they can end up together. It's not "oh cool, we're not blood related? Alright, time to make out with my bro". We see their first meeting at the beginning of the game in a lot of detail. Second, while they met as kids, they were old enough to develop relationships and interests before meeting each other. In other words, they lived separate lives before meeting one another (it's not that they were literally brother and sister from the start. And always treated each other as such). Finally, there's just a lot of little details that make it a lot more palatable: the fact that Joshua keeps his old last name, or that even in the Japanese version they refer to each other by name (not calling each other brother or sister like you do with family in Japanese culture). Sorry for the dissertation, but I'm well aware of how bad I could make this look. So, I wanted to be thorough (much like Falcom). However, I do want to say that even if the whole situation wasn't as awkward. I wouldn't defend it if I didn't genuinely think they had a good relationship. I think this is one of the best romances I've seen in a while. Aside from the two having great chemistry, I really respect the lengths each one goes for the other. Estelle goes through so much all for the hopes of meeting Joshua again. Also, unlike a lot of bad romances, I think the two are good as a couple. They're truly equals that both need and will support each other.
2nd Best Game in the series for me, having Azure at 1st and Sky 3rd at 3rd place. And if you like sky then get ready for crossbell it's the best arc imo.
I loved SC and Loewe is still one of my characters now while playing Cold Steel 4! His death becomes so impactful in Cold Steel, I lost it during those certain scenes.
This is the best ARC of Trails. The most emotional one, the best written one and with much better endings than the others. 3rd will make you like even more certain characters.. also there it will be a new female character that Is GREAT. I love Ries too ❤
As some1 who started trails last year, im now finally in Cold Steel 3 chronologically playing. I'm glad to find reviews like this to share some opinions. Trails in the Sky the 3rd covers many story development of characters and ends it nicely, i like it as its the only trilogy that brings over the level and not start back at lv1.
I'm glad you seem to be greatly enjoying the games! On the topic of Estelle and Joshua's relationship, the whole "siblings not related by blood that fall in love" trope is a pretty common trope in Japanese media so you can chalk it up to a cultural difference if it really bothers you. Besides, the games pretty clearly show that Joshua and Estelle never saw each other as siblings anyway so it ain't too bad.
I love Trails SC but I was thinking a lot about what you said about the floating city in the sky. I won't go too much into detail, but I kind of think Xenogears is a huge HUGE inspiration for the trails games as well as hundreds of other games. I really recommend you play it!
thank you for shining a light on my favorite series. one day it would be so nice to see Trails blow up into AAA territory. I believe it will come down to the numbers, of course, so it's important for as many people as possible to know what Trails is.
Sc has such a good story and music. It really did feel like a pay off when I got to the second half of the game and a certain character rejoined. If you played the first one (which you should) the answer to the towers and what they are and do was such a cool reveal. I'm glad I listened to the random comment on the steam review that said ' if you like jrpg's then you should play this. It's great." . Hopefully videos like these can also let others know that this series is such a treat. Even if they're pretty big time commitments.
This is easily the best JRPG series out there. I played CS1 and 2 first and then went back to Sky, Crossbell and now I've even used the spreadsheet to play Hajimari and Kuro 😂 I literally cannot get enough of this amazing world and it's characters.
I only realized it in the second playthrough, but on that "Father Kevin and his objectives during the final scene" note: you can at least assume more on his occupation and real nature if you read the Carnelia book chapters in FC. And such things are exactly what I love about the series and its world building.
Thank you for the video. I'd love to see you play 3rd. Dungeon Crawler style but still beautiful. One more thing, Crossbell Arc and Liberl Arc are masterpiece. Who are joining me?
Probably in my top 3 of the series as a whole. CS II, CS IV and Zero are right up there near the top along with this one. It set the precedent that the series continued - it keeps its promises.
Man great review glad to see that your enjoying the sky arc really goat tier jrpg series right here. All I’ma say is when you jump into third chapter play through the star doors,(beware of the number 15 tho) a lot of lore and foreshadowing into future trails games, nonetheless great review can’t wait to see more!
