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General Trails thread (Trails of Cold Steel 4 (PS4) out now).


Armagon
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2 hours ago, Thane said:

 

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Also you said you didn't want to spoiler anything but you did mention Rene appearing in future games, which is kind of a spoiler in and of itself. I thought Estelle would save her after she proclaimed to do so at the end of chapter three but I didn't kow she'd become a staple character.

 

Spoiler

Eh, i wouldn't say Renne is a staple character. Other characters have made more appearances than her.

I did feel that mentioning that Renne making appearances in future games (without actually going into detail) wasn't a spoiler but if it was, i do apologize.

 

2 hours ago, Thane said:

I think a major strength of the series is how they never forget that its cast members are all just human.

Agreed. Even the more over the top characters never go too over the top and still remain feeling human. Everyone has their flaws, no character is treated as the best person ever.

That's also why i feel that most of the villains miss. The best ones are the ones that actually feel human and i can understand why they did the things they do but the rest just feel like villains because the game needed villains and the worst ones are the ones that are evil just because.

2 hours ago, Thane said:

I also don't feel like using Tita since I'm pretty sure she goes down to a mosquito bite.

I'm pretty sure Tita's the weakest character defensively in the whole series. I can't remember any other character that has that low of a defense.

(Very mild Sky 3rd spoilers)

Spoiler

By doing an optional sidequest, Tita can get a mech. Getting in the mech removes her ability to use Arts but heavily increases her attack and defense and makes her immune to status effects and is basically the only way to keep her from dying to that pebble that the enemy monster threw at her.

 

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7 hours ago, Armagon said:
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Eh, i wouldn't say Renne is a staple character. Other characters have made more appearances than her.

I did feel that mentioning that Renne making appearances in future games (without actually going into detail) wasn't a spoiler but if it was, i do apologize.

 

Agreed. Even the more over the top characters never go too over the top and still remain feeling human. Everyone has their flaws, no character is treated as the best person ever.

That's also why i feel that most of the villains miss. The best ones are the ones that actually feel human and i can understand why they did the things they do but the rest just feel like villains because the game needed villains and the worst ones are the ones that are evil just because.

I'm pretty sure Tita's the weakest character defensively in the whole series. I can't remember any other character that has that low of a defense.

(Very mild Sky 3rd spoilers)

  Reveal hidden contents

By doing an optional sidequest, Tita can get a mech. Getting in the mech removes her ability to use Arts but heavily increases her attack and defense and makes her immune to status effects and is basically the only way to keep her from dying to that pebble that the enemy monster threw at her.

 

Well, as far as FC-SC and Cold Steel go...

Spoiler

Richard was a very cool villain. He had understandable aspirations, even if misguided, and I really liked his redemption in the end. The whole military coup plot, while ultimately irrelevant in the end, felt like a real threat by an anti-hero with overall good intentions.

Weissman, Bleublanc and Campanella are just there for the sake of being evil, but Loewe, Walter, Renne and Luciola aren't. You may find their motivations stupid or simplistic, but they have motivations for doing what they do other than "just for the sake of it" or because "they're evil".

I think Osborne fits in your definition, but I still think he's a good villain. I don't think characters are bad for being evil because they desire power or because they seek to thrive on others' expenses. I very much like his presentation and the threatening presence vibes he gives, and the only thing that was a downer for me is how he unchallantly dies and gives place to a very dumbed down Obviously Evil Monarchists vs Actually Good All Along Rebels conflict.

Also, Tita doesn't really suffer much from her squishiness later on, since Earth Guard is a thing and she kills enemies before enemies can kill her. As a rule of thumb, bring her when there are a lot of aggroing enemies that she can take down with one hit (or even just blind) and enjoy.

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12 minutes ago, Rapier said:

Well, as far as FC-SC and Cold Steel go...

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Richard was a very cool villain. He had understandable aspirations, even if misguided, and I really liked his redemption in the end. The whole military coup plot, while ultimately irrelevant in the end, felt like a real threat by an anti-hero with overall good intentions.

Weissman, Bleublanc and Campanella are just there for the sake of being evil, but Loewe, Walter, Renne and Luciola aren't. You may find their motivations stupid or simplistic, but they have motivations for doing what they do other than "just for the sake of it" or because "they're evil".

