A big thank you to Jace Glover for writing this one for us. Will you be picking this one up? Have you played any of the previous entries? Let us know. Glen
I'll likely buy it later since i already bought and beat it on PS4 and will be getting Cold Steel 4 for PS4 in October as well (since like CS1 and 2 there may be altered scenes based off things you did in the first). I'll likely buy it later so i have a portable option (i feel these games feel better handheld being able to take everywhere or just lay back in bed while playing, my CS1 and 2 copies are both on Vita) but with how recently i played CS3 i don't really want to go back to it for a while (took 2 months to beat) and i've tons of new games coming up that take priority for now. The series itself is my 2nd favorite video game series but also likely my #1 favorite overarching narrative as all games in the Trails series from the Sky 1-3, Zero and Ao, all the Cold Steel games, and the upcoming Hajimari and game after it all take place in the same world within 2 to 5 years of Sky 2's end and features characters from past arcs in the most recent one and the plot for each story directly ties into the following arcs which makes it probably one of, if not the largest overarching story in gaming. What i'm mainly impressed with is that even with all these games there's almost no inconsistencies/contradictions made between each of the games's main stories in the series...hell even the random npcs have stories that are continue into each chapter of the game (i know this cause i looked at every npc dialogue in the game at least 3 to 5 different times per in game day to see if it changed...especially after important story moments or when the time changed from morning to afternoon) and even into later games (Anton and Ricky for example have appeared in multiple games in every arc since Sky 1). So as far as writing goes it's, imo, one of the better series out there (granted the story content itself may not appeal to everyone and the way they make each first game in every sub series or CS3 in the case of CS3 and 4 be basic setup for the next game gives the story a fairly slow start which is generally the biggest barrier for most people as the biggest complaint i mainly see for Sky 1, Zero, CS1, and CS3 is that the game just starts off too slow...while other people may not like it i personally love it as it gives actual setup with reasoning for how events occur almost like a book...but I also love to read and this aspect honestly makes the series my 2nd favorite for the most part because if i'm to be honest i prefer games with action combat more than Trail's Turn Based combat so it's mainly the stories that keeps me invested in the series (with that said Trails combat is currently my favorite turn based combat system)).
One error - Trails games ARE all connected. Events from previous games have impact on the new ones and the characters interact. It is very much NOT the Final Fantasy style of loose connection. While you can start the series with Cold Steel 1 and enjoy it, knowing the previous games helps a lot, as the games do directly refer to previous characters and plot points. Something to keep in mind.
@@GamingMariner generally, you want to start with Trails in the Sky (1, 2, 3) This arc takes place in Liberl, one of the continents in Zemuria. You follow the adventures of Estelle and Joshua and their journey as Bracers (you'll get a rundown of what Bracers are and their importance in the games). The 2nd arc is Trails from Zero and Azure (separate games occurs simultaneously with Trails of Cold Steel 1-2). This arc takes place in the city of Crossbell, an Autonomous state sandwiched between two dominant countries, Calvard and Erebonia. You get to play as Lloyd Bannings, a newly instated Crossbell police detective to solve various crimes and help people while uncovering the underbelly of Crossbell. Many people consider the Crossbell arc to be the best of the best. Now, the 3rd and current arc is Trails of Cold Steel (I, II, III, IV) and this arc takes place in Erebonia. The first game you play as Rean Schwarzer who is going to be attending Thors Military Academy, and as the year goes on, there are underlying geopolitical tensions that become more present as you play the game (this is a theme throughout all the games, is the political intrigue and interwoven plots). Do you need to play all the games? Well, it's recommended, but if you don't have the time and funds, you can always watch a playthrough a better alternative to say reading a summary. The games themselves should be played purely because they are really good games, among the best imo. also, the trails series isn't even done yet. Falcom's president, Toshihiro Kondo has stated we are only 50% through the entire trails universe and that there are more great games to be made in this series. That's pretty crazy. In a way, this series is kinda like the MCU where everything is interwoven and connected in terms of plot.
they cant unfortunately different publisher Cold Steel 3 is NISA and 1 and 2 are XSEED. the publisher has done everything they possibly can to make it so you dont have to spend money on the previous games bc they cant openly say buy these games from this different company
Hey! Quick question, I'm an SMT fan and because of the SMT V news drought I'm all out of JRPGs to play. Do you think that the combat system better than the Press-Turn System or not?
@@AlneCraft far as I know combat is less of a priority in this series. Also there's literally no tutorial in the first game up till the school. Trying to justify playing the series so I'm looking at reviews for this one.
Definitely buying this one day but I have way too many games to play at the moment and have Deadly Premonition 2 and Paper Mario on pre-order. What a time to be alive!
Trails of Cold Steel is my kind of JRPG! I find myself engaged deeply in this world. I love it! I got used to the controls and button. It becomes second nature. My only gripe is certain locations are slow and almost glitches. I also get a random reset because software decides to reset due to network. Ugh! So I just learn to save a bit more which ok. I, too, would have loved to see all titles in the switch - I guess it’s due to license issues. I just finished this game. Cannot wait for CS4 to come out!!
A good review. As someone who has been a fan of the series for a long time most critique points don't bother me. The great story which is a continuation of all previous trails games and filled with references to them makes it amazing for the longstanding fanbase.. Though I can see that it can be harder for newcomers to the series
I agree most of my critiques were minor niggles that really don't affect how much I've enjoyed this game. I really want to go back to previous entries in the series now.
Thanks ! I love this game and the series. About the voices : From what I understoud from devs interviews, the game was originaly designed for Vita and retargeted to PS4 in the middle of development.
I own the: PS3, PSV, PS4, and PC versions of Trails of Cold steel 1. I own the PS3, PSV, and PS4 versions of Trails of Cold Steel 2. I now own the PS4 and Switch versions of Trails of Cold Steel 3. I fucking love this series. Just wish I had more time so I could go back and dive into the other Legend of the Heroes games. Hopefully they all get switch or PS4 english versions sometime soon. I have no idea where I would look to get my hands on the Crossbell games translated.
I am just about to finish “trails from zero”, as being my first encounter with the series. But man, what a brilliant game that was, it had me hooked for almost 50 hours and I’ve enjoyed every second of it! Trails of cold steel 3 will be my next game to play, hope it will be nearly as good as trails from zero🙏🏻
I know many people does not have the time, but I would highly suggest you to start from at least cold steel 1. You will miss out a lot going straight to CS3. Imagine watching a continuous show from season 4 without prior knowledge.
@@nelsonkhumbongmayum6094 it has nothing to do with not having time, but the fact of the matter is that I don’t own a pc or a PS4 and part 1&2 aren’t released on switch. I would love to start with 1 and 2 otherwise. Thanks for your reply🙏🏻
Games like these are really interesting, but I have no time to play a game this long, especially with a big backlog. Maybe one day. Solid review, good work.
I got an hour into this game and was really enjoying it, stopped playing and went and bought the first 2 on GOG on the PC and am now playing through them before continuing on 3.
Steve Bamford they did an official remaster of all three Trails in the Sky games for PC but not PS4? ToCS seems to be taking a back seat to the PC since NIS America became the new publisher
@Hart Cauchy I've played through the trails games first(way back when on the PSP for FC) and I can agree there are alot of stuff in Sky that is done better than Steel(I still prefer Steel over all), but I just cant stand the protag of sky. Ive seen both the character development from CS1 to CS2 compared to FC to SC and still think that. But to each his own opinion.
Unfortunately, I just cancelled my pre-order for this game. I just have way too many games on my backlog and this seems like a time sinker. You also have to be really invested in the series to fully enjoy it. Glad to hear you liked it though! I might pick it up in the future. Thanks for another excellent review!
I was the same. I just have had too many games on order in recent weeks so as much as I think I would like this, one had to give. I’m also a bit wary of the fact I’ve not played the first 2. Also Nisa tend to do sales from time to time, so I’m hoping it’s one of those games I can get on sale from them in a few months time.
