Board 8 > questions about the trails in the sky series

(+) Yeah! (+)

I finished SC yesterday (which I enjoyed a bit). I started looking at the next game in the series and noticed that the only english version is on PC? that really bummed me out because I love playing those kinds of games on a portable.

so...

1.) does it matter that I wouldn't be able to continue my savegame? what even carries over in a savegame, anyway?

2.) is it, um, good? I took a look at the trailer and it looks like Kevin is the main character? or is this one of those cases where he's only nominally the main character until we get back with Joshua and Estelle? I found that a little disconcerting since the game is so clearly about Estelle/Joshua vs. the society, with Cassius watching on the sidelines. I like Kevin but not sure I want him in a leading role.

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also, I guess I should ask this too: what is the cold steel series, and how is it different from trails in the sky?

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I replayed Trails FC and SC on Steam just so I could port over stuff to Trails the 3rd. You don't get anything you'd regret not having.

And it's good. Not as good as FC and especially SC. Kevin is definitely the main character all the way through. I had the same doubts as you going into it because I wasn't sure he could pull it off, but it's good. It's a different style from FC and SC though. It's more of...a supplementary game that basically closes the book on the unresolved stuff from Sky and sets the stage for Cold Steel.

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transience posted...

also, I guess I should ask this too: what is the cold steel series, and how is it different from trails in the sky?

The main difference is that Cold Steel is set in Erebonia instead of Liberl, which means you're dealing with an entirely different political situation. It's a completely different cast of characters, although you still have plenty of references to events from Sky and occasional cameos from Sky characters. It's the same style of game, just with PS3 graphics.

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transience posted...

2.) is it, um, good? I took a look at the trailer and it looks like Kevin is the main character? or is this one of those cases where he's only nominally the main character until we get back with Joshua and Estelle? I found that a little disconcerting since the game is so clearly about Estelle/Joshua vs. the society, with Cassius watching on the sidelines. I like Kevin but not sure I want him in a leading role.

3rd is great, and Kevin is very good in it. There's a lot to him that isn't addressed in SC.

transience posted...

also, I guess I should ask this too: what is the cold steel series, and how is it different from trails in the sky?

Continues the overarching plot established in Trails in the Sky with a new cast, and some returning faces.

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okay, so it sounds like 3rd is a true prerequisite to cold steel then, and it isn't some other side story/different narrative. (I had assumed that 3rd would take place in Erebonia since it feels like we were done with Liberl in SC - it's probably overdone already with how much revisiting locations there is in SC.)

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3rd is kind of a collection of short stories with a main story tying it together. It's not as Kevin-focused as the first two games were Estelle-focused. It's a neat experience in some ways, but I wasn't a huge fan. It's a bit of a low budget experience with a lot of reused locations, if that bothers you.

Cold Steel is good stuff, but with a bit of a different feel to it in some ways. I enjoyed the gameplay much more in the CS games.
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Oh yeah, it's definitely an essential game. It's really hard to explain what the 3rd is without getting into spoilers, but you're going to want to play it if you plan on continuing on with Cold Steel.

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Liberl Arc
Trails in the Sky
Trails in the Sky SC
Trails in the Sky the 3rd

Crossbell Arc
Trails from Zero (currently Japan only ,but a PS4 port coming soon so hopes that's the one that finally reachest over here. Also various fan translations available)
Trails to Azure (Same as Zero)

Erebonia Arc
Trails of Cold Steel
Trails of Cold Steel II
Trails of Cold Steel III
Trails of Cold Steel IV: End of Saga (currently Japan only)

It's all one big story with characters crossing over into other arcs. The Crossbell arc happens simultaneously with Cold Steel 1 and 2. Cold Steel 3 and 4 are basically the Infinity War and Endgame of the series. The overall story is about 60% complete.

The newest game comes out this summer in Japan. Roughly translates to Trails of the Beginning and it will wrap up a ton of loose ends from Crossbell and Erebonia just like Sky the 3rd wrapped up a ton of loose ends from the Liberal arc

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yeah, I'm probably going to have some Liberl fatigue if I'm still going to Grancel, Bose, etc with the same cast of characters. fortunately I only play these games like once a year so I don't feel too bogged down by the sameness. (on the other hand, it's just enough time for me to forget some of the minor characters by the time I got to the second game, though I'd like to think after SC that I'm pretty well versed in the ins and outs of the series now)

I was a little disappointed that some of the villains of SC didn't really get a good resolution. I want some of these minor players to go away. they're not bad, I just want to start getting somewhere.

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transience posted...

1.) does it matter that I wouldn't be able to continue my savegame? what even carries over in a savegame, anyway?

Very little and nothing of consequence.

A-Rank in SC (almost impossible without a guide anyway): 2 Accessories and All Sepith types x100
Otherwise: 1 Accessory and the sepith.