I think Osborne fits in your definition, but I still think he's a good villain. I don't think characters are bad for being evil because they desire power or because they seek to thrive on others' expenses. I very much like his presentation and the threatening presence vibes he gives, and the only thing that was a downer for me is how he unchallantly dies and gives place to a very dumbed down Obviously Evil Monarchists vs Actually Good All Along Rebels conflict.

 

Spoiler

Ok so regarding Blueblanc specifically, i actually think he's great because he's very entertaining. As for Walter and Luciola.....i mean, they do have motivations and whatnot but compared to Loewe and Renne, it's never really expaned upon. It's the bare minimum and i honestly didn't care about them in the end. I was much more inveseted in Loewe's character and i think he's just alright.

As for Osborne, i actually think he's great. He's intimidating and he'll use his power whenever neccesary but he's not evil. In some ways, he's like Richard. He may be ruthless but what he does is out of genuine concern for Erebonia. And on a side note, his voice actor nailed the role perfectly.

I actually do agree that being evil doesn't make a character bad. However, that depends on how it's done. Whenever Trails does it, i feel that they don't do it right. Wiessman was bad, the villain of Zero was literally just a worse Wiessman, Duke Cayanne was very obviously evil (they even gave him a very punchable face) and the 6th Anguis in Ao is just every generic mad scientest ever. In Sky 3rd, they almost got it right with The Lord of Phantasma 

Spoiler

But then they had to be "oh it wasn't actually Rufina, it was just a sentient magic circle". That plot twist. To me, that plot twist turned Rufina from one of the best villains to one of the worst in the series. Even a corrupted Rufina would've been better, i just did not like it when the game went "jk it's not actually her".

 

I will say though, there actually is one aspect about the Enforcers that i do really like and it's the freedom that they have. They don't just blindly follow orders from the higher ups. They can do whatever they want. If they want to dick around during an important part of the Plan, they can do that. Heck, in pretty much every game that isn't FC or 3rd, Blueblanc's always messing around with the heroes even though it doesn't help Ouroborus at all and the only thing that he gets out of it is enjoyment.

 

39 minutes ago, Rapier said:

Also, Tita doesn't really suffer much from her squishiness later on, since Earth Guard is a thing and she kills enemies before enemies can kill her. As a rule of thumb, bring her when there are a lot of aggroing enemies that she can take down with one hit (or even just blind) and enjoy

Yeah, that is her strong suit. She also makes a good healer too.

Tbh, i forgot about Earth Guard because it was stupidly broken in the Sky trilogy but it got nerfed severely in every game after.

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20 hours ago, Armagon said:

Tbh, i forgot about Earth Guard because it was stupidly broken in the Sky trilogy but it got nerfed severely in every game after.

I've kind of noticed that it's very effective. I suck at keeping my Orbments up to date but so long as I've got Earth Guard and Kloe's ultimate I can usually handle most things the game throws at me. Some boss battles are mighty infuriating though, with lots of status effects, Arts reflection and the like. Those mist bosses ate through almost my entire inventory because one of them kept confusing me with 90% of its punches.

So it sounds like I should bring Tita with me, then? I kind of just roll with Kloe and Olivier because I like them the most. I'd bring Schera with me but I can't really figure out what she's good at as a unit. That, uh, might have to do with me being paralyzed with indecision in regards to choosing Quartz, however.

I'm a bit into chapter five, and while I like the tone the most out of the chapter so far, I had the displeasure of running into Florence again. If that man was not heavily inspired by the Uchiha I'd be very surprised. 

I'm also keeping a tally of things our protagonists have accomplished so far in this game, and it's still at zero.

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5 hours ago, Thane said:

Those mist bosses ate through almost my entire inventory because one of them kept confusing me with 90% of its punches.

The mist monsters are actually the most frusterating bosses in the whole series. Actually, just in general. They're that bad.

5 hours ago, Thane said:

So it sounds like I should bring Tita with me, then? I kind of just roll with Kloe and Olivier because I like them the most. I'd bring Schera with me but I can't really figure out what she's good at as a unit. That, uh, might have to do with me being paralyzed with indecision in regards to choosing Quartz, however.