As a beginner Trails fan who started with all of the Sky trilogy, played through Cold Steel 1 and most of Cold Steel 2, then went back to play the Geofront versions of the Crossbell arc which are unfortunately not available now, but we do get the official release. I will say, when the big reveal and payoff for Trails in the Sky SC happened, it genuinely felt like I was playing through the end of JRPG Avengers Endgame. The amount of nonsense happening was too much. I could not believe the twists and turns, the politics of everything, the secret society nonsense. It was incredibly wild. The Trails series, for me, rivals One Piece in sheer world building and depth. It is basically the One Piece of JRPGs.
Now go and play Trails in the sky 3rd. Trust me, it gives even more development, and It made Kevin one of my favorite characters in trails. Trust me, Play it before The Crossbell games and CS3 AND CS4.
I’ve been a long time fan of the JRPG genre however I’ve been wondering if a lot of my enjoyment of it had been down to nostalgia or not as many games around 2015 had not been very gripping to me. I played sky 1 and 2 maybe 5 years ago and fell in love with them wholly and utterly, to the extent that in order to not have to wait for localizations i learned Japanese for Zero and Azure lol. Of course they’re being released now but I’m glad to see you also had such a positive reaction!
The PC port of these games are surprisingly great for JRPGs, high frame rate, good controls, high res, steady performance. I was very surprised (at least with the GOG version
There have been floating sky paradises in games and fixing in general line before Trails, though. Heck, the titular city of Ys in Falcom other major franchise was exactly that.
My most valued character of the whole series is Cassius Bright, which you will find often described by multiple titles as exceptional strategist, S rank bracer or Divine Blade
I loved the first two Trails in the Sky games. I'm not sure how to play the rest of them. Wish they'd come to Switch. I'm playing ToCS 2 now but it doesn't grab me like Trails in the Sky. ToCS has taken years because I keep putting it down and getting sidetracked. It has its moments that are fun and exciting then back to long conversations (which normally I like) and I start losing interest again. However, I'm determined to finish it. I found Trails in the Sky more engaging. Thanks for your review!
The ending for this game with the floating city gave me castle in the sky vibes to the very but I real love this game and would recommend the fc first and than this but the ending did gave me castle in the sky vibes
Trails is one hell is good game especially Each sequels related to each other and old characters pop up or became main character in other sequel like In Cold of steel 3 and 4
Trails and Persona both take place in repeated areas. It's just that Trails has more games in one place. Furthermore think about how you hear the same tracks everyday in Persona. That's not a bad thing, it slowly becomes familiar, it attaches you to the space, makes it feel like home. When you leave it it legitimately hurts. When the song changes for the last time to something sad, your heart breaks because this town you've walked through a million times isn't just some repetitive game area. It's home. A piece of your virtual heart rests here forever. You can always go back to Iwatodai or Inaba and feel as nostalgic as you would for your home town. It's because they were small, intimate, and you visited spots so many times over and over that the emotional connection to those places, characters, and events is so strong. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love revisiting Liberl, Crossbell, and Erebonia.
Consider using youtube chapters for when you feel like the video is separated into bits, like talking about the gameplay then going into story spoilers. Pretty neat addition from a while back.
"I hope that in the future, Josette will be top tier" HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ahhhhh, funny man. Funny, funny man
I've had the trials in the sky series on my backlog for a while now...can't decide whether I want to jump into the first chapter or table Radiant Historia after I finish up my play through of Triangle Strategy
Just finished this game today. I've been dying to hear your thoughts on it but I had to wait until I at least finished it for myself. Hoping to start three soon so I can watch that video next.
I mean I kinda get where people are coming from on Estelle and Joshua's relationship, but the way I see it is, first, they're not real siblings and second, they've only known each other for 4 years at the start of FC. It's not like they've spent their entire lives together. It's kinda implied that Joshua felt this way about her for a while and I think the way Estelle kinda came around to realizing she had feelings for him was very natural. All in all, I love their relationship because it didn't just pop up out of nowhere. You gradually see it develop as you play the game.
It makes me so happy to see you enjoying this series, and, as a result, your voice bringing extra people to the series. I hope you stick with the series. It will keep you busy for mooooooonths.
Also, no spoilers,, but Father Kevin is a FANTASTIC protagonist in The Third. You're going to love it. Just be prepared for the pacing to be more of a dungeon crawl than your standard Trails experience.
Years, you mean :D .
It took me literally 3-4 years to finish up to cold steel 4 (from FC) 😁 but definitely worth the time
And I think there are still way more left behind to be portrayed for Father Kevin after the Sky series 😌
Its taken me a year to go from Sky FC to Zero.