If they included the first 2 I would definitely have paid the extra $$ to have them. Luckily I played the first two on the vita and was quite sad when they had no plans to bring the third one to the vita so I gave up on ever playing it. When I heard it was coming to the switch I was so glad! I would appreciate the first two so I could relive the story but I’ll settle for this (for now) and pray that they will make plans to bring the other two to the switch as well.
I heard that the first two games were handled by a different company. The first two games were handled by XSeed/Marvelous. Since NISA has no control over that, it would be up to XSeed/Marvelous to release the first two games on Switch
This game looks awesome, and that battle system seems super interesting! It's just a pity about the audio issues and that 1 & 2 aren't on the Switch. That price is a bit high for me right now (especially with the weird audio which I can tell is going to be annoying), but I'm definitely putting it on my wishlist for when it one day goes on sale. Hopefully in the meantime I can find a Let's Play of #1 and #2 to catch up on the story. Thanks Jace, Mark and Glen for the review!
1 and 2 are also available on multiple other systems including PC, if you have that option. I do wish they came to Switch though! Also, I want to clarify that I don't think the audio thing is a bug, but more an actual intentional design choice. Still very odd though.
@@jglover8 Unfortunately I only have a Switch and a Wii, and my computer is too old to play games. Stardew Valley is about the heaviest thing it can run, and it struggles and overheats even with that ^^; And don't worry, it was clear in the review that the audio was a design choice. I just phrased my comment badly. I know I already find it a bit weird in games when some cutscenes are voiced and others aren't, but I think it would be so much worse when you have voiced lines and text-only dialogue in the same scene. But it's something I can easily tolerate if the rest of the game is good.
@@silla42 you may be surprised with the minimum specks of those games. True, it may still be too much for your PC, but I doubt it. And the first subseries (the Trails in the Sky series) runs in anything build this millennia (being PC games released between 2004 and 2007 helps). So there is no excuse to at least play one game of the series.
@@silla42 Your computer can definitely run CS1 and CS2. those games don't require high specs. On my low spec laptop, I ran most of the whole Trails series on it just fine.
@@gamerprince-tl5hg You’re technically right, but only because my comment was made 2 years ago and I have a new computer now 😂 At the time I had a laptop that was around 15 years old, and I mostly just used the browser at that point because it was struggling to run anything else. Trust me, it would not have worked. In fact it stopped working altogether soon afterwards.
As much as this game interests me I would have preferred the first two were released before it. I am positive I read somewhere that depending on if this game sells well enough the publisher will consider porting the first two game which I feel is counter productive as many people may want to play the games in order to get the full story and experience that way. I will give it a pass for now but only because I don't particularly want to drop in the middle of a game series that has had a continuous story throughout the games.
The first 2(and the previous 3 in the series which is all connected) are still licensed to xSeed which it would be up to them not NIS America to release
No, its for licenses, thats why it will launch trials of cold steel IV even when the third one isnt out, anyways this series needs support, they are great games
Yeah I get that and I also wish they had brought over the first two. It's still possible but as mentioned by others, it's a different license and totally different company.
@@jglover8 I mean...tecnically NISA could do it if they're able to buy the liscense to use the translation from Xseed...and even then if Falcom is owner of the translation and not Xseed (which can happen) then they can just choose to port it regardless. The fact is the same translations Xseed used for CS1 and 2 were also used by NISA when providing the game to PAL regions so it's not like they didn't have that translation at some point either. Also if there's terms that only limit that translation's rights to the Vita, PS3, PS4, and PC and not the Switch then they may be able to due to that as well if Xseed didn't make any provisions regarding other consoles or if there's a time exclusivity thing going on with the rights to the translation.
Understood. Valkyria is Q3 on a 56K modem. See in camera frustrum and everything behind. Astral Chain is a phone game, where you press X to win. I can not understand a story. Jace did more. Legend. I respect you.
This looks a lot like the kind of rpg I was looking for, during corona and no cable/internet I busted out the wii and played Arc Rise Fantasia and low key got obsessed and this is a very similar style
Lol same I googled persona 5 clones because I was curious if there was something else to begin with and yeah I'd say tho the other fans would say otherwise, I say the third game here is the best first impression for any newcomers to see if the series is worth looking into(and this is from a guy playing chronologically from 1 and did love every step of the way) 😂
@@thejonbrownshow8470 I like lore and the series seems really baked in so I went all out lol got a used ps4 and started playing from the beginning although I’ve since gotten distracted with a dang gotcha game I’ve been wanting to wrap up the the first game.
@@qwert5854 like the phrased "bakes in" but guess you have a point with the lore technically being deep lol for someone like myself I wouldn't say it's that big a deal personally lol, plus I'm a sucker for the direction the ending of 1 was going through, and 3 was like a fully realized 1 lol
Only 2 freezes?! I experienced more than 10 times, it happens on chapter 1 at Leeves/Sutherland, Chapter 2 Crossbell and 1 time at Chapter 3 at Raquel, if they don't plan to fix this they might as well add AUTO SAVE feature!!
I will take ADVANTAGE of your thumbnail and just put it out there: Final fanTASTY? :D On a more serious note. Mark, you'll always find some RPG for me... >.< I'll consider this game in the future.
Beat these on my Vita and loved them. Sadly now I can't save transfer to the switch. I realize these are also on PS4 but for me these games just feel better and more at home on a handheld
Yes, games of this size are great for handheld when you can chip away at them whenever you have a break. Hopefully we'll see more of the series brought to Switch.
It's been a month, so I assume you are already aware, but there is no save transfer between ToCS2 and ToCS3 regardless of System, it's only between 1->2 and 3->4.
If you have the ability to purchase any of the first two in the series on a different system, it would be highly advised to do that. However, jumping it at 3 is certainly doable if you're willing to spend a lot of time reading the backstory of the other games.
You can definitely understand the game, put your gun on want to go through some story summaries of the previous 6 games if you really want to get everything out of this
At least check first Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2. Cold Steel 3 is a very sequel game and it is also a sequel for Trails in the Sky 1-2-3 and Trails from Zero to Azure (which take place at the same time of Cold Steel 1&2 and continuous reference can be found to Zero and Azure can be found there and at the same time reference to Cold Steel are dropped in Zero and Azure).
I really wanted to get into this series, but I honestly don't understand why they would rush this one out before releasing the first 2 in the saga at least. I'll just wait.
First, you mean the first 7, right? Second, 5 of those earlier games were published by another company, and they don't seem to have any plans for doing the ports. Third, the other 2 are completely unlicensed outside asia, and unless they are either picked up by NISA or any other company who cares about the switch, they won't be ported. Maybe the fact that you can play basically everything licensed in the west on PC makes the porting a little unnecessary for those who don't give a crap about portability.
I am a huge fan of JRPGs and tactical RPGs. Love Final Fantasy, Otcopath, Fire Emblem etc. However, I could not get into Trails of Cold steel. I dropped it after ~ 5 hr or so. Does the game pick up after that? I just found the combat to be quite repetitive and a touch too simple.
I got all the way to the end of the 1st game, I couldn't take it anymore. Complete boredom. Didn't like any of the trails games so far, and I love jrpgs. These don't do it for me at all.
I haven't played the 1st & 2nd. I have a massive backlog so, I won't grab this one but, I appreciate the review. Keep it SwitchUp guys! Congrats on the subs!!!!
Thank you for another awesome review! I'm still waiting for your review on Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition. I wish you can provide handheld footage as well.
The first 2 games are on the switch, but they only have jp/kr/zh translations. There is a fan made english patch for both of them, but you will either need a softmodded switch or emulator to use it.
I took a risk with god-eater 3 last time on a personally unknown jrpg and was pleasantly surprised by what I got. This looks like it could prove similar. I know we get a lot of sequels without the beginnings but it's good to see developers and publishers try to put something worthwhile on the system even if it doesn't have the beginning titles.
So, one caveat about this port. That many reviews don’t mention. And I cannot blame them. (Honestly not easily noticed at all unless you’re doing side by side comparisons.) Is the fact that the geometry is drastically paired back for performance. The huge difference that I cannot unsee is that the school in its original build is surrounded by a forest with tons of trees. In the Switch port, most, if not all of the trees are gone. Turning it from a wooded area to an area with a bunch of rolling hills instead. They do strategically place a few trees in some needed spots. But that’s it. This of course is a completely understandable compromise to get the game to run better. But it definitely gives the game a different feel to those who notice.