I mean, you don't have to bring Tita but again, she's very good at AoE attacks so if you feel that you're lacking in that department, you should bring her along.

As for Schera, she actually does have a really good Support Craft that lets every ally in range cut in line in order to be able to act immediatly. It's useful for stealing turn bonuses.

Managing Quartz can be tricky (Cold Steel made it way easier) but in general, the four rules that you should always follow when managing everyone's Quartz are: upgrade all Orbment slots at least once, always have a healing Art, always have an Eagle Eye Quartz on someone (this will usually be one of the first Quartz you get) and always have an Information Quartz on someone. I actually don't know if Information is in the Sky Trilogy but it's a very useful Quartz to have.

Once you follow those rules, the rest is basically just equipping Quartz to your heart's content. Do try to keep it varied and also fitting to each character though. For example, Agate isn't gonna do great with Attack Arts but having Support Arts that increase stats would be good.

On a side note, i do recommend that you try to use everyone evenly. The Sky trilogy does that thing where characters not in the party don't get EXP (the Crossbell and Cold Steel games fix this, with the latter also allowing fallen party members to gain EXP).

Edit: Rapier reminded me that some Orbment slots require certain elements in order to work so be on the lookout for that.

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I don't think the "use everyone" rule should be enforced (ha) in Sky because it is very easy to farm Shining Poms later on. Just bring whoever you want to grind along, spam your OPest party members' special attacks and enjoy seeing the other characters getting up to date in a matter of minutes.

I think there is a worse boss than the mist monsters, but at least they're optional.

Also, I vaguely remember there being something bad about Kloe's setup. I think it has to do with her excessive blue orbment lock in her build that doesn't really amount to much, when you can have effective supporters who can also perform better in fights (like Schera, Olivier and Kevin).

I hope I actually start playing Ao tomorrow. My procrastination is getting ridiculous.

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38 minutes ago, Rapier said:

I don't think the "use everyone" rule should be enforced (ha) in Sky because it is very easy to farm Shining Poms later on. Just bring whoever you want to grind along, spam your OPest party members' special attacks and enjoy seeing the other characters getting up to date in a matter of minutes.

True but if you wanna hold onto CP, it's not really ideal. Isn't the only way to kill Shining Poms is by using a 200 CP S-Craft?

 

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8 hours ago, Thane said:

I've kind of noticed that it's very effective. I suck at keeping my Orbments up to date but so long as I've got Earth Guard and Kloe's ultimate I can usually handle most things the game throws at me. Some boss battles are mighty infuriating though, with lots of status effects, Arts reflection and the like. Those mist bosses ate through almost my entire inventory because one of them kept confusing me with 90% of its punches.

So it sounds like I should bring Tita with me, then? I kind of just roll with Kloe and Olivier because I like them the most. I'd bring Schera with me but I can't really figure out what she's good at as a unit. That, uh, might have to do with me being paralyzed with indecision in regards to choosing Quartz, however.

I'm a bit into chapter five, and while I like the tone the most out of the chapter so far, I had the displeasure of running into Florence again. If that man was not heavily inspired by the Uchiha I'd be very surprised. 

I'm also keeping a tally of things our protagonists have accomplished so far in this game, and it's still at zero.

Schera's a bit of an oddball.  She's somewhere between offense and support, which isn't a good place to be IMO.  Coupled with a close-range weapon, and. . .yeah.  Her Crafts are cool, though.

If a boss emphasizes a particular status effect, fight it with accessories!  I also make it a rule to have everyone know at least Tear, just in case I want to mess with the turn order/need emergency healing.

Kloe/Olivier's a great combo IMO.  Kloe keeps everyone alive, while Olivier blasts things into oblivion.

As for Loewe. . .

Spoiler

. . .uh, it gets worse.  A LOT worse.  But goodness knows he's got serious issues, and mental health probably isn't high on Ourboros' list of things to care about.

I'm fond of him, if only because he's relatively sane, given his past.  And his dynamic with Agate is so very interesting.

 

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14 hours ago, eclipse said:

If a boss emphasizes a particular status effect, fight it with accessories!  I also make it a rule to have everyone know at least Tear, just in case I want to mess with the turn order/need emergency healing.