Took me about a year and i got to cold steel 3
Trails is absolutely beautiful, Sky SC being one of my favorite games ever. Glad to hear you liked it Matty!
yeah this game change my life, and i did wait for years till SC translated to english
I learned how to play harmonica because of this game.
Whereabouts of light baby!
I also want to learn how did you do it?
My favourite Josette moment in this game is when you’re facing muller and she’s like “how’s this?!”… 0 damage then gets 1 shotted 🤣
Classic Josette
14:58 See, I don't think Kevin is scowling in that portrait. I think that's a look of pure emotional coldness. Like he's actually dead inside, which he has to be to do what he does.
That's something I dearly miss in this series' switch to 3D character designs in Cold Steel. Trails does AMAZING things with portraits, where in key scenes, a character suddenly shows an expression you've never seen on them before.
The Crossbell arc is very good at this too.
At the end of FC when joshua gets the new portrait talking with the baddie, i got chills
Thankfully, kuro no kiseki uses portraits ok top of 3D models which is sick
@@writer747 I actually had no idea about that, it makes me excited for Kuro tho
Ahh Sky SC. Brings back memories. Makes Cold Steel feel like a walk in the park.
Best series spent 2020 - 2021 playing from sky to cold steel 4 year long project
Olivert has been my favourite character in all of Trails. Ever since his "reveal" in SC, he's been solidified as the ultimate schemer on the "good side". He saves everyone from behind the scenes regardless of the politics involved.
Olivier is the GOAT
Get ready for the 3rd and the Crossbell arc. They're both AMAZING. But yeah FC and SC are both absolute gems and your description of them paying off for the time investment was spot on.
This series became my favorite of all time after I beat Trails of Cold Steel. Ive played all the big name JRPGs and this series just hits me all over in my feels! The world building and character developement!
Glad to see more people enjoying this awesome series. There's nothing like this in the market, so deep and well written.
My personal favorite is Crossbell arc, where the series makes an important leap in terms of political drama. Although Liberl arc is definitely the best introduction to the continent of Zemuria.
Many amazing memories from these games.
The more people i see finally playing this series is making me happy.
SC is actually my favorite game of all time! I'm glad you enjoyed your time with it. Hope you have fun with the 3rd, make sure to complete all the doors in that game.
On any given day, I will flip between azure and Sky SC as my favorite. Both just written and developed that well.
@@nevassa4627 Azure is my second fav one in the series, but I completely agree with what you said. I love both of these games so much.
Especially Renne's door. Jesus it's been a long time since I've seen a character backstory that disturbing.
Oh man, if you like Sky's soundtrack you're gonna love the Crossbell games. The music in those two is as good or better.
And if you think FC and SC have good music, wait till you hear The 3rd...
Love Sky SC but 3rd might be my favorite game of all time, though it's also probably the most divisive in the series. Definitely the most different.
The 3rd is different but man it’s such good game.
I'm currently playing through 3rd and I am loving it. I was getting sick of doing bracer requests.
Awesome yes! Please spread the word! This is such an underrated JRPG series and i wish more people were aware of it!
I played this game in 2020 and it was the game I liked the most on that year. Just love Estelle, Joshua and Olivert as characters and the whole story about Hamel/war and the character arcs are amazing.
Wtf, Tita is one of the best characters even in FC gameplay wise. AOE heals AND damage. I used Tita in all 3 games and she did great, just don't put her in front cause she's squishy.
EDIT: I'm glad you mentioned the pacing in this game. I was hoping it'd be faster, by the end I felt it took a little too long for my liking. That's why I can't put it above FC, they're both equally as good imo (I've seen so many people call SC the best by far but I disagree) but 3rd is my favourite in the trilogy (love the pacing in it and gameplay is the best in the Sky games)
EDIT2: Glad you liked Agate, he's also my fav char (along with Tita and Olivier). And I'm sure you'll love Kevin in 3rd!
Just coming here a year late because I'm getting into the games now. Love your profile Pic 🤘
Don't remember how she was in FC, but I remember her being outclassed easily in SC and being alright in the 3rd.
11:50 The city in the sky idea is kind of the basis of the land of Ys (where Ys II takes place). So even Falcom had been using that idea already too, back in the late 1980's.