I’m not sure who this is for... given it’s Part 3 of a continuous series. It doesn’t make much sense to me to just throw this one on Switch without those earlier installments. Is there a big cross over of previous Vita owners who care enough to continue the story but didn’t get a PS4? And can still remember those earlier ones...
The problem as others have mentioned is that the first two games in the series are licensed to Xseed, not NIS America. So there wasn't much choice. It is definitely a tougher sell jumping into a series like this without having the other games to play as well, but it can certainly still be enjoyed without them as I have proven. Hopefully there will be some success for this and the 4th coming out next year and then Xseed will see the value in bringing over the first two. I know I'd still go back to play the first two even though I've started midway through the series.
Regarding your criticism about the voice acting. It's not a glitch. But you gotta understand that this game has the most dialogue out of all video games available. It's even more than the LotR total word count. So voice acting only appear in important parts and most of the nonessential stuff.
I never said it was a glitch, I fully understand it's a design choice. However, it's jarring when only one character out of a conversation has voice acting. I don't mind choosing specific scenes to highlight with voices, but in those scenes I'd much prefer every character to speak.
@@jglover8 I know, but I live in South America and international shipping prices are affected by covid here, so it's either get it digital, pay 2-3x the amount for the physical, or wait a few months to get it.
The series has the best story I've ever played. The attention to detail is beyond anything I've ever seen. Every townsperson even lies out their own little lives as the story progresses, which the player will never know unless they keep talking to them.
Yep, the story here is great. Even though I had to start on 3 for the review, I'm going to be looking at picking up 1 and 2 and going back to them on the PS4.
It's not a necessity (at least not yet, the sequel is the one where it's a must), but it's highly recommend. Still that depends mostly on your stance at jumping into an already ongoing storyline. And by that, I mean the whole Trails series story, not just the Cold Steel one.
I always say that Cold Steel 3 is like the Avengers Infinity War of the series you can enjoy it but not as much as someone who has seen the other movies Trails Is very similar. Here is a video on why most fans recommend playing the series in release order: th-cam.com/video/OkSIxrYmnBI/w-d-xo.html
Generally speaking yes, I mean alot of people will say start from 1 and 2, I say 3 is probably the best starting point in terms of qaulity of life stuff. The lore of these games are generally as deep as you want to look into it(fans often try to force newcomers to absorb everything and start from the sky games, to me that really goes against the "chill" factor these games are generally great at) The combat is good and relatively easy to learn (I only played Mario and Luigi games as far as jrpgs go. Before persona 5 about a year ago, but generally I still say I'm not a jrpg guy xD) If you're worried about following the lore from 3 onwards, just think of cs 1 and 2 as the MC's teenage years, and 3 and 4 are his adult years. If it wasn't for the pandemic, I'd probably just skip to 3 myself (coming from a adult perspective xD)
I feel wierd seeing people not analyzing a monster before killing it... maybe thats just me... (nice review i have no idea why that distracted me so much^^)
I'm speechless with Cold Steel 3. I finished it last night and must say this is the best entertainment experience I've had in my entire live, from a narrative and its execution perspective. This game is a masterpiece and I'll definetlt buy the PS5 update when it's released because there's so much going on at the same time during the ending, that inevitably there are some small loading times with every scene jump, so it would be great to experience this ending without any loading time. Once I ended Cold Steel 3 I felt the need to start Cold Steel 4 inmediately in order to see what came next, and I managed to play the entire prologue of it and what I saw is amazing... I mean, WOOOOW... the masterminds at Nihon Falcom are genious! Every person that enjoys reading a great story, discover new complex fantasy worlds and get to know and care for great characters, must play this games... they're the best there is in the entire enrertainmet industry (books, movies, series, etc)... but in order to better understand and enjoy Cold Steel 3 and 4, it's necesary to play the prevous 2 archs of the franchise (Liberl and Crossbell)... but don't worry about it, because even if those games are RPG classics, they're still amazing masterpieces that will surprise you... for instance, up until last night, Trails In the Sky SC was my favorite game of all time, and that's the second game of the entire franchise, surpassing games such as The Witcher 3 GOTY edition (which I love), Persona 5 Royal, etc... I can't imagine what Trails in The Sky SC would be like with a Remake of the level of Cold Steel 3&4, while preserving its escense intact (I have to say this because of what SQUARE did with its bastard child named FFVII Remake, which is disgraceful). Cold Steel 3 is a freaking masterpiece! And yiu shoukd play it with the voices in Japanese to experience the origibal concept of its ceeators because the english dubbing is missed completely the spirit of the characters and delivers something different from tve original idea. Thabk you, Nihon Falcom.
The rights for the first two games belong to Xseed, not Falcom. Unfortunate, but maybe we'll see Xseed bring them over. The good news is the fourth Cold Steel is coming next year for sure.
That's like having 25% off the fun. I'd go even further and say you'll be having 50% of fun if you start at TOCS without playing Sky Trilogy and Crossbell duology.
@@jacobrichards2334 "that's what he has done" doesn't mean it's the way. It's a rpg, following this one guy through three games. It's like watching the third harry potter without the others
As Mark said, it's what I've done and is certainly possible to still enjoy as long as you don't mind reading a ton of backstory to get mostly caught up. However, as others have mentioned, if you have the ability to go back to at least the first two on a different system, then that is strongly suggested before playing this one.
I hope so ! I ordered the The Switch $99 one from NISA and gave them my card for it. Then they sent me a email that their having trouble with it. I checked my card there is more then enough room for the game. But, NISA havesn't got back to me. So I don't know if I'll get the game !
My list of west release trails game I played 1. Cs3(only cuz of the buildup and character relationship with each other change over the coarse of the games 2.cs2 3.sky3 Cs1 4 sky 2 5.sky 1
I really want to try this series but keep being told you need to also play the older trails in the sky games, two of which weren't localised. Feel like they have really missed a beat not porting atleast the other cold steel games to switch. Unless they think this is one for Vita owners who have moved to Nintendo.
You certainly will get a lot more of the references and things having played the older games, but as long as you're willing to read the backstory stuff included here, you won't be totally lost. It's certainly playable jumping in from this point, just not preferable.
You don't need to play them, but you do get a lot out of knowing the story and the contacts that is given by the previous 2 series. You can definitely understand the story without the back story of the previous 7 games but you will get more out of it if you know it
It is a lot easier and cheaper to watch movies. Unfortunately we don't all have that option. I'm not about to purchase another console just to play the previous, but these games seem great so I'm starting with cold steel 3.
@@jordynrose9239 at least try to watch another person's playthrough of previous games if you have the time! What makes Trails series amazing is their interconnected, big yet very detailed world-building, so knowing what happened in previous games will give you more satisfaction and enrich your experience. Also, many people acknowledge the fact that the previous arc, especially Liberl arc (the Trails in the Sky trilogy) has the best plot and character development. So... Give it a try! 😁
More like watching the 5th season of a TV show or reading the 8th entry into an epic fantasy novel. Infinity war doesn't compare to this at all as the marvel stuff hardly has a plot.
@@jordynrose9239 If you really can't play the games or watch full playthroughs then at least watch LadyVirgillias summary videos of the 2nd game and beyond and Oni Black Mages one of the first. Sky FC summary - th-cam.com/video/0n7VjgvTE-I/w-d-xo.html Sky SC summary part 1 / Lady Virgillia - th-cam.com/video/GLZv49qMrok/w-d-xo.html
honestly if you do not like a lot of talking, this entire series isn't for you, it is 70% story/sidestory and 30% gameplay it is my personal favorite series since it manages to keep the pace fast even with that much text going on, along with giving every NPC a story outside of what you do around them since it fills my niche of extreme world building, but i understand it isn't for everyone
@@kickerbs yes, exactly what you said. This is not a series for those looking for more gameplay, less story. The world building here is genuinely incredible how deep it is.