 

Yeah that mist monster fight got me to buy a few more of those! I had some on hand but that Confusion, man...

Also, Olivier, you get back to my party right now! I can't imagine nearing the endgame without him in my party!
 

Spoiler

Y'know, I have been thinking about it before but when Cassius came into the throne room to act like a father, it struck me that no one so far has commented that it's a bit weird for Estelle and Joshua to be adoptive siblings yet are still hooking up, as it were. Everyone cheers them on, it seems, at least in the party. A part of me kind of wants Cassius to be oblivious to the whole thing and only find it out later.

 

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19 minutes ago, Thane said:


 

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Y'know, I have been thinking about it before but when Cassius came into the throne room to act like a father, it struck me that no one so far has commented that it's a bit weird for Estelle and Joshua to be adoptive siblings yet are still hooking up, as it were. Everyone cheers them on, it seems, at least in the party. A part of me kind of wants Cassius to be oblivious to the whole thing and only find it out later.

 

Spoiler

I honestly never liked the whole romance between Estelle and Joshua. I get that they aren't related by blood but it's still pretty weird and the fact that the party members sort of encourage it is just as weird. Well, except Olivier, it actually makes sense for him to encourage that because he's just that guy.

I do appreciate that Estelle and Joshua's romance is more grounded though as well as not making it completely obvious from the start. That's something a lot of romances in JRPGs tend to struggle with. But i still don't like it.

 

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14 minutes ago, Armagon said:
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I honestly never liked the whole romance between Estelle and Joshua. I get that they aren't related by blood but it's still pretty weird and the fact that the party members sort of encourage it is just as weird. Well, except Olivier, it actually makes sense for him to encourage that because he's just that guy.

I do appreciate that Estelle and Joshua's romance is more grounded though as well as not making it completely obvious from the start. That's something a lot of romances in JRPGs tend to struggle with. But i still don't like it.

 

Spoiler

But it was completely obvious from the start. 15 minutes into the game and her friend from the farm quest is asking Estelle about Joshua, and the former says something very suggestive about their relationship.

To be fair, I don't find it odd because both were old enough when Joshua was adopted. I also think it's natural, since he's the closest person to Estelle and they've been traveling together at the peak of their puberty. It's something I can believe.

As for Loewe...

Spoiler

I think his motivations were overall stupid and that he's just there with the villains for very contrived reasons, but I think he's an interesting character, especially for his relationships with Joshua, Renne and Agate.

I keep thinking that he'd be on Toval's spot/role in Cold Steel if the incident in Hamel hadn't happened and he became a Bracer.

 

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Seeing as Toval was mentioned, for those of who finished the Sky arc, might want to give this a read. 

https://www.esterior.net/2016/08/translation-wednesday-bonus-ring-of-judgment-complete-download/

It is in canon with the series, as is the CS1 Drama CD (as this section was cut out of CS1) so I'll post that as well while it's on my mind. 

http://www.trailsofcoldsteel.com/cs2/memoirs1.html

Of course don't click on either if you haven't beaten the trio of sky games for the former or CS1 for the latter.

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4 hours ago, Rapier said:
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But it was completely obvious from the start. 15 minutes into the game and her friend from the farm quest is asking Estelle about Joshua, and the former says something very suggestive about their relationship.

To be fair, I don't find it odd because both were old enough when Joshua was adopted. I also think it's natural, since he's the closest person to Estelle and they've been traveling together at the peak of their puberty. It's something I can believe.

 

 

Spoiler

Imma be honest, i actually didn't completely catch on in those first 15 minutes. I just saw it as a "why didn't you tell me" kind of deal. It wasn't until later on in the game that i realized where it was going.

I actually just realized Estelle and Joshua's romantic relationship is only ever relevant in the Sky trilogy. I don't think the Crossbell games ever bring it up. Maybe Cold Steel 4 does but i don't know.

 

3 hours ago, Jedi said:

as is the CS1 Drama CD (as this section was cut out of CS1) so I'll post that as well while it's on my mind. 

http://www.trailsofcoldsteel.com/cs2/memoirs1.html

I actually meant to read this after finishing CS1 but i never got around it.