The A-Rank Accessory is a little nice to have at the start because it's basically a renamed Gladiator Belt but not only is the real deal in 3rd there's a better one anyway.

transience posted...

2.) is it, um, good? I took a look at the trailer and it looks like Kevin is the main character? or is this one of those cases where he's only nominally the main character until we get back with Joshua and Estelle? I found that a little disconcerting since the game is so clearly about Estelle/Joshua vs. the society, with Cassius watching on the sidelines. I like Kevin but not sure I want him in a leading role.

It's the best game of all time!. ...Okay that's my opinion and I wouldn't expect you to end up sharing it but yeah it's good. I understand your skepticism of Kevin as the main character because I shared it myself but trust me it works.

And you definitely want to play it if you've an interest in the series going forward. It sets up a lot of things in the series going forward even now.

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Well, to be fair, 3rd is kinda set in Liberl and kinda not. You aren't exactly wandering around from town to town the way you were in FC and SC, but you do "visit" them regularly in a sense.

also 3rd has one of the best NPCs in the series that hasn't shown up anywhere else to my knowledge

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Third doesn't follow the same formula that FC/SC does at all

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I made it to B rank in SC. I used a guide for those Blueblanc quests because holy crap screw those, but I was surprised that I didn't even get close. I think there were a lot of quests in SC that involved tracking down people that weren't on the guild board and I never wanted to bother talking to everyone.

I like SC but it's not best game of all time material for me. might be top 100?

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Yeah, SC has a lot of hidden quests that require you to go the extra mile to find, as well as bonus BP everywhere that requires you to do things just right to get.

Cold Steel is kinda the same way, although I think it's a bit easier to get a high rank than in Trails if you aren't using a guide.

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I think 3rd is very good and one of the best in the series (still behind SC which is my #1). However it's a somewhat polarizing game because of the unusual format the game uses.

Also yes shine's post is good as far as explaining what all the different sub-series are. Each arc focuses on a different cast of main characters but you will still see characters from other parts of the series. (Olivier has a reasonably important role in the Cold Steel arc, for example.)
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transience posted...

I think there were a lot of quests in SC that involved tracking down people that weren't on the guild board and I never wanted to bother talking to everyone.

IIRC, there's actually fewer of those in SC than the series has on average. Where SC gets you is some of the completely non-intuitive bonus point requirements on some quests. Like punishing you if you do a certain quest earlier because you'll eventually end up with a guest NPC who can do it better, or postponing a quest until after the chapter boss because there's a fishing spot in the boss's map that you can't get to until after the chapter end.

stuff like that >_>

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60% complete suggests that I have something like 8 more games to go. ugh, that's a lot to ask. I'll be playing this thing until the 2040s at this rate.

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as we all will

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transience posted...

I was a little disappointed that some of the villains of SC didn't really get a good resolution. I want some of these minor players to go away. they're not bad, I just want to start getting somewhere.

3rd wraps up a few of SC's loose ends, though I don't remember if many of them were for villains.

Oddly enough, even though 3rd partly exists to set up new stories, it still has a much better ending than SC did.
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transience posted...

60% complete suggests that I have something like 8 more games to go. ugh, that's a lot to ask. I'll be playing this thing until the 2040s at this rate.

That's the commitment you make when you're trying to do a multiverse in such a way no other series has done before!

They've already said the next arc after Cold Steel is a Calvard arc, and who knows how many games that will be. I'm not even sure where they'd go after that.

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3rd is the best ending in the series so far tbh, though in fairness I haven't played Cold Steel IV yet.
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transience posted...

60% complete suggests that I have something like 8 more games to go. ugh, that's a lot to ask. I'll be playing this thing until the 2040s at this rate.

wouldn't it be great if we kept getting Xeno-games until the 2040s?
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I better get something in Leman State

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honestly the best endings in the series have been the cliffhanger endings not the proper resolutions

Trails does cliffhangers really well

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ninkendo posted...

I better get something in Leman State

I feel like there's a good chance we go to Leman (well technically we've been there! Le Locle!) or Arteria. I want Remiferia though which feels like a longer shot.

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I think Leman is probably most likely after Calvard. The other option is pretty much...some East Zemurian country we don't know about yet. Maybe Remiferia but I feel like we aren't going there, and Arteria is probably being saved for the final arc.
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Yeah, I'd be surprised if Arteria weren't the last arc, so you'll kinda know when we're entering endgame Trails once we go there.

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It'd be neat to get a Trails game where you travel all over the continent, but they'd kinda have to abandon the NPC focus and have a much higher budget for that to work.

pyresword posted...

I think Leman is probably most likely after Calvard. The other option is pretty much...some East Zemurian country we don't know about yet. Maybe Remiferia but I feel like we aren't going there, and Arteria is probably being saved for the final arc.

