LogFAQs > #928793766

@apolloooo @Leanaunfurled

While normally Im not really one to talk about a games length during a review, I think that length is particularly important when discussing Cold Steel III. The games long, but it doesnt feel nearly as padded as I expected it to, going in. The problem is, a significant portion of the games time is spent dealing with the fallout of events that happened in previous games. Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 lose a lot of impact if you havent played Trails in the Sky and the Crossbell duology respectively. Theyre still enjoyable in their own right, Im sure, but what might not feel like padding to me due to having the context behind these events might just feel like padding to someone else, that just wouldnt resonate with them nearly as much. To the games credit, it does give you enough context to these events so that you can at least understand them, but hearing about an event in a previous game versus experiencing it firsthand is completely different.

Speaking of foundations, Trails of Cold Steel III feels incredibly similar to the first Cold Steel, mirroring a large portion of its format. Players once again interact with a special Class VII at Thors Military Academy (this time, the newly founded Branch Campus), though this time with Rean as the teacher, helming a cast of new students. Youll help out around campus, have a free day, train in a dungeon, and then its off to Field Exercises to see the bulk of the chapters story. Some might call it safe, myself included, but it works. In fact, Ive seen more than my fair share of fans that played the original Japanese release claim that the title was Cold Steel I, but done right. I can certainly see why.

Perhaps one of my largest complaints with the original Cold Steel 1 and 2, was that the cast was spread a little too thin by the sheer number of characters that the plot had to juggle. As a result, I dont think any of the original Class VII and co. got nearly as much character development as the main teams from either Trails in the Sky or Crossbell. I think New Class VII is a much better implementation of the idea that Falcom attempted to execute with the original two games in the arc, partly thanks to the smaller size of both the class itself as well as the Thors Branch Campus. It certainly helps make each character more interesting from the outset, that every student and staff member at the Branch Campus are considered outcasts in the games society, lending itself well to a very colorful cast of characters both new and returning.

I dont think my feelings on the game will change all that much by the time the credits roll its already, by far, my favorite game in the Cold Steel arc of the series but well keep you updated with our final score when that time comes, nonetheless. Fans have waited two years for Cold Steel III to come west, and that wait is almost finally over.

https://www.rpgsite.net/preview/9078-the-legend-of-heroes-trails-of-cold-steel-3-review-in-progress

Sucks that I won't play it until closer to CS4 getting released over here. I hate having cliffhangers, and I'm not going to wait 2 years and have a game's events not be fresh in my mind when it finally comes.

---

Face it Cloud is a gaming icon and has appered in lots of games while mario has only appeared in 2 games sunshine and 64~xSlashbomBx