LogFAQs > #957814484

For me it has been a lot less than 3 years, so I skipped out on that pre-story option. I can't imagine playing a game like Trails that far apart from each other. They're literally sequential, so I know that would trip me up a lot as the game itself sort of expects you to know everything. Besides 'Black Haired Boy', lol. I always thought his hair was blue too so that was weird to see. Anyway, hopefully the pre-story option did a good job of filling you back in.

I'm also playing on Nightmare pursuant to my, long awaited, return to the mode on CS1. Sky nightmare was a hell I took years to recover from. But, if you beat Azure Nightmare then I'm sure CS is a walk in the park for you. Still bitched out vs Arios and Sigmund though cough cough.

That aside, the only other thing I'm doing is starting off with a New Game + save from someone else, because I really like having max bonding points. I'm not a second playthrough kind of guy but I still want to see all of the scenes. With the max bonding points option enabled, I had exactly 1 point left which I chose to use to get the Stage costumes added as well. They were awful for the men, but pretty decent for the women. The only other options were for Swimsuits which, normally I'd be all for, but I'm pretty sure the swimsuits were all ugly one pieces in CS1 so I wasn't too interested in that. And then bath outfits, which I'm not exactly sure what that meant so I just skipped it.

After making that very important choice, I started the game. Importing CS1 save data granted me 300 of all sepith, and a Golden Bracelet accessory which grants 1000HP and 10 of every stat, which is pretty damn good at the start of the game. I'll happily accept.

My first note is that the robot landed in a battle pose, kneeling on the ground looking down. Edgy. Is that programmed into his operations to land in that pose? Shoutouts to those ancient robot programmers for that one, gotta be stylish. And speaking of, I get the opportunity to examine Rean's equipment and select his Winter costume, which looks a lot different then it did in CS1. It's like a brown hoodie which looks a lot better than any of his other outfits. Weird that they changed that one completely, but left all of his other outfits alone.

Apparently, like you said he has been in the robot for over a month. Sure he may have gotten looted, but I'm more concerned that he was in there for a month and somehow didn't die of dehydration? That's some kind of plothole. Plus I hope that robot has some kind of great passive ventilation system because he should've also died of carbon monoxide poisoning in there for that long too. Falcom is already starting me off on the wrong foot with this one. /s

I have in my notes here "Celine is kind of annoying". True shit. Rean was also being pretty mean towards her, but like cmon man you don't just tell the guy he's been in a coma for a month and expect him to not be freaking out internally. Who knows what could've happened to everyone since then. Along those lines, they finally reveal the "plot twist" that Emma is a witch, with a flashback to her bonding scene in the last game where she starts waving her magic wand around. Nice. Who could have ever seen this one coming.

OK, later on I get to that magic knight fight and I got robbed. It was easy as hell, I was about to win he had like 4k left and it just ended the fight. Is it timed or something? I feel absolutely betrayed. I hate when games do that shit. Toval shows up, but I was more surprised to see Elise here. I can't exactly her being part of an adventuring party to go find her brother, 14 or however year old girls school attendant probably shouldn't be roaming through the woods with bracers, and the goddamn princess of the entire country casually.

After that we get a nice anime intro cutscene introducing a bunch of characters. I have written down, Claire is next to Sara, which makes me assume that they are elevating her to main character status. I absolutely need some of that in my life. I'm down to rock the Claire/Sharon party all game, don't let me down Falcom.

When we finally arrive to Ymir, I really enjoy the look of the town aesthetically. Something about the winter mountain town secluded in the wilderness really does it for me. Some exposition happens, Toval reveals that he didn't find Rean on his own, and that someone called and told him where to find Rean. He said it was someone's voice that sounds familiar, but that he couldn't recognize. I know Vita Clotilde has the power to make people not recognize her voice from the Misty thing last game, so I'm going with her and Ourobourous getting up to some shit.

Also around town, I find Annabelle on the outskirts, which was a nice surprise. It's a little weird that they're turning her from runaway noble girl sideplot to fishing enthusiast, Lakelord replacement. A bit of a 180. But you know what, fuck it, I'm about it. You do you little Annabelle.

The princess implying that Rean's sister wants to fuck him is pissing me off too. Why do animes have to do this shit? Japan has some stuff they gotta work through man. Regardless, Rean makes his way to the hot spring. I do enjoy this setting too. Before I die, I need to find a nice snowy hot spring to spend the night at. That sounds like a great time.

God fucking dammit his sister is really coming to join him. I hate this game. Aren't there supposed to be like, gendered baths or something? Why is this allowed to happen? Well as it progresses they ignore the creepiness of it and just share a genuine heart to heart about their SIBLING relationship, which is fine, despite the setting adding some weird undertones. It's a lot better than the alternative way they could've shared this moment at least. If I had to watch some awkward anime boy-and-girl-at-the-hot-spring scene I might have quit playing. But then Alfin shows up and makes everything terrible again. God dammit. I hate her so much.

OK, thankfully for my brain that scene ends and we go to adventure out and check on the robot. Oh cool, Elise and Toval are now joining the party? Didn't see Elise coming for sure. Toval makes sense, but Elise? Yeah our parents are just going, "Oh you crazy kids, go have fun, risking your lives in combat. Not like we are the rulers of this region and could send some guards with you, you guys got it, have fun!" The anime rating went up another level here. But actually looking at them, it doesn't let me reequip them, so I guess they are only temporary. Oh well.

As we set off into Ymir Valley, there's an active voice scene where Rean says that him and his classmates came here before and fought Bleublanc? I'm completely missing something here, because I remember nothing like that. I don't remember Ymir being part of the first game, at all. Was it somewhere that your other party members were sent to on a field mission, while Rean and co. went somewhere else? But Bleublanc was involved? I'm very confused. As far as I can tell, this is never brought up again either.

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