I makes me happy to see people giving this game some love, totally deserved, one of the best plot progressions ever that really sucks the player in and makes he feel like everything he did mattered, from dialogue options to side quests and even leveling
Started with Cold Steel 1 in January and I’ve been playing these games nonstop ever since. I went back and played the Sky trilogy after beating CS2 and looped back around to CS3. Just beat that a few days ago so I’m now on CS4. I think it’s safe to say this is in my top 5 video game franchises now 😂
You skipped the best games..
@@terriblemistweaver Nah I’ve finished the Crossbell arc Since then.
@@BobbyTheGamerOfJUSTICE based, I'm too low iq to read timestamps
Always great to see Trails love and promotion! I hope you make videos on the two Crossbell games, and I'd be very interested to see what you think of Sky the Third. It's the most unconventional Trails game but I personally think there's still a lot to love about its character moments.
I'm always happy to see new Trails fans, and the series is just so great. It is definitely niche and not for everyone, even among JRPG fans, but if you are into what these games do its the best shit ever man
Really enjoying your videos! Thanks for your hard work
Just finished SC on the Steam deck, what an amazing game! Even if it is a bit long there are no parts of it that feels unnecessary. Usually in JRPG's there are one or more characters that I find so annoying that I start to hate the game, but not in Trails, they are all just so well written and likeable. Looking forward to playing 3rd now.
I just finished fc on my deck and picked up sc in this past steam sale to get ready :D can't wait to start
Can't wait for you to play 3rd because kevin's story has to be the highlight for the trilogy for me, genuinely love these games a lot as a huge fan.
All I can say is this: Play the 3rd as it foreshadows everything going forward. This means you have to do all the doors to understand all of the connections. Enjoy the experience!
I finally got around to beating SC took long because college has been kicking my ass this game was purely amazing I loved the fact that it picks up right after FC and that all the world building in FC gives you a big pay off in SC from talking to people and them remembering you and the jobs you did for them! I love how much growth they have to Estelle as she really matured in this game. I’m hoping into 3rd tonight can’t wait
Just started this game today, right after finishing the first chapter. Couldn't wait for it. What a masterpiece of an rpg. Falcom really knows what they are doing, and every game made by them did not disappoint me thus far.
Thank you random youtube recommendations! This guy is great!
While I can definitely get where you are coming from with regards to Joshua and Estelle, there are a few points I would like to mention in favor of them:
1. When Joshua joined their family, both of them were old enough to both remember a time before they were 'siblings' and to know for the full time that they weren't siblings.
2. Before a certain age, there might not have been much of a difference between considering each other family and considering them really good friends, and romance can develop between really good friends as they age.
3. It is hinted that Joshua has had feelings for Estelle for much longer than these two games, he's just kept a lid on them. One of the main sub-plots of Sky FC was Estelle's own perspective gradually shifting as she matures and travels more with Joshua. There was nothing all that sudden about it if you were watching and paying attention.
One thing that I consider a good 'smell test' on scenarios like this is to ask the following question:
If their dynamic and how each one views the other was exactly the same as it is now, but the adoptee happened to have been adopted by a different family that just happened to live in the same space, would I have a problem with the relationship?
For example, Rean and Elise fail this test because Rean cannot seem to think of Elise as anything other than his sister for the life of him. (Plus they never had much of a dynamic we got to see anyway.)
They were like, what, 11 when they first met right? And they been around each other for 5 years, it's completely understandable and possible for real romantic feelings to develop at that age at that pace. A person over 10 won't go "oh they adopted a guy that's totally my real sibling now". And yeah it's not like they were "suddenly" romantically interested in each other after seeing each other as their siblings all along.
I think the dynamics between estelle and joshua also helps, in fc when they travel together they didn't seem like siblings more like childhood friend to me and being estelle as the main character also helps. I imagine if the main character we follow is joshua and changes nothing to the story more people would dislike joshua and estelle couple even more.
@@crazykim not to mention Joshua was VERY standoffish with Estelle at first. It was Estelles constantly chipping away at the armor to get him to even think of leading that kind of life where he could just be a normal kid, even if he knew it would end someday.
@@smug_slime There's also all the teases and Estelle's friends reaction to Joshua. It's not just Estelle, the people around her also kinda "pushed" her.
And in terms of Joshua, he's just matured way too fast thanks to damned Ouroboros. There's also Loewe and his sister relationship so he knows clearly what feelings he had for Estelle.