Spoiler

I wish this was an actual playable segment. Unlike the Zero prequel manga, there was actually some pretty important stuff there (it's been a while since i've read it though so maybe i'm forgetting something). Yeah, it's gone over later (plus the more important parts are still in the game to begin with) but i wish we got the whole thing.

Also, i find it a bit weird that Elise didn't know Rean was adopted until only three years before the game. Rean was adopted at the age of five, which would make Elise three. I can buy that she just didn't remember not having a sibling before Rean was adopted but at the same time, i feel like you would just know if you had a sibling, especially one that's older than you (provided no one was separated for long periods of time). It's no big deal though. Memory is a tricky thing.

Are there any other important Drama CDs i should look out for or is that it?

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1 hour ago, Armagon said:
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Imma be honest, i actually didn't completely catch on in those first 15 minutes. I just saw it as a "why didn't you tell me" kind of deal. It wasn't until later on in the game that i realized where it was going.

I actually just realized Estelle and Joshua's romantic relationship is only ever relevant in the Sky trilogy. I don't think the Crossbell games ever bring it up. Maybe Cold Steel 4 does but i don't know.

 

I actually meant to read this after finishing CS1 but i never got around it.

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I wish this was an actual playable segment. Unlike the Zero prequel manga, there was actually some pretty important stuff there (it's been a while since i've read it though so maybe i'm forgetting something). Yeah, it's gone over later (plus the more important parts are still in the game to begin with) but i wish we got the whole thing.

Also, i find it a bit weird that Elise didn't know Rean was adopted until only three years before the game. Rean was adopted at the age of five, which would make Elise three. I can buy that she just didn't remember not having a sibling before Rean was adopted but at the same time, i feel like you would just know if you had a sibling, especially one that's older than you (provided no one was separated for long periods of time). It's no big deal though. Memory is a tricky thing.

Are there any other important Drama CDs i should look out for or is that it?

Main one to worry about, and CS2 has the ng+ only Black Records quest and plotline (which is super important for 3/4)

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40 minutes ago, Jedi said:

Main one to worry about, and CS2 has the ng+ only Black Records quest and plotline (which is super important for 3/4)

Oooh, nice to see some NG+ exclusive stuff. I was already planning on doing a NG+ run of the series (minus CS3 and 4) but now i have that to look forward to as well 

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On the third out of four towers. Really liking the design of the inside, and the datapads are delightfully ominous.

That said, I'm still wondering if the plot would've changed at all if Estelle had stayed at home. Ragnard would've still been enslaved, though the bad guys were done with him anyway, and Joshua would've crashed the big ship, but other than that the villains always say they're done and leave anyway, not because they've been defeated but supposedly because their tasks are finished. It's the same with the towers.

I also think I found the best non-Olivier line in the game so far.

Spoiler

Estelle: This may be just what we need.

Kevin: How in the world is a murderous pre-teen something we NEED?

Edit: well this was a fun boss fight. The enemy starts and all of my units get insta-killed. Now I'm not a game designer but something about that seems wrong.

Edit II: Okay I know I keep spamming this but the amount of dialogue in this series is insane. I can't believe the writers update every single NPC's lines after major events; the amount of work for that must've been staggering. It really makes the world feel that much more alive. Even minor details like those after a certain event in SC, like the fountain in Bose Market not working, are incredible.

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1 hour ago, Thane said:

Edit: well this was a fun boss fight. The enemy starts and all of my units get insta-killed. Now I'm not a game designer but something about that seems wrong.

Yeah, that caught me off guard the first time i went through there. There should be some insta-kill (refered to as Deathblow in-game) resisting equipment though. Although i don't know if it can be bought. Either way, that boss fight is not good.

On the subject of insta-death, aside from one Quartz (which breaks immedatly after) and the rare turn bonuses found in 3rd and specific areas of the Crossbell and Cold Steel games, there are no garuanteed insta-kill moves. It's just that some have a higher chance of inflicting it than others. There's also no Doom status thankfully (that satus effect where you die after a certain amount of turns pass). Regardless of how it happens though, all of it can be nullified with insta-kill resisitng equipment.

Kevin's S-Craft can also nullify it. If you know a boss is gonna open up with some status effect, you can always S-Break with Kevin and have the whole thing nullified. You gotta be quick with your timing though.