7 games after Beginning, so there might only be one arc after Calvard!!
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Mac Arrowny posted...

It'd be neat to get a Trails game where you travel all over the continent, but they'd kinda have to abandon the NPC focus and have a much higher budget for that to work.

I'd be all for a side game that focuses on Cassius's life as a bracer

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FC had a better ending than SC for sure. that was a great stinger for future games. is cold steel complete now with 4? or is that still going?

Mac Arrowny posted...

wouldn't it be great if we kept getting Xeno-games until the 2040s?

not based on the most recent game! I actually get some pretty good Xenogears vibes at times from Trails. that's high praise coming from me, but then you get extremely same-y recycled dungeons and gameplay that stays pretty much the same from beginning to end. I'll be using aerial x4 in my dreams.

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transience posted...

FC had a better ending than SC for sure. that was a great stinger for future games. is cold steel complete now with 4? or is that still going?

Cold Steel 4 is the end of that arc proper, but there's a game coming out soon that basically serves the same purpose as Trails the 3rd to set up the next arc.

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I will say the gameplay gets noticeably better as the series goes on if only because it goes faster. It might still feel same-y though, regardless. (Also you won't see any of that in 3rd, in which combat is pretty much the same as in FC/SC. I am mostly referring to the Cold Steel games here)
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Yeah, combat in Cold Steel is better and random battles go much faster (which is nice), but I feel like you still end up finding a handful of powerful moves you like and using them over and over again.

or at least I did!

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wait, is SC supposed to be the end of an arc? it didn't feel that way at all to me. I had assumed that this 'grandmaster' was going to be the big bad and he hasn't even shown his face yet.

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Tbh I am treating Hajimari as the 3rd game in the Crossbell arc right now and I could not be more hyped. I know there's going to be other stuff focused on but idc. I am probably more excited for Hajimari than I am for Cold Steel IV right now.
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transience posted...

wait, is SC supposed to be the end of an arc? it didn't feel that way at all to me. I had assumed that this 'grandmaster' was going to be the big bad and he hasn't even shown his face yet.

The Grandmaster is the big bad for the entire series, not just Sky!

For what it's worth, you do learn more about the Grandmaster in 3rd!

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3 PC does have turbo for battles though, which might make a difference!

LeonhartFour posted...

Cold Steel 4 is the end of that arc proper, but there's a game coming out soon that basically serves the same purpose as Trails the 3rd to set up the next arc.

Also, Cold Steel is kind of a pair of stories, with 1/2 telling one story and 3/4 telling another. They're very connected stories, but 2's ending is fairly conclusive to that specific plot.
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transience posted...

wait, is SC supposed to be the end of an arc? it didn't feel that way at all to me. I had assumed that this 'grandmaster' was going to be the big bad and he hasn't even shown his face yet.

...sort of. I think of it more as the end of one chapter of the story. The ongoing plot is going to take a very long time to resolve.
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Cold Steel 1 still my favorite ending ever in a video game

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Yeah, Cold Steel 1/2 and 3/4 basically function the same way FC/SC did. Which makes sense because FC/SC were originally supposed to be one game, and 1/2 and 3/4 were supposed to be one game each, too!

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If we were going by Falcom's original plans there would only be 3 Trails games lmao.

--FC/SC were originally supposed to be one game.

--3rd was not originally planned at all, and neither was the Crossbell arc.

--Erebonia arc was originally supposed to be only 2 games. (allocated as stated by Leon)
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I've been playing Ys IX the past 24 hours and with how massive the main town is I can only imagine a future Trails game where the region you visit for a chapter is just one large area and not a bunch of segmented areas.

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Yeah Ouroboros is the overarching series villain organization, not just for Sky. They show up in every arc. Different members usually though.

I've honestly been trying to figure out what naming convention they're going to use for the Calvard arc since the games suggest their primary mode of transportation is cars.

Trails of Asphalt? Trails from the Road?

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LeonhartFour posted...

I've honestly been trying to figure out what naming convention they're going to use for the Calvard arc since the games suggest their primary mode of transportation is cars.

Trails of Asphalt? Trails from the Road?

I mean Zero and Azure had nothing to do with transportation so...

Trails of Waifus

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tcaz2 posted...

I mean Zero and Azure had nothing to do with transportation so...

yeah but that was meant to be a side game

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LeonhartFour posted...

yeah but that was meant to be a side game

Uh... no it wasn't??

I'm not even sure where you got that. They originally planned to do the Erebonia arc first but realized they needed to do Crossbell before it instead. It was never meant to be side games.

what I meant is that it wasn't part of the original plan (as well as meant to only be a single game)

it's a minor arc that fills out the Erebonian arc

Calvard is going to be a major arc

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