Glad you enjoyed it too! 3rd is very unconvential and divisive but I love it and Josette is actually a good team member for once!
Great video. I agree and I think you really nailed a lot of the quality life changes I also appreciated. I’m about to finish my own play through of this brilliant game. I started my journey like a month ago and I’m already obsessed with this series. Depending on how it goes, this could be a contender for my favorite JRPG.
It's sooo good! I finished it recently and in love with series. Playing cold steel 1 now. One of best series ever
awesome review! going to jump on SC once I’m done with Triangle Strategy. I really enjoyed FC a whole lot
One of my favs in the genre!
Just beat SC earlier today! Absolutely loved this game. Can’t wait to see the rest of the series.
Man ionno but this game gave me the feels. Got the cry out of me when they reunited.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it, but your Trails journey is still not ended yet! Hope we can get more people to the fams!
I'm going to get into this series because of you, Matty. I had seen it many times on Steam but always passed it over. I won't next time it's on sale.
Ironically it literally went on sale a few days ago (here in the States). And, I hope you enjoy it. I got it in the recent sale, and it was awesome.
@@Fabio-ql5yf I didn't get the first game in the sale. I got the first game a week before the sale. Unfortunately, the sale literally started one day after I finished the first game -_- Luckily, the second game was on sale too, so I was a bit less salty. I've been playing the second game for about a week (Haven't finished it. I'm on the final chapter now). Also, I was on Spring break, so I had plenty of time. Lastly, 150 hours?! Doing what? I did all the side quests and talked to most of the NPCs, but I'll probably finish in no less than 120 hours.
6:48 I see where you're coming from but I do heavily disagree. Don't get me wrong, I LOATHE the "not-related-by-blood trope". It is usually the fastest way to make me uncomfortable. But, I think Falcom did a great job to make this an exception. The main one being, I never really felt like their relationship was meant to convey a strictly brother and sister one. The way they interacted felt a lot more like close friends (especially in the first game).
Like, it's a card they slither in at the end, so that they can end up together. It's not "oh cool, we're not blood related? Alright, time to make out with my bro". We see their first meeting at the beginning of the game in a lot of detail. Second, while they met as kids, they were old enough to develop relationships and interests before meeting each other. In other words, they lived separate lives before meeting one another (it's not that they were literally brother and sister from the start. And always treated each other as such). Finally, there's just a lot of little details that make it a lot more palatable: the fact that Joshua keeps his old last name, or that even in the Japanese version they refer to each other by name (not calling each other brother or sister like you do with family in Japanese culture). Sorry for the dissertation, but I'm well aware of how bad I could make this look. So, I wanted to be thorough (much like Falcom).
However, I do want to say that even if the whole situation wasn't as awkward. I wouldn't defend it if I didn't genuinely think they had a good relationship. I think this is one of the best romances I've seen in a while. Aside from the two having great chemistry, I really respect the lengths each one goes for the other. Estelle goes through so much all for the hopes of meeting Joshua again. Also, unlike a lot of bad romances, I think the two are good as a couple. They're truly equals that both need and will support each other.
The Trails series is amazing. I’m really glad to see you enjoyed this one. The series deserves more love
2nd Best Game in the series for me, having Azure at 1st and Sky 3rd at 3rd place. And if you like sky then get ready for crossbell it's the best arc imo.
excellent work that makes us arrive, congratulations for these images, a thousand blessings and successes forever 👋🇲🇽
I loved SC and Loewe is still one of my characters now while playing Cold Steel 4! His death becomes so impactful in Cold Steel, I lost it during those certain scenes.
This is the best ARC of Trails. The most emotional one, the best written one and with much better endings than the others.
3rd will make you like even more certain characters.. also there it will be a new female character that Is GREAT. I love Ries too ❤
Ries best waifu, played till 9 and I never questioned that lol
@@bestiacomun4536 My best waifu Is Schera.. but favorite female character is Arianrhod
I personally think the gameplay of current trails is what has improved drastically. I definitely prefer cold steels combat lot more refined and fun
@@Nerevarine420 No lol. Cold Steel is hobbled by Harem crap, and it undermines the quality of the relationships among the characters.
@@diegoarmando5489 He said he prefers Cold Steel's GAMEPLAY.