Side note: being hit while petrfied also instantly kills you in some games but again, can be nullified with the right equipment.

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47 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Either way, that boss fight is not good.

Wasn't that bad once I geared up correctly but it sure surprised me. Normally when a party wipes in the very beginning it's done for story reasons but that wasn't the case here. I'm more upset the game - again - didn't let me actually kick one of the bad guy's ass. Gameplay and story segregation and all that.

Edit: Just did a quest to help out in Malga mine after a little monster trouble. Question: does that carry over to the next game? As far as I understood it the quest wasn't mandatory, though I never did try to leave for another part of the world.

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56 minutes ago, Thane said:

Just did a quest to help out in Malga mine after a little monster trouble. Question: does that carry over to the next game? As far as I understood it the quest wasn't mandatory, though I never did try to leave for another part of the world.

Normally yes and the more quests you do, the more bonuses you get when you start the next game. However, Sky 3rd is very differently structured when compared to the rest of the series, not just in terms of story but even just the way you progress through the game, as well as how sidequests are handled. Gameplay is mostly the same but that's when they begin to introduce the Death, Vanish, 100 CP Boost and Guard turn bonuses into the mix (these don't happen in boss battles so you won't need to worry about the boss getting those).

So because of all that, i don't even know if you can transfer to 3rd in the first place. I should point out that i played the PSP versions of FC and SC while i played the PC version of 3rd, so i couldn't transfer anyway.

Since you're playing the PC versions, you might be able to transfer from SC to 3rd but again, due to 3rd's very different structure, the most you'd probably get is "hey you did this, here's some bonus items" 

The reason 3rd is so different is because it's arguably the most important game in the series. It's the epilouge to the Sky trilogy while also setting up for the events of the Crossbell and Erebonia arcs, as well as a very likely Calvard arc. It also provides new developments on characters we already know. It's my favorite out of the three Sky games.

 

Tl;dr the more quests you do, the more you'll get rewarded and the more quests will open up in the next game (SC -> 3rd may be an exception) and 3rd is super essential if you have plans to continue the series.

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2 hours ago, Armagon said:

Tl;dr the more quests you do, the more you'll get rewarded and the more quests will open up in the next game (SC -> 3rd may be an exception) and 3rd is super essential if you have plans to continue the series.

I was planning on doing the trilogy at least, if it can be called that. I'll most likely continue with the rest of the series unless there's more Ouroboros tier nonsense. 

...That is if I can get past this current part. Whew, talk about difficulty spike; first I had to defeat eight Abyss Worms with only one character being able to use Arts and now it's three helicopters which kills my entire team sans Zin in two blasts that can't be interrupted. 

Edit: Awesome scene there at Harken Gate. This is what I want more of. Seeing Olivier again sure feels good. Please let him join my team again.

New candidate for best line: "Well done my ENTIRE butt!"

Holy smokes this city is ginormous. Can't possibly remember all the places I haven't gone to. Ran into a boss where you protect an NPC but the boss could kill her in effectively one hit (after ignoring her throughout the entire fight) so that was fun. Darn, this is very cool, too bad I've got to go to bed soon; been playing all evening.

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9 hours ago, Thane said:

I was planning on doing the trilogy at least, if it can be called that. I'll most likely continue with the rest of the series unless there's more Ouroboros tier nonsense. 
 

Do it for the treasure chest dialogue!  Or, that's what I tell myself sometimes.  Which reminds me, I gotta get around to finishing 3rd.

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18 hours ago, Thane said:

I'll most likely continue with the rest of the series unless there's more Ouroboros tier nonsense. 

They're the main antagonists for the entire series, so...

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10 hours ago, eclipse said:

Do it for the treasure chest dialogue!

This is a compelling argument to be sure. That stuff is hilarious.

 

1 hour ago, The DanMan said:

They're the main antagonists for the entire series, so...

Yeah I thought as much since you spend the second game chasing one of their lieutenants rather than the big cheese, but even so I hoped they'd stop showing up after the third game. 

At any rate, beat the second game and feel like sharing my thoughts a bit. 