2:45 Funny you say that.I am known as the only guy who HATES story's in video games beacose they reep away you're freedom.But i have a saying:It can be reedimd if the gameplay is ridiculosly amazing and this one does reedem itself.
Okay so i just downloaded the demo,read characters backstoryis and passed it multiple times on normal.Reading those backstoryis i have realiased that this has a lot of similarity to Naruto. Rean:Naruto.Think about it both have a monster within them that they are destined to control(Rean the ashen knight,Naruto The nine tailed demon fox)furthermore they both secretly have a father who gave them up who was a leader of their respective countries(Reans father Chancellor Gilliath Osborn and Naruto's father Minato Namikaze the Fourth Hokage) Crow:The emo edge lord who attacked the 5 kage summit.This is the most steeched out one but yea both served as rivals to the main character being villans even for some period of time(Crow more so). Rufus and Best girl:Jesus Itachi All three were secretly operating for the good side while seemingly acting as powerfull foes.Alll three furthermore did something very usefull to the good side(Rufus and Altina arresting Duke Cayenne and Itachi defeating Kabuto in the war arc) Sakura:Juna Now yes this is cheating since she is from a new generation but the similaritys:Pink hair,both rely in hand to hand combat,the main female character and similar personalitys minus the stupid crush on Sasuke. Ash:Bakugo.Yes he is not even from Naruto,but i had to.Both have similar appirence in blond short hair and muscilar psusic and they are both overconfident and came off as assholes sometimes. Sara:Kakashi obviously even thoghe they don't share much incomon they are both the assigned teachers of the protagonist and his friends and do come of as badasses also Saras bear thing is preety similar to Kakashis Jiraya sex book thing. Duke Cayyen:Uchiha Madara Both are the main villian(yes Kaguya is a thing but nobody likkes that)and the only ones standing on the evil side by the end.They were both about reviving an anchient evil which brings me too. Infernal Castle:Infinite TsukuyomiBoth evil phenomenons coming from the past which are the end goal of the villians from they're respective francises. Sorry for bad english. Just realised Rufus is the older bro of someone from the main cast making my 3rd statemant actually credible.
I have played the 1st 2 games in the franchise and absolutely loved them! This is the game I was looking forward to the most this year besides The Last of Us Part 2(An amazing game. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.) I am so excited to play this!
i liked how you make your review very professional but i can't agree with the OST XD final fantasy OST doesn't stand a chance when it comes to falcom OST and some themes in cold steel games 3 were brought from older trails games dipending on the character to make the mood even better meeting someone you already know and hearing his song plays was a great experience AND remember this is just my openion lol no harm in sharing it but as a said the review seemed professional keep up the good work bro
Thanks! For me it is very close, but I still hold a few of the FF games higher than this one for the OST. Having not played any other games in this series yet, I guess I missed on that mood setting for certain characters, but that does sound like a unique and cool design decision.
The "Netflix and chill" vibe (emphasis on chill) the game gives lol like this is the perfect "relaxation" game that has just enough action that it isn't boring lol plus the steam and digital sales really help
Oh. Yeah this battle system is not unique but it had stood against the tide of time. Definitely a good game. My own opinion is that I am quite unsure to play this. Though I like story driven game, I have long been past turn-based battles. I like open world battles and being able to do real-time battle strategies. That is why I love games like Bayonetta 2 and DMC.
I know this is 2 years old comment but I think you'll like the Ys series then, it's from the same company that did trails and it's real time and not turn based and unlike trails every game in the ys series is standalone so you can start with any title, If you don't know where to start, many fans reccomend ys 8 to be the best starting point aside from the chrono order
A big thank you to Jace Glover for writing this one for us. Will you be picking this one up? Have you played any of the previous entries? Let us know. Glen
i played the first game and started the second ... poor compared to trails in the sky
I'll likely buy it later since i already bought and beat it on PS4 and will be getting Cold Steel 4 for PS4 in October as well (since like CS1 and 2 there may be altered scenes based off things you did in the first). I'll likely buy it later so i have a portable option (i feel these games feel better handheld being able to take everywhere or just lay back in bed while playing, my CS1 and 2 copies are both on Vita) but with how recently i played CS3 i don't really want to go back to it for a while (took 2 months to beat) and i've tons of new games coming up that take priority for now.
The series itself is my 2nd favorite video game series but also likely my #1 favorite overarching narrative as all games in the Trails series from the Sky 1-3, Zero and Ao, all the Cold Steel games, and the upcoming Hajimari and game after it all take place in the same world within 2 to 5 years of Sky 2's end and features characters from past arcs in the most recent one and the plot for each story directly ties into the following arcs which makes it probably one of, if not the largest overarching story in gaming. What i'm mainly impressed with is that even with all these games there's almost no inconsistencies/contradictions made between each of the games's main stories in the series...hell even the random npcs have stories that are continue into each chapter of the game (i know this cause i looked at every npc dialogue in the game at least 3 to 5 different times per in game day to see if it changed...especially after important story moments or when the time changed from morning to afternoon) and even into later games (Anton and Ricky for example have appeared in multiple games in every arc since Sky 1). So as far as writing goes it's, imo, one of the better series out there (granted the story content itself may not appeal to everyone and the way they make each first game in every sub series or CS3 in the case of CS3 and 4 be basic setup for the next game gives the story a fairly slow start which is generally the biggest barrier for most people as the biggest complaint i mainly see for Sky 1, Zero, CS1, and CS3 is that the game just starts off too slow...while other people may not like it i personally love it as it gives actual setup with reasoning for how events occur almost like a book...but I also love to read and this aspect honestly makes the series my 2nd favorite for the most part because if i'm to be honest i prefer games with action combat more than Trail's Turn Based combat so it's mainly the stories that keeps me invested in the series (with that said Trails combat is currently my favorite turn based combat system)).
It cannot be expressed enough how refreshing you as a reviewer are. Don't ever change.
That’s very cool thanks and I was just voicing this one and adding the odd bit so it’s appreciated! Mark
Absolutely - something that is so easy to do badly is really noticeable when dome well.
I like dude, just wondering what you think is refreshing tho. Not talking shit, literally just wondering.
Agreed!
One error - Trails games ARE all connected. Events from previous games have impact on the new ones and the characters interact. It is very much NOT the Final Fantasy style of loose connection. While you can start the series with Cold Steel 1 and enjoy it, knowing the previous games helps a lot, as the games do directly refer to previous characters and plot points. Something to keep in mind.
Thanks for the clarification!
Which order should they be played in, and what are the names of each in order? Tx
@@GamingMariner generally, you want to start with Trails in the Sky (1, 2, 3) This arc takes place in Liberl, one of the continents in Zemuria. You follow the adventures of Estelle and Joshua and their journey as Bracers (you'll get a rundown of what Bracers are and their importance in the games).
The 2nd arc is Trails from Zero and Azure (separate games occurs simultaneously with Trails of Cold Steel 1-2). This arc takes place in the city of Crossbell, an Autonomous state sandwiched between two dominant countries, Calvard and Erebonia. You get to play as Lloyd Bannings, a newly instated Crossbell police detective to solve various crimes and help people while uncovering the underbelly of Crossbell. Many people consider the Crossbell arc to be the best of the best.
Now, the 3rd and current arc is Trails of Cold Steel (I, II, III, IV) and this arc takes place in Erebonia. The first game you play as Rean Schwarzer who is going to be attending Thors Military Academy, and as the year goes on, there are underlying geopolitical tensions that become more present as you play the game (this is a theme throughout all the games, is the political intrigue and interwoven plots).
Do you need to play all the games? Well, it's recommended, but if you don't have the time and funds, you can always watch a playthrough a better alternative to say reading a summary. The games themselves should be played purely because they are really good games, among the best imo.
also, the trails series isn't even done yet. Falcom's president, Toshihiro Kondo has stated we are only 50% through the entire trails universe and that there are more great games to be made in this series. That's pretty crazy. In a way, this series is kinda like the MCU where everything is interwoven and connected in terms of plot.
This needs more likes
They meant that Legend of Heroes games aren't all connected, which is true. but yeah all the Trails games are.
If they had included Cold Steel 1 and 2, the players would love this so much more.