As some1 who started trails last year, im now finally in Cold Steel 3 chronologically playing. I'm glad to find reviews like this to share some opinions. Trails in the Sky the 3rd covers many story development of characters and ends it nicely, i like it as its the only trilogy that brings over the level and not start back at lv1.
I'm glad you seem to be greatly enjoying the games! On the topic of Estelle and Joshua's relationship, the whole "siblings not related by blood that fall in love" trope is a pretty common trope in Japanese media so you can chalk it up to a cultural difference if it really bothers you. Besides, the games pretty clearly show that Joshua and Estelle never saw each other as siblings anyway so it ain't too bad.
I love Trails SC but I was thinking a lot about what you said about the floating city in the sky. I won't go too much into detail, but I kind of think Xenogears is a huge HUGE inspiration for the trails games as well as hundreds of other games. I really recommend you play it!
thank you for shining a light on my favorite series.
one day it would be so nice to see Trails blow up into AAA territory. I believe it will come down to the numbers, of course, so it's important for as many people as possible to know what Trails is.
Great video man, I finally finished the game and this is the first thing I came to watch.
Sc has such a good story and music. It really did feel like a pay off when I got to the second half of the game and a certain character rejoined. If you played the first one (which you should) the answer to the towers and what they are and do was such a cool reveal. I'm glad I listened to the random comment on the steam review that said ' if you like jrpg's then you should play this. It's great." . Hopefully videos like these can also let others know that this series is such a treat. Even if they're pretty big time commitments.
Trails is like an Anime but in a game.
God they should make all of series in Anime.
This is easily the best JRPG series out there. I played CS1 and 2 first and then went back to Sky, Crossbell and now I've even used the spreadsheet to play Hajimari and Kuro 😂 I literally cannot get enough of this amazing world and it's characters.
i swear trails is that one game that you surprised someone else knew. its niche but at the same time quite popular
The gameplay is not as bad for an old game but the storytelling... I have no words to say how beautiful it is
I only realized it in the second playthrough, but on that "Father Kevin and his objectives during the final scene" note: you can at least assume more on his occupation and real nature if you read the Carnelia book chapters in FC. And such things are exactly what I love about the series and its world building.
Thank you for the video. I'd love to see you play 3rd. Dungeon Crawler style but still beautiful. One more thing, Crossbell Arc and Liberl Arc are masterpiece. Who are joining me?
You're in for a treat in 3rd. It's very different but very good.
Probably in my top 3 of the series as a whole. CS II, CS IV and Zero are right up there near the top along with this one. It set the precedent that the series continued - it keeps its promises.
Man great review glad to see that your enjoying the sky arc really goat tier jrpg series right here. All I’ma say is when you jump into third chapter play through the star doors,(beware of the number 15 tho) a lot of lore and foreshadowing into future trails games, nonetheless great review can’t wait to see more!
Liked your review, I am going to have to watch the rest of the rest of them, Im 43 hours into SC
would love to see a skies of arcadia video, great video as always Matty!
As a beginner Trails fan who started with all of the Sky trilogy, played through Cold Steel 1 and most of Cold Steel 2, then went back to play the Geofront versions of the Crossbell arc which are unfortunately not available now, but we do get the official release. I will say, when the big reveal and payoff for Trails in the Sky SC happened, it genuinely felt like I was playing through the end of JRPG Avengers Endgame. The amount of nonsense happening was too much. I could not believe the twists and turns, the politics of everything, the secret society nonsense. It was incredibly wild.
The Trails series, for me, rivals One Piece in sheer world building and depth. It is basically the One Piece of JRPGs.
I finished trials in the sky 1st chapter today 😁
Now go and play Trails in the sky 3rd. Trust me, it gives even more development, and It made Kevin one of my favorite characters in trails. Trust me, Play it before The Crossbell games and CS3 AND CS4.
whwre can i play 3?
@@paanazmi8062 Sky the 3rd? On pc. Just play FC AND SC Before the 3rd.
Sc, the one of the best jrpg well well written ever.
And the osts is so so so Masterpiece
I’ve been a long time fan of the JRPG genre however I’ve been wondering if a lot of my enjoyment of it had been down to nostalgia or not as many games around 2015 had not been very gripping to me. I played sky 1 and 2 maybe 5 years ago and fell in love with them wholly and utterly, to the extent that in order to not have to wait for localizations i learned Japanese for Zero and Azure lol. Of course they’re being released now but I’m glad to see you also had such a positive reaction!