Spoiler

Whew, that game sure was massive. I'm generally pretty fast at playing through games but I've spent many hours on it, many more than the first game. I guess I did do more side quests this time around but man, it just kept going. 

Sadly, I think that's also a bit of a problem. For at least the first two thirds of the game, the story was formulaic, predictable, standard, and...dull. Bad guy shows up, does some bad shit, then leaves all smug, effectively telling us we've wasted our time. The fact that this is repeated multiple times with little to no variation four times is bizarre to me. The Ouroboros are also incredibly weak villains, but more than that, they come across a lazy. They know everything, can plan for everything, have access to everything, etc. They consist of circus clowns who we don't even get the satisfaction of ever actually beating, and their motivations tie in to the lazy aspect I was discussing earlier.

"Why the heck are you invading Grancel?"

"Uh-uh? I was bored."

I'm shaking in my boots here. The repeittion even repeated itself, funnily enough, both with the towers and on the Liber Ark. 

On a more positive note, the gameplay and music are as good as ever, but what really impressed me even more than last game was the sheer amount of good writing outside of the Ouroboros junk. So much dialogue, small details, recurring characters, various cast members working together...it really made the world feel alive and interesting. I mention before how I enjoyed them remembering even the little things like making the fountain not work when all the Orbments went out. I can't imagine how long it must've taken to write all of this and have it come together.

I believe my favorite scene was when Erebonia showed up out of nowhere on the border. It was a real curveball, and to hear they had steam tanks was freaking amazing; obviously that meant that the Ouroboros had someone on the inside, but it was still such a clever way of showing it. Then various characters exchange words and try to settle a debate; sure, Olivier never wanted to invade and was just waiting for Cassius, but it was still tense as heck. Olivier being a bastard prince surprised me, too, though it would explain his musical abilities as well as knowledge of food 'n' spirits. I fully expected him to just be a member of Erebonian intelligence, just like Schera did. 

Another highlight were the datapads from the tower. They were so wonderfully cryptic at first, revealing just enough without making you able to read the whole thing, and the descriptions in them were pretty damn amazing too. 

As far as the gameplay goes there were a few cheap boss battles but overall very rewarding. Well, until I realized Zin with True Distend or whatever it was called was utterly broken and made most fights towards the end a cakewalk. Punching eldritch horrors in the face never felt so good.

Speaking of horrors, man are the designs of the towers and the Liber Ark amazing. In the latter, everything is either robotic or generally harmless-looking until you get to the place where the Aureole is kept, in which these bizarre, otherworldly creatures dwell, telling you that something is horribly wrong. That is how you establish a good atmosphere without so much as a word (even if I would've expected someone in the party to comment on it, hah).

Lastly, did you notice how you fight a bad guy in a basement somewhere twice in a row? And both games end with a recurring character showing their true colors? I thought that was pretty funny.

Time for Trails in the Sky the Third next, I suppose, though I'll take a day or two before I continue; already played enough to last a week these last few days. I heard it was very different, at least in terms of gameplay, and that Kevin of all people is the main character. Interesting. 

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1 hour ago, Thane said:

This is a compelling argument to be sure. That stuff is hilarious.

 

Fun fact, the treasure chest dialouge is actually something exclusive to the localization. If you were to play the original Japanese versions, all you would get is "the chest is empty".

3rd goes a step further and basically puts little pieces of a short story that you can piece together as you go. I don't think every chest has it but most do so it's a fun little thing to do while you progress through the game.

 

1 hour ago, Thane said:

Yeah I thought as much since you spend the second game chasing one of their lieutenants rather than the big cheese, but even so I hoped they'd stop showing up after the third game. 

They actually kinda do stop showing up for a few games though. Ouroborous presence in 3rd, Zero and Cold Steel 1 is very minimal. The most you'll see is maybe one Enforcer (or someone lesser related to the society) or a passing mention. And while Ouroborus has a bigger presence in Ao and Cold Steel 2, it's nowhere near SC levels.

In other words, Ouroborous nonsense peaks at SC. After that, it's a lot more grounded and can be taken more seriously....mostly. 

I actually do like that they aren't the antagonists in every game. I mean, my opinions on them are still mixed but the Enforcers introduced in latter games feel generally better than the ones introduced in SC. 

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