Those games are on 4 platforms. There's ample methods to playing them.
Apparently even starting from there doesn't give the full grasp. Legend of heroes 1 is where some say to start
they cant unfortunately different publisher Cold Steel 3 is NISA and 1 and 2 are XSEED. the publisher has done everything they possibly can to make it so you dont have to spend money on the previous games bc they cant openly say buy these games from this different company
I think you need also the previous trails games since there are a lot of callbacks from previous trails games.
@Omari A the thing is, the first 2 were handled by Xceed. NISA doesn't have any control over that. It would be up to Xceed to port those.
To correct one error the Trails games are ALL CONNECTED. This is one continuous story. This is the eighth game in a single continuous story
This game has the best turn-based battle system I've ever seen
It’s very very good! Mark
It's phenomenal!
I'm old school. I prefer the classic four options. "Fight" "Magic/Spells" "Items" "Run/Flee".
Hey! Quick question, I'm an SMT fan and because of the SMT V news drought I'm all out of JRPGs to play. Do you think that the combat system better than the Press-Turn System or not?
@@AlneCraft far as I know combat is less of a priority in this series. Also there's literally no tutorial in the first game up till the school. Trying to justify playing the series so I'm looking at reviews for this one.
Definitely buying this one day but I have way too many games to play at the moment and have Deadly Premonition 2 and Paper Mario on pre-order. What a time to be alive!
I was happy to hear Trails Of Cold Steel 4 will be coming for Switch next year.
but when? we still are stuck with 3 sadly :/
Trails of Cold Steel is my kind of JRPG! I find myself engaged deeply in this world. I love it! I got used to the controls and button. It becomes second nature. My only gripe is certain locations are slow and almost glitches. I also get a random reset because software decides to reset due to network. Ugh! So I just learn to save a bit more which ok. I, too, would have loved to see all titles in the switch - I guess it’s due to license issues. I just finished this game. Cannot wait for CS4 to come out!!
Right now part 1 and 2 are on sale on Steam, so its a great chance to play those two before CS3
A good review. As someone who has been a fan of the series for a long time most critique points don't bother me. The great story which is a continuation of all previous trails games and filled with references to them makes it amazing for the longstanding fanbase.. Though I can see that it can be harder for newcomers to the series
I agree most of my critiques were minor niggles that really don't affect how much I've enjoyed this game. I really want to go back to previous entries in the series now.
Thanks ! I love this game and the series. About the voices : From what I understoud from devs interviews, the game was originaly designed for Vita and retargeted to PS4 in the middle of development.
I never knew that
I own the: PS3, PSV, PS4, and PC versions of Trails of Cold steel 1.
I own the PS3, PSV, and PS4 versions of Trails of Cold Steel 2.
I now own the PS4 and Switch versions of Trails of Cold Steel 3.
I fucking love this series.
Just wish I had more time so I could go back and dive into the other Legend of the Heroes games. Hopefully they all get switch or PS4 english versions sometime soon. I have no idea where I would look to get my hands on the Crossbell games translated.
That's some awesome dedication!
You can play them on pc. Btw, Trails to Azure is awesome, only behind CS4 imo
I am just about to finish “trails from zero”, as being my first encounter with the series. But man, what a brilliant game that was, it had me hooked for almost 50 hours and I’ve enjoyed every second of it! Trails of cold steel 3 will be my next game to play, hope it will be nearly as good as trails from zero🙏🏻
I know many people does not have the time, but I would highly suggest you to start from at least cold steel 1. You will miss out a lot going straight to CS3. Imagine watching a continuous show from season 4 without prior knowledge.
@@nelsonkhumbongmayum6094 it has nothing to do with not having time, but the fact of the matter is that I don’t own a pc or a PS4 and part 1&2 aren’t released on switch. I would love to start with 1 and 2 otherwise. Thanks for your reply🙏🏻
Games like these are really interesting, but I have no time to play a game this long, especially with a big backlog. Maybe one day. Solid review, good work.
@@jglover8 I have had Skyrim in my backlog since October, lol. I am currently working through The Witcher. To many great games, so little time.
I know your pain 😫😫😫😫
Thank you for giving this series the love it deserves. :) Great researching and video, really impressed.
Thank you! It is a great game and I really want to go back and play more of the previous titles now!
Enjoyed cold steel on vita, was awesome fun. Thanks for awesome review also
it's good to know that you are a man of culture with your respect for fishing minigames
Thank you Jace, Mark and Glen.
Normal with love beyond.
Thank YOU!
I got an hour into this game and was really enjoying it, stopped playing and went and bought the first 2 on GOG on the PC and am now playing through them before continuing on 3.
I swear everytime I see your videos.....Perfection.
Thanks! Mark and Glen definitely did a great job editing/narrating as always!
Could anyone tell me if the dlc costumes are included on the switch version? There are costumes listed for sale on Psn but cant find any on Eshop
we need exeed to release the remastered trails on the sky series on the switch .. i played them on pc .. amazing games way better than cold steel
I would get those in a heartbeat if they are truly better than Cold Steel, as I'm thoroughly addicted to this one.
@@jglover8 they are mate .. they are done on the more traditional jrpg style ... Like breath of fire three but with updated graphics
Steve Bamford they did an official remaster of all three Trails in the Sky games for PC but not PS4? ToCS seems to be taking a back seat to the PC since NIS America became the new publisher
@Hart Cauchy I've played through the trails games first(way back when on the PSP for FC) and I can agree there are alot of stuff in Sky that is done better than Steel(I still prefer Steel over all), but I just cant stand the protag of sky. Ive seen both the character development from CS1 to CS2 compared to FC to SC and still think that. But to each his own opinion.
Unfortunately, I just cancelled my pre-order for this game. I just have way too many games on my backlog and this seems like a time sinker. You also have to be really invested in the series to fully enjoy it. Glad to hear you liked it though! I might pick it up in the future. Thanks for another excellent review!
It's definitely a meaty game. Well over 100 hours...
Yeah it’s a big beastie! Mark
I was the same. I just have had too many games on order in recent weeks so as much as I think I would like this, one had to give. I’m also a bit wary of the fact I’ve not played the first 2. Also Nisa tend to do sales from time to time, so I’m hoping it’s one of those games I can get on sale from them in a few months time.
@@glenjarvis9448 Yeah, hopefully by the time it goes on sale we have finished our backlogs. 😂
@@theunboxingshow5461 haha I doubt it
Having played the 2 previous titles on PS3 this is a must buy for me
As soon as I find a physical copy that is
I saw them for sale on the big game sites (Best Buy, Amazon, GameStop) plus there's a bigger collector's edition available on NIS America's website.
@@jglover8 99€ is too rich for me
I'll stick with the normal version
Thanks for the tip though mate
If they included the first 2 I would definitely have paid the extra $$ to have them. Luckily I played the first two on the vita and was quite sad when they had no plans to bring the third one to the vita so I gave up on ever playing it. When I heard it was coming to the switch I was so glad! I would appreciate the first two so I could relive the story but I’ll settle for this (for now) and pray that they will make plans to bring the other two to the switch as well.
I heard that the first two games were handled by a different company. The first two games were handled by XSeed/Marvelous. Since NISA has no control over that, it would be up to XSeed/Marvelous to release the first two games on Switch
plus 1 and 2 were PS3 + Vita games. Starting with 3 they're developed for PS4, theres no way they would'e made a vita version.
Just get them on ps4 lol
4 will be coming next year to Switch.
This turned up in the post the other day. Forgot I pre-ordered it. I'm still playing Trails in the Sky SC, LOL.
It doesn't run that smooth unfortunately but it is a PS4 game
This game looks awesome, and that battle system seems super interesting! It's just a pity about the audio issues and that 1 & 2 aren't on the Switch. That price is a bit high for me right now (especially with the weird audio which I can tell is going to be annoying), but I'm definitely putting it on my wishlist for when it one day goes on sale. Hopefully in the meantime I can find a Let's Play of #1 and #2 to catch up on the story. Thanks Jace, Mark and Glen for the review!