The PC port of these games are surprisingly great for JRPGs, high frame rate, good controls, high res, steady performance. I was very surprised (at least with the GOG version
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There have been floating sky paradises in games and fixing in general line before Trails, though. Heck, the titular city of Ys in Falcom other major franchise was exactly that.
My most valued character of the whole series is Cassius Bright, which you will find often described by multiple titles as exceptional strategist, S rank bracer or Divine Blade
I loved the first two Trails in the Sky games. I'm not sure how to play the rest of them. Wish they'd come to Switch. I'm playing ToCS 2 now but it doesn't grab me like Trails in the Sky. ToCS has taken years because I keep putting it down and getting sidetracked. It has its moments that are fun and exciting then back to long conversations (which normally I like) and I start losing interest again. However, I'm determined to finish it. I found Trails in the Sky more engaging. Thanks for your review!
Loewe is literallly the best character that he literally have 10 remix of his theme
This one is probably my favourite game in the series
I love this whole SERIS I started with trails of cold steel then got into this series trails in the sky I’m currently playing
this series is truely amazing. my favorite game out of the three games in the sky series is the 3rd. i cant wait to hear your thoughts on that game.
My favorite jrpg ! The best duo ever! Best ost :)
Haaaa the joke is on You!
Buffed and level up Tita is the Best character ! Great vídeo by the way!
they need to bring these games to the switch it’ll be amazing.
The ending for this game with the floating city gave me castle in the sky vibes to the very but I real love this game and would recommend the fc first and than this but the ending did gave me castle in the sky vibes
I think you’d like Golden Sun.
As for 3rd it took me a while to get used to as it’s so different but once you do… man it’s a wild journey. And Kevin is even more badass.
Trails is one hell is good game especially Each sequels related to each other and old characters pop up or became main character in other sequel like In Cold of steel 3 and 4
Trails and Persona both take place in repeated areas. It's just that Trails has more games in one place. Furthermore think about how you hear the same tracks everyday in Persona. That's not a bad thing, it slowly becomes familiar, it attaches you to the space, makes it feel like home. When you leave it it legitimately hurts. When the song changes for the last time to something sad, your heart breaks because this town you've walked through a million times isn't just some repetitive game area. It's home. A piece of your virtual heart rests here forever. You can always go back to Iwatodai or Inaba and feel as nostalgic as you would for your home town. It's because they were small, intimate, and you visited spots so many times over and over that the emotional connection to those places, characters, and events is so strong. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love revisiting Liberl, Crossbell, and Erebonia.
I can’t wait for you to get to zero and azure. They are the 2 best in the franchise imo.
Easily
Inevitable struggle.
Now, it's time ''get over the barrier!''
I just commented on when this vid comes out last night. Sweet
Consider using youtube chapters for when you feel like the video is separated into bits, like talking about the gameplay then going into story spoilers. Pretty neat addition from a while back.
"I hope that in the future, Josette will be top tier"
HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ahhhhh, funny man. Funny, funny man
10:31 I swear I heard “Charizard” and was so confused 😂
I've had the trials in the sky series on my backlog for a while now...can't decide whether I want to jump into the first chapter or table Radiant Historia after I finish up my play through of Triangle Strategy
Well since this is on sale on GOG right now I guess I'll have to get this.
Tita went from potato to busted blind spam in SC and became ridiculous. Every character that was bad in FC got insanely buffed in SC.
Josette is top tier in 3rd
For your sepith gain
And oh god does it get dark in 3rd in what Kevin has gone through.
Just finished this game today. I've been dying to hear your thoughts on it but I had to wait until I at least finished it for myself. Hoping to start three soon so I can watch that video next.
Too bad he gave some spoilers for the Cold Steel games 😵💫
I mean I kinda get where people are coming from on Estelle and Joshua's relationship, but the way I see it is, first, they're not real siblings and second, they've only known each other for 4 years at the start of FC. It's not like they've spent their entire lives together. It's kinda implied that Joshua felt this way about her for a while and I think the way Estelle kinda came around to realizing she had feelings for him was very natural. All in all, I love their relationship because it didn't just pop up out of nowhere. You gradually see it develop as you play the game.
Greatest Jrpg franchise to me best story
Man I can’t wait to finally play trails from zero
I’m with you on their relationship Matty 😂
One of my favorite jrpg series of all time next to shin megami and ys