1 and 2 are also available on multiple other systems including PC, if you have that option. I do wish they came to Switch though! Also, I want to clarify that I don't think the audio thing is a bug, but more an actual intentional design choice. Still very odd though.
@@jglover8 Unfortunately I only have a Switch and a Wii, and my computer is too old to play games. Stardew Valley is about the heaviest thing it can run, and it struggles and overheats even with that ^^; And don't worry, it was clear in the review that the audio was a design choice. I just phrased my comment badly. I know I already find it a bit weird in games when some cutscenes are voiced and others aren't, but I think it would be so much worse when you have voiced lines and text-only dialogue in the same scene. But it's something I can easily tolerate if the rest of the game is good.
@@silla42 you may be surprised with the minimum specks of those games. True, it may still be too much for your PC, but I doubt it.
And the first subseries (the Trails in the Sky series) runs in anything build this millennia (being PC games released between 2004 and 2007 helps).
So there is no excuse to at least play one game of the series.
@@silla42 Your computer can definitely run CS1 and CS2. those games don't require high specs. On my low spec laptop, I ran most of the whole Trails series on it just fine.
@@gamerprince-tl5hg You’re technically right, but only because my comment was made 2 years ago and I have a new computer now 😂 At the time I had a laptop that was around 15 years old, and I mostly just used the browser at that point because it was struggling to run anything else. Trust me, it would not have worked. In fact it stopped working altogether soon afterwards.
As much as this game interests me I would have preferred the first two were released before it. I am positive I read somewhere that depending on if this game sells well enough the publisher will consider porting the first two game which I feel is counter productive as many people may want to play the games in order to get the full story and experience that way. I will give it a pass for now but only because I don't particularly want to drop in the middle of a game series that has had a continuous story throughout the games.
The first 2(and the previous 3 in the series which is all connected) are still licensed to xSeed which it would be up to them not NIS America to release
No, its for licenses, thats why it will launch trials of cold steel IV even when the third one isnt out, anyways this series needs support, they are great games
Yeah I get that and I also wish they had brought over the first two. It's still possible but as mentioned by others, it's a different license and totally different company.
@@jglover8 I mean...tecnically NISA could do it if they're able to buy the liscense to use the translation from Xseed...and even then if Falcom is owner of the translation and not Xseed (which can happen) then they can just choose to port it regardless. The fact is the same translations Xseed used for CS1 and 2 were also used by NISA when providing the game to PAL regions so it's not like they didn't have that translation at some point either. Also if there's terms that only limit that translation's rights to the Vita, PS3, PS4, and PC and not the Switch then they may be able to due to that as well if Xseed didn't make any provisions regarding other consoles or if there's a time exclusivity thing going on with the rights to the translation.
CS 1 & 2 is on ps4 tho
Understood.
Valkyria is Q3 on a 56K modem. See in camera frustrum and everything behind.
Astral Chain is a phone game, where you press X to win.
I can not understand a story.
Jace did more.
Legend. I respect you.
This looks a lot like the kind of rpg I was looking for, during corona and no cable/internet I busted out the wii and played Arc Rise Fantasia and low key got obsessed and this is a very similar style
Lol same I googled persona 5 clones because I was curious if there was something else to begin with and yeah I'd say tho the other fans would say otherwise, I say the third game here is the best first impression for any newcomers to see if the series is worth looking into(and this is from a guy playing chronologically from 1 and did love every step of the way) 😂
@@thejonbrownshow8470 I like lore and the series seems really baked in so I went all out lol got a used ps4 and started playing from the beginning although I’ve since gotten distracted with a dang gotcha game I’ve been wanting to wrap up the the first game.
@@qwert5854 like the phrased "bakes in" but guess you have a point with the lore technically being deep lol for someone like myself I wouldn't say it's that big a deal personally lol, plus I'm a sucker for the direction the ending of 1 was going through, and 3 was like a fully realized 1 lol
Only 2 freezes?! I experienced more than 10 times, it happens on chapter 1 at Leeves/Sutherland, Chapter 2 Crossbell and 1 time at Chapter 3 at Raquel, if they don't plan to fix this they might as well add AUTO SAVE feature!!
I've been reading this as TRIALS of Cold Steel for weeks now :p
Definitely want this but my JRPG backlog is hundreds of hours at this point.
Mine too! My Switch catalog alone includes FF7-9, Witcher, Octopath Traveler, and I'm sure others I'm forgetting about...
It's worth it! Once you pick this series up, everything else will go to the backburner for you.
I will take ADVANTAGE of your thumbnail and just put it out there: Final fanTASTY? :D
On a more serious note. Mark, you'll always find some RPG for me... >.< I'll consider this game in the future.
Beat these on my Vita and loved them. Sadly now I can't save transfer to the switch. I realize these are also on PS4 but for me these games just feel better and more at home on a handheld
Yes, games of this size are great for handheld when you can chip away at them whenever you have a break. Hopefully we'll see more of the series brought to Switch.
It's been a month, so I assume you are already aware, but there is no save transfer between ToCS2 and ToCS3 regardless of System, it's only between 1->2 and 3->4.
Bought it instantly. Thank you!
Awesome!
would be great if the first two got released on switch as well on one cart
Just finished up The Outer Worlds so this is perfect timing for me. This will be my first time playing this series so I’m excited to jump in.
Yeah it certainly has a lot to offer! Mark
TOCS 3 is really a bad point to jump in. Atleast jump in at TOCS 1 even if you haven't played Sky or Crossbell
If you have the ability to purchase any of the first two in the series on a different system, it would be highly advised to do that. However, jumping it at 3 is certainly doable if you're willing to spend a lot of time reading the backstory of the other games.
You can definitely understand the game, put your gun on want to go through some story summaries of the previous 6 games if you really want to get everything out of this
At least check first Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2. Cold Steel 3 is a very sequel game and it is also a sequel for Trails in the Sky 1-2-3 and Trails from Zero to Azure (which take place at the same time of Cold Steel 1&2 and continuous reference can be found to Zero and Azure can be found there and at the same time reference to Cold Steel are dropped in Zero and Azure).
I really wanted to get into this series, but I honestly don't understand why they would rush this one out before releasing the first 2 in the saga at least. I'll just wait.
Andrew Cannon not happening for a while
For the people who previously played 1 and 2 maybe? Imagine having to wait another year because they have to port those again to a new system
First, you mean the first 7, right?
Second, 5 of those earlier games were published by another company, and they don't seem to have any plans for doing the ports.
Third, the other 2 are completely unlicensed outside asia, and unless they are either picked up by NISA or any other company who cares about the switch, they won't be ported.
Maybe the fact that you can play basically everything licensed in the west on PC makes the porting a little unnecessary for those who don't give a crap about portability.
I am a huge fan of JRPGs and tactical RPGs. Love Final Fantasy, Otcopath, Fire Emblem etc. However, I could not get into Trails of Cold steel. I dropped it after ~ 5 hr or so. Does the game pick up after that? I just found the combat to be quite repetitive and a touch too simple.
I got all the way to the end of the 1st game, I couldn't take it anymore. Complete boredom. Didn't like any of the trails games so far, and I love jrpgs. These don't do it for me at all.
How are the weapons and item customization in this game? Also, Is there any sort of “melding” or combining items?
I haven't played the 1st & 2nd. I have a massive backlog so, I won't grab this one but, I appreciate the review. Keep it SwitchUp guys! Congrats on the subs!!!!
Cheers Jarrod - yeah the backlog is real! Mark
Cool looking game but man I just don’t have the time for long games anymore I’ll take a year to finish it. Been playing Witcher 3 for about that long
Are you guys gonna review the 4th installment as well?
Thank you for another awesome review! I'm still waiting for your review on Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition. I wish you can provide handheld footage as well.
Thanks for watching!
The first 2 games are on the switch, but they only have jp/kr/zh translations. There is a fan made english patch for both of them, but you will either need a softmodded switch or emulator to use it.
Switchup puts out a new video
Me:click as fast as I can
Anyway I am not a fan of final fantasy,but it looks good
I took a risk with god-eater 3 last time on a personally unknown jrpg and was pleasantly surprised by what I got. This looks like it could prove similar. I know we get a lot of sequels without the beginnings but it's good to see developers and publishers try to put something worthwhile on the system even if it doesn't have the beginning titles.
Agreed!
I've slept on this series...time to wake myself up!
I'm disappointed in you
So, one caveat about this port. That many reviews don’t mention. And I cannot blame them. (Honestly not easily noticed at all unless you’re doing side by side comparisons.) Is the fact that the geometry is drastically paired back for performance. The huge difference that I cannot unsee is that the school in its original build is surrounded by a forest with tons of trees. In the Switch port, most, if not all of the trees are gone. Turning it from a wooded area to an area with a bunch of rolling hills instead. They do strategically place a few trees in some needed spots. But that’s it. This of course is a completely understandable compromise to get the game to run better. But it definitely gives the game a different feel to those who notice.
I’m not sure who this is for... given it’s Part 3 of a continuous series. It doesn’t make much sense to me to just throw this one on Switch without those earlier installments. Is there a big cross over of previous Vita owners who care enough to continue the story but didn’t get a PS4? And can still remember those earlier ones...
The problem as others have mentioned is that the first two games in the series are licensed to Xseed, not NIS America. So there wasn't much choice. It is definitely a tougher sell jumping into a series like this without having the other games to play as well, but it can certainly still be enjoyed without them as I have proven. Hopefully there will be some success for this and the 4th coming out next year and then Xseed will see the value in bringing over the first two. I know I'd still go back to play the first two even though I've started midway through the series.
I played on Vita and will continue on Switch. I have access to other platforms, but prefer these types of games on handheld.
It is technically part 8…
Great review!
Thank you!
Regarding your criticism about the voice acting. It's not a glitch. But you gotta understand that this game has the most dialogue out of all video games available. It's even more than the LotR total word count. So voice acting only appear in important parts and most of the nonessential stuff.
I never said it was a glitch, I fully understand it's a design choice. However, it's jarring when only one character out of a conversation has voice acting. I don't mind choosing specific scenes to highlight with voices, but in those scenes I'd much prefer every character to speak.
Have had this one preordered for a while now. Can’t wait for another JRPG since I just finished Xenoblade DE.
I think you'll enjoy this one! Although prepare to read a LOT of backstory before diving in if you're new to the series.
I'm torn :( I want it but only if I can get it physical
There is a physical
There is a physical, and I'd actually suggest that over digital anyways because it's the same price but comes with way more goodies.
@@jglover8 I know, but I live in South America and international shipping prices are affected by covid here, so it's either get it digital, pay 2-3x the amount for the physical, or wait a few months to get it.
Will this game join the hero’s of great or will it be bad enough to join the E.V.I.L. Academy? Let’s find out:)
I've been curious about this game. I heard people love this serie
The series has the best story I've ever played. The attention to detail is beyond anything I've ever seen. Every townsperson even lies out their own little lives as the story progresses, which the player will never know unless they keep talking to them.
Currently working on 2 on the vita. Part ones ending sent me in a frenzy to want to play the whole series lol.
Yep, the story here is great. Even though I had to start on 3 for the review, I'm going to be looking at picking up 1 and 2 and going back to them on the PS4.
10/10 can identify with the button criticism!
Thanks for the detailed review. It looks like an RPG hit. I’ll probably get it eventually , backlog monster is eating me alive !👺😔
Laura.
It's pretty great if you like the genre. My backlog is pretty disgusting too.
Do i have to play the first two game to know the story?
There are back stories on the menu that gives a summary of the events from the last two games.
It's not a necessity (at least not yet, the sequel is the one where it's a must), but it's highly recommend. Still that depends mostly on your stance at jumping into an already ongoing storyline. And by that, I mean the whole Trails series story, not just the Cold Steel one.
I always say that Cold Steel 3 is like the Avengers Infinity War of the series you can enjoy it but not as much as someone who has seen the other movies Trails Is very similar. Here is a video on why most fans recommend playing the series in release order: th-cam.com/video/OkSIxrYmnBI/w-d-xo.html
Is this game beginner friendly? I'm new to rpgs. The only rpg I have ever played was Dragon Quest XI.
Generally speaking yes, I mean alot of people will say start from 1 and 2, I say 3 is probably the best starting point in terms of qaulity of life stuff. The lore of these games are generally as deep as you want to look into it(fans often try to force newcomers to absorb everything and start from the sky games, to me that really goes against the "chill" factor these games are generally great at)
The combat is good and relatively easy to learn (I only played Mario and Luigi games as far as jrpgs go. Before persona 5 about a year ago, but generally I still say I'm not a jrpg guy xD)
If you're worried about following the lore from 3 onwards, just think of cs 1 and 2 as the MC's teenage years, and 3 and 4 are his adult years. If it wasn't for the pandemic, I'd probably just skip to 3 myself (coming from a adult perspective xD)
I feel wierd seeing people not analyzing a monster before killing it... maybe thats just me... (nice review i have no idea why that distracted me so much^^)
This looks like Shining Resonance but a different battle system of course. Not sure if this one is for me. Great review!
It's waaayyy better written in story and characters
compared to this, shinning resonance is trash. belive me i've played both
I'm speechless with Cold Steel 3. I finished it last night and must say this is the best entertainment experience I've had in my entire live, from a narrative and its execution perspective. This game is a masterpiece and I'll definetlt buy the PS5 update when it's released because there's so much going on at the same time during the ending, that inevitably there are some small loading times with every scene jump, so it would be great to experience this ending without any loading time.
Once I ended Cold Steel 3 I felt the need to start Cold Steel 4 inmediately in order to see what came next, and I managed to play the entire prologue of it and what I saw is amazing... I mean, WOOOOW... the masterminds at Nihon Falcom are genious!
Every person that enjoys reading a great story, discover new complex fantasy worlds and get to know and care for great characters, must play this games... they're the best there is in the entire enrertainmet industry (books, movies, series, etc)... but in order to better understand and enjoy Cold Steel 3 and 4, it's necesary to play the prevous 2 archs of the franchise (Liberl and Crossbell)... but don't worry about it, because even if those games are RPG classics, they're still amazing masterpieces that will surprise you... for instance, up until last night, Trails In the Sky SC was my favorite game of all time, and that's the second game of the entire franchise, surpassing games such as The Witcher 3 GOTY edition (which I love), Persona 5 Royal, etc... I can't imagine what Trails in The Sky SC would be like with a Remake of the level of Cold Steel 3&4, while preserving its escense intact (I have to say this because of what SQUARE did with its bastard child named FFVII Remake, which is disgraceful).
Cold Steel 3 is a freaking masterpiece! And yiu shoukd play it with the voices in Japanese to experience the origibal concept of its ceeators because the english dubbing is missed completely the spirit of the characters and delivers something different from tve original idea.
Thabk you, Nihon Falcom.
I really wanted to get it but my backlog is way too full and its a huge game XD. I will probably wait for a future sale.
I feel your pain!
Hi from Australia lve got both 3 and 4 and love the series but lts very long so l doubt ld go through again. Haven't opened 4 yet
Why is it that this game was the only one in the trilogy that got a Switch port?
The rights for the first two games belong to Xseed, not Falcom. Unfortunate, but maybe we'll see Xseed bring them over. The good news is the fourth Cold Steel is coming next year for sure.
Can you play this independently? Without playing the other 2?
That’s what Jace (who wrote this) has done and he seems to have really enjoyed it. Mark
@@SwitchUpYt thanks! I'll have to check it out! Love your reviews by the way :)
That's like having 25% off the fun. I'd go even further and say you'll be having 50% of fun if you start at TOCS without playing Sky Trilogy and Crossbell duology.
@@jacobrichards2334 "that's what he has done" doesn't mean it's the way. It's a rpg, following this one guy through three games. It's like watching the third harry potter without the others
As Mark said, it's what I've done and is certainly possible to still enjoy as long as you don't mind reading a ton of backstory to get mostly caught up. However, as others have mentioned, if you have the ability to go back to at least the first two on a different system, then that is strongly suggested before playing this one.
I buy ur top games. Dnt ever let me down
Waiting on 4 and we'll have to play the others when I have a pc
😁👍
I hope so ! I ordered the The Switch $99 one from NISA and gave them my card for it. Then they sent me a email that their having trouble with it. I checked my card there is more then enough room for the game. But, NISA havesn't got back to me. So I don't know if I'll get the game !
I hope you get it worked out, that $99 package is awesome! Wouldn't mind having it myself!
My list of west release trails game I played
1. Cs3(only cuz of the buildup and character relationship with each other change over the coarse of the games
2.cs2
3.sky3 Cs1
4 sky 2
5.sky 1
Did the voice issue got fixed in PS4?
It's not so much a bug as it is a strange design choice by the developers.
picking this up today finally
It's finally out yay!
Yay!
I loved this game, I played it on the ps4 but will probably get it for the switch
Getting a copy of this physically as well as part 4
I really want to try this series but keep being told you need to also play the older trails in the sky games, two of which weren't localised.
Feel like they have really missed a beat not porting atleast the other cold steel games to switch. Unless they think this is one for Vita owners who have moved to Nintendo.
You certainly will get a lot more of the references and things having played the older games, but as long as you're willing to read the backstory stuff included here, you won't be totally lost. It's certainly playable jumping in from this point, just not preferable.
You don't need to play them, but you do get a lot out of knowing the story and the contacts that is given by the previous 2 series. You can definitely understand the story without the back story of the previous 7 games but you will get more out of it if you know it
You can just start with cold steal and get a bit of the synopsis of the previous games but I still recommend playing them
Only playing Cold Steel III and IV out of the entire series is like never watching an MCU movie and then only watching Infinity War and Endgame.
It is a lot easier and cheaper to watch movies. Unfortunately we don't all have that option. I'm not about to purchase another console just to play the previous, but these games seem great so I'm starting with cold steel 3.
@@jordynrose9239 at least try to watch another person's playthrough of previous games if you have the time! What makes Trails series amazing is their interconnected, big yet very detailed world-building, so knowing what happened in previous games will give you more satisfaction and enrich your experience. Also, many people acknowledge the fact that the previous arc, especially Liberl arc (the Trails in the Sky trilogy) has the best plot and character development. So... Give it a try! 😁
More like watching the 5th season of a TV show or reading the 8th entry into an epic fantasy novel. Infinity war doesn't compare to this at all as the marvel stuff hardly has a plot.
@@jordynrose9239 If you really can't play the games or watch full playthroughs then at least watch LadyVirgillias summary videos of the 2nd game and beyond and Oni Black Mages one of the first.
Sky FC summary - th-cam.com/video/0n7VjgvTE-I/w-d-xo.html
Sky SC summary part 1 / Lady Virgillia - th-cam.com/video/GLZv49qMrok/w-d-xo.html
While I’m sure it’s amazing, I’m not playing 2 other games on other platforms for 100+ hours just to play this
I already ordered mine
Awesome!
So I'll finish 1 and 2 on my Vita then 3 and 4 on my Switch..
I played Trails in the Sky but it had so much TALKING that I had to drop it. When you got a Tutorial that lasts several hours, enough is enough geez!
I feel the same way with neptunia for example, there's just not talk enough.
honestly if you do not like a lot of talking, this entire series isn't for you, it is 70% story/sidestory and 30% gameplay it is my personal favorite series since it manages to keep the pace fast even with that much text going on, along with giving every NPC a story outside of what you do around them since it fills my niche of extreme world building, but i understand it isn't for everyone
@@kickerbs yes, exactly what you said. This is not a series for those looking for more gameplay, less story. The world building here is genuinely incredible how deep it is.
Final Fantasy doesn’t click with me, but I can see myself enjoying this one.
There's a demo available if you want to give it a shot!
All of final fantasy???? There's so freaking many it's not like you can classify them as one.
We NEED the other legend of heroes chapters on the switch.
Agreed!
Just bought been waiting demo was fun
Awesome!
This game is amazing
Not the best of the 3 but amazing still
2:45 Funny you say that.I am known as the only guy who HATES story's in video games beacose they reep away you're freedom.But i have a saying:It can be reedimd if the gameplay is ridiculosly amazing and this one does reedem itself.
This is on the Luna so was thinking of trying it out:)
Not my game but a nice review. Good work.
Thanks!
Okay so i just downloaded the demo,read characters backstoryis and passed it multiple times on normal.Reading those backstoryis i have realiased that this has a lot of similarity to Naruto.
Rean:Naruto.Think about it both have a monster within them that they are destined to control(Rean the ashen knight,Naruto The nine tailed demon fox)furthermore they both secretly have a father who gave them up who was a leader of their respective countries(Reans father Chancellor Gilliath Osborn and Naruto's father Minato Namikaze the Fourth Hokage)
Crow:The emo edge lord who attacked the 5 kage summit.This is the most steeched out one but yea both served as rivals to the main character being villans even for some period of time(Crow more so).
Rufus and Best girl:Jesus Itachi All three were secretly operating for the good side while seemingly acting as powerfull foes.Alll three furthermore did something very usefull to the good side(Rufus and Altina arresting Duke Cayenne and Itachi defeating Kabuto in the war arc)
Sakura:Juna Now yes this is cheating since she is from a new generation but the similaritys:Pink hair,both rely in hand to hand combat,the main female character and similar personalitys minus the stupid crush on Sasuke.
Ash:Bakugo.Yes he is not even from Naruto,but i had to.Both have similar appirence in blond short hair and muscilar psusic and they are both overconfident and came off as assholes sometimes.
Sara:Kakashi obviously even thoghe they don't share much incomon they are both the assigned teachers of the protagonist and his friends and do come of as badasses also Saras bear thing is preety similar to Kakashis Jiraya sex book thing.
Duke Cayyen:Uchiha Madara Both are the main villian(yes Kaguya is a thing but nobody likkes that)and the only ones standing on the evil side by the end.They were both about reviving an anchient evil which brings me too.
Infernal Castle:Infinite TsukuyomiBoth evil phenomenons coming from the past which are the end goal of the villians from they're respective francises.
Sorry for bad english.
Just realised Rufus is the older bro of someone from the main cast making my 3rd statemant actually credible.
Tasty fan? So i have cold steel 1&2 on ps4 and i keep meaning to play em
I might be looking to get those myself now that I've played this one. I need more of this series!
I have played the 1st 2 games in the franchise and absolutely loved them! This is the game I was looking forward to the most this year besides The Last of Us Part 2(An amazing game. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.)
I am so excited to play this!
Awesome! You'll be excited to hear the 4th one is also coming, although not until next year.
i liked how you make your review very professional but i can't agree with the OST XD final fantasy OST doesn't stand a chance when it comes to falcom OST and some themes in cold steel games 3 were brought from older trails games dipending on the character to make the mood even better meeting someone you already know and hearing his song plays was a great experience AND remember this is just my openion lol no harm in sharing it but as a said the review seemed professional keep up the good work bro
Thanks! For me it is very close, but I still hold a few of the FF games higher than this one for the OST. Having not played any other games in this series yet, I guess I missed on that mood setting for certain characters, but that does sound like a unique and cool design decision.
What do you think is the biggest ADVANTAGE of this game:)
The "Netflix and chill" vibe (emphasis on chill) the game gives lol like this is the perfect "relaxation" game that has just enough action that it isn't boring lol plus the steam and digital sales really help
Still no ToCS 1 and 2 on switch..
Isn’t it like soa.
it's cool that Coldsteel the hedgehog have his own game Sega really outdid themselves.
Oh. Yeah this battle system is not unique but it had stood against the tide of time. Definitely a good game.
My own opinion is that I am quite unsure to play this. Though I like story driven game, I have long been past turn-based battles. I like open world battles and being able to do real-time battle strategies. That is why I love games like Bayonetta 2 and DMC.
I know this is 2 years old comment but I think you'll like the Ys series then, it's from the same company that did trails and it's real time and not turn based and unlike trails every game in the ys series is standalone so you can start with any title, If you don't know where to start, many fans reccomend ys 8 to be the best starting point aside from the chrono order
I want a fantasty, please!